Rio Grande in Utah, 1908 to 1988

(Denver & Rio Grande Railroad)
(Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad)

This page was last updated on October 28, 2024.

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Timeline

Denver & Rio Grande

(1908-1921)

July 31, 1908
August 1, 1908
Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (Consolidated) was organized and incorporated. Rio Grande Western Railway was merged with Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, along with Carbon County Railway, Castle Valley Railway, Copper Belt Railroad, San Pete Valley Railway, Sevier Railway, Tintic Range Railway, Utah Central Railroad, and Utah Eastern Railway. (LeMassena, pp. 115, 117)

According to LeMassena, page 67, the mechanism used by both D&RG and by RGW to build branchlines was to encourage a group of individuals, or a particular shipper, to organize a new company to build a spur or branch, contracting the actual construction to the railroads' construction crews. The railroads would then refund all costs of construction to the organizing company or individuals in the form of haulage credits until the full cost was fully recovered. Formal ownership, deed and title would then pass to the railroads.

1909
D&RG added five miles of second track between Helper and Castle Gate, and another five miles of second track between Kyune and Colton. (LeMassena, p. 123)

The route had been surveyed and staked for additional double track between Helper and Castle Gate, and work was to start at once. The contractor was Utah Construction Company. This work is in preparation for the additional traffic from the Panther mine being opened midway between Helper and Castle Gate. (Eastern Utah Advocate, June 17, 1909, Utah Digital Newspaper Project)

May 5, 1909
D&RG split its Utah Lines into two new divisions; the new Salt Lake Division (with A. B. Apperson as its new superintendent) was created to manage the road between Ogden and Helper; the new Green River Division was created to manage the road between Helper to Grand Junction. (Carbon County News, May 6, 1909; Eastern Utah Advocate, May 6, 1909; Richfield Reaper, May 6, 1909, "yesterday")

August 8, 1909
A. E. Welby died. (Eastern Utah Advocate, August 12, 1909)

September 2, 1909
"The name of Garfield Junction on the Denver and Rio Grande road has been changed to Welby Junction in honor of the late A. E. Welby, formerly general superintendent of the road." (Price News-Advocate, September 2, 1909)

"Shortly after the line went into service, it was discovered that the existing maintenance and service facilities in Midvale were inadequate to serve the 25 locomotives operating out of Welby, and plans were made for new facilities at Welby. In 1909, sixteen additional acres were purchased from the Malmstroms and construction of a roundhouse, machine shop, and a boiler shop began. The railroad also built a telegraph station." (Michael Lehmitz) (The Lehmitz family owns the property where, as of August 2015, the foundations of the six-stall roundhouse, turntable pit, ash pit, water column and other facilities still stand.)

October 20, 1909
The post office at Bingham Junction was changed to Midvale. (Salt Lake Herald, October 20, 1909, citing a newly released the "official postoffice guide for October")

1910
Construct Welby engine facilities
AFE 1687
Approved in 1910
Facilities include:
-- Roundhouse (6 stalls); Turntable; Coal chute (6 pockets); Ash pit
-- Drop pit added in 1917
All retired in 1925
Welby is located just north of 90th South and Old Bingham Highway, at about 4300 W.

Welby History

The following comes from the July 2, 1981 issue of the Midvale Journal Sentinel newspaper.

In the early part of this century, as many as 500 people occupied the area just west of 4000 West at 9000 South and the Old Bingham Highway. Today, all that remains are the foundations of two hotels, several homes, a water tank, and a turntable pit, and the stalls of the roundhouse.

A recently published Sons of the Utah Pioneers history of Welby by Russell Stocking explains that the community was once the transfer point for ore being moved from the Bingham Hill to the Magna area operations.

Originally Garfield Junction, Welby was established in 1905 when E. A. Knock of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad purchased approximately 50 acres of John and Anne Malmstrom's original 330 acre homestead, four and one-half miles west of Midvale. The next year, a railroad was built to Magna to haul ore to the mills and smelters in the area. The contract for hauling from the Bingham Hill to the mills was awarded to Denver Rio Grande and Welby became a junction on the line.

Officials required that those working at the junction live there, so a settlement began to grow after the railroad established grade lines. Homes were built along the right of way south of the tracks and the old highway access from the "wye" and west along the tracks to the north of the right of way. As the roundhouse, dispatch station and other parts of the railroading activities were built up to the north, additional property was purchased from the Malstroms. Buildings were then constructed further west and included a schoolhouse, bunk houses, and warehouses.

Several wells were dug in the roundhouse area before a good water supply was found. A treatment plant was built and a six-inch water line was laid to roundhouse operations. Soft water was available from tanks brought from Salt Lake. According to Stocking, people would line up with tubs and buckets to take the precious fluid back to their homes.

A post office was established in Welby on July 16, 1910.

As the movement of ore increased to 12 million tons annually, the Utah Copper Company asked Denver and Rio Grande to build double tracks from Welby to Magna to speed things up. The railroad rejected the idea, noting that it would be too costly. Utah Copper then decided to build their own tracks along the foothills on the west side of the valley.

The completion of the Bingham Garfield line resulted in the downfall of Welby by as people left Denver and Rio Grande to go work for the new railroad.

As population dwindled, the town began fading away. In 1918, the post office was closed. In 1920, the schoolhouse closed its doors and in 1925, coal chutes, trestles, and the roundhouse were dismantled and torn down. The telegraph office closed in 1931. By the 1940s, the last families had left.

1910
D&RG and WP built Salt Lake City Union Depot in Salt Lake City. (LeMassena, p. 123) Construction started in 1907, under the name of Salt Lake City Union Depot & Railroad Co., incorporated on May 29, 1907. (Utah corporation index 6383)

1910
D&RG began operation of both Southern Utah Railroad and Castle Valley Railroad, using their own equipment. (LeMassena, p. 123)

1910
Utah Copper Co. built its own Bingham & Garfield Railway because the copper company was not satisfied with D&RG's service between the copper company's mine in Bingham Canyon, and its smelters 16 miles north near Great Salt Lake via D&RG's Garfield Branch. (LeMassena, p. 123)

In his summary for the year 1911, LeMassena wrote on page 123, "Copper ore, in tremendous tonnages, which had been routed from Bingham through Welby to Garfield, dwindled to but a fraction of the former quantities. The reason was simple enough: the copper company wanted more reliable service. The D&RG ignored this request, with the result that the copper company eliminated the D&RG completely by building the Bingham & Garfield railroad."

1910
D&RG added three miles of second track between Welby and Loline Junction to relieve the congestion of copper ore traffic between Bingham Canyon and the mills and smelter at Garfield. (LeMassena, p. 123)

June 22, 1910
The D&RG depot in Price burned to the ground. (Eastern Utah Advocate, June 23, 1910)

The Price depot was replaced in December 1911. The new depot was opened on December 18, 1911. The first train through was No. 6, the Atlantic Coast Limited, pulled by locomotives 781 and 790. The new depot was under construction for three months, at a cost of $15,000.00. (Eastern Utah Advocate, December 21, 1911)

August 13, 1910
D&RG changed its old Salt Lake City depot to the new Salt Lake City Union Depot on August 13, 1910, a Saturday evening. The last train out of the old depot was Train No. 3; first train out of the new depot was the San Pete Local. (Eastern Utah Advocate, August 25, 1910, "Passing of Salt Lake's Old Depot")

October 1910
D&RG announced that it would build a new line from Mesa, in north Utah County, south along the western shore of Utah Lake to Elberta, then to Nephi, to connect with the San Pete Valley branch. (Eastern Utah Advocate, October 1910)

January 2, 1911
A new all-brick Union Depot was opened at Provo, Utah; to be used by D&RG and UP. (Salt Lake Herald, December 23, 1910)

August 1911
A newspaper item says that D&RG was concerned about a survey being done in Salina Canyon by "Harriman interests". (Eastern Utah Advocate, August 3, 1911)

September 5, 1911
Thistle depot burned completely on the morning of September 5, 1911, including the restaurant and baggage room. (Eastern Utah Advocate, September 7, 1911)

September 14, 1911
Utah Copper Company began operation of its Bingham & Garfield Railway. Construction had begun in April 1910. Utah Copper had asked D&RG to expand its facilities (more locomotives and cars and double tracking of its "Low Grade Line" and Garfield Branch) and D&RG had refused. The copper company had organized the B&G in July 1908, hoping to "scare" the D&RG railroad into making the needed improvements. The copper company went ahead with the construction because they could see advantages to controlling their own transportation facilities. (106 ICC 459)

1912
D&RG added six miles of second track between Thistle and Detour in preparation for the line change between Detour and Soldiers Summit. (LeMassena, p. 125)

May 24, 1912
D&RGW registered a mortgage in Carbon County, Utah, along with 12 other counties it operated in throughout Utah and Colorado. The mortgage was to the New York Trust company to secure a $25 million bond issue. It was announced that $10 million would be available by June 1, 1912. Approximately $4 million of the total amount would be used in Utah to reduce the grade over Soldier Summit from 4 percent to 2 percent, as well as double-tracking the railroad from Midvale to helper, and the purchase of additional locomotives and rolling stock. (Carbon County News, May 30, 1912, "last Friday")

July 1912
D&RG began work on the double tracking of its line from Castle Gate to Kyune. The contractor was Kilpatrick Brothers. (Coal Index: Eastern Utah Advocate, July 11, 1912, p. 1)

November 21, 1912
D&RG began reconstruction of their own line over Soldier Summit, between Castle Gate and Thistle. The $1.5 million contract for the new "detour" line over Soldier Summit was let in Denver on November 19, 1912 to Utah Construction Company. The new D&RG construction was for a new double track line between a new connection with Utah Railway at Castle Gate, over Soldier's Summit to Thistle, and a connection with Utah Railway's own, new line into Provo. (Eastern Utah Advocate, November 21, 1912)

Soldier Summit Detour Line

November 19, 1912
D&RG let a $1.5 million contract for the "detour" around Soldier Summit to Utah Construction Company. (Eastern Utah Advocate, November 21, 1912)

January 23, 1913
During January 1913 there were six steam shovels working on D&RG's detour line over Soldier Summit. (Eastern Utah Advocate, January 23, 1913)

February 6, 1913
Twenty-three steam shovels are at work on the new "Detour Line" working above Tucker. (Eastern Utah Advocate, February 6, 1913, "Dirt Is Flying")

February 20, 1913
There 1,000 men and 250 teams at work, along with 22 steam shovels. (Eastern Utah Advocate, February 20, 1913)

June 12, 1913
Wattis and Bechtel, subcontractors to Utah Construction Company, had 750 workers go on strike demanding $2.50 for ten hours work, preferring nine hours of work. They also wanted bath tubs. Utah Construction had 7,000 men working; 3,000 near Tucker; and 4,000 in Price River Canyon and Spanish Fork Canyon. (Eastern Utah Advocate, June 12, 1913, "Shorter Hours; Bath Tubs Also")

June 19, 1913
Wattis & Bechtel resumed work after the strike was broken. Membership in the striking union was down to twenty men. (Eastern Utah Advocate, June 19, 1913, pp. 6, 8, "Agitators Jailed; Strike Broken")

October 31, 1913
"Sending Trains Over The New Line. Nov. 1. - The first regular train passed over the Soldier Summit detour yesterday morning at 9 o'clock (October 31, 1913). It consisted of forty-five cars and took two hours to make seventeen miles." The new route was not yet officially open, but trains would begin using it at once. All east and west trains would use the new line, except in time of very heavy traffic, when the old line would also be used. (Carbon County News, November 6, 1913)

November 10, 1913
The new D&RG Soldier Summit detour line was opened to general traffic. The new line was projected to save $600,000.00 per year in operating costs. Work began in February. (Eastern Utah Advocate, November 13, 1913)

November 16, 1913
"The D&RG station at Tucker was discontinued last Sunday, at which time passenger trains began using the new detour tracks, which reduce the grade over the summit considerably." (Carbon County News, November 20, 1913)

(The depot building at Tucker was moved in 1913 up to the new station site at Gilluly, on the Detour line. The Gilluly depot was then later retired in 1947.)

November 20, 1913
"Soldier Summit Detour. Beginning this week the new detour line of the D&RG at Soldier Summit will be used for all traffic, passenger and freight alike. The Tracks of the new line have been used for freight traffic for the past few weeks, and with the practical completion of the ballast work, the passengers began using the new line the first of the week. There has been no change in the timetable as affecting the departure and arrival of trains in Price." (Eastern Utah Advocate, November 20, 1913, "Price And Vicinity")

Two new sidings were created on the new line. Scenic was on the upper "loop" and Gilluly was on the lower "loop." Gilluly was named for Joseph W. Gilluly, who had passed away on February 3, 1913. Gilluly was treasurer and director of D&RG at the time of his death at age 62. Cause of death was reported as heart failure, following a treatment for Bright's Disease, or kidney disease. Gilluly was known as a friend of William Palmer and was involved with the affairs of D&RGW, then RGW, then D&RG from the earliest days in the 1872, first as a clerk, then as a director or board member, or as the company's treasurer after 1886. He was born in 1851, and was 21 years old when he moved to Colorado Springs, taking a job as a clerk for the new railroad. At his death, he had just celebrated 40 years of service with Rio Grande.

1913
D&RG added nine miles of second track between Castle Gate and Kyune, and 14 miles of relocated double track mainline between Soldiers Summit and Detour, giving the railroad a full double track mainline across Soldiers Summit from Helper to Thistle. (LeMassena, p. 125)

1913
D&RG surveyed the route for a branch to Huntington Canyon. (Eastern Utah Advocate, January 23, 1913)

1913
D&RG bought the railroad of Spring Canyon Coal Co. between Spring Canyon Junction (near Helper) and Storrs, in Spring Canyon. Built by the coal company in late 1912. (LeMassena, p. 125)

1913
D&RG began operation of Ballard & Thompson Railroad, between Thompson on D&RG and the coal mine at Sego. (LeMassena, p. 125)

1913
D&RG leased its Wasatch Branch between Sandy and Wasatch to Salt Lake & Alta Railroad, which agreed to reconstruct and operate the branch. (LeMassena, p. 125)

1913
D&RG began reconstruction of its line between Salina and Nioche, after the line was washed out in 1904. (LeMassena, p. 125) (See also: the entry in 1902, LeMassena, p. 111)

January 9, 1913
The new D&RG line between Thistle and Tucker was complete, and trains were using the new line. (Ogden Evening Standard, January 9, 1913; Eastern Utah Advocate, January 16, 1913)

June 11, 1913
American Refrigerating Transit (A.R.T.) Comes to Utah -- The following comes from the June 11, 1913 issue of the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper:

Under the terms of a contract just closed between the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad company and the American Refrigerating Transit company, the latter company will hereafter handle all the fruit and refrigerating business for the road. This announcement was made last night by H. F. Kooser of St. Louis, general manager of the refrigerating company, who arrived in Salt Lake yesterday to make final arrangements for the big deal. Mr. Kooser is accompanied by F. W. Rice, general freight agent, and W. H. Haley, superintendent, both of St. Louis, and C. E. Kelch of Denver, who has just been appointed to handle the company's Utah and Colorado business.

Today the officials of the A. R. T. will confer with A. B. Apperson, general superintendent of the Utah D. & R. G. lines, and S. V. Derrah, general freight agent. Full details of the contract will probably be worked out at the conference.

"Our company Is just now in splendid condition to handle the big fruit shipments of Utah and Colorado, as we have built within the last year 1000 additional refrigerator cars and 2000 more are coming out of the shops this month. We have always handled the business for the Gould lines, other than the D. & R. G. but on account of a lack of cars were unable to close a contract with them. With the additional cars constructed this became possible and the contract was closed."

General Manager Kooser and his party came from St. Louis—the company headquarters—to Denver. There Mr. Kelch was appointed agent for Colorado and Utah and preliminary plans for operating this year were outlined. After visiting Pueblo and Grand Junction they started to Salt Lake, stopping on the way at Provo. They remained there Monday and visited the orchards surrounding the town. Mr. Kooser declared the outlook was promising and said he found hundreds of new orchards, just coming in, which will keep his company busy furnishing cars within a few years.

With a record of having handled last year 8000 cars of peaches in twenty-six days, the new refrigerating company in this field comes prepared to solve the transportation problem for Utah shippers. The new carriers are all twenty-six-foot cars of the most modern type, with an extra heavy insulation. Icing stations will he established in Provo and Ogden in Utah and at Grand Junction and other Colorado points, where re-icing will be done. The company's ice bill last year was $508,000, and with the added work this year it will be much more. Formerly the company handled the refrigerating work for the Missouri Pacific, Iron Mountain & Southern, Wabash, Texas & Pacific and the Cotton Belt lines. This year the Rio Grande will be added.

June 18, 1913
"Spectacular Fire Razes Denver & Rio Grande Car Shops; Loss is Estimated at Half Million," in a fire that was yesterday, the 18th, the alarm being turned in at 7:33 p.m. Fire is stated to have started in the Paint shop, and destroyed that building as well as the blacksmith shop, planing mill, pattern shop, car foreman's office and all records, and 25 box cars and six passenger cars that were in the paint shop at the time of the fire. (Salt Lake Daily Herald, June 19, 1913)

The fire started at about 7:35 pm in a freshly painted coach that was in the Coach Shop for repairs. The fire destroyed the coach and paint shop, which were in the same building, along with the woodworking mill, the blacksmith shop, the general car foreman's office (including part of the car records kept there), the wheel shop, part of the boiler house, five passenger cars, including the pay car, and 25 freight cars, along with six cabooses. A total of 600 to 700 men were thrown out of employment as a result of the fire. The nearby coaling chute and two tanks holding 6000 gallons of fuel oil were saved by deluging them with water, along with large amounts of lumber and similar material in a nearby storage yard. The fire was kept to the south side of the Fourth South viaduct, and the roundhouse and engine shops on the north side of the viaduct were never in danger. (Salt Lake Tribune, June 19, 1913, "yesterday")

late June 1913
Negotiations between Utah Railway and D&RG for a joint trackage agreement over Soldiers Summit began. (Eastern Utah Advocate, June 26, 1913)

July 1913
U.S. government files suit against D&RG over its ownership of Utah Fuel. (Coal Index: Eastern Utah Advocate, July 17, 1913, p. 2) (RESEARCH: Find court proceedings.)

October 1, 1913
D&RG announced that stone for its new freight terminal in Ogden would be furnished by Utah Consolidated Stone Company, which was also furnishing stone for the state capitol and the new LDS administration building, both in Salt Lake City. (Salt Lake Tribune, October 2, 1913) (The stone is shipped by way of the Salt Lake & Alta Railroad, which was leasing D&RG's Little Cottonwood Branch between Wasatch in Little Cottonwood Canyon and Sandy.)

On November 1, 1913, Utah Railway and D&RG signed a joint operating agreement for 20.6 miles of Utah Railway owned single track trackage between Thistle and Provo, along with 19.8 miles of D&RG owned single track trackage between the same two points. Also included were 51.35 miles of D&RG owned double track trackage between Thistle and Utah Railway Junction. (141 ICC 574,575; Utah Railway: Manual, p. 22)

On November 4, 1913, the Utah Railway and the Denver & Rio Grande signed a joint trackage and operating agreement for their lines between Castle Gate (Utah Railway Junction) and Provo. The agreement called for Utah Railway to abandon its construction between Castle Gate and Spanish Fork. (Eastern Utah Advocate, November 6, 1913)

1914
Utah Railway built a parallel line to D&RG between Provo and Thistle. (LeMassena, p. 125)

1914
D&RG leased for operation the Kenilworth & Helper Railway. (LeMassena, p. 129)

January 24, 1914
The Fourth South viaduct in Salt Lake City was completed and opened for traffic crossing over D&RG's yard tracks in that part of the city. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 24, 1914)

February 28, 1914
D&RG began moving into its new freight depot in Ogden. Construction of the new D&RG freight depot in Ogden began on September 9, 1913. Construction started on September 16th, after D&RG surveyors marked off the site of the new building. Operations were moved from the old freight depot, to the new location on February 28, 1914, with the first day of full operation planned for Monday morning, March 2, 1914. (Ogden Standard, September 8, 1913; September 16, 1913, "this morning"; February 12, 1914, "nearing completion"; February 28, 1914, "this afternoon and tomorrow")

late June 1914
The Utah Railway line between Provo and Thistle went into service as a second track for Denver & Rio Grande. Fourteen miles of Utah Railway's own line between the mines and Castle Gate (Utah Railway Junction) was complete, with the remainder to be complete by September. (Eastern Utah Advocate, June 25, 1914)

November 1914
D&RG began operation of Utah Railway trains over the joint D&RG/Utah trackage, and Utah's own trackage, between Provo and the mines at Hiawatha and Mohrland. (Eastern Utah Advocate, December 17, 1914)

1915
D&RG ceased its operation of Southern Utah Railroad. (LeMassena, p. 129)

1915
"About 1915 - Denver And Rio Grande Western Railroad Depot, 15 North Sugar Street. The railroad had a very small freight office about the size of a box car to serve Layton. The OSL station in town handled most of the passenger traffic. Living quarters were probably added in 1915, when increased freight traffic to the new sugar factory required a full time agent." (Layton, Utah: Historic Viewpoints; Kaysville-Layton Historical Society, 1985, page 304)

January 15, 1915
D&RG began operation of Kenilworth & Helper Railway. Organized in July 1911 by the Independent Coal & Coke Company to operate the railroad line that it had built in 1907. (26 ICC 860)

October 1915
D&RG and UP both announce that they will build into the Uinta Basin; D&RG from Soldiers Summit, UP from Park City Branch. (The Sun, October 15, 1915)

December 1915
The survey for D&RG's extension into the Uinta Basin ran from Myton to Independence, east to the confluence of the Dry Gulch and Uintah Rivers, one mile south of Fort Duchesne, over Sandridge, then east. (The Sun, December 17, 1915) After the survey was completed, the decision for the construction of D&RG's Uintah Branch was up to the directors in New York City. The officers of the road were in New York making a presentation during the meeting to determine the annual budget. (The Sun, December 31, 1915)

December 30, 1915
Rio Grande had two survey crews working to find a route into the Uinta Basin during two weeks in December 1915, stopping the work on December 20 due to heavy fall of snow and cold weather. The route was projected to be built eastward from Colton, and would likely be 100 to 125 miles long, with typical mountain grades and parts with heavy construction. (Ogden Daily Standard, December 30, 1915)

1916
D&RG removed the old four-percent grade between Detour and Soldiers Summit. (LeMassena, p. 129) Today, this abandoned line is the route used by U. S. Highway 6.

