Geneva Steel

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This page was last updated on June 1, 2017.

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Notes

Maintenance on the locomotives was done by U. S. Steel employees until contracted to Wilson Railway Corporation in 1987; maintenance contract changed from Wilson to Relco in mid 1989 (Wilson moved to a new facility in Spanish Fork, which closed in early 1991).

Timeline

Steam Locomotives

Production at the Geneva steel plant started in December 1943, and the first diesel locomotive was delivered in January 1944.

According to the book "Locomotives of the Rio Grande, Colorado Railroad Museum," pages 43-44, published in 1980, the following D&RGW locomotives were sold to Columbia Steel Company, and delivered to Geneva, Utah.

All were apparently used during the construction of the Geneva steel plant. First to arrive in 1942 were the three ex D&SL 2-8-0s. Larger and more powerful locomotives would have been needed to make in-plant moves of rail cars loaded with construction material set out by UP and D&RGW.

The five former D&RGW 0-6-0s arrived throughout 1943. Early aerial photos show at least one of the former D&RGW 0-6-0s in service switching a cut of small steel billet cars.

Road
Number		 Wheel
Arrangement		 Builder Builder
Number		 Builder
Date		 Date To
Columbia Steel		 Notes
D&SL 118 2-8-0 Schenectady 48242 Aug 1910 Sep 1942  
D&SL 117 2-8-0 Schenectady 48244 Aug 1910 Oct 1942  
D&SL 116 2-8-0 Schenectady 48243 Aug 1910 Nov 1942  
D&RGW 56 0-6-0 Baldwin 30696 1907 Mar 1943  
D&RGW 57 0-6-0 Baldwin 30697 1907 Jul 1943  
D&RGW 55 0-6-0 Baldwin 30695 1907 Sep 1943  
D&RGW 50 0-6-0 Baldwin 29410 1906 Nov 1943  
D&RGW 53 0-6-0 Baldwin 29438 1906 Nov 1943  

The following locomotives were sold to U. S. Steel at Geneva as scrap.

Road
Number		 Wheel
Arrangement		 Builder Builder
Number		 Builder
Date		 Date To
Columbia Steel		 Notes
D&RGW 1143 2-8-0 Schenectady 39330 1906 9 Jan 1956 Scrap
D&RGW 1180 2-8-0 Schenectady 40125 1906 9 Jan 1956 Scrap

Diesel Locomotives

(This roster is based in part on previous rosters published in Locomotives Notes, Number 112, April 1988, page 1, and Number 129, September 1989, page 10.)

Numbers 17-44 (28 units) were owned by U.S. Steel, then by Geneva Steel.

Numbers 613, 640 (2 units) were owned by National Railway Equipment (NRE), and were leased to Geneva Steel.

Numbers 1102-1160 (4 units) were briefly owned by U.S. Steel, then by Geneva Steel; maintained by Wilson Railway Supply, then by Relco after Relco bought the interests of the bankrupt Wilson Railway Supply.

Numbers 1290-1293 (4 units) were owned by Relco, leased to Geneva Steel; lease expired and units returned to Relco.

When the open hearth furnaces were still in use and before the blast furnace slag began to be hauled by the rubber tired ladle carriers, Geneva needed a lot of engines. In recent years they got by with only six to eight units operating. There was always one engine sitting near the continuous caster, and it would often go for days at a time without turning a wheel. (email from Steve Seguine, May 2002)

Miscellaneous Series

Road
Number		 Builder
Model		 Previous
Number		 Builder
Number		 Builder
Date		 Date To
Geneva		 Date In
Service		 Date
Retired		 Notes
7 GE 25 Ton End Cab   13153 Jul 1941 (new)     1
395 GE 50 Ton End Cab Armco 2475 34100 Dec 1960       2

Miscellaneous Series General Notes:

  1. Small industrial locomotives assigned to Columbia Steel's plants.
  2. Geneva 395 was built as Armco Steel #452, Ashland, Kentucky; moved to Armco Steel #2475, National Supply Division, Torrance, California (facility closed on February 28, 1985); sold to Pacific Rail Contractors, Mira Loma, California; sold to Basic Manufacturing & Technologies of Utah #395, Geneva, Utah; to Geneva Steel #395

 

Miscellaneous Series Notes:

