Catching the Midnight Rider: Railfanning the San Diego & Imperial Valley Railroad

During the very early morning hours, a very unique railroad with a very unique operation can be seen in the South Bay - freight trains running on light rail tracks.

Running throughout the South Bay of San Diego county is the San Diego & Imperial Valley Railroad (SDIV) - a shortline owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. With over 30 miles of track, the SDIV switches out various industries and companies in the South Bay and serves as a bridge line between the BNSF in San Diego and the Baja California Railroad in Tijuana, Mexico. However, the only rail lines available for these operations are owned by San Diego's Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) for their Trolley services. To prevent any disruptions to this service, the SDIV conducts all its operations in the early morning hours when Trolley services have ceased - normally between 1 and 4 am. This is the only kind of operation I am aware of where freight trains and light rail share the same tracks.

Being a night owl that lives very close to the MTS Blue Line, I routinely hear the SDIV from miles away as it transports cars between SD and TJ. Come along as we railfan the "Midnight Rider" at various spots in the South Bay communities of San Diego, National City, and Chula Vista!