Kennecott Utah Copper Locomotives Index

Roster of Electric and Diesel-Electric Locomotives

Index For This Page

This page was last updated on September 1, 2024.

The first non-steam locomotives came to Utah Copper's Bingham Canyon mine in 1924 Utah Copper placed two electric locomotives in service at the car dumpers at the mills. Additional cost reductions came after a series of motive power tests in 1927 to determine potential cost reductions if mine locomotives were changed to all-electric, with the results being that all-electric operations would provide significant cost reductions over the existing steam locomotives. In a series of purchases, additional electric locomotives were delivered starting in late 1928, and continued through 1929. More came in 1937, 1942, and 1952, after Kennecott's full control of Utah Copper in 1936. A final group of electric locomotives was delivered in 1955.

Electric locomotives were the sole source of motive power in the Bingham copper mine after 1929, when the last of the initial 42 electric locomotives were delivered in 1927 through 1929, and the last Utah Copper 0-6-2T steam locomotives were transferred to the Nevada mine.

Kennecott had five classes of electric locomotives, known as motors. The earliest pit motors, first delivered in 1927, were 85 tons. The 761-764, delivered in 1942, were 90 tons. The 766-773 series, delivered in 1952 were 125 tons. The 400-407 series, delivered as the 1-7 series in 1948 for service on the Copperton-Magna main line were also 125 tons, but 3000vdc. The pit motors were 750vdc.

Utah Copper number 600 was the only 100-ton locomotive and started its career at the Magna and Arthur dumpers. After 1948, when the dumper yards were converted to 3000vdc, number 600 was moved to Bingham and renumbered to 665. It was renumbered again to 765 in 1965. It was a 100-ton locomotive, compared to the very similar 90-ton 761-764 series used in the mine, which were also delivered in 1942 from GE. Number 765 was retired in June 1982.

Although there was an early unsuccessful test of a diesel locomotive in 1926, diesel locomotives came to the Bingham mine in mid 1973 when Kennecott leased several diesel locomotives from three Class 1 railroads. Union Pacific, Denver & Rio Grande Western, and Santa Fe furnished a total of 14 locomotives. Kennecott used these 14 leased diesel locomotives to evaluate the use of diesels to replace electics, and to develop the needed operating proceedures.

The first 11 Kennecott-owned diesel locomotives were delivered in January 1977, and 10 more in October 1978. The diesels were assigned to ore trains, and the remaining electrics were used on waste trains and miscellaneous service as needed. The final group of seven Kennecott-owned diesel locomotives were delivered in October 1980, bringing the total to 28 locomotives. The last electric locomotive at the Bingham mine was removed from service in late 1980 with the delivery of the final group of diesel locomotives.

The Bingham & Garfield remained as a steam-powered railroad until it was shut down in 1948, at which time many of the steam locomotives were scrapped. Some were retained as late as 1958 as stand-by power for the Kennecott electrified railroad.

In 1948, to replace the steam-powered Bingham and Garfield Line, Kennecott completed an entirely new, all-electric, privately owned rail line between the lowest part of the canyon at Copperton and the mills. In 1979, the locomotives on the mainline railroad were retired and replaced by new SD40-2 diesel locomotives. The mainline between the Bingham Mine and the Magna mills was shut down in late 2001 with the closure of the Magna mill, and all rail operations at Kennecott in Utah ended at the same time.

Diesel locomotives were first used at the Magna and Arthur mills in 1942. The first diesels were used at the Garfield smelter in 1949 and 1950, when it was owned by Asarco. Kennecott bought the smelter in 1959, and in 1981, the three smelter locomotives were replaced by new GP39-2 diesel locomotives.

(Read the miscellaneous notes about Kennecott electric and diesel locomotives)

Road Number Index

(Click on a road number in the summary below to move to more detailed information.)

Model	Qty.	Years In Service	Road Number
80-ton Diesel Elec.	1	1949-1983	1
RS-3	2	1950-1985	2, 3
GP39-2	2	1981-1999	SM-1, SM-2
SD40-2	7	1978-1984	101-107
MP15AC	3	1978-2003	120-122
MP15AC	1	1984-1997	123 (ex-704)
125-ton Elec.	7	1947-1978	401-407
125-ton Elec.	3	1964-1978	408-410
60-ton Oil-Elec. (Box Cab)	1	1926-1927	600
100-ton Elec.	1	1942-1948	600
85-ton Elec.	61	1927-1983	700-760
GP30	12	1973-1978	701-726 (not consecutively numbered, leased)
U25B	2	1973-1978	729, 731 (leased)
MP15AC	2	1978-1986	701, 704
GP39-2	7	1980-2005	705-711 (high cabs)
SW1500	4	1982-1988	714-717
RS-2	5	1978-1982	722, 729, 731, 737, 742 (ex-Nevada locomotives, and ex-902)
DRS-4-15	1	1977-1982	734 (ex-901)
90-ton Elec.	4	1942-1983	761-764
100-ton Elec.	1	1948-1982	765 (ex-600)
125-ton Elec.	8	1952-1983	766-773
80-ton Elec.	2	1966-1974	774, 775 (ex-1000, 1001 dumper locomotives)
70-ton Diesel Elec.	3	1966-1982	775-777 (ex-Nevada locomotives)
125-ton Elec.	1	1971-1983	778 (ex-Chino locomotive)
GP39-2	11	1977-1983	779-789 (high cabs)
GP39-2	10	1978-2005	790-799 (high cabs)
S-2	1	1942-1944	800
VO-1000	2	1943-1949	801, 803
128-ton Diesel Elec.	1	1943-1972	900
DRS-6-4-15	1	1948-1977	901
RS-2	1	1949-1977	902
SD7	1	1952-1988	903
SD24	1	1963-1988	904
GP39-2	1	1976-	905
MP15AC	1	1976-1999	906
RS-2	2	1949-1982	907, 908
RSD-4	1	1978-1982	909
GP39-2	2	1983-2008	910, 911 (high cabs, ex-784, 786)
SW1500	3	1987-1998	912-914 (ex-714, 716, 717)
MP15AC	1	1986-1997	915 (ex-701)

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