D&RGW Pleasant Valley Branch

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This page was last updated on November 17, 2024.

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Overview

The first railroad into Pleasant Valley was the Utah & Pleasant Valley Railway, completed in November 1879, replacing a wagon road completed in 1876. D&RGW bought the Utah & Pleasant Valley line in 1881, and in 1882, completed a new route that entered Pleasant Valley from the east, rather than over the ridge by way of the difficult switchback route completed by the U&PV. This new route, completed in November 1882, became D&RGW's Pleasant Valley Branch, and remains in service today (2024) as Union Pacific's Pleasant Valley Subdivision.

Utah & Pleasant Valley Railway 1875-1881 -- Information about the narrow gauge line built between Springville and the coal mines at Winter Quarters, by way of Spanish Fork Canyon; sold to D&RGW in 1882.

Pleasant Valley Branch milestones.

Coal has always been the majority of traffic on the Pleasant Valley Branch, from the earliest days to today.

(Read more about the Pleasant Valley coal mines; combined coverage of railroad service and coal mines)

1938 Branch Summary

D&RGW described the Pleasant Valley Branch in 1938.

Built standard gauge to Scofield in 1890 - to Clear Creek in 1899.

Pleasant Valley was settled by Mormons who pioneered the construction of the early narrow gauge railroad line known as the "Calico Road", which was built in 1881 out of the Salt Lake Valley via Thistle and Old Tucker into the camp of Scofield. The road was so designated because much of its construction, particularly the grading, was done by the Mormons who took pay for their work in goods of various kinds, including calico for their families' use.

Settling in the beautiful mountain valley, presumably because of its agricultural and grazing possibilities, these hardy pioneers were not long discovering and opening the coal deposits at Scofield and Winter Quarters. Coal was shipped to the Salt Lake Valley by the old narrow gauge road until 1890, when the Rio Grande Western built the standard gauge line from Colton through Scofield to Winter Quarters. This line was extended from Scofield to Clear Creek in 1899. Important coal deposits on lands owned by the Union Pacific Railroad near Scofield were opened by a switchback branch known as the Union Pacific Mine Spur. With these several mines in operation, a steady stream of coal traffic was delivered by the branch to the main line at Colton.

Maximum grade 3.00 percent - Maximum curvature 11 degrees 20 minutes.

The Klean Heat Coal Company, Money Coal Company, and Scofield Coal Company operate at Scofield, Utah and the Utah Fuel Company and Glenn Coal Company at Clear Creek, Utah. The Winter Quarters Mine of the Utah Fuel Company has discontinued operation. The Clear Creek Mine of the Utah Fuel Company is the heaviest producer on the branch.

Failure of the Price River Irrigation Company's reservoir on Gooseberry Creek, west of Scofield, in 1917, severely damaged the lower part of the branch and washed out portions of the main line below Colton in Price River Canon. This dam was never replaced, but the Irrigation people, after several years of negotiations, built the Pleasant Valley Reservoir near Hale under the authority of the Price River Conservation District. This construction necessitated the rebuilding of six miles of the branch between Hale and Scofield in 1925.

The line from Scofield to Winter Quarters was taken up in 1933 as the old mines in that locality had ceased producing.

Business handled on this branch consists of coal in carload quantities, with a little merchandise. The latter is handled by the railroad and Rio Grande Motor Way into Helper and delivery made by truck therefrom. It would not be practicable to substitute truck service on this branch.

It is recommended that present operations on this branch be continued.

Mile Post Summary

The following mile posts are from the D&RGW April 15, 1884 timetable (shown as the "Coal Branch"):

The following mile posts are from the RGW June 10, 1890 timetable (shown as the "Coal Branch") (shown as "Coal Mine" in 1892):

The Mud Creek mine is shown as being three miles south of Scofield. That distance places it very near the loadout of today's Skyline mine. Other references show that the Mud Creek mine was later renamed as the Clear Creek mine, which was, by modern measurng tools, almost 5-1/4 miles south of Scofield

Shown as "Coal Mine Branch" in 1898; "P.V.Junc." to Winter Quarters.

