UtahRails.net

UtahRails.net

Union Pacific in Utah, 1996 to today

This page was last updated on August 26, 2023.

(Return To The Union Pacific In Utah Page)

Timeline

August 3, 1995
UP and SP announced their intentions to consolidate their operations and merge. In Utah, both Geneva Steel and Kennecott Utah Copper were concerned that the new rail-monopoly in the state would result in increased rates. Geneva shipped about 70 percent of its finished products by rail, using either UP or SP. UP has agreed to allow a second railroad to have access to serve companies that were once served by both railroads, but following the merger, would be only served by the new merged company. At the time of the proposed merger, SP operated 564 miles of route in Utah, with 300 employees, and UP operated 859 miles of track in Utah, with 1,500 employees. (Ogden Standard Examiner, August 21, 1995, page 4A)

September 11, 1996
Union Pacific received federal Surface Transportation Board approval to control Southern Pacific Rail Corporation (formerly Rio Grande Industries), including its Southern Pacific and Denver & Rio Grande Western subsidiaries.

(From here on, this chronological history includes all references to events and actions on former Southern Pacific tracks and locations in Utah, and former Denver & Rio Grande Western tracks and locations in Utah.)

(Read more about SP in Utah prior to September 1996)

(Read more about D&RGW in Utah prior to October 1988)

June 24, 1997
Union Pacific began using its new Garfield line change. The double-track mainline was moved north to make room for the expansion of Kennecott Utah Copper's tailings pond at Magna. Construction began in late summer 1995. Although trains were using the trackage as early as June 18, the formal cut-over date for the signals for the Number 1 track (north track) was on June 24. The Number 2 track (south track) was formally placed into service on June 26. Information about the project is difficult to obtain because its cost was fully covered by Kennecott, therefore the railroad has no budget or planning data. They engineered the project, and acted as a contractor to Kennecott to complete it. (Information from Bill Van Trump, Director Track Maintenance, Salt Lake City Service Unit, Salt Lake City, Utah, October 1998)

In July 1996, Kennecott began the relocation of 8.2 miles of Union Pacific railroad mainline, moving the railroad line from its current location along the north side of the current tailings pond, north to a new alignment parallel to Interstate 80, and along the north edge of the planned expanded pond. (Deseret News, July 5, 1996)

June 30, 1997
D&RGW was formally merged with Union Pacific Railroad, including ownership of equipment and the DRGW reporting mark. D&RGW formally ceased operations on June 30, 1997, but on December 31, 1996, D&RGW ceased compensation of employees. From January 1, 1997 to June 30, 1997, D&RGW employees were compensated by Union Pacific. (Railroad Retirement Board, Employee Status Determination, dated December 19, 1997.)

June 30, 1997
Southern Pacific Chicago St. Louis Corporation (SPCSL) was formally merged with Union Pacific Railroad. SPCSL formally ceased operations on June 30, 1997, but on December 31, 1996, SPCSL ceased compensation of employees. From January 1, 1997 to June 30, 1997, SPCSL employees were compensated by Union Pacific. (Railroad Retirement Board, Employee Status Determination, dated December 19, 1997.)

 

September 30, 1997
St. Louis Southwestern Railway (Cotton Belt) was formally merged with Union Pacific Railroad, including ownership of equipment and the SSW reporting mark. SSW formally ceased operations on September 30, 1997, but on December 31, 1996, D&RGW ceased compensation of employees. From January 1, 1997 to September 30, 1997, SSW employees were compensated by Union Pacific. SSW began operations on January 16, 1891. (Railroad Retirement Board, Employee Status Determination.)

SP owned 99.9 percent of SSW at the time of control by UP. Minority portions of SSW were owned by private individuals and institutions. The FRA also owned shares of SSW.

December 22, 1997
Union Pacific no longer needed its Little Mountain Branch following it merger and control of Southern Pacific, giving UP direct access to the industrial complex by way of the former SP trackage. UP served notice to the federal Surface Transportation Board that after a 180-day waiting period, service over the Little Mountain Branch would be discontinued. The STB approved the abandonment in a decision dated August 12, 1996, noting that the approval was embraced in the proposed UP-SP merger and control case.