February 1916
D&RG filed a proposed route with the U.S. Land Office in Vernal for its branch into the Uinta Basin. (The Sun, February 25, 1916, p. 2, "From Colton To Uintah Country")

March 1916
D&RG is considering a separate corporation to build its road into the Uinta Basin. The construction was expected to cost $5 million. SPLA&SL announced that it would send surveyors into the Uinta Basin, as soon as snows permit. (The Sun, March 31, 1916, p. 7)

1917
D&RG ended its operation of Utah Railway. (LeMassena, p. 129) Utah Railway had become dissatisfied with D&RG's operation of its trains, and with assistance from UP, Utah Railway bought its own equipment and hired its operating personnel.

1917
D&RG leased its line between Wasatch and Alta to Little Cottonwood Transportation Company. By this time, the still narrow gauge line had been long unused and was mostly disintegrated. Little Cottonwood Transportation agreed to reconstruct the line. (LeMassena, p. 131)

1917
D&RG took over the operation of its Little Cottonwood Branch between Midvale and Wasatch, terminating the lease of the Sandy to Wasatch portion by Salt Lake & Alta. (LeMassena, p. 131)

1917
D&RG bought the railroad of the Standard Coal Company, between Storrs and Standardville in Spring canyon. (LeMassena, p. 131)

1917
D&RG removed the portion of the former San Pete Valley Railway between Manti and Sterling. (LeMassena, p. 131) The line paralleled D&RG's own line between the same two towns and was about seven miles long including the spur to the abandoned Morrison coal mine. The Morrison Branch was constructed by the San Pete Valley in 1894 to serve the coal mine of the Sterling Coal & Coke Company at the mouth of Six Mile Canyon. The branch and coal mine had been inactive since about 1900. (Peterson, San Pete Scenes, p. 47)

The two lines were parallel between Ephraim to Sterling, with the former San Pete Valley line being on the west side of the D&RG line. The two lines crossed just north of Manti, then the San Pete Valley line was along the D&RG's east side to Sterling and a mile further to the Morrison coal mine. It is unknown if they interchanged at any other locations.

1917
D&RG completed the construction of a two mile branch from Kingsville Junction to Kingsville. (LeMassena, p. 131) Kingsville Junction was on the Hooper Branch in south Weber County, which connected to the Salt Lake City to Ogden mainline at Roy. Kingsville was the location of of a beet dump owned by Amalgamated Sugar Company, and later the point where the Farnsworth Spur connected.

1917
D&RG completed the construction of a one mile extension of the Hooper Branch, west from Hooper to Cox. (LeMassena, p. 131)

1917
D&RG removed the five mile stone quarry spur from Kyune to Potters. The spur was constructed in 1892 from Kyune on the mainline (known then as Jennings Junction) for three miles to the Jennings quarry, then extended for two miles from Jennings to the Potters Quarry in 1900. The combined spurs were removed in 1917 after the closure of both stone quarries. (LeMassena, p. 131)

The Jennings and Potter Spur left the mainline at or very near to West Kyune. The spur was 4.97 miles long and headed almost due east to the quarries. The present-day Emma Park Road is on most of the roadbed. At a spot today known as Matts Summit, the spur turned due north for about a mile and ended at the quarries. Most of the roadbed not used by the Emma Park Road is visible in the TerraServer photos, especially where it crossed Horse Creek on an S curve, while the present day road is straight. There was not a wye at Jennings Junction, where the spur left the mainline. (part from a telephone conversation with Jim Ozment, retired D&RGW Utah Division Engineer, November 2, 2004)

June 25, 1917
In late June 1917, hurried and inadequate engineering of a earthen dam brought about a disaster that would affect railroad transportation in Carbon County for the next six months and cause the abandonment of the Southern Utah Railroad. At about noon on June 24, 1917 the dam of the Mammoth reservoir of the Price River Irrigation Company began leaking. The leak grew steadily worse and the dam finally gave way in the early afternoon of Sunday, June 25th. The dam, located on Gooseberry Creek, a tributary of the Price River above Scofield, was about forty miles upstream from Price, and the resulting flood carried 11,000 acre feet of water, or about 3.6 billion gallons down Price River Canyon and out into the Grassy Trail desert. The raging torrent destroyed four bridges and about seven miles of D&RG's Scofield Branch, along with eight bridges and twenty miles along D&RG's mainline down Price River Canyon. The Southern Utah's wooden bridge over the Price River at Price was also washed out, effectively shutting down the railroad. There was ample warning of the pending disaster, with the only death being that of a female sightseer who backed her car into the flooded river. The crest of the flood reached Price on Monday night at about 11 p. m. The flood stranded D&RG's Scofield switcher. Five D&RG trains were marooned between Helper and Colton, along with two mallet helper engines. (Kleinschmidt, pp. 52-56; The Sun, June 29, 1917, p. 1, "Mammoth Dam Is Gone")

June 28, 1917
"At Castle Gate the railroad depot and all company buildings, eight dwellings and the barber shop near the depot were washed away. The Castle Gate hotel escaped by a narrow margin, losing the front porch and collecting instead two feet of mud in the rooms of the ground floor when waters receded." (Salt Lake Tribune, June 28, 1917)

The D&RG's mainline tracks in Price River canyon were returned to service on July 4th. Most of the damage on the mainline was between Kyune and Utah Railway Junction, with 1,500 feet of track being washed out at the Nolan tunnels. (The Sun, July 6, 191)

By August 10th, most of the D&RG double track between Utah Railway Junction and Kyune was back in service, except for two sections, one at Cameron and another near Kyune, and within two weeks those were also back in service. The first train out on the repaired Scofield Branch was operated in the early evening on August 20, 1917. (The Sun, August 10, 1917, p. 6; August 24, 1917, p. 6) D&RG used state prison convicts to rebuild its line after the Mammoth dam break. (News-Advocate, January 18, 1918)

December 1, 1917
Utah Railway took over operation of its trains using its own locomotives and cars.

December 28, 1917
D&RGW, along with a U. S. railroads, came under the control of the federal government, by Presidential order dated December 26, 1917. The United States Railway Administration was created in March 1918 to administer the federal control of the railroads.

January 25, 1918
D&RG was forced into receivership to cover its own debt, along with the debt of the WP. D&RG had begun not paying the WP debt in March 1915. (Athearn, pp. 224-237)

March 21, 1918
The United States Railway Administration (USRA) took over the operation of America’s railroads (including D&RG) on March 21, 1918 to improve the efficiency of America’s railroads during World War I. It continued to operate and “administer” the railroads until March 1, 1920. One review has stated that over 100,000 freight cars and over 1,900 steam locomotives were built for the USRA, at a cost to the government of $380 million.

April 15, 1918
The excavation contract for the new Soldier Summit terminal was awarded to Utah Construction Company of Ogden, Utah. (Ogden Standard, April 16, 1918, "yesterday")

April 20, 1918
The D&RG announced that it would build an $1 million terminal on the D&RG at Soldier Summit, to replace the terminal at Helper. Newspaper accounts state that the terminal was planned as part of the line change from five year before, to equalize the distance for operating crews between the terminal at Thistle, and the terminal at Helper. The earlier project had reduced the grade from 4 percent, to 2.5 percent, at a cost of $2 million. Permission for the new Soldier Summit terminal had been received from the USRA, and work was to begin immediately. (Duchesne Record, April 20, 1918)

MILLION DOLLAR TERMLNAL
SOLDIERS SUMMIT

The Denver & Rio Granite Railway
Company Will Establish, Town
at High Point -- Work to
Begin This Month

Arrangements have been completed for the building of a $1,000,000 terminal at Soldier Summit to replace the terminal at Helper. This project means the shortening of the present division of Ogden to Helper by five miles of 2-1/2 per cent grade and eliminating from the Salt Lake division probably the heaviest and hardest, grade in the country, the east side of Soldier Summit.

Completion of the plans, which have been under consideration for some time by the road, was told in a telegram to Mr. Clarity from E. L. Brown, president of the Denver & Rio Grande. The telegram stated that all preparations had been made for immediately beginning work on the project, as permission had been obtained from William G. McAdoo, director general of railroads, and R. M. Ashton, regional director.

The building pf the terminal on the top of Soldiers Summit is a sequel to the $2,000,000 project of the company five years ago in building what is now known as the "detour," a new roadbed eliminating the 4 per gent grade and making the entire journey to the top of Soldier Summit from Thistle a 2-1/2 per cent grade.

$1,000,000, To Be Spent

More than $1,000,000 will be expended in the new project. The establishment of the terminal on the summit must be done while the terminal at Helper, only a little more than five miles away, is maintained. To establish the terminal the company, to make level area for the yards, must excavate from 50,000 to 75,000 square yards of ground, and must lay from fifteen to twenty miles of track, as the project requires more than twenty-five tracks in the yards.

To accommodate more than twenty-five engines which will be located permanently at the new terminal, it will be necessary to build a large engine house. Shops also will be built and machinery installed. Repair houses will be located on different points in the yards. A large storehouse, to accommodate the entire Soldier Summit to Green River division, also will be located there.

Complete coaling, watering and cleaning equipment will be located in the terminal. A huge coal chute, for the coaling of engines, one of the most modern employed by the railroads of the country, will be installed as well as a complete and modern watering equipment and ash pit.

The establishment of the new terminal will mean the location at Soldier Summit of more than 200 men instead of the ten or twelve living there permanently, at present.

Work on the huge project, which means the reorganization of the operation department of the railroad on the Salt Lake division, according to Mr. Clarity, will begin this month as soon as materials and men can be rushed to Soldier Summit.

The completion of the huge project, he says, is only a matter of how quickly men and materials may be obtained for the building of the yards and the building of a large company hotel, which will accommodate the men who will be permanently located there.

Crews are necessary also to build large depot at the newly important point.

It is believed that if materials and labor may be quickly obtained the terminal will be completed within three or four months, but if the present conditions continue the terminal may not be completed until next winter.

The building of the terminal at Soldier Summit is probably the greatest step taken in years towards clearing the Utah coal question. Under the former system, with trains running from Helper and the coal fields, through the coal fields, making up the trains on the journey, it was impossible to run a train into Salt Lake or Ogden in one day, as it was usually necessary for train crew to "tie up" under the sixteen hour law at Provo or other nearby points.

June 1918
Utah Fuel Company was sold to satisfy some of the combined D&RG and WP debt. (Athearn, p. 236) (QUESTION: Sold to who?)

December 27, 1918
Goshen Valley Railroad was incorporated by the mine owners to build a branch line to their Tintic Standard Mine, Iron King Mine, and South Standard Mine. (Utah corporation index 13600)

Portions of the Goshen Valley railroad were sold to D&RGW in 1927.

1919
D&RG began operating the newly completed Goshen Valley Railroad, under contract. (LeMassena, p. 131)

1919
D&RG bought the railroad of the Carbon Fuel Company, between Standardville and Rains in Spring Canyon. (LeMassena, p. 131)

June 1919
Article about D&RG's new Salt Lake City freight terminal. (Railway Age, Volume 66, Number 18, ca. June 1919, pages 1083-1085)

August 5, 1919
D&RG was ordered by the Utah Public Utilities Commission to construct and maintain a depot at Sigurd, to answer complaints of the town's residents. (Utah Public Service Commission case 181)

October 27, 1919
Completion of the new Soldier Summit terminal was expected to be completed in the near future. Utah Construction Company had almost completed its work. (Ogden Standard, October 27, 1919)

December 1919
During December 1919, more than 1,400 cars had been handled by the new Soldier Summit terminal. The yardmaster's office had just been completed, which relieved congestion in the passenger waiting room where the yardmaster temporarily had his office. (The Sun, April 2, 1920)

December 20, 1919
The new terminal at Soldier Summit had it formal opening on November 1, 1919. (Deseret News, December 20, 1919)

August 18, 1920
"Housing facilities at Soldier Summit will be greatly increased this year, the D&RG budget calling for fifty additional cottages, ten of which are now under construction. In addition to this, ground is being broken for a forty-two room annex to the hotel. This will enable the management to accommodate a total of 120 guests, and thereby relieve the tension for a period at least." "The new movie theatre, with a dimension of 50x90 feet and a splendid stage is nearing completion. This is being erected by local citizens. Other improvements consist of several new dwellings in course of construction by private parties. Water mains are being laid in all directions, and the Utah Power & Light company is extending its lines." (Ogden Standard, August 18, 1920)

December 1, 1920
Twenty-one engine crews were to be moved from Helper to Soldier Summit on December 1, 1920. Twenty new houses were under construction. The basement and framing for the new 40-room hotel were completed. (The Sun, September 24, 1920)

March 1, 1920
The United States Railway Administration (USRA) returned control of the nation's railroads (including D&RG), from government control due to World War I, back to the railroad companies. Included in the enabling Esch–Cummins Act was a provision to allow the ICC to control the railroads profits and rate of return for investments.

May 31, 1920
D&RG sold the entire townsite of Soldier Summit at public auction, through Bettilyon Home Builders of Salt Lake City. The townsite consisted of 1200 business and home lots. D&RG ran a special train from Salt Lake City to Soldier Summit to take prospective buyers to the town. The train departed Salt lake City at 7:30 am and returned the same day. (Ogden Standard, May 20, 1920, advertisement)

May 1920
Utah Terminal Railway was organized by coal companies in Spring Canyon because D&RG was not providing satisfactory service, including insufficient numbers of empty cars. (72 ICC 91)

(Built by Utah Railway, later leased and sold to them.)

Denver & Rio Grande Western

(1921-1988)

Corporate Activities

November 15, 1920
Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad incorporated in Delaware. Organized on November 13, 1920. Filed in Utah on July 21, 1921. (Utah corporation index 15038; LeMassena, p. 135)

November 20, 1920
Property of D&RG sold to newly organized Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. (Athearn, p. 241) Joseph H. Young as president. (Athearn, p. 243) D&RG sold to Western Pacific Railroad Corporation, the Delaware holding company that also owned the Western Pacific Railroad. (LeMassena, p. 131)

LeMassena, p. 135, says that this action by the WP holding company lead to an ICC investigation. (RESEARCH: Find the ICC docket.)

July 27, 1921
The sale of D&RG to the WP-controlled D&RGW was approved by the courts. (LeMassena, p. 131)

August 1, 1921
Newly organized Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad took over operation of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. (LeMassena, p. 135)

On August 1, 1921, the properties of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad were acquired by the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, all the stock of which was acquired by the Western Pacific Railroad Corporation, which also owned and controlled the Western Pacific Railroad as a separate company. It was the bondholders of the original Western Pacific Railway, defunct in 1916, that forced D&RG into receivership on January 26, 1918 because it had failed to make good on guaranteed payments on WPRy mortgage, with the total due being $38 million. (Poors 1929 Railroad Manual, page 1134)

July 21, 1922
D&RGW into receivership, with Young as the receiver. (Athearn, p. 245; LeMassena, p. 135)

1921
Reconstruction of Salina to Nioche branch resumed, after work was discontinued in 1914. Construction continued through 1922 and 1923. (LeMassena, p. 135)

August 23, 1922
Ballard & Thompson Railroad received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to do business as a common carrier. The railroad was 5.25 miles long and served the coal mines of the American Fuel Company at Sego. (Utah Public Service Commission case 564) On September 29, 1922 the ICC denied the Ballard & Thompson's request to participate in interstate commerce. (ICC Finance Docket 2494, in 72 ICC 644)

October 24, 1922
A tragic train-automobile accident at the D&RGW siding known as Mabey Crossing, where the D&RGW mainline near Clearfield crossed the intersection of Clearfield's Main Street and 700 South, resulted in the deaths of four persons and the injury of three others.

Mabey Crossing

On October 24, 1922, at 4:30 p.m., a tragic train-automobile accident took the lives of four people in the auto, including two adult mothers, an 11-year old sister of one of the women, and an infant. Injured in the accident were three infant children. The women and children were en route to meet their husbands, who were employees of Clearfield State Bank. The accident took place in Clearfield at the crossing of Main Street, 700 South and the D&RGW tracks, at a siding named "Mabey."

(View an album with photos, newspaper clippings, and annotated aerial photos showing Maybe Crossing)

Witnesses reported that the northbound passenger train was blowing its whistle as it approached the crossing, and the northbound auto traveling along Main Street appeared to be preparing to stop, but then proceeded onto the crossing, which was at an acute angle to the road. The witnesses remarked that the persistent whistling is what caught their attention, meaning that the locomotive crew may have seen the auto on the semi-parallel Main Street and was trying to warn them. The angle meant that the train was traveling on an angle almost parallel to the road, with no obstructions blocking a view of the approaching train except for an "apple loading depot" on the west side of the tracks about 200 feet south of the crossing. North of the crossing, also on the west side was the actual Mabey siding that served a beet loading station. The accident was covered in the October 25, 1922 issue of the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper.

The scene of the accident was visited on November 1, 1922 by Harry Shipler, of Shipler Commercial Photographers of Salt Lake City. He took at least 20 photographs of the crossing, a train approaching the crossing, and area around it showing the location of the apple loading depot and the open country around the crossing. The crossing was at the dangerous intersection of Main Street, 700 South, and the D&RGW tracks. Shipler identified the photos as being at "Mabey Crossing," with the sign identifying the Mabey siding visible in several of the photos.

The Mabey sign has caused many to wonder about the location, until an examination of a D&RGW employee timetable found the site of the Mabey Crossing. The date of the photos, along with the location being near Clearfield in north Davis County lead to locating the newspaper account of the tragic accident.

The site of Mabey Crossing was changed in 1942 to become the east entrance of the Clearfield Naval Supply Depot, which is today known as the Clearfield Freeport Center.

The photos are preserved as part of the Shipler Collection at the Utah State Historical Society.

One of the two women who died as a result of the accident was Elma Cook Steed (Mrs. Walter Steed Jr.). The following comes from a history of the Steed family of Clearfield:

In 1922 a Ford sedan was purchased and Elma became a good driver. She was able to get the family to meetings, lessons, and over to visit her friends and the Cook Family. She was very close to her brothers and sisters.

On October 24th, a dry, windy, dusty day, Elma took [her infant children] Harold and Grant in the car and picked up Dora Barlow (wife of Jesse Barlow who was in the bank with Walter), her baby David, and her sister. They picked some flowers at Barlows which they were going to take to a friend in the hospital. [Elma's other two sons] David and Dale were attending grade school. There was a Denver and Rio Grande Railroad crossing about a half mile from Barlows. With six in the car, including three under three years old, with baskets of flowers and with the sedan windows closed against the dust and wind, the approaching train was not heard. As the car was midway on the track, the locomotive crashed into the car, demolishing it.

Elma was badly injured and never did regain consciousness after the crash. Grant, the baby, Dora Barlow and her sister were killed. Elma died on October 24th 1922 in the Dee Hospital. Harold Steed and David Barlow were badly injured but recovered.

January 20, 1923
Carbon County Railway (second) received ICC approval to construct its line of railway. (ICC Financial Docket 2505, in 76 ICC 485) The company had received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval on August 24, 1922. (Utah Public Service Commission case 571)

December 29, 1923
Utah Public Utilities Commission approved D&RGW to discontinue train numbers 203 and 204 between Salt Lake City and Bingham. (Utah Public Service Commission case 684)

1924
D&RGW's ex Copper Belt Railroad line in Bingham Canyon was removed because of the copper mine's expansion, including the line from Bingham up canyon to Copper Belt Junction on the low grade line, and the former Copper Belt branch from Bingham to the Yampa smelter. (LeMassena, p. 139)

May 3, 1924
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to close the agency and station at Kaysville. (Utah Public Service Commission case 688)

June 2, 1924
D&RGW opened its new shops in Salt Lake City, bringing back 125 men who had been laid off in early May. The construction of the shops had started in May 1923, and were declared "ready for operation" on June 2, 1924. (Salt Lake Telegram, May 10, 1923; May 29, 1924)

August 23, 1924
D&RGW retired and demolished the five-stall roundhouse at Colton. (D&RGW AFE 1705, dated August 23, 1924, courtesy of Jerry Day)

October 29, 1924
Control of D&RGW passed to Western Pacific and Missouri Pacific Railroads. (Athearn, p. 256)

LeMassena, page 139, says that on October 29, 1924, D&RGW was sold under foreclosure to Equitable Trust and to Kuhn, Loeb & Co., representing the road's bondholders, making D&RGW jointly owned by Missouri Pacific Railroad and Western Pacific Railroad Corporation (parent company of Western Pacific Railroad.)

