Rio Grande Little Cottonwood Branch

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This page was last updated on December 2, 2024.

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Overview

The Little Cottonwood branch was built in 1872-1873 as a 3-feet narrow gauge line by the Wasatch & Jordan Valley Railway. W&JV was controlled by D&RG after 1881.

In 1881, the branch and tramway were acquired by the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railway Company, but operation of the upper part of the branch was soon discontinued.

The lower part, from Midvale to Sandy, was originally a part of Bingham Canon and Camp Floyd Railroad which was acquired by the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railway Company in 1881.

The 1937 D&RGW branchline summary shows that the line above the granite quarries went out of operation in the 1880s, suggesting that the mines at Alta had played out. The rails likely remained in place, explaining the interest in 1902-1907 (below) about the horse tramway along the same route.

The upper part of the branch from Sandy to Wasatch was built by the Wasatch & Jordan Valley Railroad Company in 1873 and extended to Alta in 1876, primarily to reach the rich gold mines at Alta, bringing the ores from those mines to the old smelter at Sandy. Soon after the construction of the branch, granite quarries were opened at Wasatch from which granite for the Mormon Temple and other important buildings was obtained. While the narrow gauge track was built from Wasatch to Alta, it was found impossible to operate the upper part of the line successfully with steam power, horses being substituted as motive power for operating the track as a tramway from Wasatch to Alta.

After many years of inoperative ownership, during which the upper part of the branch was leased to the Little Cottonwood Transportation Company; the track was removed above Sand Pit in 1934.

The rail in this line is 90 pound, laid in 1937. It is on natural dirt and sand.

Maximum grade 4.2 percent.

Maximum curvature 16 degrees.

The only natural resource of any consequence remaining on this branch is a sand and gravel pit located at Sand Pit, Utah. A movement of ore and concentrates from points adjacent to the branch has been discontinued, with no possibility of movement in the future.

The Ideal Sand Company, located at Sand Pit, Utah, ships sand, gravel and engine sand. During the year of 1937, 50 cars of commercial sand and gravel, and 267 cars of engine sand for the Union Pacific Railroad were shipped from Sand Pit. At Sandy, Utah, we have one coal and lumber dealer and one retail gas and oil dealer.

Irregular service - operated as required - average service about one trip per week which is made by the "Ping-Pong" crew. This crew handles all industry work at Sugar House, between Roper and Midvale, and on Little Cottonwood Branch.

In 1913, the Utah State Board of Equalizations showed three separate parts of the Little Cottonwood Branch:

Timeline

Wasatch & Jordan Valley Railroad (1872-1882)

Midvale to Wasatch

Sandy to Wasatch (narrow gauge) operated as Wasatch & Jordan Valley Railway

(Read more about the Wasatch & Jordan Valley Railway)

D&RGW (1882-1913)

Midvale to Wasatch

Wasatch & Jordan Valley became part of a consolidation with its sister railroad, Bingham Canyon & Camp Floyd Railroad, from a shared terminal at Midvale and the mines in Bingham Canyon. According to Clarence Reeder, soon after D&RGW took control of the consolidated railroads in 1881, the mines at Alta began to fail and that portion of W&JV above the granite quarries at Wasatch was removed from service.

Midvale to Sandy (standard gauge) and Sandy to Alta (narrow gauge) operated as D&RGW's Little Cottonwood Branch. The portion from Sandy to Wasatch remained as narrow gauge until about 1891, After 1899 this portion was leased to Jake Smith, who operated a pair of former Salt Lake City standard gauge street cars.

According to a D&RGW branch line summary, completed in 1937 as part of its overall surveying effort for all of its lines in Utah, D&RGW completed a full survey of the entire 16.7 miles of line from Sandy to Alta in November 1882. A filing map was accepted by the U. S. Land Office on September 14, 1883. Further, in September 1925, D&RGW later provided, and the Land Office accepted, a formal proof of construction.