(Read more about the building of UP's Little Mountain Branch, built in 1971, abandoned in 1997)

February 1, 1998
Southern Pacific Transportation Co. was formally merged with Union Pacific Railroad. Union Pacific began operations on July 1, 1897. Southern Pacific began operations on November 26, 1969.

The full name for the Southern Pacific was the Southern Pacific Transportation Co., organized and incorporated in Delaware. To benefit from this corporate location, Union Pacific Railroad, previously a Utah corporation, was merged with Southern Pacific Transportation on February 1, 1998, and on the same day, the Southern Pacific Transportation Co. name was changed to Union Pacific Railroad Co. (SEC Form 8-K, dated February 13, 1998)

(SPT's parent company, Southern Pacific Rail Corporation (formerly Rio Grande Industries), had formally merged with Union Pacific Corporation, parent company of Union Pacific Railroad, on September 11, 1996.)

 

September 30, 1998
Union Pacific received federal Surface Transportation Board approval to abandon 3 miles of rail line within Salt Lake City. (STB Docket AB-33, Sub 116X; initially filed on June 12, 1998; decided September 28, 1998)

The trackage to be abandoned included:

• 1.26 miles of the Provo Subdivision, milepost 799.0 to milepost 800.26 (600 South to South Temple)
• 0.47 mile of the Passenger Line Industrial Lead, milepost 782.32 to milepost 782.79 (between the crossing with the former D&RGW freight line, and the connection with the Provo Subdivision)
• 1.28 miles of the Provo Subdivision Running Track Passenger Line, milepost 744.20 to milepost 745.48 (former D&RGW passenger line along 500 West, from D&RGW depot, south to connection with former D&RGW freight line at about 1000 South)

The four existing shippers served by the trackage all supported the abandonment:

• Cereal Food Processors, located adjacent to the Provo Subdivision, will continue to be served by UP by way of a new spur from the former D&RGW passenger line along 500 West
• Holnam, Inc., located adjacent to the Provo Subdivision
• Tenneco Packaging, located adjacent to the Provo Subdivision Running Track Passenger Line (former D&RGW passenger line)
• Mountain Cement Co., located adjacent to the Passenger Line Industrial Lead, will continue to be served by UP by way of purchasing a portion of the abandoned line (by mid 2006, the Salt Lake City plant location was being dismantled, and was in use as a distribution facility for the company's cement product shipped in from its Laramie, Wyoming, production facility).

Portions of the written testimony from the abandonment application:

The abandonment of the above trackage forced Amtrak to move (in July 1999) from the former D&RGW passenger depot to a temporary intermodal facility directly to the west and located adjacent to the former D&RGW freight line along 600 West. Trains magazine's "NewsWire" reported the following on September 30, 1998:

September 1998
During the last week of September 1998, UP operated an average of 43 trains per day between Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah. (UP Update Line, October 1, 1998)

September 30, 1998
Union Pacific received federal Surface Transportation Board authority to abandon three segments of track in Salt Lake City:

• The 1.26-mile portion of the Provo Subdivision (single track) from 900 South to North Temple, all along 400 West.
• The 0.47-mile portion of the Passenger Line (single track) along 900 South between 400 West (connection with Provo Subdivision), westward to the crossing of the former D&RGW double-track mainline at about 650 West.
• The 1.28-mile former D&RGW passenger line (double track) from its north end at 100 South, to its south end at the connection with the former D&RGW freight main at Paxton Avenue (about 1200 South), all along 500 West.
• (Surface Transportation Board, Docket AB-33, Sub 116X, service date September 30, 1998)

Don Strack wrote the following on Facebook on October 10, 2018.