1925
Little Cottonwood Transportation Co. ceased its lease and operation of the Wasatch to Alta portion of the Wasatch Branch. Portion of line later operated by private parties. (LeMassena, p. 145)

1925
Portion of Scofield Branch, from Hale to Scofield, relocated because of Scofield Reservoir. Six miles of new construction. (LeMassena, p. 145)

1925
Removed portion of former San Pete Valley Railway, from Ephraim to Manti, that paralleled the Marysvale Branch. Not operated for several years. (LeMassena, p. 145)

1925
Removed entire Lake Park Branch, from Lake Park Junction to Lake Park, west of Farmington. (LeMassena, p. 145)

1925
Reconstruction of the Salina to Nioche branch was resumed. Construction continued through 1926. (LeMassena, p. 145)

1925
D&RGW dismantled the roundhouse at Welby in 1925. The school closed in 1920, the telegraph office closed in 1931, and the bunkhouses were removed in 1940. (Deseret News, September 30, 1981, "Commuters Shoot By Where Welby Stood")

April 13, 1925
D&RGW applied to the Interstate Commerce Commission for authority to build a 131-mile line from Soldier Summit, into Uinta Basin. The line was projected to cost $7 million, and surveys had been completed. (Ogden Standard Examiner, April 13, 1925)

May 1925
D&RGW board of directors approved construction of 131 miles of new railroad line from Soldiers Summit to Vernal. (Coal Index: The Sun, May 23, 1925, p. 1) Estimated cost was $6,195,500.00. (Coal Index: The Sun, July 10, 1925, p. 2)

May 1925
A. B. Apperson is shown as president "of the Cameo Coal Company, the largest shipper of coal over the D&RG lines." Apperson was part of the group of railroad and coal company executives, including D&RG and Sevier Valley Coal Company and Salina Canyon Coal Company, that toured Salina Canyon and the proposed route for a D&RG branch in the canyon to serve coal mines that were being developed. (Richfield Reaper, May 21, 1925)

July 27, 1925
The Interstate Commerce Commission held hearings in Salt Lake City to hear comments and testimony from both Simon Bamberger's Salt Lake & Denver Railroad, and from Denver & Rio Grande Western, concerning which railroad would be allowed to build into the Uinta Basin. (Ogden Standard Examiner, July 27, 1925) The hearings continued through to the evening of July 31, 1925. (Ogden Standard Examiner, August 1, 1925)

August 26, 1925
D&RGW let the contract to build its railroad in Salina Canyon to Utah Construction Company. (Coal Index: The Sun, August 28, 1925, page 1, "last Wednesday")

September 21, 1925
D&RGW sold its Bingham Low Grade Line, the Copper Belt Branch, and the Yampa Branch to Utah Copper's Bingham & Garfield Railway. (D&RGW Agreement 4163 and Deed U-3267)

(Expansion of the copper company's operations required that they move these tracks, along with others that were connected with them.)

This included the Cuprum yard, the gathering location for ore trains outbound from the Bingham mines. Traffic through the Cuprum yard dropped considerable after Utah Copper built its own railroad, the Bingham & Garfield. But there was still enough rail traffic from other mines, especially from the U. S. Mining company's Niagara Tunnel after it became the U. S. company's major loading point in 1914.

But as the United States company continued to expand its underground operations, it was more cost effective to transport the ore down to the Lark tunnel level, rather than hoist it up to the Niagara level. This resulted in reduced carloadings from the Niagara tunnel, and therefore reduced rail traffic passing down-canyon, through Cuprum and and along the Bingham Low Grade Line.

D&RGW Employee Timetable #97, June 6, 1926 -- This employee timetable shows the D&RGW railroad's Salt Lake Division in 1926. Specific research was completed to determine the existence of what remained of the old Copper Belt railroad in Bingham Canyon. By the time of the 1926 timetable, only a short portion of the Copper Belt remained, serving the loading bins of the Montana-Bingham mine. (See page 7 for the remnants of the Copper Belt Branch). (PDF; 11 pages; 10.9MB)

The Montana-Bingham loading bin was about 1/4 mile up-canyon from the D&RGW Bingham depot. As the timetable shows, the old Copper Belt line ended at the Montana-Bingham loading bin, just 0.3 mile from its start. The Montana-Bingham mine itself was owned by U.S. Mining, Smelting & Refining by this time, and as part of the construction of its 6040 haulage tunnel in 1944-1945, which would intersect the underground Montana-Bingham mine tunnel, Utah Copper paid for a new Montana-Bingham underground haulage tunnel that exited about 1/3 mile lower in the canyon, with a new Montana-Bingham loading bin built adjacent to the D&RGW Bingham depot. This allowed the last remnant of the old Copper Belt to be retired and removed.

The 1923 D&RGW "Official Roster" shows that the turntable at Cuprum in Bingham was 86 feet long. The same document also shows that there was a 60-foot turntable at Bingham, near the Yampa smelter in the lower part of Bingham Canyon.

After the sale of the D&RGW in-canyon parts of the Low Grade Line, high on the canyon wall, to Utah Copper in September 1925, in 1928 Utah Copper used the site at Cuprum to build one of its early precipitation plants.

The turntable at Cuprum remained in place after the sale of the property to Utah Copper. Photos dated November 1930, and as late as September 1938, show the former D&RGW turntable that was part of their Cuprum yard on the low-grade line in Bingham Canyon. By this late date, the turntable was sitting up on blocks, awaiting movement to another location. Later photos from 1939 and 1940 show that the Cuprum turntable had been moved.

1926
D&RGW built the Kenilworth Branch to replace the steep Kenilworth & Helper Railway, which was leased for operation by D&RGW and operated with K&H's Shay locomotives. Five miles of new construction. (LeMassena, p. 145)

1926
The following comes from Railway Age magazine in 1926, about D&RGW's new Kenilworth Branch:

February 6, 1926 -- D&RGW has applied to the Interstate Commerce Commission for a certificate authorizing the construction of a line of 6.28 miles from Spring Canyon Junction, Utah. (Railway Age, February 6, 1926, page 409)

March 13, 1926 -- D&RGW's improvement program for this year calling for an expenditure of more than $9 million, includes "an extension from Helper, Utah, to Kenilworth, a distance of six miles." All of the other projects were in Colorado. (Railway Age, March 13, 1926, page 833)

April 10, 1926 -- Abandonment. -- The Interstate Commerce Commission has issued a certificate authorizing the Kenilworth & Helper and the Denver & Rio Grande Western, lessee, to abandon the line of the Kenilworth & Helper, which extends from Kenilworth Junction, Utah, to Kenilworth, 3.75 miles. Similarly a certificate has been issued authorizing the Denver & Rio Grande Western to construct a new branch line from Spring Canyon Junction in a general easterly direction, 6.28 miles. The Kenilworth is leased by the Denver from its owners, the Independent Coal & Coke Company, which purposes to open up new coal operations which the present line will not be adequate to serve. (Railway Age, April 10, 1926, page 1039)

May 22, 1926 -- D&RGW has awarded a contract to the Utah Construction Company, San Francisco, Cal., for the grading of a six-mile extension from Helper, Utah, to Kenilworth, reported in the Railway Age of March 13. (Railway Age, May 22, 1926, page 1415)

September 1926
Kenilworth & Helper Railroad received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to abandon its railroad line. The railroad company was incorporated in Wyoming and was 100 percent owned by the Independent Coal & Coke Company. The railroad was leased for operation for ten years to D&RG on December 1, 1914. The first coal was shipped in October 1907. Shay locomotives of the coal company were used on a separate tramway to bring the coal down to the No. 1 tipple. Shay locomotives of the railroad company had a capacity of twelve cars over the line's 6.5 percent grades; seven empties up from the D&RGW connection at Spring Glen, and twelve to fifteen loads down. Current production was 2,200 tons per day and the old Kenilworth & Helper railroad could not handle the new, additional tonnage from the newly opened No. 2 mine. John H. Tonkin, president of the railroad company, was also general manager of the coal company. (Utah Public Service Commission case 868)

1927
Moffat Tunnel completed. Construction had begun in 1923. (Athearn, p. 271)

As side note, Simon Bamberger organized his Salt Lake & Denver Railroad, but promised to build it only if the tunnel was built. (Athearn, p. 266)

The Salt Lake & Denver Railroad, "The Uinta Basin Route," was organized in 1919 by Simon Bamberger to build from Provo to a connection with the Denver & Salt Lake at Craig, Colorado. The route was south-southwest from Craig to the White River, then along the White River to its meeting with the Green River, then up the Duchesne River and the Strawberry River to the Wasatch Mountains. It was then to cross the Wasatch Mountains and head west down Hobble Creek Canyon to Provo. Its major business was to be agricultural and oil, including oil from shale, with a bit of coal and timber, plus taking away the entire Gilsonite traffic from the narrow gauge Uintah Railway. A large portion was also to be bridge traffic between Denver and Salt Lake City

The line was never built, or even seriously planned, much like David Moffat's original Denver Northwestern & Pacific, or the later D&SL route across Utah. In the case of the Salt lake & Denver, the ICC hearings of July 1925 were unproductive, showing that the line would not make any money. These ICC hearings are interesting in that they are quite detailed about the potential traffic (or lack thereof) for any road operating across the Uinta Basin. The ICC denied the application based on the lack of need, the lack of funding, and no specific route, and the anticipated completion of the Dotsero Cutoff, which the ICC saw as taking away the bridge-traffic component of the proposed line's traffic base.

(Read the Salt Lake & Denver corporate information.)

Salt Lake & Denver Railroad -- A Google Map showing the proposed route of Simon Bamberger's Salt Lake & Denver RR, from Craig, Colorado, west to either Springville or Spanish Fork, Utah.

1927
D&RGW purchased portions of Goshen Valley Railroad: from Pearl to Dividend (seven miles), and from Flora to Iron King (two miles). The Goshen Valley Railroad connected with D&RGW's Tintic Branch at Eureka. (LeMassena, p. 145)

April 26, 1927
D&RGW received ICC approval to purchase, control and lease the Goshen Valley Railroad. (ICC Finance Docket 6205; 124 ICC 397-400)

The Goshen Valley railroad owned a railroad extending from a connection with the D&RGW's Tintic branch at Pearl Junction in a general southerly and westerly direction to Dividend, with a branch line from Flora to Iron King, all in Utah County, Utah. The total main-line mileage is 9.05 miles, with 1.5 miles of side and spur tracks.

May 20, 1927
D&RGW withdrew its application to the Utah Public Utilities Commission to purchase the Goshen Valley Railroad. The application was made on November 6, 1926. (Utah Public Service Commission case 929)

(Although no reason was given for the withdrawal, the most likely reason was that the federal ICC had already decided in favor of D&RGW's control and lease of the Goshen Valley railroad.)

June 1927
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to discontinue train numbers 101 and 102 between Salt Lake City and Park City. The trains would be replaced with mixed train service. (Utah Public Service Commission case 964)

March 27, 1928
D&RGW converted a retired engine tender for use as a water car for added capacity of its 3400-series 2-8-8-2 (Class L-95) locomotives assigned to the Bingham Branch. (D&RGW AFE 3711, courtesy of Jerry Day)

December 31, 1928
D&RGW's new water treatment plant at Westwater was placed into operation. (D&RGW AFE 3872, courtesy of Jerry Day)

1929
D&RGW built four miles of new line in Bingham Canyon from Upper Junction to Midas to serve the Midas and Congor mines. The new spur was removed in 1931. (LeMassena, p. 147)

March 1, 1929
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to discontinue train numbers 409 and 410 between Springville and Silver City, over the Tintic Branch. (Utah Public Service Commission case 1071)

March 3, 1929
The last remainder of the old Utah Central/Salt Lake & Eastern line in Sugar House, the coal spur to the state prison, was abandoned in March 1929. This abandonment was needed as part of Salt Lake City's extension of 1300 East Street across Parley's Canyon, between 2100 South and a connection with Highland Drive at 2700 South Street. A large fill of 55,000 cubic yards of material was to be created as part of the project, along with an underpass for the tracks of D&RGW's Park City Branch, and a concrete flume for Parley's Creek. The abandonment of the prison coal spur took away the need for a second underpass. (Salt Lake Telegram, March 3, 1929)

April 15, 1929
"Virtual assurance that the shops, yards and roundhouse of the Denver and Rio Grande Western at Soldier Summit will be removed to the vicinity of Price was the result of a survey last week by officials of the railroad company." "Plans have been virtually completed for the removal of the shops and yards to Maxwell station, one and one-half miles west of Price." (Ogden Standard Examiner, April 15, 1929)

May 22, 1929
D&RGW and LA&SL received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to close the joint agency at Silver City. (Utah Public Service Commission case 1103 and 1104)

November 16, 1929
"The Soldier Summit division point of the Denver & Rio Grande Western will probably be abandoned January 1, reports President J. S. Pyeatt, who arrived here Friday night (Nov 15, 1929). The road has completed a new yard at Helper, at which place the division joint will be established upon abandonment of that at Soldier Summit." "The railroad plans to have only one shift of train crews between Grand Junction, Colorado, and Salt Lake. This change will be made at Helper. The Green River division point also will be abolished, coincident with the abandonment of the point at Soldier Summit." (Ogden Standard Examiner, November 16, 1929)

Twenty-two residences were moved from Soldier Summit to Helper, to support the change of division point from Soldier Summit to Helper. The first buildings had already been moved. (Ogden Standard Examiner, November 18, 1929)

1930
D&RGW completed the 18-mile Nioche Branch east from Salina to the coal mine of the Sevier Valley Coal Company. Development of the mine was begun by the mining company in 1924 and had continued until 1926, when the work was halted. Development work started again in 1930 when the railroad completed the spur. (USGS IC 6378, p. 2)

(LeMassena, p. 147, says the line was completed in 1929. On page 149, he says that the portion of the line from Crystal to Nioche was removed in 1936, having been idle since its construction. On page 156, LeMassena says that the remaining portion portion of the line from Salina to Crystal was removed in 1942.)

(Sevier Valley Coal company had been organized in 1920)

May 1930
Standard Coal company was erecting a new all-steel tipple at Standardville in Spring Canyon. The mine was jointly served by Utah Railway and by D&RGW. The new tipple had a capacity of 4,000 tons per eight hours, and was to be completed and in operation by early June. (Ax-I-Dent-Ax, May 1930, page 18)

September 14, 1930
An extra crew of 80 men had been put on to complete the new tracks at Helper, to allow the move of the roundhouse from Soldier Summit to Helper. The placement of the car shops was under way, and moving the roundhouse would soon follow, although no date had yet been set. (Salt Lake Tribune, September 14, 1930)

D&RGW In Colorado

1931
D&RGW acquired control of Denver & Salt Lake Railway, along with its Denver & Salt Lake Western Railway subsidiary, which had been organized to build what was later known as the Dotsero Cutoff. After receiving ICC approval to control D&SL, D&RGW immediately bought the D&SLW from D&SL, and began buying D&SL stock. Pending ownership of its stock, D&RGW immediately negotiated trackage rights over D&SL, and D&SLW, in anticipation of the completion of the cutoff. (LeMassena, p. 147)

1931
D&RGW removed the four miles of new line in Bingham Canyon from Upper Junction to Midas to serve the Midas and Congor mines. Continued expansion of Utah Copper's Bingham mine forced the removal. (LeMassena, p. 147)

May 4, 1931
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to close agency station at Westwater. (Utah Public Service Commission case 1211)

June 5, 1931
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to close agency station at Sunnyside. Carbon County Railway had no equipment, all train service was provided under contract by D&RGW. (Utah Public Service Commission case 1213)

August 21, 1931
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission to close agency station at Castle Gate. (Utah Public Service Commission case 1230)

September 29, 1931
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to close agency station at Dividend. (Utah Public Service Commission case 1231)

December 3, 1931
The Salt Lake City Commission, as part of the project to extend 13th East Street between 21st South and Highland Drive, approved plans for a concrete "viaduct" for D&RGW's Park City Branch, and the adjacent Penitentiary Spur that served Hygeia Ice and several warehouses along the south side of 21st South. This viaduct was to be built in two sections, one for the spur, and the other for the mainline of the Park City Branch. (Salt Lake Telegram, December 3, 1931)

December 28, 1931
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to close agency station at Bingham. (Utah Public Service Commission case 1244)

May 6, 1932
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to close agency station at Spring City. (Utah Public Service Commission case 1274)

1933
D&RGW removed the UP Mine Spur, between Scofield and the UP coal mine, which was no longer active. (LeMassena, p. 149)

1933
D&RGW removed the Winter Quarters Spur, between Scofield and the coal mine at Winter Quarters, which was no longer active. (LeMassena, p. 149)

April 14, 1933
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to close the agency at Colton. After May 8, 1931 the agency was only open between April 15th and June 30th and between September 1st and October 31st. (Utah Public Service Commission case 1305)

April 28, 1933
D&RGW received ICC approval to abandon the 1.7 mile Winter Quarters Spur, from the Scofield wye to Winter Quarters, including 1.3 miles of yard tracks at Winter Quarters. Utah Fuel Company had closed their mine at Winter Quarters in 1928 and they removed all of the machinery in September 1930. (193 ICC 21; Sun-Advocate, April 6 1933; See also: LeMassena, p. 149)

The following comes from ICC Finance Docket 9887; decided and approved on April 28, 1933:

Finance Docket 9887. Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Company Abandonment. The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company, on March 14, 1933, applied for permission to abandon that part of the main track of its so-called Winter Quarters spur extending from a point about 243 feet westerly from the west head-block of the wye at Scofield in a westerly direction to Winter Quarters, 1.744 miles, together with 1.314 miles of side or yard tracks connecting therewith, all in Carbon County, Utah. No representations have been made by any State authority, and no objection to the application has been offered.

The Winter Quarters spur was used for many years to serve coal mines of the Utah Fuel Company. In 1928 these mines were discontinued and all mine machinery was moved from Winter Quarters on September 10, 1930. Since the latter date there has been no operation of the tracks. No resumption of operation of these coal mines is contemplated. The applicant states that as there is no population in the tributary territory there is no need for the existence of the tracks, on which the taxes amount to about $1,000 a year.

Summer 1933
D&RGW completed a direct spur from its Ogden rail yards into Ogden Union Stock Yards, giving the company direct access to the stock yard business. (Ogden Standard Examiner, September 27, 1933, "last summer")

September 6, 1933
D&RGW received ICC approval to abandon 6.8 miles of the Little Cottonwood Branch between Sand Pit and Wasatch. The line was built as narrow gauge in 1873 by the Wasatch & Jordan Valley Railroad. Operation was discontinued in 1899 and the line was relaid as standard gauge in 1913. It saw daily service from 1913 to 1917, while leased to the Salt Lake & Alta Railroad. Between 1917 and 1923 there was only irregular service, about two or three times per week. There was only occasional use after 1923, with two trips made in 1932 and none in 1933. No shipments of ore were made after June 1930. There was no service on the branch after June 1932. Car loadings of granite building stone furnished "considerable traffic, but all of that traffic now moves by truck". (193 ICC 461-462)

The following comes from ICC Finance Docket 10077; decided and approved on September 6, 1933:

Finance Docket 10077. Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Company Abandonment. The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company, on July 15, 1933, applied for permission to abandon that part of its Little Cottonwood branch extending easterly from a point 500 feet east of the easterly switch at Sand Pit to the end of the track at Wasatch, 6.78 miles, all in Salt Lake County, Utah.

The portion of the branch to be abandoned was constructed by the Wasatch & Jordan Valley Railroad Company in 1873, as a narrow-gage line, to serve mines contiguous to Wasatch. It was purchased by the applicant's predecessor at foreclosure sale in 1881. In 1899 operation was discontinued and maintenance ceased because of lack of demand for service. In 1913 the line was rebuilt to standard gage for transporting building stone from Wasatch destined to Salt Lake City. Daily freight service was rendered until 1917. From 1917 to 1923 irregular freight-train service of two or three trips a week was furnished. Since 1923 only occasional trains were operated because of decreased traffic. Only two trips were made in 1932 and none in 1933. No passenger service has been rendered.

Freight tonnage, consisting mostly of ore and stone, declined from 1,105 tons in 1928 to 362 tons in 1932. Freight revenue allocated to the line on a mileage basis during the years 1928-1932 ranged from a high of $525.46 in 1929 to a low of $233.73 in 1932. The total for the 5-year period was $1,769.02. Operating expenses for the same period were $11,171.58, and taxes were $3,194.05. Operating expenses are substantially actual expenses of maintaining and operating the part to be abandoned.

There are no incorporated cities or villages on the line. The population of the tributary territory is about 100. The principal industries in the territory have been mining and quarrying. Low-grade ore was formerly mined and shipped over the line, but such operations have decreased to such a point that no carload shipments of ore have been made since 1930. The building-stone industry furnished considerable granite for building construction in Salt Lake City, but rail shipments thereof have now entirely ceased, and such stone as now moves from the territory is hauled by trucks. Ore and building stone may be hauled by trucks to Midvale, on the applicant's main line, a distance of 10 miles. There are now no industries dependent on the line. No rail service has been rendered since June 1932, as there has been no demand for such service. The applicant states that there is no prospect of increased traffic in the future.

(LeMassena, p. 149, says that the line between Sand Pit and Alta was removed in 1934.)

October 18, 1933
The Royal Scot, a British locomotive, pulled a special British train on the D&RGW between Denver and Salt Lake City, arriving in Salt Lake City at 1:20 p.m. in the afternoon of Wednesday the 18th. The special train was displayed at the Union Pacific depot from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., then departed at 10:30 p.m. bound for Los Angeles over Union Pacific rails. (Salt Lake Tribune, October 18, 1933)

Famed Train Due in S. L.

Great Britain's famous train, the "Royal Scot," which will be exhibited in Salt Lake Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Crack English Flier Stalls on Western Fuel

'Royal Scot' Towed Into Pueblo; Expected Here Wednesday

After suffering an attack of indigestion from improper coal and water fed into her regal innards, the "Royal Scot," famed British train, was towed into Pueblo, Colorado, Tuesday by a western mountain locomotive, but will leave Denver for Salt Lake Wednesday on schedule time and under her own power, said an Associated Press dispatch.

The train was hauled Wednesday from Eads, Colorado, to Pueblo by a Missouri Pacific train crew. Somewhere out on the prairie between Horace, Kan., and Eads the famed flyer balked and refused to go farther. William Hubertson, engineer, said the trouble was caused by "bad coal." An over-enthusiastic stoker, Hubertson said, pitched some "ordinary" coal into the tender of the locomotive, which has been using only select fuel on its American tour. The engine became stopped up, the firebox filled with clinkers and the flue sprang leaks. Too, eastern Colorado water, full of alkali, helped to cause the train the first delay in seventy years of operation.

