Welcome to the San Diego Electric Railway Association!
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| SDERy 413 on trestle in Balboa Park near Morley Field |
The San Diego Electric Railway Association (SDERA) is dedicated to the preservation of the history of the San Diego Electric Railway - San Diego's primary streetcar system which operated from the late 1800s to 1949. SDERA is also the operator of the National City Depot, an historic Santa Fe railroad station. We operate a railroad and local history museum within the depot, and the depot is open Thursday to Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm. A large model-railroad exhibit, operated by our 3-Rail model railroad group, is also included in the museum displays. All train buffs, local historians, and people looking for an interesting "day out" in the San Diego area are encouraged to visit the depot, join with us, and help us grow into a major destination within San Diego County
Monthly meetings are typically held at the National City Depot on the 2nd Saturday night of the month at 7:30pm. There is no charge to attend these meetings which cover interesting subjects relating to past, present, and future electric railways. Plan to arrive by 7 p.m. to chat, and peruse the Gift Shop. Join us at 5:30 for an optional no-host dinner before the meeting at The Barbeque Pit Restaurant - 920 E. Plaza Blvd, National City (directions from Mapquest).
Interested in having a Birthday Party or other public meeting in a Historic Streetcar? Our Birney car is available for daytime and evening special events. Contact us at the Depot for additional information.
Own a Piece of San Diego Electric Railway History, Help Fund SDERA Projects!
Slices of acutal SDERy rail is available! Click Here for Details.
Former San Francisco PCC Cars Arrive in San Diego (by way of Lake Tahoe)
Two '50s-era Presidents' Conference Committee (PCC) streetcars arrived in San Diego on the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005, following considerable planning and fund-raising efforts. Harry Mathis, the new Director of San Diego MTS and Chair of the newly-formed San Diego Vintage Trolley Co (SDVT), was among the many happy people to witness the cars' arrival into the SD Trolley yard. These cars are among the group of former San Francisco cars that have sat in the Lake Tahoe area for many years, awaiting an uncertain future. Now at least 3 of the cars have a specific future: to be restored to operating condition, and to run in downtown San Diego on the "loop" formed by portions of today's Orange and Blue Lines - to be called the "Silver Line". SDVT will be soliciting resources from the community, and they are especially interested in SDERA involvement. Photos of the cars can be found in the Photo Gallery.
Check out the progress in our monthly Newsletter - Trolley Lines. Page 2 of each issue discusses the progress of this renovation project.
Are you interesting in volunteering some time to restore these classic PCC cars? There will be Tuesday / Thursday work sessions at the MTS yard in downtown San Diego. Please contact San Diego Vintage Trolley Project Manager Dave Slater () for details and to get authorization to be on the MTS property.
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They're Here!The Vienna Cars have arrived at the National City Depot! All three cars are now on site. If you are interested in helping to clean up and/or restore these cars, see the Volunteer! page on the left. Photos are now available in the Photo Gallery. Last year, we repainted the car roofs so that we could display the cars rather than cover them with tarps. One car is open to the public for you to explore! |
Old Spaghetti Factory Birney Car now at National City Depot!The Birney Car from the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant in Downtown San Diego was purchased and donated to the SDERA by Sam Judd, one of our members in memory of his father, long-time streetcar fan Lyle Judd. The car was removed from the building (quite a feat!) on Monday, February 14, 2005 from a hole on the 5th Ave side. The car is now in the Depot yard and has been set to be able to host small birthday gatherings. Photos of the move can be found in our Photo Gallery. For more information and picture of the car inside the restaurant, see our February 2005 Newsletter - Trolley Lines. For pictures of the move, see the April 2005 Newsletter. |
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About SDERA
The San Diego Electric Railway Association, Inc. (d.b.a San Diego Electric Railway) exists to:
- Preserve the artifacts and equipment of the San Diego Electric Railway and other related local companies.
- Establish and maintain an active railway museum, complete with an operating, historic streetcar line.
- Serve as an educational resource showing the important roles streetcars, interurbans, and electric railways played in the development of the San Diego area.
- Preserve past and present pictures, publications, and artifacts of the current San Diego Trolley.
We are affiliated with or are members of:
- ARM - Association of Railway Museums
- National City Chamber of Commerce
- TRAIN - Tourist Railway Association, Inc.
- San Diego Congress of History
- The National Trust For Historic Preservation (Washington, D.C.)
- SOHO - Save Our Heritage Organization
- CAM - California Association of Museums
Financial and equipment gifts from people, corporations, and organizations interested in preserving San Diego's railway history make SDERA's work possible!