November 2, 1998
The new Salt Lake City Service Unit took over the operations from the previous service units, known as the "cut over" date. (UP Online, Volume 4, Number 179, August 27, 1998; Volume 4, Number 180, August 28, 1998; Volume 4, Number 189, September 11, 1998)

April 26, 1999
UP's tracks along 400 West were officially removed from service when the turnout leading to the trackage was spiked shut at the north end, at Grant Tower. (interview with Rick Durrant, UP operating official)

May 1999
The removal of UP's tracks along 400 West at 400 South, 500 South, and 600 South was begun by crews of Wasatch Constructors, the contractor for Utah Department of Transportation's rebuilding of I-15 and its approaches to Salt Lake City. The agreement between UDOT, Salt Lake City, and Union Pacific, for the removal of UP tracks, were completed in October 1997 "after many months of tough negotiations". The changes were to remove 66 grade crossings and a total of 4.3 miles of track. The removal of tracks along 500 West (the former D&RGW passenger line) was to begin in June. (Deseret News, May 3, 1999, "End of 400 West Tracks in sight")

June and July 1999
The former SP shops in Ogden were demolished to make way for two new run-through tacks. Work started during the second week of June 1999. (Ogden Standard Examiner, June 15, 1999)

(Read more about the SP shops in Ogden)

July 31, 1999
Amtrak trains (Train 5/6) left the former D&RGW depot in Salt Lake City for the last time. Amtrak had completed a new, $100,000 temporary station at 350 South 600 West. The move to new station quarters was to accommodate the removal of both the former UP Provo Subdivision along 400 West, and the former D&RGW passenger line 500 West, both as part of the new Gateway Project. Arrivals and departures for Amtrak had been averaging 15 to 25 persons in each direction. (Flimsies, Issue 269, August 13, 1999, pages 9, 10)

Amtrak's Train 5, the westbound California Zephyr, on Saturday July 31, 1999, was the first train to depart from the new Salt Lake depot. (Deseret News, August 7, 1999, "S. L. transit center gets its first tenant")

August 3, 1999
UP demolished the smokestack for the powerhouse at the former Salt Lake diesel shops. The powerhouse, built in 1944, had already been demolished. (Trainorders.com, August 3, 1999; Flimsies, Issue 269, August 13, 1999, page 8)

August 11, 1999
Salt Lake City had only the second tornado in the city's recorded history. The storm passed southwest to northeast across the city's downtown. On the day of the tornado, media coverage showed the former Post Office Annex south of the Union Pacific depot in the process of demolition, and reported that the tornado destroyed the building. In fact, the building was already in the process of being demolished as part of UP vacating the property for the planned Gateway District shopping, residential and commercial center.

(Read more about the Post Office Annex)

(Read the Wikipedia article about the 1999 Salt Lake City tornado)

September 1999
During late September 1999, UP operated between 33 and 38 trains per day between Salt Lake City and Ogden. (The Overland, Issue 6, October 1999, page 11)

(From here on, this chronological history includes all Ogden updates after 1999)

March 2000
Union Pacific was operating a trash train between Ogden and the land fill in East Carbon City, Utah, in Carbon County. The train was known by its symbol, LUH30, and ran daily between the former D&RGW Roper yard in Salt Lake City, and the trash transfer station in Ogden yard. Motive power was usually a pair of GP38-2s, or a pair of GP15-1s. Upon arrival at Ogden, empty container cars were exchanged for full container cars, and the train returned to Roper. The transfer station at Ogden was in the former PFE yard, adjacent to the former PFE ice plant. The trash containers were loaded and unloaded on dedicated flat cars using a "Piggy Packer" similar to those used to load and unload international shipping containers at intermodal yards nationwide. (Nelson Lunt, email dated March 29, 2000)

(Read more about transporting municipal waste by train)

March 2000
Union Pacific was installing two long run-through tracks in the Ogden yard, after removing the former SP yard and the former SP shop buildings. The new tracks were new from the subgrade up, with access roads between and along side the tracks to enable the car inspectors to do their work from vehicles. Traffic across the Lake was booming. Over 50 crews were in the pool to Carlin. The only fueling being completed was generally for eastbound trains if a locomotive had less than 1800 gallons on board, with fueling being performed by a contractor from a tank truck. Generally, westbounds were not being refueled. The regular fueling point was Rawlins, Wyoming. The eastbounds are brought up to 1800 gallons, enough to assure getting to Rawlins. (Trainorders.com, March 18, 2000)