June 2, 1891
"The Rio Grande Western announce the completion of the broad-gauging of their branch line from Sandy to Wasatch, and hereafter no freight destined to points on the branch need be transferred at Sandy." (Salt Lake Daily Herald, June 2, 1891)

June 2, 1891
"Open to Sandy and Wasatch. - In effect June 1st. the Alta branch of the Rio Grande Western, which has now been made broad gauge, will be opened for freight and passenger traffic to Sandy and Wasatch. Train will leave Salt Lake daily at 6:20 a.m., arriving at Sandy at 9:10 a.m., Wasatch 10 a.m.; leave Wasatch daily at 3:50 p.m., leave Sandy 4:40 p.m., arrive Salt Lake 5:30 p.m. At Wasatch tramway connection is made for Alta." (Salt Lake Tribune, June 2, 1891)

June 25, 1891
"Plenty Of Granite. - At the mouth of Little Cottonwood—Wasatch—there are hundreds of carloads of granite blocked out and placed in piles. Much of this was laid aside while the dimension stones for the Temple and for other purposes were being gotten out. A track is laid up to two piles of such stone and it will soon begin to come in for the erection of a power-house in the northeast corner of Temple block, and which will require 100 carloads of granite. Then some ten or fifteen more car-loads of dimension stone will be required to complete the Temple, and now that the broad-gauge track it completed to Wasatch, this will soon come in. The Pacific Paving Company of Utah have secured by purchase a large lot of this granite, and they are making it into paving blocks, in size about four by five inches and ten inches long. They have thirty or forty car-loads now ready, and expect to make in all some 600 car-loads of such stone, to be used in paving within the next few months." (Salt Lake Tribune, June 25, 1891)

August 10, 1891
The following comes from the August 10, 1891 issue of the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper.

Granite For Paving. A Good Beginning Made in the Laying of It. It appears that it is the Pacific Paving Company of Utah that is putting down the granite along the railroad tracks at the intersection of First South and State streets, where the Stradamant Company is doing the paving.

This granite is being put in for the Salt Lake City Railway Company and it is excellent work, and the first granite that has ever been used in Utah for paving. The adoption of this granite for paving comes through the enterprise of Major Silva, who, a short time ago, put a force of men at work at the mouth of Little Cottonwood canon cutting out these paving blocks from granite purchased of the men who had been running the church quarries at Wasatch for several years. The rejected blocks in getting out stone for the temple are what are being cut up to make paving blocks, of which 125 carloads are being shipped in. Of this amount over fifty carloads have already come in and been unloaded. Men have been employed at this work the past three mouths, and over $5000 have been spent for labor alone in this new enterprise. This granite has been shown to Boston and Maine men familiar with granite and they say that it is the best for paving purposes they have ever seen, because of its composition, and that it will be the most durable stone to be found.

October 30, 1904
"To facilitate transportation a horse tramway was built from Alta to Wasatch, near the mouth of the canyon, at an expense, it is stated, of over $150,000. From Wasatch a standard gauge, steam road was built to Sandy, and this was operated by the Rio Grande Western railroad up to within a year or two ago. The horse tram, however, is in need of extensive repairs, and has not been in active use for a number of years." (Salt Lake Mining Review, October 30, 1904)

The Alta Tramway (1875-1895, 1900)

Wasatch to Alta

The Alta tramway was operated by horses and mules throughout its existence. It connected at Tannersville with the narrow gauge railroad, which in-turn, after 1890, connected with Rio Grande Western's standard gauge Little Cottonwood Branch.