Shown as "Coal Mine Branch" in 1899; first timetable to show Clear Creek was RGW #40, dated October 16, 1899. Previous timetable (#39, dated June 1, 1899) did not show Clear Creek.

Changed from "Coal Mine Branch" to "Pleasant Valley Branch" between late 1899 and very early 1900.

Shown as "Pleasant Valley Branch" in RGW timetable #41, dated February 25, 1900.

The following mile posts are from the D&RG November 22, 1908 timetable (shown as the Pleasant Valley Branch):

January 17, 1919
Distances from junction with Pleasant Valley Branch, at Colton, to certain mines are as follows:

Later timetables show the following stations and mile posts:

Stations on today's current Union Pacific Pleasant Valley Subdivision:

Before 1882

Prior to the completion of the railroad in late 1879, Scofield was an agricultural town. The earliest settlers in the open part of the valley came in 1879 and 1880 for the grazing for their cattle. By 1882, there were 800 residents. Scofield became a formal, organized town in 1893. The town had wider streets, blocks clearly laid out, and more importantly, room to expand. The pleasant surroundings made the town the preferred settlement in the Pleasant Valley area, and many miners lived in the town and traveled to their mines at Winter Quarters and Clear Creek. In 1924 the large, open hay fields were covered by the waters of the Horseley dam. (Zehnder, pages 8-9)

During 1877 there were six to eight ranches in the open portions of grazing lands near Scofield, with large herds of cattle and horses. (Deseret News, September 5, 1877)

The Winter Quarters mine west of Scofield was initially served by the Utah & Pleasant Valley Railway, which was completed between Springville and the Winter Quarters coal mine in Pleasant Valley in late October 1879.

The Utah & Pleasant Valley Railway became part of the Denver & Rio Grande in 1881. The difficult portion over the summit between the top of Spanish Fork Canyon and the coal mine was replaced in late 1882, connecting the new station of Pleasant Valley Junction with the existing station (and town) of Scofield.

(Read more about the Utah & Pleasant Valley Railway, including the opening of the Winter Quarters coal mine)

After 1882

August 1, 1882
Following its original survey from the previous summer of 1881 by Micajah T. Burgess, D&RGW built a new line between the Utah & Pleasant Valley station at Clear Creek (later known as Tucker), and the point where the Price River, flowing from Scofield, is joined by the White River flowing down from Soldier's Summit. The new line crossed Soldier Summit by following the north fork of Soldier Creek up to Soldier Summit, then east down the White River to where it met the Price River at the new station of Pleasant Valley Junction. The new D&RGW line over Soldier Summit was completed on August 1, 1882, and had an easier grade, without the double switchbacks of the old Utah & Pleasant Valley line, allowing larger cars to be used. (Watts: First Mine, p. 36)

October 18, 1882
The new D&RGW line into Pleasant Valley and the coal mines will start at Fish Creek (PV Jct), 15 miles east of Clear Creek (Tucker), on which the ties are nearly all bedded and the rail will be laid in the next two weeks. (Salt Lake Daily Tribune, October 18, 1882)

November 23, 1882
"The new branch railroad from Fish Creek (Pleasant Valley Junction) to Pleasant Valley coal mines, formerly running from Clear Creek, will get into operation today. As soon as this branch is finished, all the laborers will be sent back to Camp Farnham to continue the building of the D.&R.G.R.R., toward the Colorado line." (Salt Lake Tribune, November 23, 1882)

November 23, 1882
The Price River & Pleasant Valley Railway was completed on November 23, 1882 and placed into operation as D&RGW's Pleasant Valley Branch, replacing the old Utah & Pleasant Valley line, with its switchbacks, between Clear Creek and the Pleasant Valley mines. Clear Creek was later renamed as Tucker. (Salt Lake Daily Tribune, October 18, 1882, "rail to be laid in two weeks"; November 15, 1882, "new line to be done in few days"; November 19, 1882, "laying of rail completed"; November 23, 1882, "into operation today"; LeMassena, p. 85)

The Price River & Pleasant Valley's main organizer was William F. Colton, an associate of William Palmer in other railroads in Utah, and for whom today's Colton station is named.