From the (Ogden) Standard Examiner newspaper, March 29, 2000:

Email, Don Strack to The Streamliner Yahoo discussion group, March 29, 2000:

Summer 2000
The rail was being removed from the former D&RGW Marysvale Branch during the summer of 2000. (Roger Zuerlein, email to D&RGW Yahoo discussion group, March 22, 2001)

September 2000
Union Pacific finished repairs to the former SP Salt Lake causeway, the result of a large sink hole that developed. (Trainorders.com, July 1, 2001)

September 2000
Union Pacific completed the two new mainline tracks through the Ogden terminal. All switch crews had been moved from the Ogden yard, east to Riverdale Yard. In November 2000, a new building was planned to be completed in November 2000 at about 21st Street to accommodate managers and mainline crew changes, moving from the previous location at 33rd Street. (Trainorders.com, September 16, 2000)

February 5, 2001
UP reached an agreement with UTA that granted UTA to share a 20-foot corridor adjacent to UP's mainline between Salt Lake City and Ogden on the condition that UTA acquire a "fee interest" in the UP's mainline corridor between Ogden and Provo. The corridor was not uniform in width, and for UTA to acquire a consistent width for its own tracks, it would have to acquire small strips of additional land from 189 property owners in 60 jurisdictions by way of eminent domain. Senate Bill 256, then before the Utah legislature, would grant UTA the needed power of eminent domain and condemnation to proceed with the needed acquisitions. (Utah League of Cities and Towns, Meeting Minutes, February 19, 2001)

February 24, 2001
The City of Lehi, Utah held an open house for the newly restored 123-year old Lehi depot. UP had donated the building to the Lehi Preservation Commission in 1990. The building, the oldest railroad depot in Utah, was moved from its trackside location to its current location adjacent to State Street in 1995. The restoration was reported as having cost $250,000. (Deseret News, February 27, 2001)

Ballast Sources on former D&RGW
Smelter slag was loaded at Eilers (AS&R Spur), Leadville, Midvale, Murray, and Garfield, at least in the last 50 years.  If it has a high iron content, it makes excellent ballast.  Those smelters were lead-silver or copper smelters, which typically produce high iron-content slag because the ores contain high quantities of pyrite (iron disulfide, or FeS2). When pyrite is reduced in a reverberatory furnace, the sulfur combines with oxygen and eventually is recovered at the stack and made into sulfuric acid, and the iron becomes slag.  Blast-furnace slag from steel mills is of course intended to contain as little iron as possible (it's mostly silica), which isn't nearly as good a ballast as lead-silver-copper smelter slag. (Mark Hemphill, email to D&RGW Yahoo discussion group, March 5, 2001)

UP's "Dirt Train" on former D&RGW: (from Jim Belmont)
As of March 2001, the UP symbols for the "Dirt Train" were:

• LJI44 from Roper to Helper and return (runs DPU, distributed power units)
• LJI45 from Helper to East Carbon and return (runs conventional power)

Train names on former D&RGW, as of March 2001: (from James Belmont)

• There is a branch line local out of the former D&RGW Roper yard that has for decades been called the "Midvale Tramp." The train's designation may be LJI40. However, it's still referred to as "Midvale Tramp" by UP dispatchers and crews.
• The Midvale Tramp has been running with 2 UP GP38's with Rio Grande GP40 3054 sandwiched. Kind of nice to see a bit of Grande gold on the branch. Back in January, GP40 #3087 was on the Tramp, but has since left Utah.
• The Midvale Tramp operates on weekday mornings. Leaves Roper yard before daylight and works the Bingham and Garfield branches, then return to Roper around noon.
• There is another local that runs from Provo down the old Rio Grande Tintic Branch to a limestone quarry that is still called the "Rock Train."
• The Tintic Branch Rock Train runs to the limestone quarry on an irregular schedule.
• Another named local is the "Potash Local" which goes down the former D&RGW Cane Creek Branch on Fridays.

