A LOOOONG time ago I read a book on the AT&SF. I seem to remember that at one time they built a route from San Bernadino to San Diego directly but the line was hard to keep open and they abandoned it. Am I remembering this corectly? If so does someone know where I can find info on this somewhere on the net?
The line went south from Riverside to Perris (with a branch from Perris to San Jacinto) and then through Elsmore, Temecula and Fallbrook and met the current line at Fallbrook Jct. just north of Oceanside.
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/map_item.pl?data=/home/www/data/gmd/gmd436/g4361/g4361p/rr001890.sid&style=rrmap&itemLink=D?gmd:2:./temp/~ammem_buS9::&title=New%20enlarged%20scale%20railroad%20and%20county%20map%20of%20California%20showing%20every%20railroad%20station%20and%20post%20office%20in%20the%20state.
Frank Kimball made an agreement with the ATSF on July 10, 1880 to build the California Southern from San Diego through Cajon pass to meet the Atlantic and Pacific. The first train from San Diego arrived in San Bernardino on Sept 13, 1883. In early 1884 rains washed out 30 miles of track through the Temecula Canyon, which took 9 months to repair. The lines from Riverside to Los Angeles and Oceanside to LA were completed in August 1888.
This is what you want-
http://www.sdrm.org/history/cs/
Thanks Nanaimo73, As usual you bring a welth of info to the forum.
The Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris sits and on operates over one of the remaining parts of that line. Great museum, particularly if you are into traction.