Mr. Roco - I have followed your documentation of the Carrizo Gorge Railroad for a while now - and I am amazed at the various photos you take and some of the locations you photograph. I must admit that I am somewhat "saddened" at the fate of this railroad, and it's too bad that it couldn't become a tourist line like the Cubres & Toltec or White Pass & Yukon or even the Grand Canyon Railroad. From your photos, I looked up this railroad / gorge on Google Maps, and the Satellite view shows just how devestating the weather damage to this line is. I saw several sections where you could see the line was completely washed away and there was nothing but an open abyss, again all visible from the satellite view. The damage done by the weather, and landslides is too great now and this photo is an example of the devastation and the work required to ever salvage this line for ANY use in the future. Sad! Great documentation and wonderful photographs. Hope you didnt' encounter any dessert critters (Rattle Snakes, Scorpions, etc.) during your trips through the gorge.
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While the rails are fouled with rocks or derailed cars, the line is actually intact from Plaster City to the Mexican Border (I have no idea what is going on in Mexico). It would be a great tourist line if such an endeavour could make the money necessary to maintenance the track and tunnels. Currently, the ROW is owned by San Diego MTS and supposedly leased to the PIR (which is in Bankruptcy) for 99 years. Even if a tourist line got a hold of the lease for free, it would be millions of dollars to bring the infrastructure up to standards that would allow an operating insurance policy to be issued.
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