March 13, 2001
Union Pacific turned on the CTC for the new mainline tracks through Ogden. (verbal communication with Bob Gier, March, 17, 2001)

April 20, 2001
UP received STB approval to abandon the Syracuse Industrial Spur. This trackage extended from Clearfield, Utah, west to 2000 West in Syracuse, a distance of 1.08 miles. This spur was the last remnant of the original Ogden & Syracuse Railway, incorporated and completed in 1887 from Syracuse Junction (later Clearfield) to the shore of the Great Salt Lake. In its application, UP stated that there had been no traffic on the line for the past two years. The last known traffic was boxcar shipments of onions and other vegetables from the C. H. Dredge warehouse, located in the cannery building of the former Kaysville Canning Company. (STB Docket No. AB-33, Sub 177X, decided on April 10, 2001, service date April 20, 2001; effective May 22, 2001)

"... to abandon a 1.082-mile line of railroad over the Syracuse Industrial Lead from milepost 1.10 to milepost 2.182 near Clearfield, Davis County, UT. UP has certified that: (1) no local traffic has moved over the line for at least 2 years; (2) there is no overhead traffic moving over the line; (3) no formal complaint filed by a user of rail service on the line (or by a state or local government entity acting on behalf of such user) regarding cessation of service over the line either is pending with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) or with any U.S. District Court or has been decided in favor of complainant within the 2-year period."

August 22, 2001
Utah Central Railway leased from Union Pacific the following Ogden area trackage:

• Former D&RGW Transfer Yard, mile posts 781 to 788, including passing and stub tracks
• Evona Industrial Lead
• Relico Spur
• Sugar Works Spur
• Dyce Bypass Track, up to the point of switch to the Shasta Lead Track
• Tracks 713 and 714, serving Dyce Chemical
• (STB Finance Docket 34051, decided on August 14, 2001)

January 5, 2002
The first operational train to travel over the reinstated 900 South line was the westbound Wendover Local on January 5, 2002, at 11:25 am. The train was made up of 36 cars, with SD40-2s 3778 and 3686 as motive power. There was a signal crew (Wayne Stewart and John Carter) on hand to ensure the newly installed signals worked properly. (from Chuck Panhorst, via a June 24, 2002 email from Jim Belmont)

February 5, 2002
Union Pacific donated SP's first SD45 locomotive to the Ogden Union Station railroad museum in Ogden, Utah. (Union Pacific press release)

March 2002
The Salt Lake City Council approved the closure of 4800 West at 700 South to allow UP to construct its new intermodal facility, situated along its mainline. Access to the new intermodal facility would be from 5600 West, at about 700 South. The new intermodal facility was needed to allow the closure of the existing facility at Beck Street and about 2000 North after UP sold the land there to UTA for its new commuter rail project. (Salt Lake City Council meeting minutes)

July 2002
Union Pacific began service to a new shipping and storage facility operated by Moroni Feed Company, located five miles south of Nephi on UP's Sharp Subdivision. The facility included several storage silos and a separate feed preparation plant operated by Intermountain Farmers Association. Each silo was reported as having a capacity of 110,000 tons of corn, and was designed to accept complete 100-car unit trains of corn. Rail service was provided by 6600 feet loop of track that was accessed by way of a 1200 feet lead track from the mainline. (Deseret News, July 9, 2002; Trainorders.com, August 24, 2004, including photos)

July 29, 2002
The Salt Lake City Council approved UP's plans to build a new 300-acre intermodal and automobile unloading ramp facility on Salt Lake City's west side, at 5600 West and 800 South. The new facility would allow Union Pacific to close its intermodal ramp at Becks Street, and its automobile unloading ramp at Clearfield. (Deseret News, July 30, 2002; Salt Lake Tribune, July 30, 2002; Trains News Wire, August 1, 2002; UPOnline, August 6, 2002)

The new intermodal and auto unloading ramp was part of an overall improvement that included UP's sale to Utah Transit Authority two of its existing facilities, which UTA wanted as part of its Frontrunner commuter rail service. These two facilities included UP's intermodal yard at Becks Street on Salt Lake City's north side, and UP's automobile ramp at Clearfield, about 25 miles north of Salt Lake City.

