I had never seen this 2006 episode of California’s Gold before, but once I realized there was a train trip involved I had to check it out! Huell actually travels over the border to the Mexican city of Tecate. But don’t worry if you’re not interested in sampling beer; besides touring the Tecate factory there’s a chance to explore the town, to go shopping, and to meet some new people — not to mention indulging in some amazing goodies at the panadería (bakery).

Sadly, this historic train outing was forced to stop running in 2009 after one of the train tunnels collapsed. Since then, the folks at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association have been working very hard to restore the tunnels and tracks and resume the operation, but as of right now there is still no timeline for resumption of the line.

Host Huell Howser comes to San Diego County to visit the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo and takes a train ride to Tecate, Mexico.  Huell takes a tour of the Tecate beer factory and explores the charming and historical Plaza area in Tecate before returning on the train to San Diego. The expedition rambles through a 20-mile slice of the history of two nations long intertwined.

(Click on the linked image below to see the video.)