Accompanied by a Denver & Rio Grande Western Mountain-type locomotive, which was ready to furnish any necessary auxiliary power, the train made the trip from Pueblo to Denver in schedule time, but was five hours behind its week's schedule when it arrived in Denver.

The train is scheduled to arrive in Salt Lake Wednesday at 1:20 p. m. and will be on exhibition at the Union Pacific station from 2 p. m. until 10. p. m. At 10:30 p. m. the train will leave for Los Angeles, where it will be exhibited.

The train, famous throughout Europe as the fast express which runs daily from London, England, to Edinburgh, Scotland, was first put into service February 15, 1848, and made the run at that time in less than 16 hours. Today, with engines similar to that to be exhibited, the trip is made in less than 8 hours. Several of the predecessor engines to the present type, some of which were built as early as 1847, still survive. The Salt Lake exhibition of the train was made possible through the cooperation of the Southern Pacific, the Western Pacific, the Denver & Rio Grande Western and the Union Pacific railroads.

In charge of the train is C. O. D. Anderson. An English crew travels with it.

Members of the Traffic club of Salt Lake will inspect the Royal Scot Wednesday at 5:30 p. m. The members will meet at the Union Pacific station.

December 1933
The crossing of Utah Light & Traction tracks along State Street with D&RGW's Park City Branch, at about 2200 South, was removed in December 1933. (D&RGW engineering drawing, dated October 9, 1944, in support of changes to Park City Branch tracks serving Bennion Gas and Oil Co., and P. V. Coal Yard No. 3, on the west side of State Street.)

May 16, 1934
D&RGW retired its 60-foot turntable at Bingham. (D&RGW AFE 5227, courtesy of Jerry Day) (The turntable was located near the site of the former Utah Copper Copperton mill)

August 3, 1934
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to close agency station at Riverton. The Salt Lake & Utah Railroad operated ten trains a day through the business center of town. (Utah Public Service Commission case 1524)

November 30, 1934
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to close agency station at Moroni. (Utah Public Service Commission case 1523)

March 1935
State Road Commission received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to construct an underpass at the UP and D&RGW crossing of State Street near Midvale. (Utah Public Service Commission case 1725)

June 10-15, 1935
As part of "Western Railroad Week" from June 10th through June 15th, D&RGW opened its Salt Lake City locomotive shops for public tours. A "massive" locomotive was lifted by the overhead crane for the public to see the important work being done. Ogden held its celebration of Railroad Week at Union Station, with D&RGW placing one of its 4-8-2 Mountain locomotives (#1701) on display at the Union depot, along with locomotives from SP and UP. Union Pacific also had its Salt Lake City roundhouse open to public tours. Included in the celebration of Western Railroad Week, it was reported that every locomotive west of the Missouri river blew its whistle at precisely 8am on Monday June 10th. Salt Lake City and Ogden were among the 80 cities in the West that participated in the celebration. (Ogden Standard Examiner, June 9, 1935; Deseret News, June 11, 1935; Salt Lake Tribune, June 11, 1935)

November 1935
D&RGW placed into receivership, with Wilson McCarthy and Henry Swan appointed as receivers. (Athearn, p. 307) D&SL was also placed into receivership in December 1934 with McCarthy appointed as the receiver. (Athearn, p. 304)

October 1935
Bids were opened for the construction of the underpass of 3300 South Street under the D&RGW tracks. Within one month, the state road commission condemned 42 pieces of property on both sides of the tracks to allow construction of the underpass. (Salt Lake Telegram, October 3, 1935; November 23, 1935)

1936
D&RGW removed the eastern portion of the "Castle Valley Branch" from Crystal to Nioche, the line having been idle since its construction in 1930. (LeMassena, p. 149)

May 1936
State Road Commission received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to construct underpass of D&RGW and Utah Railway grade crossing in Springville. (Utah Public Service Commission case 1828)

December 1936
State Road Commission received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to construct an underpass for the D&RGW crossing of Janet Street in Helper. (Utah Public Service Commission case 1872)

1937
D&RGW built the three-mile Farnsworth Spur, from Kingsville to Farnsworth. This was a spur to serve sugar beet loading and a cannery west of Roy in Weber County. (LeMassena, p. 151)

The Farnsworth Spur connected at its northern end to the south end of the Kingsville Spur, which connected to the Hooper Branch, west of Roy. These spurs were all located in the southwest corner of Weber County, very near the Davis County line, and all served the agricultural region immediately east of Great Salt Lake.

September 17, 1937
The D&RGW's roundhouse, shops and coal chute at Thistle were destroyed by fire in the early evening of September 17, 1937, causing an estimated $40,000 in damage. A total of six buildings were destroyed, but railroad employees were able to safely remove four locomotives and 20 railroad cars before they were damaged. "Destroyed completely were the machine shop, engine room, roundhouse, coal chute, 250 tons of coal, engine hoist sand house and two livestock cars." (Salt Lake Tribune, September 18, 1937; September 19, 1937)

Work began in mid October to rebuild the D&RGW Thistle roundhouse and coal chute. Work was to be complete by the end of December, and the formal opening was held on December 25th. (Smithfield Sentinel, October 15, 1937; Provo Daily Herald, November 30, 1937; Helper Journal, December 16, 1937; Salt Lake Herald, December 23, 1937)

January 2, 1938
The new buildings that replaced those destroyed by fire had been completed and after an inspection on January 3rd, were placed into service on Tuesday January 4, 1938. The replacement buildings stood on the same site as the old 42-year-old buildings that burned. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 2, 1938)

June 1938
A new industry was added to D&RGW's Salt Lake City industry tracks in the vicinity of 9th South and West Temple streets, originally served by the Salt Lake & Utah interurban railroad. In June 1938, the Coca-Cola Bottling company of Salt Lake City completed its new warehouse and office building at the northeast corner of the intersection of 9th South and West Temple streets.

(Read more about Coca-Cola in Utah)

1939
D&RGW built the Alta Lodge at Alta in Little Cottonwood Canyon. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 30, 2006)

May 1940
With the second issue (Volume 1, No. 2), D&RGW began using "Green Light" as the name of its employee newsletter. The first issue announced a contest to name the newsletter.

Green Light Is Winner! -- "Green Light" is the name selected by judges for the Rio Grande employees newspaper, and its creator in Robert B. Stow, voucher clerk in the general auditor's office. Stoic's reason for his selection is as follows: "To everyone, and particularly railroad people. Green Light flashes the message: 'Go forward, all is favorable ahead, no obstruction bars your way.'"

The judges were impressed by the great number of excellent names submitted from all over the system and by many pensioners, but the name "Green Light," with its progress theme, was adjudged most effective for the purpose of a name for the newspaper. Mr. Stow will receive the $5 offered personally by General Manager K. A. West for the name selected by the judges.

Three other names were considered in the final voting along with "Green Light," and deserve honorable mention. They are "Rio Grande Employees' Digest," by Elsie E. Erickson, Alamosa; "Scenic Line Echo," by J. T. Williams, carman at Burnham; and "Skyline Review," by Charles H. Cole, a pensioner who received the paper by mail.

June 25, 1940
Gomex at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon was changed from Moark. The name was changed to Gomex, and a new spur was built to serve the plant of Illinois Powder Manufacturing's Gold Medal Explosives Division, "Gomex". (Source, D&RGW ICC valuation drawing)

Trackage agreement
Illinois Powder Manufacturing Co.
(Gold Medal Explosives Division)
Industrial track 3873'
3 spur tracks 690', 620', 190'
2 side tracks 1065' and 730'; completed 3-20-40
Permission to cross U. S. Hwy 50; completed 4-5-40

The explosives manufacturing plant at Gomex was projected to be completed in placed in operation in December 1940. The projected production rate was reported as 1,250,000 pounds per month. About 100 to 110 men were to be employed. (Deseret News, September 13, 1940)

Illinois Powder Manufacturing Company was sold to American Cyanamid on August 29, 1957. American Cyanamid was one of the oldest manufacturers of explosives in the nation. At the time of the sale, American Cyanamid had two explosives manufacturing plants and 34 "magazines" in 15 states. Illinois Powder had two manufacturing plants, including the plant at Gomex, Utah, and 50 magazines in 24 states. Illinois Powder, by court action of the Fourth District Court on December 10, 1957, voluntarily withdrew from doing business in Utah. (Daily Herald, August 11, 1957, and December 12, 1957)

The Illinois Powder Co. built the factory in 1940, then sold it in 1957 to the American Cyanamid Co. Subsequent owners were Cytec Industries of New Jersey and IMC Group, Inc., which later became Mallinckrodt Inc., of Missouri.

The plant, under a series of owners, has been manufacturing explosives at the mouth of the Spanish Fork Canyon in Utah since March 1941. Corporate predecessors of Mallinckrodt acquired the plant in 1967, and Mallinckrodt sold the plant and related assets to the Trojan Corporation in 1982. Ensign-Bickford Industries acquired the Trojan Corporation in 1986-1987 and operated the plant until it was closed in February 2006.

September 6, 1940
Union Pacific, LA&SL, and D&RGW received federal ICC approval for UP to access the Spanish Fork sugar factory of the Utah-Idaho-Sugar company. The ICC approved an agreement dated October 11, 1939 and signed by the railroads and the sugar company, and would allow Union Pacific trackage rights over the following: (1) after leaving its own Provo Subdivision mainline, approximately 1.038 miles over the sugar company's private Lake Shore Spur to its connection and crossing of the D&RGW Tintic Branch; (2) approximately 0.345 mile over the D&RGW Tintic Branch; (3) approximately 1.593 miles of D&RGW sidings and spurs from its Tintic Branch to the sugar factory, including an additional 0.505 mile over the Salt Lake & Utah spur that served the sugar factory. D&RGW and Salt Lake & Utah had jointly served the sugar factory under an agreement signed on October 1, 1918. Construction was to begin by November 1, 1940, and be completed by March 1, 1941. But research suggests the connection between UP and D&RGW, by way of the private Utah-Idaho Lake Shore Spur was never completed. (242 ICC 55; ICC Finance Docket 12812, decided September 6, 1940)

October 29, 1940
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to close agency station at Goshen. (Utah Public Service Commission case 2425)

1941
D&RGW relocated a 10-mile portion of the Heber City Branch, between Vivian Park and Charleston due to the construction of Deer Creek Reservoir. (LeMassena, p. 155)

In December 1943, D&RGW sold the alignment along Provo River to the U. S. government to allow construction of Deer Creek dam and reservoir. The sale was dated December 23, 1943, and started at engineering station 782+55 (about MP 14.8). A new valuation drawing was completed, dated July 2, 1945.

February 18, 1941
State Road Commission received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to construct an underpass of D&RGW's Park City Branch at Altus, east of the summit of Parley's canyon, as part of the improvement of U. S. 40. (Utah Public Service Commission case 2446)

June 10, 1941
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to close the agency station at Fairview, on the Marysvale Branch. (Utah Public Service Commission case 2454)

August 4, 1941
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to construct the Small Arms Spur, to serve the Remington Small Arms Plant in Salt Lake City. (Utah Public Service Commission case 2484)

A D&RGW engineering drawing dated July 23, 1941, showed the "Proposed Spur To Serve Small Arms Plant."

(LeMassena, p. 156, says that the Small Arms Plant Spur, from Roper to Ordnance Plant, 2 miles of new construction, was completed in 1942 as part of the Salt Lake City terminal as joint track with Western Pacific.)

1942
D&RGW removed the remaining portion of the "Castle Valley Branch" from Salina to Crystal. Not operated since 1933. (LeMassena, p. 156)

May 19, 1942
"D&RGW Renames Rail Station -- The Hunter station, between Welby and Garfield, on the Denver & Rio Grande Western railroad branch line, Tuesday had been renamed Kearns station in honor of the late United States Senator Thomas Kearns, noted Utah mining man, Henry J. Riggert, general agent for the railroad, said. He also announced the new air corps recruit and placement center will be located at Kearns. Mr. Riggert said the first three carloads of lumber for the new center will arrive at the site Wednesday." (Salt Lake Telegram, May 19, 1942)

Kearns as a station first appeared in D&RGW timetables for the Garfield Branch in the July 5, 1942 issue of the Salt Lake Division (No. 122), at mile post 6.8 from Welby, with no other station between the two. The previous issue, No. 121, dated November 16, 1941, did not include any station named Hunter. The station of Riter appeared at mile post 10.7 in both timetables, then Magna at mile post 12.8 in both timetables.

Work building Camp Kearns, from nothing but the dry farms southwest of Salt Lake City, began on April 7, 1942, and the majority of the buildings were completed by May 22nd. The camp was considered complete in August 21st, and its new commander arrived on September 12th.

Camp Kearns

August 1, 1942
The U. S. Post Office established a post office at Camp Kearns, to be called the Kearns Post Office Station. At the time, Kearns was Utah's third largest city. (Deseret News, July 23, 1942; Salt Lake Tribune, July 27, 1942)

December 31, 1946
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to close the agency station at Kearns. The station was used exclusively for the movement of military property and personnel to and from the U. S. Army's Camp Kearns, which has been closed. (Utah Public Service Commission case 3059)

Many sources say that the day care center in Kearns is the former D&RGW depot, but it is too far from the tracks. It is also lower than the tracks, and the location is too far south from the siding that served both the Baccus spur, and the warehouses built for Camp Kearns. The siding was renamed from Hunter to Kearns in May 1942.

(Read the Wikipedia article about Kearns Army Air Base; also known as Camp Kearns)

(Read the Utah Historical Quarterly article about Camp Kearns; published in 1966)

May 22, 1942
D&RGW received ICC approval to abandon the Castle Valley Branch, between Salina and Nioche. (ICC Financial Docket 13700, in 252 ICC 807)

May 27, 1942
D&RGW approved the retirement of the spur track that served the "U. P. Mine." at Scofield, Utah, on the Pleasant Valley Branch. (D&RGW AFE T-9412, dated May 27, 1942, courtesy of Jerry Day)

The Union Pacific Mine at Scofield was served by a switchback spur from the Scofield yard. (D&RGW Branch Line Report, 1938)

September 4, 1942
State Road Commission received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to construct an overhead crossing, for 2100 South (State Road 201) over D&RGW's Roper Yard in Salt Lake City. Twenty-first South was the main access to the new Remington Small Arms Plant. (Utah Public Service Commission case 2610)

November 1942
D&RGW constructed a spur for the construction companies that are building housing at Sunnyside for the workers at Columbia Steel and the Defense Plant Corporation's Horse Canyon coal mine. (Utah Public Service Commission case 2626)

1943 Improvements

Overcrossing: 21st South St., Roper, Utah, $125,000
Additional yard tracks and other facilities, Provo, Utah, $185,000
Rehabilitation, line changes, additional tracks, and track changes, Sunnyside Branch - Utah, $180,000
Installing complete water plant, including treating facilities, pipe line, reservoirs, etc. and changes in plant at Green River and Cedar, Utah, $180,000
Extensions to 18 passing sidings and installation of 51 power-operated switches and five spring switches, in connection with C.T.C., Agate, Utah, to Helper, $910,000
Extensions of second track, Dern, Utah, to Geneva, 5.8 miles, $190,000
(Railway Age, January 1, 1944)

January 1943
"D. & R. G. W. to Spend $3,171,588 -- The Denver & Rio Grande Western has been authorized by the District Court to spend $3,171,588 for improvements to track and equipment. Of the total, more than $1,000,000 will be spent for 115-lb. and 131-lb. rails and $500,000 will be expended on centralized traffic control. (Railway Signaling, Volume 36, Number 1, January 1943, page 47)

March 6, 1943
D&RGW received ICC approval to abandon 1.4 miles of the Little Cottonwood Branch, between Sandy and Sand Pit. In 1924 a connection was constructed with UP at Sandy to allow the shipment of locomotive sand from the sand pit at the end of the branch. The operator of the sand pit ceased operations and dismantled the machinery in 1938. There had been no operations on the branch since January 1939. (ICC Finance Docket 14097, in 254 ICC 822)

(LeMassena, p. 156, says that the portion of the Little Cottonwood Branch from Sandy to Sand Pit, was removed in 1943, adding that "The mines at the ends of these branches [Little Cottonwood Branch and Tintic Branch] had closed down, eliminating the need for trackage which served them.")

The following about the Little Cottonwood Branch comes from ICC Finance Docket 14097, decided and approved on March 6, 1943 (ICC Finance Docket 14097, full report in Utah Public Service Commission files):

This report will not be printed in full in the permanent series of Interstate Commerce Commission Reports.

Wilson McCarthy and Henry Swan, trustees in reorganization proceedings of The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company, on January 25, 1943, applied for permission to abandon a portion of the so-called Little Cottonwood branch line of railroad extending easterly from Sandy to the and of the branch at Sand Pit, a distance of approximately 1.36 miles, in Salt Lake County, Utah.

The line proposed to be abandoned was constructed by the Wasatch & Jordan Valley Railroad in 1873 for the purpose of reaching certain gold mining property and transporting ores to a smelter at Sandy, and to haul granite from quarries located in the tributary territory to Salt Lake City. It was acquired by the Denver & Rio Grande Western in 1921.

In 1937 the track was relaid with second-hand 90-pound rail, surfaced with natural dirt and sand. Since then maintenance has been kept to a minimum, and at present the track is in poor surface and alignment. Approximately 90 percent of the ties are treated. The net salvage value of the recoverable material is estimated by the applicants at $7,677.

There has been no train operation over the line since January 1, 1939. The last remaining industry, a sand pit located at the eastern terminus of the branch, has ceased operating and has dismantled its machinery. The population of the tributary territory does not exceed 100 persons, and no one is dependent upon the line for transportation service.

April 1943
"The Denver & Rio Grande Western is to install centralized traffic control on 127 miles of single track main line between Agate, Utah, and Helper, authorization for the allocation of materials having been received recently from the War Production Board. The C.T.C. control machine, to be located at Green River, Utah, will control 25 power switch machines and an arrangement of semi-automatic signals, the indications of which will authorize train movements, thus superseding timetable and train orders. According to B. W. Molis, Signal Engineer, the C.T.C. will speed up freight trains one minute per mile, and will increase the capacity of the existing single track to 80 per cent of double track, thus contributing to an increase in the efficiency of wartime railroad transportation." (Railway Signaling, Volume 36, Number 4, April 1943, page 4)

D&RGW Signals in Utah, 1928-1943

John Carr wrote this back in 2000, after spending some quality time in some old Railway Signaling & Communications magazine.

The D&RGW installed 67 GRS color light signals between Helper and Soldier Summit on 25 miles of double track in 1928. The signals between Helper and Soldier Summit were set up for operation in either direction on either track. The operator at Kyune controlled the signals and power switches at the center sidings at Nolan and Kyune. There were wyes for turning helpers at Kyune, Colton and Soldier Summit. At the time the line had 6 passenger and 30 freight trains a day plus returning helpers. Westbound passenger trains longer than 11 cars required a helper, merchandise trains usually only needed one helper, while coal trains of 65 cars or trains over 4,500 tons needed two helper engines.

Block signals were installed from Grand Junction to Helper in 1929. The installation of GRS CTC from Midvale to Provo was completed in October 1929. The work included the installation of 76 GRS color light signals on 31 miles of single track and 2 miles of double track. In 1931 GRS color light signals were added from Soldier Summit to Provo 50 miles.

In 1936, it installed GRS CTC Midvale to Roper Yard along with eight power switches and 34 GRS color light signals on 7 miles of double track. At the time the line had six passenger and 20 freight trains a day. There are more westbounds in the morning and eastbounds in the evening.

In 1943 CTC was installed from Helper to Agate (near Cottonwood) 50 miles. The CTC machine had 46 levers controlling 22 switches. The control of this territory went to the Grand Junction office in 1954. In 1956, D&RGW modified operations on the westward track at Nolan, by adding CTC Lynn to Nolan and remove the center siding at Nolan. The project added one power switch and 19 signals. CTC was installed Soldier Summit to Springville in 1975.

July 1943
"The Denver & Rio Grande Western has placed a contract with the General Railway Signal Company for the material for installations of coded centralized traffic control on the single track line from Sphinx, Utah, to Helper, a distance of 68 miles. This territory will be controlled by an addition to an existing control machine located at Green River, which now controls the 64 miles of coded centralized traffic control territory between Sphinx and Agate, Utah. The order includes 23 Model 5D switch machines, 15 w-arm Type D high signals, 9 3-arm Type D high signals, 32 Type SA dwarf signals, 23 bungalows, 24 junction boxes, 700 Type K relays, 208 Type B and BT rectifiers, 72 Type K transformers, and 4 Model 9A outlying electric switch locks in addition to 7 new panels required to make the necessary addition to the existing control machine." (Railway Signaling, Volume 36, Number 7, July 1943, page 386)

November 4, 1943
D&RGW received ICC approval to abandon the 3.49 mile portion of the Tintic Branch between Eureka and Silver City, including D&RGW's half interest in the 0.85 mile joint trackage between Mammoth Junction and the Mammoth Mill at Mammoth. Silver City has a population of 500 people. Service was provided by a train from Provo to Silver City on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, returning to Provo on alternate days. Traffic consisted of 66 cars with 3,583 tons in 1941, 7 cars with 348 tons in 1942, and 3 cars with 167 tons in the first six months of 1943. All the traffic in 1941 and five of the cars in 1942 were ores and concentrates. The other two cars in 1942 and the 3 cars in 1943 were "mine products". (ICC Finance Docket 14342)

(LeMassena, p. 156, says that the portion of Tintic Branch from Eureka to Silver City, was removed in 1943.)

