Utah Light and Traction Company, 1939 Report Of Operations

This page was last updated on December 13, 2006.

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Compiled from "Robert W. Edwards" microfilm at University of Utah library, research completed on October 28-29, 1981.

Trackage

September 14, 1914
UL&T showed September 18, 1914 as the date that the property and interests of Utah Light & Railway Co. were taken over by Utah Light & Traction Co. At that time the property consisted of:

145.28 miles of single track
four substations
192 pieces of rolling stock
miscellaneous yards, shops, and barns to provide inside storage of all equipment
a gravel pit for ballast and paving purposes
a material yard with steam road connections for storage of heavy and bulky materials.

Equipment

Of the 192 pieces of rolling stock were listed as follows:

Class	Qty.	Type	Weight (lbs.)	Seating Capacity (persons)
1, 80, 100, 150 classes	42	open, two platform, single truck	9,000 to 15,500	28 to 45
200 class	7	open, two platform, double truck	2,200	60
300 class	27	closed, double truck	32,830	36
350 class	8	closed, double truck	38,000	40
400 class	10	closed, double truck	40,000	40
410 class	50	closed, double truck	48,000	44
460 class	12	closed, double truck	49,000	44
600 class	12	closed, double truck	56,000	52
650 class	6	closed, double truck	55,000	56
700 class	18	closed, double truck, steel-bodied	50,000	56

The 650 and 700 classes were the most modern streetcar equipment, built and placed into service in 1914.

Other Items From The Report

In 1923, 1923, ans 1924, the two-man cars were converted to one-man operation and renumbered as follows:

300 Class became the 800 Class
350 Class becmae the 830 Class
400 Class became the 840 Class
410 Class became the 850 Class
460 Class (along with four cars in the 600 Class) became the 900 Class

The first motor bus operation was into Mill Creek territory in 1923, initially using a White motor bus, which was replaced by a Mack AB motor bus.

The next motor bus operations was in 1926 when the Bountiful/Centerville line was removed and replaced by Mack AB motor buses.

Track abandonements began in 1926. Peak single track mileage was in 1918-1919 with 146.12 miles of track.

In 1927 more Mack AB motor buses were purchased to replace streetcar service to Murray, Midvale, and Sandy.

In 1927, five trailers with 56 seats were added for operations on the Fifteenth East/Sugar House loop. In 1932 when the Fifteenth East Line was taken up, the trailers were rebuilt into motor streetcars and numbered as the 525 Class.

In 1927, ten lightweight, single end cars with 46 person seating capacity, were purchased. They were numbered as the 510 Class and were operated until September 1937.

In 1928, eleven trolley buses (electric coaches) were placed into service. they ran on the Fourth East Line to main Street, then north along Main Street to the state capitol.

In 1929, fifteen more trolley buses were purchased and placed into service on the Fourth East Line, and the Ninth East Line, by way of main Street, First South, State Street, and East Third South.

In 1933 the first rear engined gasoline motor buses were put into service. They has seating capacity of 21 persons. Twenty buses were put into service between November 1933 and March 1934.

At the time of the September 1939 report, Utah Light & Traction had the following equipment:

97 buses with seating capacity of 21 and 23 persons, along 81.6 miles of routes.
26 electric coaches with seating capacity of 41 and 43 persons, along 8.2 miles of routes.
22 electric streetcars with seating capacity of 56 persons, along 8.8 miles of routes.
Streetcars were being used on the Seventh East/University Line.

Of the original $10 million of original capitol stock, only $1 million was exchanged for stock of the predecessor companies in 1914. the only additional stock sold was 6,035 shares of Utah Power & Light at $150,875. UP&L in September 1939 held 46,028 shares of 46,035 shares outstanding, excluding directors' shares.

In 1934 the Utah State Road Commission agreed to remove traction company tracks at the following locations, and to load all salvaged materials onto traction company work cars:

Second West from First North to Beck Street, on Beck Street to Everett Avenue, and on Everett Avenue to Hot Springs Street, to the end of the sand tracks on Beck Street at Fifteenth North.
Fifth North from Second West to a point 100 feet west of the west line of Third West.
Traction company's west track on Third West between South Temple Street and the east track's connection with Bamberger's west track. The traction company was to use Bamberger's west track for access to its material yard. The road commission was to install a track switch in place of two road crossings at Fifth North.
Traction company's crossing of the Bamberger spur near Ruby Street, and to restore the rails in the Bamberger spur for continued operation.
To change traction company tracks and Bamberger tracks to allow traction company cars to access to the traction company's material yard, by way of Bamberger tracks along Third West from Learned Avenue to Fifth West, including changing the traction company's crossing of Bamberger at Third West at Learned Avenue, to a track switch (better known as a turnout).
During the above changes, the traction company was to be able to continuously operate its trolley bus route (Warm Springs, Route 21) along Second West from First North to Warm Springs.

In May 1935 the Utah State Road Commission agreed to remove the tracks on Twenty-First South, from eleventh East to Fifteenth east, and tracks along Fifteenth east from twenty-First South to Seventeenth South, along with all trolley wires, span wires, and wooden poles.

The road commission also agreed to replace the special track trackwork on Eleventh East at Twenty-First South with straight track. All of the material was to be loaded onto traction company work cars at Twenty-First South for the traction company's own and later re-use.

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