December 1, 1882
The operation officially of the new D&RGW Pleasant Valley Branch began on December 1, 1882. The new line connected with the old Utah & Pleasant Valley line at a point about two and a half miles north of Scofield. Upon completion of the D&RGW line between Pleasant Valley Junction and the Utah/Colorado line on April 8, 1883, Pleasant Valley Junction became one of two division terminals in Utah and was the location of an eleven-stall brick roundhouse. (Madsen, pp. 14, 15) (The other division terminal was at Green River.)

January 28, 1888
D&RGW Engineering records show January 28, 1888 as the completion date for the location surveys of line between Colton and Scofield, for the purpose of filing the survey with the U. S. Land Office.

Pleasant Valley Junction was abandoned as a division terminal with the completion of the new division terminal at Helper in 1891 or 1892. (Madsen, p. 15)

After 1899

1899
RGW completed a five mile branch from Utah Mine, near Scofield, to Clear Creek Mine No. 2. The new line was owned by the newly organized RGW subsidiary, Carbon County Railway. (LeMassena, p. 107)

The incorporation papers for the Carbon County Railway of 1899, Utah corporation number 2749, shows as its route "from main of Rio Grande Western at or near Scofield Station, south to Clear Creek (ex Mud Creek)".

The Clear Creek Mine at the head of Pleasant Valley was opened in 1899. (United States Fuel: Thirty Years, page 6)

June 19, 1899
Mud Creek changed to Clear Creek. "Change Station Names -- Mud Creek Becomes Clear Creek and Latter is Tucker -- Several changes will soon be made in the names of stations on the Rio Grande Western. Clear Creek will bear the name Tucker and Mud Creek will be changed to Clear Creek. The Sunnyside station on the main line will be abolished and Mounds will be the main station in the neighborhood. The name Sunnyside will be given to the terminus of the new line in Whitmore canyon." (Salt Lake Tribune, June 19, 1899)

October 1, 1899
RGW has completed the extension from Scofield to Clear Creek, "which point was reached yesterday." (Salt Lake Tribune, October 1, 1899)

November 20, 1899
Carbon County Railway (first) incorporated by RGW interests to operate a railway from Mounds on the RGW to the Sunnyside coal mines, and from Scofield on the RGW to the Pleasant Valley coal mines. (Utah corporation index 2749)

The Carbon County Railway (of 1899), in addition to its line from Mounds to Sunnyside in the eastern part of the county, also built the present six-mile D&RGW branch south from Scofield to the Clear Creek Mine of the Utah Fuel Company.

1902
RGW completed a one-mile spur to serve the U. P. coal mine, above Scofield. (LeMassena, p. 111)

1907
A spur was constructed from Scofield to reach the Union Pacific mine.

Union Pacific Mine (Utah Central Mine)

In 1882 the Utah Central Coal Company, controlled by the Utah Central Railway, which itself was controlled by the Union Pacific, began development of what was called the Union Pacific mine, near Winter Quarters. (Watts: First Mine, page 38)

To transport the coal from their newly acquired coal mine, on October 10, 1881, Union Pacific interests organized the Utah Central Railway, Pleasant Valley Branch, to build a railroad line from Spanish Fork to the coal lands in Pleasant Valley. By March 1882, the planning for the Utah Central Pleasant Valley Branch had been suspended indefinitely. The new railroad never got beyond the planning stages. The mine itself was a low producer, shipping its coal to commercial and residential buyers in Utah Valley by wagon.

Union Pacific continued to ship coal from its Pleasant Valley mine, using it as fuel for locomotives on its Utah Division, formally known as the Oregon Short Line & Utah Northern. In late 1891 Union Pacific asked Rio Grande Western for a reduced rate, but RGW refused, and UP began shipping locomotive fuel from its Rock Springs mine in Wyoming. Limited production, and shipment by wagon, continued until the Panic of 1897, at which time the mine was closed and sealed.

The mine, located in what today is called "UP Canyon" did not have a rail spur until 1907, when the mine was reopened to supply coal to the Oregon Short Line.