December 1943
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to close the agency at Park City. Only eleven empties were received and eleven loads were shipped from Park City during December 1943. (Utah Public Service Commission case 2757)

Before Grant Tower, D&RGW passenger trains to Ogden used the joint trackage north along Fourth (500) West, turning west at South Temple and used trackage jointly owned by WP and D&RGW. Then at Sixth (700) West, they turned north along the D&RGW mainline to Ogden. There is a map on page 24 of Jeff Asay's "Track and Time" book about WP.

After Grant Tower, the track due north along Fourth (500) West, the east leg of the wye, was D&RGW track to where it met the north leg of the wye, which was owned by D&RGW. From there north, it was joint D&RGW-OSL to Fourth (500) North. The south leg of the wye at Grant Tower was owned by OSL.

Also after Grant Tower, WP and D&RGW split the joint passenger line east of Sixth (700) West, with WP taking the portion between Sixth (700) West and the west curb line of Fourth (500) West. D&RGW took the line along Fourth (500) West, including the turnout for the east leg of the wye, to allow them to serve the industries along that part of the line.

September 1, 1944
D&RGW renewed the joint operation agreement for the Salt Lake City Union Depot & Railroad Co. with Western Pacific. (ICC Finance Docket 14695, approved on October 25, 1944, in 257 ICC 816). The original agreement was dated November 1, 1908. The SLCU&D was incorporated in Utah on May 29, 1907.

April 15, 1945
From April 15, 1945 issue of the "Green Light" magazine

Officials of the Baldwin Locomotive Co. selected the Rio Grande as one of the roads over which to run tests of its sleek new 2000-horsepower Diesel locomotive. It pulled a special dynamometer test car and five passenger cars from Denver to Salt Lake and return, and while it was not a speed test and the special was given no preference against war traffic, it accomplished each run in approimately (sic) the time of the Flyer. Its underframe, trusses and sides are welded together to form the equivalent of a single piece of rigid steel, reducing vibration and providing greater resistance to impact. Picture was taken on the turntable at Burnham.

(The photo included with the article was taken by R. B. (Bud) Hooper, and shows Baldwin Demonstrator 2000, a DR 6-4-20, on the turntable at Burnham. This unit was later sold to the N de M in Mexico.)

Baldwin Demonstrator on D&RGW

Denver, March 9, 1945
Mr. W. H. Sagstetter:
Mr. A. E. Perlman:
Mr. W. R. McPherson:
We propose to operate a test train from Denver to Salt Lake and return - leaving Denver 7:00 AM March 20, arriving Salt Lake 8:00 PM same day.
Return: leave Salt Lake 7:00 AM, March 21, arrive Denver 8:00 PM, same day, with Baldwin Diesel 2,000 HP locomotive.
Please refer to my traingram A-399 dated February 25, 1944 which covers the last test trip made with the Prospector, Denver to Salt Lake, and return and advise promptly if you have any suggestions relative to inclusion of special instructions, or otherwise, in instructions that will be issued to the divisions covering operation of these test runs March 20 and 21.
L.F. Wilson
==============================================
Denver - March 10, 1945
Mr. L. F. Wilson:
Confirming conversation of this morning:
The test train with the Baldwin 2000 H.P. Diesel locomotive will have the following consist: Dynamometer car, Business Car 101, Glenwood, Spanish Fork, and two 60 ft baggage cars. This gives a total weight of 414 tons, according to records; but we have arranged to have the cars carefully weighed.
With this train, the engine, according to the Baldwin Company, will make 21-1/2 MPH from Denver to East Portal. We cannot make anywhere near Prospector speed west of Grand Junction. Believe although that we can make the trip to Salt Lake in about 15 hours.
(signed) W. H. Sagstetter
============================================
Denver, March 11, 1945
Mr. Wilson:
On account of slow orders, suggest that Road Foreman of Equipment ride train over their respective districts.
Thirteen hour schedule is, however, too fast for conventional equipment. The maximum permissible speed Denver to Salt Lake figures 13' 26" without allowing any terminal time, operating stops for water, or slow orders.
(signed) W. R. McPherson

May 21, 1945
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to construct a spur to serve the plant of Otto Buehner & Company, on the Park City Branch, at 6th East in Salt Lake City. (Utah Public Service Commission case 2854)

June 26, 1945
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to construct a spur to serve Ken's Salvage Yard, at 21st Street and Wall Avenue in Ogden. Also to remove a spur in the same vicinity that served Rocky Mountain Packing Company. (Utah Public Service Commission case 2856)

October 22-24, 1945
D&RGW operated a special train to Ogden, Salt Lake City, Provo, and Helper, commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the railroad's organization in 1870. The train departed Denver on Monday morning October 22nd and was displayed at Ogden on Tuesday morning October 23rd from 8:30 to 10 a.m., and at the Salt Lake City depot on Tuesday October 23rd from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The train then moved to Sugar House for display from 4 to 5 p.m., then to Provo for display from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The train traveled to Helper that night, arriving at 10:30 p.m. It was displayed at Helper from 8 to 10 a.m. on Wednesday October 24th, then moved on to Grand Junction after that. The train was pulled by one of D&RGW's newest "half-million-dollar" EMD FT freight locomotives and was made up of 13 cars, including a new CB&Q Vista Dome car., and six flat cars with vintage narrow gauge equipment including D&RGW locomotive number 268, a coal car, a box car, a coach, a business car, and a caboose. (Reports in Ogden, Salt Lake City, Provo, and Helper newspapers dated October 21 to 25, 1945)

October 27, 1945
The following comes from the October 27, 1945 issue of Railway Age magazine:

Rio Grande Quickens Passenger Schedules -- The Denver & Rio Grande Western, on October 14, established new daily passenger train service in each direction between Denver, Colorado, and Salt Lake City, Utah, via the Moffat tunnel route, on a schedule of 15-1/3-hr., westbound and 15-1/2-hr. eastbound, a reduction of 1-1/2-hr. as compared with the fastest previous westbound schedules and 1-1/3-hr. less than previous eastward schedules.

The new trains, No. 7 and 8, are known as the "Prospectors" and carry standard sleepers, a full-length lounge car, diner and coaches. In addition, the westward "Prospector" handles a tourist sleeper from Denver to Oakland, Cal., via the Western Pacific's "Exposition Flyer" from Salt Lake City. Departure from Denver is at 4 :30 p. m. with arrival at Salt Lake City at 7 :50 the next morning. Eastward, the new train leaves Salt Lake City at 5 :00 p. m., arriving in Denver at 8 :30 the following morning. (Railway Age, October 27, 1945, page 688)

December 15, 1945
"The Denver & Rio Grande Western has placed an order with the General Railway Signal Company for the revision of the remote control machine at West Soldier Summit, Utah. Six track indication lights, a switch lever and two signal levers are being added to control a switch machine and four signals at a crossover." (Railway Age, December 15, 1945, page 1005)

Mark Hemphill wrote about D&RGW's signaling on October 13, 2018:

This article discusses an improvement to the quasi-CTC on the east side of Soldier Summit that was not true CTC, but a reverse-signaled APB-ABS installation, with some CTC islands within it. D&RGW went with reverse-signaled APB-ABS -- which was unusual if not actually unique to the D&RGW (I've never heard of it elsewhere) -- rather than true CTC because it was less costly, capital was scarce and needed for more important things, and true CTC wasn't completely necessary at this time. CTC was piece-mealed between Helper and Soldier Summit until finally it was completed in 1965. The employee timetable special instructions are filled with rules about signal aspects and indications, which changed with every timetable version.

The Soldier Summit office in your photo controlled the East Soldier Summit CTC. West Soldier Summit to Helper was controlled from an office in Helper. The CTC office at Soldier Summit was closed in 1964 and the CTC machine consolidated (I believe) to Helper. Check out this page of Special Instructions from the April 28, 1963 Utah Division timetable: Control Operators at Helper, Soldier Summit, Thistle and Provo!

This was just ordinary Rule 251 ABS double track prior to CTC, not the unusual reverse-signaled stuff. There wasn't any quasi-CTC there. Though there were CTC islands at Gilluly and Thistle, that's not unusual either. Helper-Soldier Summit's signaling as far as I know was unique in North America. Soldier Summit-Springville making the step from double-track ABS to 2MT CTC was like a few thousand other line segments in North America.

True CTC was installed between Springville and West Soldier Summit in 1975.

Mark Hemphill wrote about D&RGW's signaling on October 13, 2018 in response to an image of a D&RGW CTC machine in Railway Age, February 23, 1946:

Consolidated to Grand Junction, in the old depot, which became the division office when the Union Depot was built. The dispatching office was on the 2nd floor along with other offices. The building's still there. By the way, the reason that this machine was at Green River was because the CTC technology at that time was limited in the distance that office signals and field signals could be transmitted without excessive degradation -- about 75 miles. Thus offices were typically placed at the midpoint of a subdivision equipped with CTC. Grand Junction to Helper's CTC office was at Green River, Denver to Bond's was at Sulphur Springs, and Minturn to Grand Junction's was at Funston (Funston was the yard, now gone thanks to I-70, just west of Glenwood Springs, which didn't have any room for a yard). D&RGW also had CTC control operators (not dispatchers) at Pueblo Junction, Tennessee Pass, Helper, Soldier Summit, Thistle, Provo, and Midvale.

July 26, 1946
D&RGW was the successful bidder of Salt Lake & Utah tracks in Salt Lake City, from Fayette Avenue (975 South), south to about 1800 South, along with SL&U trackage between Orem and Provo, and trackage at the Springville and Spanish Fork sugar factories. Bamberger was the successful bidder for SL&U tracks between the Salt Lake Terminal on the north, and Fayette Avenue on the south. (Salt Lake Tribune, July 27, 1946)

September 9, 1946
D&RGW received ICC approval to abandon 24.10 miles of the Park City Branch, between Cement Quarry and Park City, including 2.5 miles of joint trackage in Park City with UP. (ICC Finance Docket 15259, in 267 ICC 802)

F. D. No. 15259, Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Company Trustees Abandonment. Decided September 9, 1946. Certificate issued permitting (1) abandonment by the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Company and Wilson McCarthy and Henry Swan, trustees, of a portion of a branch line of railroad extending from a point near Cement Quarry to the end of the line at Park City, 24.10 miles, (2) abandonment of operation by said railroad company and trustees of a branch line of railroad extending easterly and southeasterly from a connection with the line at Park City to the end of the track at I. C. C. station 93 plus 10, with a sidetrack terminating at I. C. C. station 79 plus 94, a total distance of about 2.55 miles, all in the State of Utah. Conditions prescribed. W. Q. Van Cott for applicants. G. N. Davis for Utah Public Service Commission. Robert L. Cranmer for protestants.

October 24, 1946
"F. D. No. 15455, Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Company Trustees Acquisition And Operation. Decided October 24, 1946. Certificate issued authorizing acquisition and operation by the trustees of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Company of part of the line of railroad of the Salt Lake & Utah Railroad Corporation between Provo and Orem, approximately 8.4 miles, together with switching and spur tracks appurtenant thereto, aggregating 1.61 miles, in the State of Utah. T. R. Woodrow for applicants." (ICC Financial Docket 15455, in 267 ICC 807, "Cases Disposed Of Without Printed Report")

(LeMassena, p. 161, says that D&RGW purchased 6 miles of the former Salt Lake & Utah interurban line, from Provo Junction to Orem, in 1946.)

(D&RGW also purchased ownership of the SL&U spur that served the Del Monte cannery at Spanish Fork, from D&RGW's Tintic Branch, then east along Center Street, then south along Main Street to the cannery.)

1947
The depot building at Gilluly was retired in 1947. The depot building at Gilluly had been moved from Tucker on the original line, which had been closed in November 1913 when the new Detour line opened.

April 11, 1947
Property of the D&RGW was sold to the reorganized D&RGW, merging the old D&RGW with the Denver & Salt Lake Railway, the Denver & Salt Lake Western Railroad (the Dotsero Cutoff), the Rio Grande Junction Railroad, and the Goshen Valley Railroad. (Athearn, p. 328; LeMassena, p. 163)

May 1947
D&RGW received Utah Public Utilities Commission approval to close and remove the grade crossing at 9th South in Provo. (Utah Public Service Commission case 3100)

(Other possible sources: Utah Supreme Court case 7416. U.S. Third District Court, Central Division Bankruptcy case 16112. Civil Court case 770.)

Industry Events

June 17, 1947
The federal Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) ordered all railroads to install automatic block signals on all lines where freight trains operated at 50 mph or more, or where passenger trains operated at 60 mph or more. The ICC order required the installation of either an automatic block system (ABS), or a centralized traffic control system (CTC) for lines (Track and Time, Jeff Asay, page 76)

A further clarification of this ICC order comes from Mark Hemphill: "Actually the ICC order required the initiation only of a block system, manual or automatic, in order to exceed 49/59 mph. Automatic block signal systems include ABS, CTC, and various types of cab signal systems. Manual block systems persisted in the U.S. after this date and in fact I dispatched Manual Block-DTC on the KCS in 2000, where we operated freight trains at 60 mph in dark territory." (Mark Hemphill email, October 20, 2007)

November 13-15, 1947
GM's Train of Tomorrow visited Utah, coming from Denver by way of D&RGW. On public display at D&RGW/WP depot in Salt Lake City on November 13th and 14th. Moved to public display at Ogden at the D&RGW freight depot on November 15th. From Ogden, the train "will proceed to west coast cities." (Salt Lake Telegram, November 2, 1947)

The Train of Tomorrow returned to Salt Lake City by way of D&RGW rails, and was turned over to Western Pacific to continue its tour to Oakland, California. (see also: "The Train Of Tomorrow", by Ric Morgan, Indiana University Press, 2007)

December 2, 1947
"F. D. No. 15476, Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Company Abandonment. Decided December 2, 1947. Certificate issued permitting abandonment by the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Company of a portion of a branch line of railroad extending from milepost 23.51, near Moroni, to the end of the branch at Nephi, approximately 23.21 miles, in the State of Utah. Condition prescribed. W. Q. Van Cott and Otis J. Gibson for applicant. F. C. Hillyer, John S. McAllister, James P. McCune, Udell R. Jensen, and D. C. Winget for protestants. Charles A. Root for Public Service Commission of Utah." (ICC Financial Docket 15476, in 267 ICC 807, "Cases Disposed Of Without Printed Report")

(LeMassena, p. 163, says that the portion of the San Pete Valley Branch from Moroni to Gypsum Mill, 32.8 miles, was removed in 1948.)

(The portion at the western end, from Nephi to Gypsum Mill to Nephi, 1.9 miles, was sold to Union Pacific's LA&SL subsidiary, also in 1948. UP operated the line as its Nephi Plaster Mill Spur until October 1953, when it was retired and removed. The spur ran down the middle of Nephi's main east-west thoroughfare, First North Street, which was also designated as Utah Highway 132. The state highway department wanted the tracks removed to allow improvements along the state highway.)

Nephi Plaster Mill

In July 1959 the Nephi plaster mill was demolished. The following comes from the July 19, 1959 issue of the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper:

Mill Comes Down, Era Closes. Nephi -- A 74-year-old enterprise has ended with the razing of the old Nephi plaster mill. The mill site was abandoned when the U.S. Gypsum Co. moved operations to Sigurd, Sevier County. The site was purchased later by Nephi to prevent disputes over water and other rights involved with the property.

The mill began its active history when John Hauge began making plaster from gypsum found at the mouth of Salt Creek Canyon in 1885. He ground the stone between two large stones, then cooked the pulverized dust in a boiler. The first real mill was built in May 1887. Shares were sold to Nephi men Lon Hyde, George Whitmore and others. These men owned a large mercantile store on the site of the present First Security tank Building. Plaster mill workers bought what they needed from the store, while the rest of their wages were paid in cash.

Water wheel power was introduced in 1888. The plaster was ground much finer, but it still was ground in a huge pot. In 1889, the Fowler Bros. of Kansas City, Mo., leased the mill for three years. They built a large frame mill which operated for 19 years. At that time the gypsum was known as purest in the world.

On Oct. 10, 1908, the mill burned to the ground. A new mill opened the next spring was constructed of steel and tin. By 1911, Jim Clinton owned the controlling interest. The old rock quarry by the mill was used for many years. A tunnel into the hill was used to get rock out. The full cars rolled out by themselves and were dumped; then the empty cars were pulled back by a horse.

In 1939, U.S. Gypsum purchased the Nephi Plaster Co. and ran the mill several years. In April 1952, Nephi City Corp. purchased the holding and is salvaging the material left in the mill.

May 1948
D&RGW completed removing its Park City Branch between the cement quarry in lower Parleys Canyon (MP 8.19), and Park City (MP 32.29).

1948/1951
D&RGW completed a line change in 1948-1951 to move its 600 West line in Salt Lake City over to the east, along UP's line along 400 West. At the same time, the Grant (also known as Grant's) Tower interlocking was completed. The Grant Tower interlocking did not show up in UP's employee timetables until 1955-1958. The 400 West/600 West Line Change was completed to allow the state highway department to construct a super highway, which today is known as Interstate 15.

June 24, 1948
D&RGW received ICC approval to purchase the former Bingham & Garfield Sand Spur at Garfield. The B&G had been abandoned in May and Kennecott Copper still needed the sand. (ICC Finance Docket 16094, concurrent with ICC Finance Docket 16093, the abandonment of the B&G, in 271 ICC 804)

1949
D&RGW sued UP over better freight rates and car routing at Ogden, Utah; this was the opening event in the Ogden Gateway case. (LeMassena, p. 170; "Released from a long era of financial serfdom [with the end if its receivership and its reorganization in 1947], the D&RGW now took on a Goliath, in the form of the Union Pacific, by filing with the ICC a complaint that it should be allowed to participate in the non-discriminative routing of through freight via Ogden. This was the beginning of an attempt to open the Ogden Gateway, which Harriman had closed almost 50 years earlier.")

March 20, 1949
The California Zephyr was included for the first time in a D&RGW employee timetable. (D&RGW Employee Time-Table No. 133, March 20, 1949)

Blizzards In Wyoming

Between January 2 and February 21, 1949, a series of blizzards swept across Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska. Temperatures fell to as low as 51 degrees below and the wind drove drifts up to 30 feet. It was the worst winter season for Union Pacific since the early 1870s. The blizzards tied the railroad up for seven weeks, and finally UP was forced to detour many of its trains by way of D&RGW through Salt Lake City, Grand Junction, and Denver, then across Kansas. (part from Union Pacific, The Rebirth 1894-1969, by Maury Klein, pages 451-458)

August 27, 1949
Passenger service on the Marysvale Branch ended. (Ephraim Enterprise, May 8, 1969, "Your Heritage and You")

According to D&RGW Salt Lake Division employee timetable No. 117, dated December 4, 1938, it was Trains 11 and 12 that operated on the Marysvale Branch:

Train 12 left Salt Lake City at 2:15 am and arrived at Thistle at 4;05 am; then left Thistle at 4:30 am and arrived at Marysvale at 9:30 am;
Train 11 left Marysvale at 12:45 pm and arrived at Thistle at 5:50 pm; departed Thistle at 5:55 pm and arrived at Salt Lake City at 7:45 pm.

It appears that Train 11 operated ahead of Train No. 1, The Scenic Limited, from Thistle to Roper, where No. 1 passed No. 11. Train No. 11 then followed No. 1 into the Salt Lake City depot.

December 1949
A single Budd RDC-1 rail diesel car tested on D&RGW west out of Denver. The tests lasted only two or three days. The car apparently did not impress D&RGW management, and on December 12, 1949 the car was photographed at Bond, Colorado, westbound headed for Salt Lake City, and off the D&RGW. There was a small news item in the D&RGW employee magazine "The Green Light," Volume 10, Number 9, dated December 15, 1949. (John Tudek, March 6, 2024)

Self-Propelled Car Tried Out -- A new type railroad Diesel passenger car, designed by the Budd Company for short-haul service, was scheduled for an experimental run over the Rio Grande's Moffat Tunnel Route, as part of a cross-country tour, at Green Light press time. The stainless steel car, powered by twin General Motors 275-h.p. Diesels, and designed for 90 passengers, ran between Denver and East Portal Dec. 11 and left Denver for Salt Lake Dec. 12. It is known as the "RDC-1".

(The Budd RDC apparently went on to test on the Western Pacific, which was apparently impressed by the car's performance and potential economic benefit. WP's own two RDCs went into service on September 17, 1950. The two WP RDCs were removed from service on October 2, 1960 when the train they were asssigned to, Train 1 and 2, was discontinued.)

1950
Hearings continued at the ICC concerning D&RGW and UP, and the division of traffic at Ogden, Utah, known as the "Ogden Gateway Case". (LeMassena, p. 170, "Hearings on the Ogden Gateway were held before the ICC all during the year, without clear-cut indication of the eventual outcome, although the D&RGW appeared to have a strong case of discrimination against it by UP.")

1950
D&RGW ended its contract operation of the Ballard & Thompson Railroad, with the contract having been in place since 1913. (LeMassena, p. 170)

May 19, 1950
D&RGW retired the old Ballard & Thompson branch between Thompson and Sego. The coal mine at Sego was being operated by the Chesterfield Coal Co. 29,183 feet of track (5.58 miles). (See also: contract 11801, dated November 10, 1938, and Chief Engineer Agreement 4133, dated June 1, 1925) (D&RGW AFE 2341, approved on May 19, 1950, research completed at Colorado Railroad Museum, July 20, 2005)

1951
The enginehouse at Marysvale, at the south end of the Marysvale Branch, was retired and removed. (D&RGW AFE 2582, information from Jerry Day via email dated September 4, 2012)

May 1, 1951
Eimco took possession of the D&RGW steam locomotive erecting shop in Salt Lake City. The sale was announced on April 20, 1951. The purchase included 200,000 square feet of shop space, along with all equipment, such as lathes, cranes, rolls, shears and derricks. D&RGW announced that after the sale, all steam locomotive repair work would be done in the roundhouse. (Salt Lake Tribune, April 21, 1951)

June 1951
Salt Lake City, Utah, locomotive shops were closed in June 1951. All heavy overhauls on both steam locomotives and diesel locomotives were moved to Denver shops. D&RGW 3614, an L-132 class 2-8-8-2, was the last steam locomotive to receive heavy repairs at Salt Lake City. (Stagner, page 13)

(Read more about Eimco)

(The former D&RGW shops in Salt Lake City were sold to Utah Transit Authority in 2002 as part of the larger property acquisition for rights of way along the Union Pacific tracks in northern Utah. UTA continued to develop possible and proposed plans for the large facility, but the cost of retrofitting the buildings continued to be a delaying factor. Finally, in July 2019 the shops were demolished in favor of building an all-new bus maintenance facility.)