  1. USS 7 built as Columbia Geneva Steel 7, then to USS-Columbia Steel Division 7; sold in (date?) to Goodpasture, Inc., at Brownsville, Texas, then to Goodpasture, Inc., at Dimmitt, Texas, then to Goodpasture, Inc., at Cactus, Texas. (from Norm Metcalf, via email on September 24, 2007; weight on builder plate shown as 46,000 pounds, 23 tons)
  2. The second small GE was a 45 ton end cab (reported as a 50 ton unit); part of the dead line of locomotives still on the property in 2007; sold to Larrys Truck Electric (LTEX) (Read more about the units sold to LTEX)

17-44 Series

Road
Number		 Builder
Model		 Previous
Number		 Builder
Number		 Builder
Date		 Date To
Geneva		 Date In
Service		 Date
Retired		 Notes
17 GE 80 Ton   18075 Jan 1944 (new)     1
18 GE 80 Ton   18077 Jan 1944 (new)     2
19 GE 80 Ton   18076 Jan 1944 (new)     3
20 GE 80 Ton   18080 Feb 1944 (new)     4
21 BLW DS-4-4-10   72851 Jul 1947 (new) 23 Jul 1947   5
22 BLW DS-4-4-10   72852 Jul 1947 (new) 22 Jul 1947   6
23 BLW DS-4-4-10   72853 Dec 1947 (new) 4 Dec 1947   7
24 BLW DS-4-4-10   72854 Dec 1947 (new) 3 Dec 1947   8
25 BLW DS-4-4-10   72855 Dec 1947 (new) 14 Dec 1947   9
26 BLW DS-4-4-10   72856 Dec 1947 (new) 9 Dec 1947   10
27 BLW DS-4-4-10   73606 Jun 1948 (new) 15 Jun 1948   11
28 BLW DS-4-4-10   73607 Jun 1948 (new) 13 Jun 1948   12
29 BLW DS-4-4-10   73608 Jun 1948 (new) 18 Jun 1948   13
30 BLW DS-4-4-10   73609 Jun 1948 (new) 22 Jun 1948   14
31 BLW DS-4-4-10   73610 Jun 1948 (new) 27 Jun 1948   15
32 BLW DS-4-4-10   73611 Jul 1948 (new) 5 Jul 1948   16
33 BLH S-12   76138 Aug 1956 (new) 6 Aug 1956   17
34 BLH S-12   76139 Aug 1956 (new) 6 Aug 1956   18
35 BLH S-12   76140 Aug 1956 (new) 6 Aug 1956   19
36 (1st) BLW VO-1000 CCRy 262.1 69773 Nov 1943 1958   1973 20
37 (1st) BLW VO-1000 CCRy 262.2 69774 Nov 1943 1958   1973 21
36 (2nd) BLH S-12 Rayonier 201 76136 Jul 1956 Dec 1973     22
37 (2nd) BLH S-12 Rayonier 202 76137 Jul 1956 Dec 1973     23
38 BLW DS-4-4-10 B&LE 282 73958 Mar 1949 Jan 1962     24
39 BLW DRS-6-61500 MCRR 35 74261 May 1949 Sep 1969     25
40 BLH S-12 SP 2132 75781 Nov 1950 Jul 1973     26
41 BLH S-12 SP 2133 75782 Dec 1950 Jul 1973     27
42 EMD SW8 SP 1128 19496 Jan 1954       28
43 EMD SW9 CCRy 1201 17870 Mar 1953 1983?     29
44 EMD SW9 CCRy 1202 17873 Mar 1953 1983?     30

17-44 Series General Notes:

  1. In-service dates for Geneva 21-35 from Baldwin records dated June 1960.
  2. Numbers 21, 23, 24, 26 rebuilt with EMD engines by Morrison Knudsen, Boise, Idaho, to what MK called model TE49-4E.
  3. Photo USS 24 in Extra 2200 South, issue 71, January-February-March 1980, page 34
  4. Geneva Steel bought ex SP 2652. (Locomotive Notes II, Number 112, July 1988, page 7; reported by Don Bain)
  5. Sources:
  Extra 2200 South, March-April 1972, page 18 (Geneva roster)
  Extra 2200 South, May-June 1973, page 17 (B&LE roster)
  Extra 2200 South, July-August 1973, page 29 (SP units)
  Extra 2200 South, September-October 1973, page 28 (Rayonier roster)
  Extra 2200 South, October-November-December 1976, page 16, 17 (SP roster)
  Extra 2200 South, January-February-March 1980, page 34 (Baldwin summary)
  Locomotive Notes II, Number 112, July 1988, page 1 (based on separate roster completed by Ken Ardinger, October 1983)
  Locomotive Notes II, Number 129, page 10
  Locomotive Notes II, Number 142, page 16
  Geneva Steel roster by Ryan Ballard