The Union Pacific mine was referred to as the Pleasant Valley mine of the Union Pacific Coal Company in 1910. The mine produced about 278,400 tons in 1909, about half of Sunnyside's 550,600 tons during the same period. The coal mined was not screened, but was shipped as "mine run" for locomotive use on the Harriman system of railroads -- the Union Pacific, the Southern Pacific, the Oregon Short Line, and the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company. Due to transportation costs (RGW freight rates vs. free over UP), the Union Pacific mine was leased to other operators, including the Scofield Coal company from 1917 to 1920, and the Kinney Coal company from 1920 to 1926. During the 1930s the Union Pacific mine was not being operated due to high taxes and was taken by the county for non-payment of taxes. Production continued from the mine, but at a low rate by leasers, shipping by wagon. In May 1942 D&RGW removed what was known as its "U.P. Spur." The mine was operated by the Monay Coal company from 1946 to 1956, then by the Columbine Coal company from 1960 to 1970. After D&RGW removed its UP Spur in 1942, the coal to be shipped by rail was moved first by wagon, then by truck, to the remaining tail spur adjacent to the Pleasant Valley Branch. Photos from the early 1970s show small storage bins used to load rail cars.

1907
The Mud Creek Mine, three miles south of Scofield, was discovered and opened in 1878. The same mine was later owned by the Pleasant Valley Coal Company as the Utah Mine. The Mud Creek mine was developed in 1880 by the Pleasant Valley Coal Company, which also owned the Winter Quarters mine, but the Winter Quarters mine was leased to other operators. In 1885 the Pleasant Valley Coal Company shut down the Mud Creek mine, and began focusing on its mine at Castle Gate as its primary source for coal shipments. At the same time the company took over the operation of the Winter Quarters mine. The Mud Creek mine was renamed the Utah Mine in 1907, and during spring of 1907, Utah Fuel (as successor to Pleasant Valley Coal company) re-opened the mine, and by June 1907 rails and ties were being re-laid to the mine. By 1914, the Utah mine was the lowest producer of coal of all of Utah Fuel's coal mines; one-third to one-fourth of the totals for Utah Fuel's other three mines at Castle Gate, Winter Quarters, and Clear Creek, and one-ninth that of the Sunnyside mine.

Mammoth Dam Break

"Failure of the Price River Irrigation Company's reservoir on Gooseberry Creek, west of Scofield, in 1917, severely damaged the lower part of the branch and washed out portions of the main line below Colton in Price River Canon." (D&RGW Branchline Summary, 1938)

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.

August 20, 1917
The first train out on the repaired Scofield Branch was operated in the early evening on August 20, 1917. (The Sun, August 24, 1917)

(Read more about the Mammoth Dam break in 1917)

Scofield Dam

May 19, 1922
Surveyors were at work on the new railroad line in Pleasant Valley to clear the valley for the new Scofield dam and reservoir. (The Sun, May 19, 1922)

June 13, 1924
Construction of the Scofield dam began in June 1924. (The Sun, June 13, 1924)

In 1925 the Denver & Rio Grande Western's Scofield Branch was relocated to allow construction of Horseley dam and associated reservoir, owned by Price River Conservancy District. The Horseley dam was replaced in 1947 by Scofield Dam, which was under construction by the federal Bureau of Reclamation beginning in 1943. The Horseley dam was an earthen design and had always leaked. The owners never filled the Horseley reservoir to its designed capacity for fear that it would fail. When the Scofield dam was completed in 1946, the Army Corps of Engineers stated that the Horseley dam had never properly compacted itself over the preceding twenty-five years. (Madsen, pp. 13,14)

(LeMassena: Rio Grande, page 145, states that the first reservoir was known as the Scofield Reservoir.)

November 21, 1925
D&RGW Engineering records show November 21, 1925 as the date operation began on the relocated line between Hale (site of the Scofield dam) and Scofield.