September 1951
D&RGW's yard office at Ogden was replaced by a $40,000 building in September 1951, at a location known as Transfer, where D&RGW trains were handed over to Southern Pacific. The new building replaced an old boxcar that had been serving as an office for many years. The 13 office employees who had been working in the old boxcar now had a modern, air-conditioned office. It also included radio communications via loudspeakers located in the yard. Floodlights had been installed a year earlier. (Ogden Standard Examiner, September 19, 1951) (Tim Morris reported that the building was demolished by Union Pacific in January 2013.)

1952
ICC hearing into the Ogden Gateway case continued. (LeMassena, p. 171, "The summer of this year brought frustration to the D&RGW; the ICC ruled that the Ogden gateway case should be completely re-argued since the Commission now had two new members.")

1952
D&RGW removed the western one-mile portion of the Hooper Branch, from Hooper to Cox. (LeMassena, p. 174)

1953
ICC hearings on the Ogden Gateway case ended; UP ordered to establish equitable rates, but only for certain commodities to and from Colorado and the Pacific Northwest. (LeMassena, p. 174, "The ICC, finally, decided that the D&RGW did have a reasonable complaint and it ordered UP to establish equitable freight rates, but only on a few commodities. Disagreeing with this piecemeal decision, the D&RGW promptly went to Federal court in hope of obtaining a more liberal ruling.")

October 1, 1953
D&RGW abandonment (possible in Utah). See ICC Finance Docket 18174, listed in 290 ICC 806. (not yet examined)

November 25, 1953
Retire 8 stalls of Salt Lake City roundhouse
AFE 3392
Approved November 25, 1953, completed July 3, 1954

A similar, possibly related AFE 3581 was approved on May 20, 1954; to retire 9 stalls of Salt Lake City roundhouse. No completion date was shown for this AFE.

December 1, 1953
D&RGW abandonment (possibly in Utah). See ICC Finance Docket 17889, listed in 290 ICC 803. (not yet examined)

December 24, 1953
Last run of the Prospector passenger train between Salt Lake City and Ogden. (Deseret News, December 25, 1953)

1954
The federal court hearing D&RGW's suit about the Ogden Gateway sent D&RGW back to the original court in Denver where D&RGW had initiated the Ogden Gateway case in 1949. (LeMassena, p. 174, "The Federal Court at Omaha (the UP's headquarters) decided that the ICC had gone too far, thus forcing the D&RGW to return to the court in Denver to ask again for what it had first sought back in 1949.")

1954
D&RGW completed the construction of three miles of new track from Snyder to Lark on the Lark Branch. The new construction was necessary to avoid the continued growth of Kennecott Copper's Bingham open pit copper mine. (LeMassena, p. 174)

A recently discovered D&RGW engineering department map shows that the northern portion of the new track at Lark, which connected with the existing Lark Branch, was on a parcel of land purchased from Kennecott Copper on March 21, 1955. The southern portion that actually served the new facilities at Lark, was on a parcel of land purchased from United States Smelting Refining & Mining Co. on August 23, 1955. The new plant at Lark was at the lower portal of a new Bingham-Lark tunnel completed in 1952, constructed by Kennecott for USRR&M to replace the original Mascotte Tunnel. Kennecott was expanding its open pit mining operations in Bingham, and the old Mascotte tunnel along with its connection to the Niagara tunnel in Bingham, was in the way. Kennecott constructed the new tunnel that allowed USSR&M to access it underground holdings at Bingham.

February 16, 1954
D&RGW abandonment (possibly in Utah). See ICC Finance Docket 18361, listed in 290 ICC 810. (not yet examined)

May 1954
During May 1954, due to a downturn in traffic levels, D&RGW reportedly had only three steam locomotives in operation: two 2-8-0s switching in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a single 2-8-0 in local service in Alamosa, Colorado. (Stagner, page 19)

May 16, 1954
D&RGW demolished part of the Salt Lake City roundhouse at 4th South. The portion demolished had been erected in 1890. (Salt Lake Tribune, May 16, 1954)

June 1954
In June 1954, the last 12 steam locomotives were transferred from the Salt Lake Division (Ogden to Helper, Utah), with D&RGW 3610, an L-131 class 2-8-8-2, being the last steam locomotive in operation on the Salt Lake Division, as it moved under its own power to be used in helper service at Minturn, on the west slope of Tennessee Pass. (Stagner, page 19)

1955
The Ogden Gateway case continued. (LeMassena, p. 174, "The court in Denver ordered the entire Ogden Gateway case reopened, which gave the D&RGW renewed hope for a more favorable ruling by the ICC.")

June 6, 1955
Install CTC between Salt Lake City and Woods Cross
AFE 3970
Approved June 6, 1955

July 25, 1955
Construct Roper diesel house
AFE 4000
Approved on July 25, 1955, completed in 1956

August 11, 1955
The use of steam locomotives by D&RGW in Salt Lake City came to an end, with the retirement of five 2-8-0 Consolidation type locomotives on Thursday August 11, 1955. (Deseret News, August 11, 1955)

(This was the last daily use of steam switching locomotives. The use of mainline steam locomotives had come to an end in June 1954.)

1956
The Ogden Gateway case continued. (LeMassena, p. 174, "The Denver court upheld the ICC's original order and the Union Pacific conceded the struggle, establishing through rates on certain commodities routed via the D&RGW. Not content, the D&RGW prepared for another attempt to obtain a more equitable division of freight traffic at Ogden.")

1956
D&RGW removed the Farnsworth and Kingsville spurs, from Farnsworth to Kingsville, and from Kingsville to Kingsville Junction on the Hooper Branch in southwest Weber County. (LeMassena, p. 175)

January 4, 1956
D&RGW operated the last train to the lime rock cement quarry in Parleys Canyon on the old Park City Branch, on Wednesday January 4th. The quarry was owned by Utah Portland Cement, and the rock was hauled by D&RGW to the company's cement plant on Ninth (900) South. The rail-haul portion was replaced by the use of trucks from the quarry direct to the cement plant. The end of rail operations was on a three-mile segment of the branch and was needed to support the beginning of construction of a new highway in the canyon. The branch was to have a new end-of-track at Alexander, west of the site of the new highway fill. The last train was made up of five loaded GS gondolas, a caboose, and an F-M switcher. Almost immediately after the last train, Utah Department of Transportation contractors bulldozed 18 feet of fill dirt over the tracks as part of the new highway construction that would connect Wasatch Boulevard with Foothill Boulevard. (Deseret News, January 5, 1956, with photo; LeMassena, p. 175)

The remainder of the Park City Branch east of the 13th East fill in Sugar House was removed during 1956 or early 1957 to allow the creation of Sugar House Park, which became official in July 1957. The new public park was on the site of the former state penitentiary (prison), which had been moved in 1951 to a new location in Bluffdale in south Salt Lake County.

The Park City Branch became the Sugar House Spur with the removal of trackage east of 1300 East Street in 1956-1957 after the former state prison grounds were sold to a joint Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County agency known as the Sugar House Park Authority, for the purposes of creating, owning and maintaining public space; Sugar House Park was officially created in July 1957.

January 5, 1956
The construction of a 120-car siding was approved at Columbia Junction on the Sunnyside Branch, where D&RGW interchanged coal traffic with Carbon County Railway.

May 23, 1956
D&RGW demolished most of the roundhouse in Helper, Utah, retaining two stalls of the roundhouse to allow servicing of the diesel locomotives assigned to Helper. The work started on April 1st, and "was completed recently." (Deseret News, May 23, 1956)

August 31, 1956
The depot at Sunnyside was retired. Office space for D&RGW agent at Sunnyside would be rented from Kaiser Steel Company, and the former depot was sold to a private party. (D&RGW AFE 4359, dated August 31, 1956, courtesy of Jerry Day)

September 1956
D&RGW opened the new diesel shop at Roper Yard. (Salt Lake Tribune, September 30, 1956)

In Colorado: Last Of Steam

During 1956, the use of steam was further reduced, with just 18 locomotives reported in operation. The last D&RGW standard gauge steam locomotive, a Class C-48 2-8-0, number 1151, operated on December 26, 1956. The scrapping of number 1151 began the next day. By year end, all remaining standard gauge steam locomotives had been retired and scrapped. No standard gauge steam locomotives were preserved by the railroad. (Steam had left Utah in June 1954.) (Stagner, page 20)

1957
The Ogden Gateway case continued. (LeMassena, p. 175, "The railroad requested the ICC to void the 1923 Central Pacific - Union Pacific agreement to route central and southern California and Oregon freight preferentially over the UP east of Ogden. In effect, this was another means of opening the Ogden Gateway.")

July 17, 1957
D&RGW dismantled the 400,000 gallon steel water tank at 4th South in Salt Lake City. Constructed in 1942 "15 years ago" the water tank was no longer needed because of the railroad no longer had any steam locomotives in the area. The water tank had been part of the water treatment plant that had already been demolished "sometime ago." (Salt Lake Tribune, July 17, 1957, with photo)

1958
D&RGW purchased a four-mile segment of the abandoned Bamberger Railroad, consisting mainly of the industrial spurs along 200 West in Salt Lake City. (LeMassena, p. 175)

August 13, 1958
The Utah Public Service Commission gave D&RGW permission to close its Layton station from December 15th of each year, to September 15th of the following year, because the sole business of the station was the handling of traffic moving in and out of the sugar factory of the Layton Sugar Company at Layton, Utah. (Salt Lake Tribune, August 13, 1958)

November 21, 1958
D&RGW received ICC approval to abandon the Hooper Branch. "F. D. No. 20343, Denver & Rio. Grande Western Railroad Company Abandonment, Hooper Branch. Decided November 21, 1958." (ICC Finance Reports, Volume 307, page 803, "Cases Disposed Of Without Printed Report.")

November 25, 1958
D&RGW received ICC approval to purchase the former Bamberger Railroad trackage in Salt Lake City. "F. D. No. 20338, Denver Rio Grande Railroad Company Purchase (Portion), Bamberger Railroad Company. Decided November 25, 1958. (Embraces F. D. No. 20367 and F. D. No. 20202.)" (ICC Finance Reports, Volume 307, page 803, "Cases Disposed Of Without Printed Report.")

December 31, 1958
Salt Lake & Utah trackage in Salt Lake City along First West (200 West; changed to Second West in 1972) was sold to Bamberger Railroad on December 4, 1946. The Bamberger trackage was sold to D&RGW on December 31, 1958. (D&RGW engineering drawing for former Bamberger line, South Temple to 13th South, Utah State Archives, Index H-232)

January 1, 1959
Until 1959 the Garfield smelter was owned and operated by American Smelting & Refining company, and D&RGW provided common carrier access to Kennecott's Utah Copper Division and other mining companies that sent their ore to Asarco to be processed. In 1959, Kennecott bought the smelter and took over operations, at which time the railroad became Kennecott's in-plant railroad, with D&RGW having limited trackage rights to allow limited common carrier access.

April 1, 1959
D&RGW received Utah Public Service Commission approval to close its agency station at Payson, Utah. The closure was protested by local fruit growers, as well as the Payson Chamber of Commerce and the local division of the Order of Railroad Telegraphers. Following the closure of the Payson depot, all railroad business was to be handled by the agent at Spanish Fork. (Salt Lake Tribune, April 1, 1959)

April 28, 1959
The following comes from ICC Finance Reports, Volume 307, page 803, "Cases Disposed Of Without Printed Report."

F. D. No. 20290, Western Pacific Railroad Company et al. Joint Control, Salt Lake City Union Depot Railroad Company. Decided April 28, 1959. (Embraces F. D. No. 20292)

F. D. No. 20292, Salt Lake City Union Depot Railroad Company Stock. Decided April 28, 1959. (Embraced in F. D. No. 20290)

1962
The Ogden Gateway case continued. (LeMassena, p. 194, "The ICC refused to void the SP-UP Agreement, thus forcing the D&RGW to solicit its own Pacific states traffic.")

1962
D&RGW constructed 36 miles of new line between Brendel and Potash. (LeMassena, p. 194, "Adhering to the undulating profile of local drainage out on the eastern Utah desert, this line dropped into the canyon of the Colorado River to tap a huge new potash mine. However, the first outbound revenue train did not operate until early 1965.")

The State of Utah was allowed to assemble the land parcel for the potash mine, trading school trust lands in other parts of the state for federal lands where the potash reserves were located, which in turn allowed the schools of Utah to benefit from any and all royalties coming from the development of the potash reserves at Cane Creek. (Deseret News, February 8, 1963)

September 20, 1962
Morrison Knudsen finished the D&RGW Cane Creek spur. D&RGW's own track crews laid the track. The Texas Gulf Sulphur mine shaft had reached 1,953 feet, headed for the final 2,800 feet in depth. (Salt Lake Tribune, September 20, 1962)

1963
D&RGW joined Trailer Train. D&RGW's connecting partner at Salt Lake City, WP, had joined Trailer Train in 1959, at the same time starting its trailer-on-flat-car (TOFC) service, also known as "piggyback" service, between Salt Lake City and Oakland. Competing roads UP and SP had joined Trailer Train in 1960. (The Tioga Group, Intermodal Timeline, 1954 to 1966)

November 1963
D&RGW began adding piggyback service to Trains 7 and 8, the Prospector, the overnight train between Denver and Salt Lake City. (Trains magazine, November 1963, page 12, "Arrivals & Departures")

(The date that D&RGW built its piggyback facility at Roper is not yet known. This facility used circus-style trailer loading and was stub-ended with four tracks. The loading ramp was at the south end of the facility. In 1984 several of D&RGW's out-of-service GP9s and SD9s that were being stored at the facility.)

1963-1965
Changes at East End of Soldier Summit -- Between 1963 and late 1965, a 4°20' left-hand/right-hand reverse curve was realigned between MP 649.7 and MP 650.3, and a compound 4°44' left-hand curve at MP 650.4 was softened to 2°30'. Thus in total three 4°20 or tighter curves became one 2°30' curve. This was likely done to enable longer trains and reduce the chances of pull-aparts.

At the same time the east Soldier Summit interlocking was moved east from MP 650.3 to 650.0, lengthening the distance between the two Soldier Summit interlockings from 1.7 miles to 2.0 miles. This line change shows in the two snips from the 1963 (upper left) and 1966 (upper right) track charts below. The aerial view at lower left shows in part the left-hand of the two reverse curves that were eliminated plus most of the right-hand curve, and most of the softened curve at MP 650.4. The left-hand curve at MP 649.7 is partially obscured by the new embankment and subsequent widening and straightening of US 6, which cut through a hummock that originally supported the left-hand curve.

The 1941 photo of the 1403W supplied by Parker Wilson is at MP 650.4. The train is pulling into the yard lead that was the original main line even *further* to the east than the 1941 main line that you can see in the background. The eastward positive ABS at the east crossovers of Soldier Summit is in the background at MP 650.3. (Mark Hemphill, Facebook, June 5, 2020)

1963-1964
In anticipation of the changing of interchange rules at Ogden, allowing direct interchange between SP and D&RGW, the two roads proposed a connection between their two lines by way of a new bridge over the Weber River, and new connecting track northwest of the two lines' 90-degree crossing, where the east-west D&RGW line crossed the north-south SP line. (Southern Pacific Company. C. E. Drawing 33502, November 3, 1963, revised April 1, 1964.)

December 1963
D&RGW sold the Springville depot to a salvage company, which began demolishing the structure. A photo in the January 2, 1964 issue of the Springville Herald newspaper showed the structure about 50 percent demolished, with a note that the job would be completed by March. The structure had not been used since 1960. (Springville Herald, January 2, 1964)

April 6, 1964
On the evening of Monday April 6, 1964, the first revenue train operated over the new alignment for the D&RGW Bingham Branch, between Midvale and "bottoms" near the branch's crossing of the Jordan river. The same point of connection location is very near today's Historic Gardner Station on UTA's Mid Valley TRAX light rail line. The opening of the new line allowed the line along Midvale's Center Street to be abandoned and removed. (Midvale Sentinel, April 10, 1964)

April 1964
In a ceremony on the morning of Thursday April 9, 1964, D&RGW removed the remaining tracks of the old Bingham Canyon and Camp Floyd Railroad from the middle of Center Street in Midvale. "The tracks are being removed and the railroad relocated as part of a project to improve Center Street westward to Redwood Road." (Deseret News, April 9, 1964)

D&RGW named freight trains, as of September 1964:

RMS: Rock Island Merchandise Special
LSD-(xx): Lumber Special via Denver (with xx being that day-date of departure from Oregon)
RBX: Red Ball Extra
MWMD: Midwest Merchandiser
SPF-(xx): SP Forwarder via Pueblo (with xx being that day-date of departure)
SPD-(xx): SP Forwarder via Denver (with xx being that day-date of departure)
A-(xx): Advance (with xx being that day-date of departure)
(Source: Trains magazine, April 1965)

1965
D&RGW constructed three miles of new line on the Bingham Branch to avoid the continued growth of the waste dump of Kennecott Copper's Bingham open pit copper mine. The portion of the old Bingham Branch that would not be affected by the growing waste dump became part of the Lark Branch. (LeMassena, p. 195)

July 9, 1965
D&RGW removed the tracks of its Sandy Branch along East Center Street in Midvale, "last week." The tracks through Midvale were commonly known by residents as the "Shay tracks" because of the type of locomotive once used along them. The tracks and sub-roadbed were removed, and new base up to 24 inches deep was put into place, and the area was paved, making Center Street wider, once the tracks in the middle of the street had been removed. (Midvale Sentinel, July 9, 1965; July 16, 1965)

(LeMassena, on page 195, reported that D&RGW removed the remaining two-mile portion of the Little Cottonwood Branch, from Midvale to Sandy in 1964.)

Summer 1966
In the summer of 1966 D&RGW operated one of the very last 'Heber Local' runs up from Provo to Heber on the Provo Canyon Branch. Rail traffic at Wasatch County's largest city had declined with improvements to parallel Highway 189. The depot had been boarded up by then, with weeds lining the right of way. Back in the 1930's, Heber City was the largest shipper of sheep by rail in the United States. There was a weigh scale adjacent to the depot, for documenting the transfer of gilsonite, trucked from Vernal, Utah to the railhead at Heber City. In November of 1968, the mothballed line was reopened by the D&RGW to haul the National Christmas Tree (harvested in nearby Daniel's Canyon) from Heber via a specially equipped trailer flat toward Washington, DC. It was a somewhat glorious ending to service the branch. Of course the line's history took a positive turn when the upper 18 miles were preserved in 1970 for a tourist operation that continues to this day. Unfortunately, the former D&RGW Heber yard area has been stripped of it's trackage. The now 'trackless' D&RGW depot survives to this day, utilized by a private business on 6th West at Center Street. (James Belmont, January 30, 2011)

December 31, 1966
The ICC approval for the curtailment of Ogden Union Railway & Depot Company freight operations became effective, allowing UP and SP to divide the freight operations of the joint company. At the same time, SP was allowed to build a direct connection with D&RGW at Ogden, opening the Ogden gateway. (Ogden Standard Examiner, December 6, 1966)

March 31, 1967
The Railway Post Office on The Prospector, Train No. 8, made its last run. This was the last RPO on Rio Grande. (Trains magazine, July 1967, page 51)

May 28, 1967
Last run of the Prospector passenger train. (Trains magazine, September 1967, page 17, "Rio Grande ' s overnight Denver- Salt Lake City Prospector expired May 28. After loss of mail contract, Nos. 7 and 8 could come up with passenger receipts of only 71 cents a train-mile vs. operating expenses of $4.58 a mile.")

July 2, 1967
Colorado Public Utilities Commission's decision in application No. 22557. "The decision discloses that on July 7,1967, the Denver and Rio Grande was granted authority to discontinue passenger trains Nos. 1 and 2 operating between Salida and Denver, Colorado. This would eliminate the Denver and Rio Grande passenger service described at the hearing between Denver and Pueblo." (ICC Reports, Volume 330, page 912)

July 27, 1967
Last run of the Royal Gorge passenger train. The train had made it first run on June 2, 1946 as a replacement of the earlier Scenic Limited as Trains 1 and 2. The Royal Gorge was consolidated with the Exposition Flyer on December 5, 1948, but was reinstated as a separate train on March 21, 1949 when the Exposition Flyer was replaced by the new California Zephyr. The Royal Gorge service was consolidated with the Prospector west on Grand Junction on February 11, 1950 due to a coal miner's strike. Royal Gorge service was cut back to Salida on December 6, 1964, and service ended on July 27, 1967. (Jim Eager, email to D&RGW Yahoo discussion group, June 27, 2001)

"The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) granted the Rio Grande railroad authority to discontinue trains No. 1 and No. 2, the daily passenger trains between Denver and Salida, on July 28. This authority meant the last run of the two trains would be on July 27." (Green Light, August 1967, Volume 28, Number 5, published monthly by the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad)

"Rio Grande has dropped what was left of the Royal Gorge, the 1-unit, 1-baggage-car, 1-coach, Nos. 1 and 2 between Denver and Salida, Colorado." (Trains magazine, October 1967, page 12)

December 1967
The Ogden Gateway case, D&RGW's bid to end the SP-UP preferential solicitation at the Ogden gateway for each other, imposed by ICC order in 1923 when Central Pacific and Southern Pacific were merged, had been won by D&RGW before the ICC in January 1966, and by a 2-to-1 decision by a three-judge District Court in December 1967, and was on its way to the Supreme Court to defend against an SP-UP appeal. (Jerry A. Pinkepank, in Extra 2200 South, Volume 6, Number 11, April 1968, page 11, "General News")

January 8, 1968
The first train to be directly interchanged between SP and D&RGW at Ogden moved over a new connection, completed for the purpose.