17-44 Series Notes:

  1. (Geneva 17) Out of service by September 1989
  2. (Geneva 18) Sold to Chrome Crankshaft, Los Angeles, in December 1976; still on Geneva property by September 1983; possibly sold to Colorado Fuel & Iron number 2 (CFIX 2, 2nd) at Maxwell, Colorado; then to Liberty Railway Services, Pueblo, Colorado
  3. (Geneva 19) Sold to (??); repainted to UP yellow and gray; stored in UP's Ogden, Utah roundhouse until sold by a dealer in Ogden, Utah, in 1972; to Pacific Terminals number 1, Long Beach, California
  4. (Geneva 20) Out of service by September 1989 (GE records show sold to Purdy in Chicago in 1962)
  5. (Geneva 21) Rebuilt with EMD engine in April 1977; painted red and white; repainted two-tone blue by May 2002; not sold to LTEX due to its wheels being too thin to be moved safely; scrapped on site.
  6. (Geneva 22)
  7. (Geneva 23) Rebuilt with EMD engine in December 1979, painted yellow; still active as of February 2007, being used as switcher by salvage contractor; sold to Larrys Truck Electric (LTEX) (Read more about the units sold to LTEX)
  8. (Geneva 24) Rebuilt with EMD engine in December 1979, painted yellow; repainted solid blue by May 2002; repainted red with yellow band; still on property as of February 2007; sold to Larrys Truck Electric (LTEX) (Read more about the units sold to LTEX)
  9. (Geneva 25)
  10. (Geneva 26) Rebuilt by Morrison Knudsen in Boise, Idaho, with EMD engine in March 1977 (shipped to Boise in late September 1976), painted red and white; damaged and later scrapped.
  11. (Geneva 27)
  12. (Geneva 28)
  13. (Geneva 29) Painted red-white-blue for Bicentennial (Photo in Extra 2200 South, issue 54, October-November-December 1975, page 3)
  14. (Geneva 30)
  15. (Geneva 31)
  16. (Geneva 32)
  17. (Geneva 33) Sold to Wilson upon the end of their contract with Geneva Steel in mid 1989; painted red with yellow band; used as a switcher at Wilson's Spanish Fork facility until it was closed in early 1991; scrapped at Durbano Metals in Ogden, Utah.
  18. (Geneva 34)
  19. (Geneva 35) Sold to Wilson upon the end of their contract with Geneva Steel in mid 1989; damaged engine; scrapped by Wilson.
  20. (Geneva 36, 1st) Ex Carbon County Railway 262.1; rebuilt to slug (assigned number 81)
  21. (Geneva 37, 1st) Ex Carbon County Railway 262.2; rebuilt to slug 80
  22. (Geneva 36, 2nd) Ex Rayonier 201
  23. (Geneva 37, 2nd) Ex Rayonier 202
  24. (Geneva 38) Ex Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad 282
  25. (Geneva 39) Ex McCloud River Railroad 35; built as SP 5207; sold to USS Geneva on September 2, 1969, delivered in January 1970; seen at USS-Geneva in March 1971, still in McCloud paint, with chopped low nose; scrapped
  26. (Geneva 40) Ex SP 2132; built as SP 1499; purchased from Chrome Crankshaft in February 1973, delivered in July 1973.
  27. (Geneva 41) Ex SP 2133; built as SP 1500; purchased from Chrome Crankshaft in February 1973, delivered in July 1973.
  28. (Geneva 42) Ex SP 1128; built as SP 4623; purchased from Chrome Crankshaft; not sold to LTEX due to its control stand and a portion of its cab being removed when it was converted to remote control; scrapped on site.
  29. (Geneva 43) Ex Carbon County Railway 1201; built as Duluth Missabe & Iron Range 11; repainted to Geneva Steel 43; sold to Larrys Truck Electric (LTEX); seen in May 2008 sitting just outside the Geneva Steel property gate; moved to UP at Provo, Utah in June 2008. (Read more about the units sold to LTEX)
  30. (Geneva 44) Ex Carbon County Railway 1202; built as Duluth Missabe & Iron Range 14; repainted to Geneva Steel 44; out of service with stacks capped by May 2002; out of service until sold to Larrys Truck Electric (LTEX) in June 2007; still at LTEX as of October 2016. (Read more about the units sold to LTEX)