(Read more about the Alta Tramway)

Little Cottonwood Transportation Company (1916-1922)

(narrow gauge)

1916-1925, Wasatch to Tanners (narrow gauge) operated as Little Cottonwood Transportation Company

(Read more about the Little Cottonwood Transportation Company)

Salt Lake & Alta Railroad (1913-1917)

(standard gauge)

1913 to 1917, Sandy to Wasatch (standard gauge) operated as Salt Lake & Alta Railroad

(Read more about the Salt Lake & Alta Railroad)

(Read more about the decline of the mining traffic from the Alta mines)

D&RGW (1917-1933)

Midvale to Wasatch

Midvale to Sandy, to Wasatch (standard gauge) operated as D&RGW's Little Cottonwood Branch

Freight operations on the connecting Little Cottonwood Transportation company from Wasatch to Alta ended in late 1921, and did not resume in 1922. Mine owners continued to haul ore to the loading station at Wasatch, using teams and wagons. From the mid 1920s on, when trucks became readily available, and the public roads became improved, the mine owners began hauling their ore direct from the mines to the mills and smelters, bypassing the railroad between Wasatch and Midvale. Also, mining at Alta went into a low cycle starting in 1925, further reducing traffic on the line between Sandy and Wasatch.

Abandonment

End of track, with a 17 car side track, was at MP 1.6, just short of the UP crossing at Sandy.

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". (ICC Reports, Volume 193, page 461, "193 ICC 461"; Finance Docket 10077; applied July 15, 1933; submitted August 25, 1933; decided September 6, 1933)

ICC Finance Docket 10077 - D&RGW RR Abandonment

(decided September 6, 1933)

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. No representations have been made by any State authority, and no objection to the application has been offered.

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.

The facts of record indicate that the part of the branch to be abandoned has served the purpose for which it was constructed ; that continued maintenance and operation would impose a burden on interstate commerce ; and that the proposed abandonment would not result in serious public inconvenience.

We find that the present and future public convenience and necessity permit the abandonment by The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company of that part of the branch line of railroad in Salt Lake County, Utah, described in the application. An appropriate certificate will be issued, effective from and after 30 days from its date. Suitable provision will be made therein for the cancellation of tariffs.

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

February 27, 1934
D&RGW used its own labor forces to remove 6.77 miles of the Little Cottonwood Branch, including main tracks and yard tracks. The salvage value of the rail and track materials was set as $21,041.25. The Wasatch tool house and water station, and the water tank were salvaged. (D&RGW AFE 5196, "Retirement of Little Cottonwood Branch," approved February 27, 1934; closed as "complete" on November 18, 1936)

September 1936
Construction of a concrete subway underpass for State Street was completed. The subway allowed U. S. 89/91 to pass under the combined UP and D&RGW tracks between Midvale and Sandy. The two railroads were to contribute $22,000 to move and combine their two separate tracks into a single combined crossing of State Street. Work had started very soon after the bids were opened in mid October 1935.

March 6, 1943
The federal Interstate Commerce Commission approved D&RGW's request to abandon the portion of the Little Cottonwood Branch between "Sand Pit" and Sandy.

The following comes from ICC Finance Docket 14097, decided and approved on March 6, 1943:

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.

September 22, 1957
End of track was changed from MP 2.0 (Sandy) to MP 1.0 (State Street) with D&RGW employee timetable No. 139, dated September 22, 1957. This removed D&RGW's usage of the shared crossing of State Street, after which D&RGW no longer shared in the maintenance expense of the crossing.

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 road 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)

Highway

Wasatch (Granite) to Alta

(Read more about the highway that was built on the abandoned railroad right-of-way)

Map

Little Cottonwood Canyon Railroads -- A Google map of the railroads in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

More Information

Alta Mines -- Information about the mining activity at Alta.

Wasatch & Jordan Valley Railroad/D&RGW (1873-1895)

Clarence Reeder's research for the Wasatch & Jordan Valley Railway

Salt Lake & Alta Railroad (1913-1917)

Little Cottonwood Transportation Co. (1916-1925) (including Alta Scenic Railway)

Granite For The Temple

When Alta's Cliffs Echoed The Sound Of Train Whistles -- An article by Larry James, from the Home Section of the August 27, 1967 issue of the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper.

Newspaper Research -- An album of newspaper clippings retained from researching the railroads and mines of Little Cottonwood canyon.

Little Cottonwood Images -- An album of images of the railroads and mines of Little Cottonwood canyon.

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