New Rail Link is Opened -- A new rail link between the Southern Pacific and Rio Grande Railroads was accomplished when the first eastbound Southern Pacific freight train arrived at the terminus west of Ogden at 3:43PM, Jan 8 and departed at 4PM with Rio Grande crews aboard.

Officials from the Southern Pacific and the Rio Grande were on hand as were representatives of the press and television media for the initial train to take to the rails.

Shippers will benefit in this direct connection between the two railroads with faster service and delivery for their products.

The expediting of traffic in this manner has been under consideration for many years. Officials of both railroads are jubilant and are looking forward to the prospect of faster service between east and west on the Southern Pacific and Rio Grande.

Southern Pacific power will run with Rio Grande crews from the Southern Pacific connection into Roper where it will be serviced and turned. Southern Pacific power will then be used on freights going to Southern Pacific points. (D&RGW Green Light, January 1968; courtesy of Keith Hahn)

March 24, 1968
The following comes from the Ogden Standard Examiner, March 24, 1968:

"Today," Mr. McIntyre [M. A. McIntyre, Southern Pacific general manager] says, "the transfer of trains here [Ogden] is made in minutes, not hours." As an example, Southern Pacific and Denver & Rio Grande Western trains move through Ogden with only a momentary stop to change crews. They do it by a pair of devices called "blocking" and "power pooling."

Blocking, Mr. McIntyre explains, is the practice of putting together traffic bound for a single point in one unit, so that it can be turned over to a connecting railroad intact. Pooling power means that the railroads agree to use each others locomotives over their own tracks, rather than changing them at connecting points.

"For example," Mr. McIntyre said, "locomotives of either railroad may pick up a train in Salt Lake, on the D&RGW, and haul it through to Roseville, California. or Eugene, Oregon. on the SP. The same applies in the opposite direction. We change crews at Ogden, as we always have, but we don't waste time breaking the trains down and building the up again."

November 1968
In November of 1968, D&RGW's inactive Provo Canyon Branch was reopened to haul the National Christmas Tree (harvested in nearby Daniel's Canyon) from Heber via a specially equipped trailer flat toward Washington, DC. (James Belmont, January 30, 2011)

1968
In 1968 D&RGW and UP began operation of a unit coal train between Sunnyside, Utah, and the Kaiser steel mill in Fontana, California. The train used dedicated full trains of high-sided gondola cars that were loaded at Sunnyside and unloaded at Fontana. The trains also used dedicated sets of SD45 locomotives from both Union Pacific (12 locomotives) and D&RGW (six locomotives).

April 4, 1969
D&RGW filed an application to abandon the Provo Canyon Branch. (Wasatch Wave, May 1, 1969)

1970
D&RGW sold the 19.3 mile eastern portion of the Provo Canyon Branch, from Olmstead to Heber, to the Wasatch Mountain Railway. (LeMassena, p. 202)

February 13, 1970
The federal ICC approved the request by Western Pacific to discontinue its portion of the California Zephyr passenger train. D&RGW was allowed to cut back the previous daily service, to three-trains per week, connecting with SP at Ogden. Southern Pacific was to continue operating its City of San Francisco service on its three-times per week schedule to accommodate passengers traveling from Chicago to Oakland by way of CB&Q and D&RGW. The changes for WP were to take affect 30 days after the approval, or when D&RGW and SP were able to make the necessary arrangements for their new connection at Ogden. (Salt Lake Tribune, February 14, 1970, "yesterday")

The last westbound California Zephyr departed Chicago on March 20, 1970 at 3 p.m. The last westbound CZ departed Salt Lake City, at 11:15 p.m. on Saturday March 21, 1970. About 150 people were on hand to bid the train farewell. It arrived in Oakland on Sunday March 22nd, at 7:15 p.m., four hours late. (Salt Lake Tribune, March 21, 1970; March 22, 1970; March 23, 1970)

The last eastbound California Zephyr over WP rails arrived in Salt Lake City at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday March 22, 1970, 1 hour 40 minutes late. Only one person was on hand to witness the event. (Salt Lake Tribune, March 23, 1970; Deseret News, March 23, 1970)

March 22, 1970
D&RGW's operation of the California Zephyr between Denver and Salt Lake City was cut back from daily service, to three-times-weekly service on March 22, 1970. The train's western connection with Western Pacific to Oakland was severed when the federal Interstate Commerce Commission allowed WP (decision dated February 13, 1970) to discontinue its portion of the California Zephyr on that same day in March 1970. The remaining D&RGW service between Denver and Salt Lake City became known as the "Rio Grande Zephyr", or just RGZ.

June 8, 1971
At Midnight, D&RGW disconnected the tracks to the Provo Canyon Branch, and the route to Heber. The tracks were located along Second West, connecting with the D&RGW Provo yard at Sixth South. On May 4, 1971, D&RGW and Provo City had requested from the federal Interstate Commerce Commission that the service be discontinued. The ICC approved the request, with June 8th being the effective date. The trains were only operating between Provo and Olmstead, with a team track located at 12th North. The last train operated on Monday June 7th. (Provo Daily Herald, June 8, 1971, courtesy of Parker Wilson via Facebook)

September 11, 1971
The D&RGW depot at Spanish Fork was closed. The following comes from the August 22, 1971 issue of the Provo Daily Herald newspaper:

Spanish Fork. — On Sept. 11, 1971 the Spanish Fork depot for the Rio Grande Railroad will be closed.

Currently, most of the business on the line comes from the rock quarry at Keigley 10 miles west of Spanish Fork where lime stone for the U.S. steel mill at Provo is mined, and from the Burgin mine, operated by Kennecott near the end of the Iron King spur. The line from Pearl to Eureka is currently not operated, and that portion of the line from Eureka to Silver City was abandoned in 1943. The line from Flora to Dividend is also not operated at Mis time.

Train operation at present consists of one local freight train day up and back from Provo, and during the beet season sometimes a second train is operated to handle the extra business. Waybilling and most other functions of the Spanish Fork depot have already been transferred to agency stations at Provo (available on a 24-hour basis) and Geneva (available on a 17-hour basis), since they are tied directly to the Railroad Company's centralized computer and accounting system for greater efficiency.

October 1971
D&RGW received ICC approval to abandon the Provo-Orem Branch; 7.09 miles. (Railroad magazine, February 1972, page 62)

November 1971
USSR&M closed its Lark mine, and its Midvale mill and concentrator. The concentrate was being shipped to the International smelter near Tooele. (Deseret News, November 12, 1971)

The Lark mine and the Midvale mill and concentrator were large sources for traffic on D&RGW.

December 1971
D&RGW received federal ICC approval to abandon its Kenilworth Branch, Helper to Kenilworth, 6.23 miles. (Railroad magazine, April 1972, page 65)

December 6, 1971
D&RGW and Ogden Union Railway & Depot Company signed a final agreement for D&RGW to use the Ogden passenger station facilities, excluding trackage at Ogden. (UP museum microfilmed correspondence file index cards)

1972
D&RGW tore down the ice dock and fruit loading dock at Provo. (Railroad magazine, February 1972, page 4)

August 1972
The federal Interstate Commerce Commission approved D&RGW's request to abandon the Tintic Branch from Pearl Junction to Eureka, 13.13 miles, along with the Goshen Valley Branch from Flora to Dividend, 2.70 miles. (Railroad magazine, December 1972, page 66)

1975
"Before CTC killed the need for current of traffic and trainorders, the Rio Grande had twice as many crossovers and sidings as today. When CTC was installed between East Soldier Summit and Springville in 1975, out came every side track. In fact, all of the east pass sidings were removed with the exception of short stub MOW set out tracks at Narrows, Detour, and Gilluly. The Grande once had full passing tracks off the eastward (upgrade) track at Thistle, Rio, Narrows, Detour, Gilluly, Scenic, and Soldier Summit." (James Belmont, email to Trainorders.com on October 18, 2007)

September 20, 1976
D&RGW received Utah Public Service Commission to remove the former Bamberger tracks along 400 West in Salt Lake City, from 900 South to 900 North. The tracks were to be removed "with all speed, as soon as possible." (Deseret News, September 20, 1976)

February 5, 1977
Former Bamberger spur -- "After 72 years, the last locomotive moved along spur railroad tracks on First West Friday. The diesel pushed an empty box car before it. The boxcar had contained molding starch which had been delivered to the Sweet Candy Co. manufacturing plant at 2nd South." "The first rail was installed on the street [First West] in 1905. The Sweet Co., just a few yards from the spur, asked to be linked up in 1920." "Sweet Candy had been in Salt Lake City since 1900. Its present factory, embracing 130,000 square feet, consists of three contiguous buildings - built in 1911, 1921 and 1953 respectively." (Salt Lake Tribune, February 5, 1977)

The spur was linked to the former Bamberger tracks along First West (200 West). The line had originally been constructed by the Salt Lake & Utah interurban line in 1910. Bamberger had purchased the portion along First West, north of 1300 South, when the Salt Lake & Utah had shut down in 1946. D&RGW had purchased the tracks when Bamberger shut down in 1959, and continued to serve the businesses along First West (200 West after 1972) since that time. The Sweet Candy street address was 224 South First West (200 West).

After D&RGW bought the Bamberger tracks in 1959, once a week, a hopper of special mineral was taken all the way to Everett Ave. (13th North), where it was trans-loaded into low-side flat bed tractor-trailer trucks. The destination of the special material after being loaded onto the truck is not yet known. This movement ended with the end of operations sometime after May 1992 when a photo was taken a WP hopper car sitting on the short spur at Everett Ave.

June 7, 1977
Amtrak's Pioneer, Trains 25/26, between Seattle, Washington. and Salt Lake City, Utah, began service, thus doing away with the need for D&RGW to provide a limousine connection between their Rio Grande Zephyr at Salt Lake City, and Amtrak's San Francisco Zephyr at Ogden.

January 1978
"THE GRAND JUNCTION ZEPHYR -- The D&RGW has petitioned the ICC to cut back service on its Denver-Salt Lake City Rio Grande Zephyr to a Denver-Grand Junction, Col., operation. It is a asking to drop the Grand Junction-Salt Lake City segment on January 31, 1978, citing a savings of $800,000 per year on a present deficit of $2.1 million. The non-Amtrak domeliner is considered one of America's finest passenger trains and caters primarily to travelers more interested in the Rocky Mountain scenery than transportation to Salt Lake City." (Railfan magazine, March 1979, page 15 "Railnews")

March 22, 1978
The Utah State Historical Society officially moved from the former governor's mansion, to temporary quarters in the Crane Building, pending its final move to the former D&RGW depot within a year. (Orem Geneva Times, March 23, 1978)

During its 1978 session, the state legislature had approved a $2.4 bonding issue to pay for the renovation of the D&RGW passenger depot in Salt Lake City. The depot renovation began in September 1979 and was completed in late December 1980. The Utah State Division of History moved into the building beginning in mid December, with a formal opening day on December 28, 1980.

December 31, 1978
D&RGW dissolved the Salt Lake Union Depot & Railroad Company, after buying WP's 50 percent interest on June 20, 1978. (Utah corporation index 15068)

January 11, 1979
D&RGW narrow gauge 2-8-0 number 223 was gifted to the State of Utah by Salt Lake City in a ceremony held at 11 am on Thursday January 11, 1979. The locomotive was to be moved from Liberty Park to the former D&RGW depot soon. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 9, 1979)

Summer 1982
"THE ZEPHYR F'S -- The D&RGW realized a substantial fuel savings this summer [1982] when it replaced its traditional A-B-B F9 set on the Rio Grande Zephyr with a GP40-2/F9B set. GP40-2 3116 was kept in pristine condition for the passenger assignment, and converted Alco PB 253 was used throughout the summer as the steam generator unit. With the coming of winter weather, the need for more steam boiler capacity has brought the return of the A-B-B F9 set, led by the D&RGW's sole remaining F9A, 5771, at least until next spring. The GP40-2 will probably be used each summer as long as the D&RGW's motive power surplus continues; the Fs, however, will be kept ready." (Railfan magazine, March 1983, page 24, "Railnews")

December 23, 1982
A temporary trackage rights agreement was signed between D&RGW and Missouri Pacific prior to the UP-MP merger, which became effective on December 22, 1982. The temporary agreement took effect the next day, and D&RGW traffic rights operations between Pueblo and Kansas City began at the same time. At first MP operated D&RGW traffic rights trains using MP crews and MP locomotives. The traffic in question, the Ford Fast train, was traffic to and from the Ford plant at Milpitas, California, which closed on May 20, 1983. The Ford train was no longer operated over D&RGW and MP after that date, causing the D&RGW traffic rights business to drop off "substantially." D&RGW did not have rights to provide local service between Pueblo and Kansas City, which MP intended to continue doing. (UP InfoNews employee magazine, June 1983)

1983
By 1983, all non-railroad subsidiaries of Rio Grande Industries had been sold, leaving only minor companies Leavell Development Co. (which owned the corporation's office building in Denver), and the near defunct Rio Grande Motorways. (Pacific News, Issue 249, April 1984, page 25)

January 1, 1983
Union Pacific control of Western Pacific took effect. Merger of UP/WP was approved by federal court on December 22, 1982. UP control of WP effectively shut D&RGW out of its connection to California. Although D&RGW interchanged with SP at Ogden, most of its California traffic went west by way of WP.

January 28, 1983
D&RGW operated its first train into Kansas City, Kansas, using trackage rights over former Missouri Pacific lines from Pueblo, Colorado, to Kansas City, Kansas, granted as provision of UP's control of Missouri Pacific in December 1982. To support this new service, additional locomotives (23 former Conrail GP40s) were first leased in November 1983, then purchased in January 1984.

D&RGW In Kansas

Herington, Kansas, has become a major interchange point for the Cotton Belt from New Mexico and the Rio Grande from Colorado. In addition, Herington is served by a north-south Katy (ex-RI) branch line. At Scott City, Kansas, on January 1, train number 1/51 was powered by DRGW engines 5403, 3040, 3034, 5137, and 3180. The next day in Scott City saw train FCMU-15 powered by DRGW 5325 and three MP units. SP power is often observed on the Pueblo-Kansas City, line, too. (CTC Board, February 1984, page 31)

Rio Grande traffic continues to grow on the MP Pueblo/Kansas City main line. In addition to coal trains, several regular freights (50/51, 43/46, and 79/34) run on an almost-daily basis. At the present time the lucrative Ford Fast train (79/34) is operating between the NS yard in Kansas City and Ogden, Utah, over the DRGW via Tennessee Pass. The 50/51 and 79/34 frequently run in two sections. At Towner, Colorado, on March 17, 1984, #2/51 showed up with the 3142/3174(CR)/3164(CR)/3002/ 3110. 3142 had just been repainted in DRGW colors and looked resplendent in its fresh, bright paint. One particularly interesting sighting was train #51 at Scott City, Kansas, on March 10, 1984, with 3174(CR)/3164(CR)/3084/KCS 629 (3 GP4O's/KCS SD40). (CTC Board, May 1984, page 11)

February 7-8, 1983
"In anticipation of Amtrak taking over passenger train operations from the D&RGW between Denver and Salt Lake City on April 25, 1983, the Rio Grande operated its Rio Grande Zephyr with Amtrak equipment on February 7th and 8th, 1983. Eastbound train No. 18 is stopped in Provo, 530 miles from the end of its eastward journey from Salt Lake City to Denver." (James Belmont, Facebook, February 20, 2018)

March 16, 1983
"Amtrak Takeover Approved ... On March 16, the Amtrak board of directors formally voted to re-route the San Francisco Zephyr over the D&RGW between Denver and Salt Lake City. Amtrak service began on April 25, as originally planned. Wyoming officials have continued to express displeasure at the loss of passenger trains in their state, and they have threatened to file suit if they can find legal grounds. But legal action is not really anticipated, since the reality of the situation is that many Wyoming passengers are present or past UP employees riding on passes, while the more scenic route through Colorado will naturally attract more paying passengers. Railfans will certainly mourn the loss of the celebrated Rio Grande Zephyr, but the railroad could not reasonably be expected to run the train at a loss indefinitely. The Amtrak decision will at least provide daily trains over the route for the foreseeable future. Amtrak will acquire the RGZ dome coaches for use elsewhere (after they are converted to head-end power), but the D&RGW will retain the dome observation-lounge Silver Sky for use on directors' trains and other specials. Leonard J. Bernstein, jovial and popular director of D&RGW Passenger & Dining Car Services will remain on the scene to handle liaison between the Rio Grande and Amtrak. As early as midMarch, Bernstein was observed proudly sporting an Amtrak tie bar!" (CTC Board magazine, April 1983, page 6)

April 15, 1983
The D&RGW mainline at Thistle, Utah, in Spanish Fork canyon, was closed by a mud slide.

The Thistle mud slide forced the closure of the 132-mile Marysvale Branch. Although there were proposals in 1985 and 1986 to restore service, the Marysvale Branch was formally abandoned in August 1986, and the tracks were removed in late 1986 through early 1987.

Thistle Mud Slide - April to September 1983
Between April 15, 1983 and July 4, 1983, all D&RGW trains between Salt Lake City and Denver were detoured over UP tracks across Wyoming due to mudslide at Thistle, Utah. The first Thistle tunnel was completed on July 4, and the second was completed in early September.

April 15, 1983 -- In the early morning hours, the last westbound train passed the point of a mud slide just east of Thistle, that would close the railroad for almost 90 days. The second to last train had been the westbound Rio Grande Zephyr, just before midnight the previous night.

April 27, 1983 -- Construction began on a tunnel to bypass the Thistle mud slide. On the previous day, April 26, construction began of a diversion tunnel for the flow of the Spanish Fork River past the dam caused by the mud slide. (Sumsion, pp. 44, 47)

early June 1983 -- Work began on laying new track from "New Thistle" on the east end, and from "New Rio" (MP 684.2) on the west end, with plans to meet at the new tunnels as the tunnels were completed and ready for track. (Sumsion, p. 66)

July 3, 1983 -- The first tunnel was "holed-through". Track was in place right up to where the machines were working. Track was laid immediately upon completion of the tunnel. (Sumsion, p. 67)

July 4, 1983 -- The first train, No. 146 eastbound, operated through the new Thistle tunnel, at 3:12 p.m. (Sumsion, p. 73)

July 16, 1983 - The first eastbound Amtrak California Zephyr operated through the Thistle tunnel. (Sumsion, p. 75) The routing of the train had previously been via Union Pacific through Wyoming. The new routing replaced the Rio Grande Zephyr, which was canceled.

August 31, 1983 -- The second tunnel at Thistle was "holed-through," but the tunnel was not yet complete. (Pacific News, Issue 248, February 1984, page 23)

early September 1983 -- The second Thistle tunnel was completed and the second track was placed in service.

(Read Hol Wagner's "When Thistle Vanished", from Trains magazine, July 1983)

The following is from Railfan & Railroad magazine's November 1983 issue, page 30:

The New Tunnel -- On April 14, 1983, just moments after the passage of the westbound Rio Grande Zephyr, a mud slide just north of Thistle, Utah, blocked Spanish Fork Canyon and created a lake which put the town of Thistle, Highway 6/50 and the main line of the D&RGW under almost 200 feet of water. When the extent of the slide became apparent, plans were made to reroute the D&RGW around the flood. The Army Corps of Engineers bored a diversion tunnel to stabilize the level in "Lake Thistle" to prevent possibly catastrophic erosion of the newly formed earthen dam, and the D&RGW laid out a new six-mile path for its main line on the hill to the north and east of the flooded area. Beginning at Milepost 684 north of Thistle, the new line climbs at a steady two percent up the east wall of the canyon to the flank of Billies Mountain, just above the mud slide at about Milepost 681.5. There the line enters a new tunnel, 3,100 feet long and laid on a four-degree curve, bored by Morrison-Knudsen and other contractors. Emerging eastward on the north wall, the line continues up the canyon to rejoin the original alignment about Milepost 678. The new line is slightly shorter than the old and is presently single track, although boring has already begun on a new tunnel about 50 feet inside the radius of the first one to make the entire bypass double track.

The following comes from Pacific RailNews, issue 245, July 1983, reported by Chip Sherman:

Mudslide Closes Rio Grande Mainline At Thistle -- Denver and Rio Grande Western began boring a tunnel through Billies Mountain on April 25 to bypass a massive mudslide at Thistle, Utah. Contracting with Morrison-Knudsen for the work, the railroad projects completion of the tunnel work in late July and hopes to have the railroad reopened in August providing no major problems are encountered.

The Rio Grande's Denver-to-Salt Lake City mainline was severed April 15 when water saturated clay slid into the Spanish Fork Canyon blocking the tracks and highway. The slide dammed the river, resulting in the community of Thistle being swallowed by the rising waters. By April 23 the slide had grown to 130 feet in height with water eighty feet deep behind it, and climbing.

With the railroad blocked, the Rio Grande Zephyr became one of the first detoured trains out of Salt Lake City on April 15 when it was returned to Denver via the Union Pacific through Wyoming. Since that date all Rio Grande trains have been rerouted via the UP as work on the tunnel and related track relocation work is completed.

On April 30 President Reagan declared the area a federal disaster area. It is the first time any portion of the State of Utah has ever qualified for federal disaster relief. With several million cubic yards of mud still blocking the Spanish Fork Canyon and damming the river the final solution for Thistle and the highway remains unclear.