80-81 Series

Road
Number		 Builder
Model		 Previous
Number		 Rebuild
Date		 Notes
80 (slug) 37 (1st) 1975 1
(81) (slug) 36 (1st) (?) 2

80-81 Series General Notes:

  1. Source: Extra 2200 South, Issue ??, October-November-December 1980, page 26, 27 (slug roster)

Notes:

  1. USS Geneva no. 80 was rebuilt by Geneva shop from ex Carbon County VO-1000 262.2
  2. USS Geneva no. 81 was rebuilt by Geneva shop from ex Carbon County VO-1000 262.1; unpainted, unlettered by September 1983.

SW1200 Units Purchased in 1986

In late 1986, U. S. Steel bought a total of 11 former Missouri Pacific SW1200 locomotives from Wilson Railway Supply, for assignment to its Fairless, Lorain, and Geneva works.

These 11 units were part of a group of 139 former Missouri Pacific SW1200 yard switching locomotives retired by Union Pacific in 1985, following the merger of UP and MP in 1983. All 139 units were purchased by Precision National, a used locomotive dealer located in Mount Vernon, Illinois. Most had been out of service on MP prior to the UP-MP merger, but the final sale by UP to Precision did not take place until two years after UP's formal control of MP in January 1983. An unknown number were resold by Precision in August 1986 to Wilson Railway Supply (dealer).

Four units (ex MP 1102, 1114, 1125, and 1160) of the original total of 11 units sold to U. S. Steel, were delivered to Geneva.

Of the remaining seven units (ex MP 1101, 1103, 1106, 1109, 1110, 1111, and 1189) sold U. S. Steel by Wilson, some were painted and lettered for Geneva Works but none of these seven were delivered to Geneva. Each was delivered to other U. S. Steel locations, or sold by Wilson to other steel companies, as shown below.

Road
Number		 Builder
Model		 Previous
Number		 Builder
Number		 Builder
Date		 Date To
Geneva		 Notes
613 EMD SW1200 MILW 613 20054 Dec 1954 21 Sep 1998 1, 2
640 EMD SW1200 MILW 640 20070 Nov 1954 21 Sep 1998 1, 3
(1101) EMD SW1200 MP 1101 27869 Jan 1963    
1102 EMD SW1200 MP 1102 27870 Jan 1963 Jan 1987 4
(1103) EMD SW1200 MP 1103 27871 Jan 1963    
(1106) EMD SW1200 MP 1106 27874 Jan 1963    
(1109) EMD SW1200 MP 1109 27877 Feb 1963    
(1110) EMD SW1200 MP 1110 27878 Feb 1963    
(1111) EMD SW1200 MP 1111 27879 Feb 1963    
1114 EMD SW1200 MP 1114 27882 Feb 1963 Nov 1986 5
1125 EMD SW1200 MP 1125 27893 Feb 1963 Nov 1986 6
1160 EMD SW1200 MP 1160 29798 Mar 1965 Nov 1986 7
(1189) EMD SW1200 MP 1189 28765 Mar 1964    
1290 GMD SW1200RS CNR 1304 A1373 May 1958 (bef Sep 1989) 8
1291 GMD SW1200RS CNR 1312 A1549 Aug 1958 (bef Sep 1989) 8
1292 GMD SW1200RS CNR 1319 A1556 Sep 1958 (bef Sep 1989) 8
1293 GMD SW1200RS CNR 1313 A1550 Aug 1958 (bef Sep 1989) 8

Notes:

