The ''Imperial'' was a
night train of the
Rock Island Rail Road
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.
At the end ...
and the
Southern Pacific
The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
. It operated from
Chicago to
Los Angeles, via Kansas City (Missouri) and Tucumcari (New Mexico).
Route
Among the Southern Pacific passenger trains running from Arizona to southern California, it was distinctive for stopping in
Mexico and for having an international branch running into Mexico a second time, stopping between
Calexico
Calexico () is a city in southern Imperial County, California. Situated on the Mexican border, it is linked economically with the much larger city of Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California. It is about east of San Diego ...
and
San Diego. In most of the Arizona section, it passes through an area acquired by the
Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase ( es, region=MX, la Venta de La Mesilla "The Sale of La Mesilla") is a region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that the United States acquired from Mexico by the Treaty of Mesilla, which took effe ...
.
The Imperial's main route ran west to Los Angeles. Heading west of Yuma it went into Mexico for two stops, then returned to Calexico; there, the main route continued to Los Angeles.
A southern branch split from the main route at Calexico on the
San Diego Short Line. It crossed the
Mexico–United States border, then made stops in
Baja California at
Mexicali, before returning to California, stopping in Calexico and
El Centro. It then crossed into Mexico, stopping at Tijuana, and finally crossed to the United States to finish in San Diego.
The route had its origins as a local train between San Diego and Yuma. It was suspended from 1942 to 1946, as a result of
World War II. Its service was truncated by 1958, continuing into 1967.
American Rails, ''Imperial''
/ref>
Major stops
*Chicago (LaSalle Street Station
LaSalle Street Station is a commuter rail terminal at 414 South LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago. First used as a rail terminal in 1852, it was a major intercity rail terminal for the New York Central Railroad until 1968, and for the Chicago, R ...
)
*Rock Island
*Kansas City (Kansas City Union Station
Kansas City Union Station (station code: KCY) is a union station opened in 1914, serving Kansas City, Missouri, and the surrounding metropolitan area. It replaced a small Union Depot from 1878. Union Station served a peak annual traffic of mo ...
)
*Topeka ( Great Overland Station)
*Tucumcari
*El Paso
*Tucson
*Phoenix
*Yuma
*Palm Springs
*Los Angeles ( Union Station (Los Angeles))
San Diego Short Line branch:
*Mexicali
*Tijuana
*San Diego
Notes
External links
San Diego Short Line map
Named passenger trains of the United States
International named passenger trains
Night trains of the United States
Passenger trains of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
Passenger trains of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company
Railway services discontinued in 1968
{{SP named trains