May 1984
Weather Blocks Lines -- More slides at Gilluly and in the Spanish Fork Canyon closed the Utah main line on May 16. The slides were cleared a few days later, but meanwhile all important trains, including the Amtrak California Zephyr, were detoured over the UP through Wyoming (humorously, the DRGW news release said that the trains were routed over the Amtrak line!). Hotshot piggyback #100 of May 17 did not arrive in Denver until the following day. Motive power consisted of 5343/5381/ SP8936/SP8257/SP9352 (2 SD40T-2's/ SD45/SD40T-2/SD45T-2). Unfortunately, much of that part of Utah remains thoroughly water-soaked and unstable so that the possibility of more serious trouble remains. (CTC Board, July 1984, page 15)

The Rio Grande was forced to detour its trains over the Union Pacific during May because of mud slides in Utah and high water in Colorado which closed their route between Denver and Salt Lake City. On May 28, 1984 a westbound Rio Grande freight crosses Sherman Hill on mainline number 3 at milepost 550.4 near Perkins with UP SD40-2 3144 leading. (CTC Board, July 1984, page 15, photo caption)

October 1, 1984
Rio Grande Industries accepted a purchase offer from TAC Acquisition Corp., a subsidiary of the Anschutz Corporation specially formed for the purpose of acquiring RGI. Anschutz Corporation was a large Denver-area oil and land development company. On October 1, 1984, RGI and Anschutz announced an agreement for Anschutz to purchase at least 51 percent (controlling interest) of RGI. (Pacific RailNews, Issue 254, January 1985, pages 4, 23) By November 7th, Anschutz had acquired 91 percent of Rio Grande Industries stock. (New York Times, November 7, 1984) By November 29, 1984, Anschutz had purchased 92 percent of RGI stock. (Pacific RailNews, Issue 256, March 1985, page 23)

In an interview with Railway Age in almost ten years later, Phillip Anschutz stated that he became interested in purchasing Rio Grande Industries to prevent a hostile takeover by another company. (Railway Age, May 1993)

February 27, 1984
Rio Grande Industries retained Morgan, Stanley & Co., to represent them in any potential merger or acquisition discussions. (Pacific News, Issue 250, June 1984, page 22)

May 1984
Merger Talks Terminated ... On May 17 the DRGW ended months of speculation by announcing that it had ended all merger talks with other railroads. Instead, the Rio Grande will seek to be granted trackage rights (or the right to purchase lines) over the the SP between Ogden on the east and Oakland, San Jose and Portland on the west, as a condition of the ATSF+SP merger now pending before the ICC. During the past several months, the DRGW has conducted intensive marketing studies which showed that the railroad could indeed thrive as an independent if it had a main line stretching from Kansas City to the west coast. On June 4 it formally filed its position with the ICC. But when the decision was announced, Rio Grande Industries stock plummeted, which would certainly make it easier for another company to obtain a controlling interest. Events during the next two years will be very, very interesting for the "Action Road." (CTC Board, July 1984, page 15)

Between October 1 and November 19, 1984, Anschutz Corp., purchased just over 92 percent of Rio Grande Industries stock, giving it control of the holding company and its D&RGW railroad. (Pacific Rail News, Issue 256, March 1985, p. 23)

The following coverage of the sale comes from Pacific RailNews magazine's December 1984 issue, page 5:

OIL FIRM PROPOSES RIO GRANDE PURCHASE -- Anschutz Corporation, a privately held Denver-based oil and gas exploration and development concern, offered to purchase the 9.9 million outstanding shares of Rio Grande Industries (parent of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad) for $496.5 million, or $50 per share, on October 1. Its offer, to expire October 29, was contingent upon acquiring at least 51 percent of the shares. Anschutz said it planned no changes for the railroad but was seeking to diversify its interests. Rio Grande has been an attractive merger target since it serves major low-sulfur coal fields in Utah and Colorado and provides a strategic route through the Rockies as part of its 1,800-mile system. Its assets include $200 million in cash. The RGI board approved and recommended the merger. The railroad has suffered losses the past two years due in part to consolidation of its competitor's routes which have lured away traffic. (Pacific Rail News, Issue 253, December 1984, page 5)

CTC Board magazine, November 1984, page 4, reported that Rio Grande Industries was "sold" to Anschutz on October 1, 1984, the date of the agreement between RGI and Anschutz Corporation.

Rio Grande Being Sold ... On October 1, 1984, a surprise announcement was made that Rio Grande Industries was being sold to multi-millionaire Philip Anschutz. Anschutz, a Denver oil and real estate magnate reported to be worth more than $1 Billion, is offering $496.5 million for the parent company which includes the railroad. That $496.5 million works out to $50 per share which is five dollars more than Rio Grande stock had been trading for on the New York Stock Exchange.

The sale of the parent corporation is contingent on the Anschutz Corporation obtaining 51 percent (controlling interest) by October 23, 1984. If the 51 percent is acquired the Rio Grande will be merged into a newly formed Anschutz subsidiary.

Wall Street was caught somewhat off guard as Anschutz had not been considered as a suitor in the years-long courtship of the Rio Grande. Considering the position of the railroad it was pretty much known that Rio Grande would become more attractive, but to other railroads, not Anschutz.

Many analysts said the $50 share price was too low, claiming the Rio Grande should have been sold for $65 to $70 per share and the speculation is that Anschutz is buying the railroad on speculation hoping to sell it later at a higher price.

On the other hand, Rio Grande stock has been up for sale at $45 per share with only bites on the fishing line prior to the Anschutz offer. So while some analysts fueled speculation that a bidding war will erupt pushing up the price of Rio Grande stock there are those that feel that the Rio Grande is being sold for more than its worth and that is why no other railroads have made any moves before now. The railroad is valuable, it's a question of just how valuable.

People inside the Rio Grande feel the sale is a very good deal and for the most part seem optimistic about the Rio Grande's future. Only time will tell on this one. (CTC Board, November 1984, page 4)

Additional coverage from CTC Board, December 1984:

Rio Grande Sale Finalized ... At the close of business on October 29, the deadline for the $50 per share tender offer, Denver billionaire Philip F. Anschutz had captured 8,120,000 shares of the common stock of Rio Grande Industries, Inc. -- or 82% of the 9.93 million shares outstanding. Anschutz, reputed to be one of the 12 wealthiest men in America, formed a new company -- TAC Acquisition Corporation -- to acquire the Rio Grande. The actual price worked out to be about $496.5 million in cash. Interestingly, at the end of 1983 the total assets of the company were reportedly worth $805 million. Considering that the DRGW had cash on hand amounting to almost $217 million, the purchase price paid by Anschutz is very close to the scrap value of the railroad. Those who said that the Rio Grande was nothing more than a scrap yard during the infamous Perlman years when the company used doubtful tactics to abandon and scrap its narrow gauge lines will perhaps find some satisfaction in the fact that the entire railroad was sold for little more than its scrap value! Be that as it may, we expect to see the DRGW remain a viable and highly competitive company under the ownership of Anschutz, who has no plans to scrap the "Action Road."

No Other Bidders stood in line to buy Rio Grande Industries. Many analysts opined that the price offered by Anschutz was far less than the true value of the Rio Grande, and some predicted that a fierce bidding war would erupt for control of the company. But no other offers were forthcoming. Santa Fe Southern Pacific showed no interest in acquisition of the DRGW, explaining that such a purchase would delay or at least complicate its own merger plans. The big question posed by Wall Street was why railroad management was anxious to encourage the sale for such a bargain price. The most common answer was that officials may have lacked faith in the ability of a comparatively small, regional carrier to compete with the transcontinental giants. Other analysts observed that Rio Grande Industries had been on the auction block for one year and that there were no takers until Phil Anschutz came on the scene. Actually, negotiations for the Anschutz purchase began last April, but the agreement was not reached until the very end of September. While the vast Anschutz fortune came from the oil and gas business, Philip Anschutz also has extensive holdings in real estate, mining, ranching, pharmaceuticals, and a cement company. Purchase of the Rio Grande was said to be a logical extension of his western interests.

No Immediate Change in Management is contemplated now. For the time being, there will be no big changes in the operation of the railroad. William J. Holtman, who is widely respected as a shrewd, intelligent and tough railroad executive, will continue as president. However, Anschutz efficiency experts have been carefully surveying over-all railroad activities. At present, no one knows whether Anschutz actually intends to keep the railroad or merely hold it for speculative purposes, but his considerable financial resources could certainly give the DRGW more clout. (CTC Board, December 1984, page 3)

December 1984
Publication of Green Light, the D&RGW employee magazine, was terminated with the August-December 1984 issue, due to the retirement of its editor, Jeanne Gustafon. (CTC Board, March 1985, page 39)

December 1984
The following comes from the December 1984 issue of CTC Board magazine:

Income Increases Sharply ... In the face of the Anschutz purchase, Rio Grande Industries reported greatly increased earnings of $9.75 million for the third quarter of 1984 as opposed to $7.71 million for the same quarter last year. Net income and continuing operating income for the first nine months of 1984 were also dramatically higher. Looks as though Anschutz made a good deal for himself. The Rio Grande has come a long way after two bankruptcies and a tumultuous history. After many years of serious financial struggles, the DRGW worked its way into a solid position by the 1960's under the talented leadership of G. B. Aydelott and W. J. Holtman. It is sad to see that era come to a close. (CTC Board, December 1984, page 3)

February 1985
The use of cabooses ended on the Utah Division, from Grand Junction to Salt Lake City, on February 5 and 6, 1985. (CTC Board, April 1985, page 3; Pacific Rail News, Issue 258, May 1985, page 25)

May 2, 1985
Rio Grande Industries offered $180 million on bonds through Morgan Stanley & Company, with $100 million due in 1995, and $80 million due in 2005. According to the New York Times, the "proceeds from the sale of notes and debentures are to be used to repay the bank debt used by the Anschutz Corporation to acquire the railroad holding company in 1984. Anschutz, a privately held energy and real estate company, acquired Rio Grande for $496.5 million." (New York Times, May 3, 1985)

October 1985
The use of cabooses on the Colorado Division ended on October 1, 1985, along both the Moffat Tunnel route and the Royal Gorge route, but not on the Joint Line. Cabooseless operations on coal trains on the Colorado Division, between Craig and Denver, were tested during late July and early August 1985. (CTC Board, August 1985, page 15; CTC Board, September 1985, page 3; CTC Board, October 1985, page 3)

October 22, 1985
Union Pacific and D&RGW exchange trackage rights on their separate lines between Ogden and Salt Lake City (D&RGW operating on UP), and between Salt Lake City and Provo (UP operating on D&RGW). (CTC Board, December 1985, page 43, reported by Ryan Ballard)

Salt Lake Trackage Rights Agreement . . . The Union Pacific and the Denver and Rio Grande Western entered into a historic trackage rights agreement on October 22, 1985. As of that day, freight traffic of both the UP and DRGW was concentrated onto certain mainlines within the Salt Lake Basin of Utah. To the north of Salt Lake City, the Rio Grande has moved all of their trains over to the UP's mainline to Ogden, and the connection with the SP's Overland Route. Meanwhile, south of Salt Lake City to Provo, the UP's heavy mainline trains now take the nearly level DRGW mainline.

Besides the usual decrease in the overall cost of maintenance for both companies, there are other factors that helped bring about this agreement. The D&RGW's line between Salt Lake City and Ogden is at a lower elevation, and much closer to the waters of the Great Salt Lake, which has risen tremendously over the past four years. In places, the DRGW has been forced to raise their trackage five to six feet to keep it above the waters of the lake. It is expected that the Rio Grande will keep their tracks in place for the eight miles between downtown Salt Lake City to Woods Cross, and may just abandon the remaining 28 miles into Ogden. Union Pacific trains between Salt Lake City, and the DRGW connection with UP's Provo Subdivision at Geneva, will now avoid the grades on the UP's line at Point of Mountain, just north of American Fork, as well as many areas of slow running through residential areas between Salt Lake City and Provo. Most of the UP's trains are heavy unit trains moving to or from the United States Steel plant at Geneva, or off of the Utah Railway's connection at Provo. But due to the number of industries along the UP's 40 miles of railroad, this portion of the Provo Subdivision will still see daily use by local trains.

As of mid-November, the UP trains on the Rio Grande, and Rio Grande trains on the UP were using pilot crews. It is expected that by the end of December, all crews will have taken the rules tests for the other railroad, allowing both railroads to run trains without pilot crews.

At the same time, UP and D&RGW removed the angled crossing at Lakota Junction, near Orem, and replaced it with a switch that allowed UP trains direct access to the D&RGW mainline to Salt Lake City. (James Belmont, message posted to Trainorders.com on March 19, 2005)

The crossing at Lakota had a movable point frog. The crossing was originally installed by D&RG in 1881, to cross the original Utah Southern railroad. In later years the crossing was controlled by automatic block signals, with no need for a manned tower to control the crossing. In 1985, the crossing was replaced a a pair of facing-point turnout switches. (James Belmont, message posted to Trainorders.com on April 5, 2003)

The following was told to Mike Mclaughlin:

Reminds me of an incident in Utah many, many years ago as told to me by a Rio Grande old-timer. The UP's Provo line crossed the DRG double-track main just south of Geneva Steel at an automatic interlocking called Lakota. This was a very shallow-angle diamond (8 deg 13 min, about a #7 frog) and as a consequence, there was a dead (no track circuit) section around 100 ft long on the Grande. Some type of instructions stated that all movements over the crossing had to be completed to ensure proper signal operation. Well, one day the Sperry car was doing its thing and went across the crossing, clearing the approach, then stopped and backed up into the dead section to check a suspected flaw. As far as the system was concerned, the movement was completed, so it cleared for a UP train coming south. Fortunately, the whole crossing area is open and the UP speed limit low, so the "big yellow dog" (as we called the Sperry car) was undamaged but all hell broke loose over the occurrence. Some modified circuitry I do believe, not to mention a rather forceful discussion with the conductor involved regarding the meaning of the word "completed." (Mike Mclaughlin, email to Don Strack, dated December 22, 2011)

January 1986
Rio Grande Fighting For Survival . . . At present the Rio Grande receives most of its eastward freight from the SP at Ogden, Utah. Already suffering from the effects of the UP-MP-WP merger, the Rio Grande realistically fears that, if the SPSF merger is approved without conditions, the SP will no longer route vital traffic to it at Ogden. For that reason, the DRGW has urgently petitioned the ICC for the right to purchase outright the SP Overland Route. Chairman W. J. Holtman recently said that the Rio Grande will be "in the meat grinder" without the SP line, for which it has offered to pay approximately $43 million. Obviously, the Rio Grande is truly waging a fierce battle for its very life. The DRGW has vigorously sought -- and won -- the support and encouragement of important large shippers such as PPG Industries, U.S. Steel, Cargill, Inc., Ford Motor Company, and Miller Brewing Company. Now that the Justice Department has gone on record as opposing the SPSF merger (the first time in fifteen years that it has opposed a railroad merger), it seems more and more obvious that the ICC will necessarily have to take appropriate action to protect smaller railroads such as the Rio Grande. (CTC Board, January 1986, page 44)

February 1986
D&RGW began the operation of the "Railblazer" trains on February 2, 1986. These trains were premium service, intermodal trains, operated with just a single crew change at Grand Junction, Colorado. Dedicated motive power consisted of two GP40-2s, operating back-to-back. The trains operated with two-person crews, and without a caboose. (Pacific Rail News, Issue 270, May 1986, page 21) The last Railblazer trains operated on June 26-27, 1990, following operational changes due to SP merger. (Pacific Rail News, Issue 322, September 1990, page 19)

May 1986
The car shop at Helper was demolished. The wood and corrugated steel structure dated back to some of the original building in Helper yard. (date from James Belmont)

May 5, 1986
Grant tower in Salt Lake City was closed. The facility controlled the crossing of D&RGW's double track mainline between Roper (Salt Lake City) and Ogden, and UP's ex LA&SL mainline, and WP's line to Oakland. There were at times up to 80 movements per day through the tower trackage. Control was taken over by two screens on the D&RGW dispatcher's station in Denver. (CTC Board, May 1986, page 12)

(More information about the "Grant Tower Interlocking")

Changing Of The Guard . . . The Rio Grande has taken another step in maintaining its position of modernization. Grant Tower, milepost 745.5 on the Utah Division, Seventh Subdivision, was to be closed Monday, May 5th.

The tower, located adjacent to the Union Pacific's depot in Salt Lake City, controls a massive and complex layout of trackage. The Rio Grande's double tracked mainline northbound from Salt Lake City to Ogden is crossed by the Union Pacific's two mainlines, one being the original Los Angeles and Salt Lake, and the other the old Western Pacific. All movements were controlled by a manual interlocking system with the levers operated by a tower man which was on duty twenty-four hours daily.

Effective with the closure of the tower, control of the interlocking is transferred to Denver under the auspices of Dispatcher Five. The facility is both large and complex enough to require two displays on the CRT to contain it. Up to eighty movements per day utilize the junction and special programs have been added to the D&RGW's computer controlled dispatching system just for the purpose of handling the complexity of this section of track.

late October 1986
Amtrak moved its ticket and waiting room facility from UP's depot in Salt Lake City, to D&RGW's depot, eliminating a time consuming backup move. (CTC Board, December 1986, page 17)

October 1986 to January 1987
The former D&RGW depot at Provo was demolished. (CTC Board, December 1986, page 17; reported by Steve Belmont)

late December 1986
Interchange traffic with SP at Ogden had dropped to an average of two trains per day. Interchange traffic with the former WP, merged with UP in late 1982, is non-existent. (CTC Board, January 1987, page 9)

February 1, 1987
Crew change at Helper was eliminated, along with the crew change at Bond, Colorado, allowing D&RGW to operate trains between Denver and Salt Lake City with just a single crew change at Grand Junction. Helper remained as a home terminal for crews on coal trains and for helper engines. (CTC Board, February 1987, page 8)

September 25, 1987
Rio Grande Industries announced its intention to purchase the Southern Pacific Transportation Co., from the Santa Fe Southern Pacific Corporation, the merged parent company of the two AT&SF and SP railroads. With the failed SPSF merger, denied by the ICC on June 30, 1987, the ICC ordered SFSP Corp., to divest itself of one or both of its railroads. (Pacific Rail News, Issue 290, January 1988, page 36)

Late 1987
The D&RGW Ski Train was discontinued in late 1987; replaced by ANSCO Corp., a new subsidiary of the Anschutz Corporation, with the operation of the new ANSCO ski train contracted to D&RGW. (Pacific Rail News, issue 292, March 1988, page 32)

December 28, 1987
Santa Fe Pacific Corp., announced its intention to sell the Southern Pacific Transportation Co., to Rio Grande Industries. RGI announced that it would file the intended sale with the ICC on or about February 22, 1988. (Pacific Rail News, Issue 291, February 1988, pages 7, 12)

Rio Grande Control of SP
Anschutz's Rio Grande Industries Inc. announced plans in 1987 to buy Southern Pacific Transportation Co. for $1.8 billion, agreeing to pay $1 billion and assume $780 million in debt. It is a gamble Anschutz takes with his reputation, but very little of his money. To do the deal, Morgan Stanley & Co. issues $200 million in high-interest junk bonds, receiving a 25 percent stake in the railroad. Anschutz then borrows the rest from banks. The deal creates the nation's fifth-largest railroad. In years to come, the highly leveraged deal gets dicey, forcing Anschutz to cut jobs, shed assets, restructure debt and sell stock, but he is ultimately successful. (Denver Post, August 18, 2002)

February 23, 1988
Rio Grande Industries filed its application with the federal Interstate Commerce Commission to acquire the Southern Pacific Transportation Company from its parent company, Santa Fe Southern Pacific Corporation. The ICC approved RGI's request for an expedited schedule for consideration of the application, which follows a formal purchase agreement that Rio Grande Industries,a unit of Anschutz Corporation, entered into with Santa Fe Southern Pacific Corporation. (New York Times, February 23, 1988)

May 6, 1988
Sale of SP to RGI was approved by the U. S. Justice Department. (Pacific RailNews, Issue 295, June 1988, page 7)

August 9, 1988
Rio Grande Industries received ICC approval for its purchase and control of Southern Pacific Transportation Company. (August 9, 1988 Rio Grande Industries news release; Pacific Rail News, Issue 300, November 1988, page 4; Trains, Volume 48, Number 12, October 1988, page 8; CTC Board, Issue 154, July 1988, page 3, full page of coverage)

The sale of SP to RGI was objected to by Kansas City Southern Industries, who had itself made a bid for SP, in the form of $1.25 billion in cash and securities. The KCSI bid was questioned by the ICC due to its court judgment of $600 million in antitrust and contract violations in a South Dakota coal slurry pipeline case. SP's parent company, Santa Fe Southern Pacific Corp., had agreed to the sale of SP to RGI in December 1987, pending ICC approval. (Wall Street Journal, August 9, 1988)

The ICC approved the sale of Southern Pacific Transportation Co. to Rio Grande Industries, for the amount of $1.02 billion. The new combined D&RGW and SP system will be 15,000 miles in 15 states, and will be the fifth largest railroad in the U.S. (Wall Street Journal, August 10, 1988; Pacific Rail News, Issue 299, October 1988, page 7)

August 25, 1988
The Interstate Commerce Commission approved the acquisition of control of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company by Rio Grande Industries, Inc., SPTC Holding, Inc., and the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company (DRGW). (Rio Grande Industries, et al.–Control–SPTC et al., 4 I.C.C. 2d 834)

October 13, 1988
Rio Grande Industries took control of Southern Pacific Transportation Co. (CTC Board, Issue 159, May 1989, page 18)

(All events on former D&RGW trackage and locations after October 1988 -- covered as part of the coverage for Southern Pacific in Utah.)

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Rio Grande in Utah, 1908 to 1988

(Denver & Rio Grande Railroad) (Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad)

Timeline

Denver & Rio Grande

Denver & Rio Grande Western

(Denver & Rio Grande Railroad)
(Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad)