Still Standing After All These Years! (Not to mention a 7.2 earthquake!)

Rode the bike 150 miles down to El Centro yesterday to see if the old San Diego & Arizona Eastern depot was still in place and functional. Turns out that it's still standing, but it looks as if it's none too long for this world and has become home to an impressive collection of gang grafitti. I was glad to get some pics while I still can.

Alas, this is what typically happens to abandoned buildings in the low- rent district.

The old S.P. (now Union Pacific) depot that sits right next door is in much better repair, and while it's probably never going to see another passenger train it is still being actively used for storage, as a freight-yard office, and as the base station for the Union Pacific's radio communications across the Imperial Valley.

The depot serves a very active freight operation that employs around ten older diesels for local freights and switching purposes. There was even one switcher moving cars around on Easter Sunday.

Fifteen minutes after I got back home from El Centro, the area was hit with a 7.2 earthquake that caused quite a bit of local damage.

Good timing!

~Pete