Traffic Other Than Coal

In addition to the steady stream of coal traffic coming off the branch, in 1938 a small number of sheep was handled at Scofield. The summer grazing of sheep was an important local industry. In 1938 the operating coal mines included the Clear Creek Mine of Utah Fuel (the heaviest producer), and the Glenn Coal Company, both at Clear Creek, the Klean Heat Coal Company, Money Coal Company, and the Scofield Coal Company, all at Scofield. The Winter Quarters mine of Utah Fuel had discontinued operations in 1933. The ton-miles on the branch, including coal, mail, express, and a small amount of miscellaneous traffic, diminished from a ten-year high in 1928 of 2,426 ton-miles to 1,005 ton-miles in 1932, to 888 ton-miles in 1937. (D&RGW: 1938)

Natural Ice Ponds

The area west of and adjacent to Pleasant Valley Junction (later Colton) was the site of large ponds where natural ice was harvested during the winter, then shipped to Salt Lake City, Ogden, and as far away as Denver for storage and later sale during the spring, summer and fall. The ponds were created in the low area at the confluence of the White River and the Price River.

A new Mountain Ice Company was organized in Salt Lake City in January 1895, with plans for its own artificial ice plant. At about the same time the old Mountain Ice & Cold Storage was reorganized as the new Salt Lake Ice & Cold Storage company, on January 2, 1895.

In addition to its soon to be completed artificial ice plant in Salt Lake City, the new Mountain Ice company received natural ice from ponds located at Pleasant Valley Junction of the Rio Grande Western Railway. The ponds at Pleasant Valley Junction were fed by natural springs that had been certified as pure by the Salt Lake City health inspector. The two companies soon became fierce competitors (Salt Lake Ice's red wagons vs. Mountain Ice's white wagons). In the 1895 period, in addition to the Salt Lake Ice and Mountain Ice companies, there were smaller natural ice companies that included the Wasatch Ice Company, the Bountiful Ice Company, and the Park City Ice Company. All five had wholesale and retail outlets in Salt Lake City, serving commercial, industrial and residential customers.

There was in 1898 several references to unhealthy natural ice being sold, coming from fouled and stagnant water sources. The city and state boards of health became involved and began issuing certificates of purity. The ice companies ran regular public notices that they were reputable businesses and only obtained their natural ice from mountain streams in the Cottonwood canyons, from Parleys canyon, from the streams near Park City, and from spring-fed ponds at Pleasant Valley Junction. All of these locations were adjacent to the tracks of the Rio Grande Western Railway, with no reference to natural ice sources adjacent to railroad line of Union Pacific or its subsidiaries. There were several natural ice companies that maintained their own ice houses in Salt Lake City, including the Park City Ice company and the Salt Lake City Ice company. It should be noted that there were numerous businesses, such as breweries, that maintained their own ice ponds, for the harvesting of natural ice for their own use, and not for sale to the general public.

During late December 1898 Mountain Ice company was loading 50 cars per day of natural ice at Pleasant Valley Junction for shipment by the Rio Grande Western. The business was almost at the limit of RGW to furnish enough cars. The ice was shipped on RGW to both Salt Lake City and Ogden. In September 1898 RGW had signed a contract with Mountain Ice to furnish 33 car loads of ice (1000 tons; 2 million pounds) for the railroad's own use from its Pleasant Valley Junction location. The Pleasant Valley Junction ice was notable because its natural ice ponds were fed directly from adjacent springs that had been inspected and declared pure by Salt Lake City's health inspector.

As the technology of making artificial ice continued to improve, the market for natural ice began to rapidly decline. Pleasant Valley as a source of pure natural ice disappeared from newspaper references after the warm winter of 1899-1900, with numerous references to sources in Park City receiving more attention. During the following season of 1900, both natural ice and artificial ice was shipped into Utah from Colorado and Wyoming to satisfy a severe ice shortage, an "ice famine." The artificial ice plants in Salt Lake City were able to increase their production from 1900 onward, and in 1902, the Utah Ice and Cold Storage company was organized and became the major player in ice manufacturing and cold storage in Utah.

(Read more about Ice and Cold Storage in Utah)

Maps

D&RGW Pleasant Valley Branch -- Google map of the Pleasant Valley Branch

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