Kennecott Utah Copper

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This page last updated on August 10, 2025.

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What's In A Name? -- KCC or KMC or KUC

The most visible name of a company, if the company operates railroad equipment, is what is displayed on that equipment. Over the years, Kennecott used several names.

The Kennecott Minerals Co. (KMC) name was in place from mid 1979 through mid 1989, and any locomotives delivered in that time period likely had the Kennecott Minerals Company name applied to them. Several were locally painted with KMC letters. The wide-cab MP15ACs (120-122) and the SD40-2s (101-107) were delivered in 1978 lettered as Kennecott Copper Corporation. The standard MP15ACs (701, 704) were delivered in late 1978, also with KCC lettering.

One of the formal name changes came at the end of 1986, when an Agreement for Transfer of Assets was signed on December 31, 1986, transferring certain assets from Kennecott Corporation (a Delaware corporation) to Kennecott Minerals Corporation (a New York corporation). (Surface Transportation Board Recordation 12242A, dated May 30, 1987)

Railroad operations were severely cut back with the mine modernization of 1985-1986. Most of the ore haulage in the mine was replaced by a conveyor belt to the new mill at Copperton, and a slurry pipeline to the Garfield smelter. Railroad operations were only used as backup for when the slurry pipeline was out of service.

When the 900-series locomotives (the green units) were relettered in the mid 1980s, they received KMC letters, "KMC, Utah Copper Division." When 123, 910 and 911 were transferred in 1983-1984, they were repainted as green units, and lettered as just "Kennecott," not as KMC. Only the two red smelter units were delivered in 1981 lettered as Kennecott Minerals Company.

The last train of ore was loaded in the mine in March 2000, with the ore being moved by train to the North Complex (Bonneville crusher and Magna mill), supplementing the Copperton mill. The North Complex was shut down in 2001, and all railroad operations between the mine and the smelter ended in June 2001. In December 2001, Kennecott shut down its railroad operations in the vicinity of the refinery and smelter at Garfield, and the operations have been contracted out since that time.

KCC (1936)

Utah Copper Company was sold to Kennecott Copper Corporation in November 10, 1936. Kennecott had organized a new Utah Copper Company in Delaware, as a subsidiary, on November 6, 1936 for the purpose. The original Utah Copper Company had been organized in New Jersey in 1904.

Utah Copper Company became the Utah Copper Division of Kennecott Copper Corporation on January 1, 1947.

KMC (1980)

Kennecott Minerals Company (KMC) name was first used in mid 1980. In May 1980 Kennecott Copper Corporation changed its name to Kennecott Corporation, and the worldwide mining operations were formally placed under control of KMC.

In February 1982, a SOHIO news release stated that Kennecott Minerals Company became part of the new Sohio Metals Mining Group, with responsibility for Sohio's interests in copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, lead and zinc. The other groups included the Sohio Oil and Gas Group, the Downstream Petroleum Group, the Chemical and Industrial Products Group. Other references from 1985 show the Utah copper mine as Kennecott Minerals Company, Utah Copper Division.

The Kennecott Utah mine shut down in April 1985, and the mills and smelter were shut down in August 1985. The mine reopened in September 1986, and the mills restarted in December 1986. The new smelter at Garfield produced its first copper in July 1987. In late 1986, Kennecott sold its operations in New Mexico and Arizona. (Nevada had been shut down in September 1978.)

In September 1987 Sohio was changed to BP America, with KMC still as a subsidiary.

KUC (1992)

In July 1989, BP sold the Kennecott business to RTZ (later Rio Tinto), and March 1992 the Utah copper mine (and its railroad operations) became Kennecot Utah Copper, a subsidiary of RTZ of England. Although there was still a Kennecott Minerals Company, it did not include any of the metal mines, and specifically did not include the Utah railroad operations.

Kennecott ended its railroad operations in 2001.

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