  1. Geneva Steel 613 (frame no. 4286-16) and 640 were built in 1954 as MILW 2061 and 2035, renumbered to MILW 613 and 640; sold to Davenport, Rock Island & Northwestern (DRI) (same numbers); sold to NRE (same numbers); leased to Geneva Steel by National Railway Equipment beginning on September 21, 1998; moved to Utah during November 1998; period of original lease was for 36 months, possibly purchased after being leased. (STB Recordation 21961, courtesy of Randy Keller, email dated July 4, 2007; additional history from Ken Ardinger and Norm Metcalf)
  2. Geneva Steel 613 was still on property as of February 2007; sold to Larrys Truck Electric (LTEX)
  3. Geneva Steel 640 was still on property as of February 2007; sold to Larrys Truck Electric (LTEX)
  4. Geneva Steel 1102 was still on property as of February 2007; sold to Larrys Truck Electric (LTEX)
  5. Geneva Steel 1114 was still on property as of February 2007; sold to Larrys Truck Electric (LTEX)
  6. Geneva Steel 1125 was still on property as of February 2007; sold to Larrys Truck Electric (LTEX)
  7. Geneva Steel 1160 was still on property as of February 2007; sold to Larrys Truck Electric (LTEX)
  8. Geneva Steel 1290-1293 were leased from Relco; ex CNR SW1200RS's 1304, 1312, 1313, and 1319. (Locomotive Notes II, Number 129, page 10; Number 130, page 12, reported by Bryan Griebenow and Chuck Galitz)

Units Sold To LTEX

Geneva Steel 23, 24, 43, 44, 613, 640, 1102, 1114, 1125, 1160, along with 50 ton GE number 395 (total of 11 units) were sold to Larrys Truck Electric (LTEX) in June 2007. Not all locomotives were moved immediately.

Each of 10 units was moved separately and individually from UP at Provo to LTEX at MacDonald, Ohio, because of the train-handling safety requirement that dead-in-train locomotives be handled six cars from the rear of a train.

The 11th locomotive, the small GE 50-ton no. 395, was trucked to Ohio. (Ken Ardinger, email dated July 4, 2007).

  Road
Number		 Builder
Model		 Date Moved
To LTEX		 Notes
  23 BLW DS-4-4-10   1
  24 BLW DS-4-4-10   1
  43 EMD SW9   2
  44 EMD SW9 Jun 2007  
  395 GE 50-ton Jul 2007  
  613 EMD SW1200 16 Jun 2007  
  640 EMD SW1200 Jun 2007 3
  1102 EMD SW1200 Jun 2007  
  1114 EMD SW1200 Jun 2007 4
  1125 EMD SW1200 Aug 2008 5
  1160 EMD SW1200 16 Jun 2007  

Notes:

  1. Geneva Steel 23 and 24 were moved from Geneva on September 27, 2007; moved to UP's Provo yard, still there during early March 2010; scrapped by UTA at its Warm Spring shops in Salt Lake City in summer 2013. Salvaged usable parts from no. 23 were used to help recover the initial cost of buying the two locomotives, and used the other parts were used to get the no. 24 operational, which was accomplished in late summer 2013. About that time the plans fell through to get ownership to the NRHS Promontory Chapter. Through the fall and winter there was a search to find a new home to keep no. 24 from being scrapped. The chapter only had until February 2014 to use the shop space provided by UTA at Warm Springs, but was unable to find a home for the locomotive. As a result, during February 2014 the former USS 24 was "gutted" during February. By April 2014 it was just an empty body on idler wheels. The chapter only had until late April 2014 to remove the locomotive from UTA property. (Derrick Klarr, Facebook, April 6, 2014)
  2. Geneva Steel 43 was held at Geneva to move the final few rail cars; stored just outside gate as of April 2008 (trackage inside gate removed), moved to UP at Provo in mid June 2008.
  3. Geneva Steel 640 was sold to U. S. Rail Corp (USRC) 117; seen at LTEX in Ohio in October 2007, lettered as GM Ry.; changed to U. S. Rail Terminals at Port Allen, Louisiana, as LTEX no. 1, seen en route to Port Allen on December 18, 2015.
  4. Geneva Steel 1114 arrived at LTEX facility in McDonald, Ohio, on July 30, 2007.
  5. Geneva Steel 1125 was moved from Geneva to Tesoro's refinery in Salt Lake City in late June 2007; moved to Larrys Truck Electric facility at McDonald, Ohio, during August 2008, arrived on September 8, 2008.

More Information

Photos of Geneva Locomotives

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