The location for the new "Intermodal Freight Hub" was negotiated by UTA and was on land owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Salt Lake Tribune, July 6, 2002)

The original application and petition was presented by Union Pacific and UTA to the Salt Lake City Council on June 4, 2002, and the council was to set a public hearing to be held on July 2, 2002. (Memorandum, Salt Lake City mayor to Salt Lake City Council, dated May 31, 2002, which included specific improvements and street closures by the applicants.)

September 20, 2002
A ceremony was held on the steps of the state capital, for the signing of the $185 million check to Union Pacific. In attendance were Utah governor Mike Leavitt, U. S. congressmen Jim Matheson and Chris Cannon, Union Pacific chairman, president and CEO Richard Davidson, and UTA general manager John Inglish. (BYU NewsNet, September 19, 2002; Deseret News, September 19, 2002; Union Pacific press release dated September 20, 2002) The sale was formally closed on September 23, 2002. (UTA press release dated September 23, 2002)

The corridors in the sale included:

• A north/south corridor running parallel to the freight mainline, from Payson to Brigham City.
• The former D&RGW line between North Salt Lake and South Ogden.
• A line between South Salt Lake and Sugar House (known as the Sugar House Spur)
• A line from Midvale to West Jordan/South Jordan (known as the Bingham Industrial Spur).
• An extension of the existing north/south TRAX line into Utah County (part of what is known as the Provo Industrial Lead) (10000 South in Sandy, over Point of the Mountain to Lehi) (UP would keep the three miles of line between Lehi and Orem, at the former Lakota Crossing)
• A line between Orem and Provo (part of what is known as the Provo Industrial Lead)
• A line south from Spanish Fork (known as the Tintic Industrial lead)

The facilities in the sale included:

• North Salt Lake facility (the former UP intermodal yard at Becks Street)
• Maintenance facility (the former UP diesel shop)
• Clearfield facility (the former UP automobile ramp)

Union Pacific and Utah Transit Authority applied to the federal Surface Transportation Board on January 28, 2002, and the STB approved on May 22, 2002, the sale by Union Pacific of the following properties to Utah Transit Authority, for use as part of a commuter rail project:

"UTA indicates that it does not intend to conduct freight rail operations on any of the lines, but is acquiring them for possible passenger rail operations. According to UTA, UP will retain an exclusive, perpetual, transferable and irrevocable easement on the lines to conduct freight operations. Consummation of this transaction is expected to occur on or about May 30, 2002." "UTA simultaneously filed a motion to dismiss this proceeding, contending that the Board does not have jurisdiction over this transaction. The motion will be addressed by the Board in a separate decision." (Surface Transportation Board, Finance Docket 34170, decided February 14, 2002, service date February 22, 2002)

"On January 28, 2002, the Utah Transit Authority (UTA), a noncarrier, filed a notice to acquire from the Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) several railroad rights-of-way and related improvements located in Davis, Weber, Salt Lake and Utah Counties, UT. Consummation of the transaction is expected to occur on or about May 30, 2002. UTA concurrently filed a motion to dismiss the notice of exemption, claiming that the transaction, as described in the notice and as set forth in the trackage rights agreement and quitclaim deed attached to its motion, is not subject to the Board's jurisdiction. We agree and will grant the motion to dismiss. Accordingly, UTA will not become a common carrier as a result of this transaction." (Surface Transportation Board, Finance Docket 34170, decided May 17, 2002, service date May 22, 2002)

• Total of 62.77 miles
• Salt Lake Subdivision: milepost 754.31 in Bountiful, to milepost 778.00 in Ogden (former D&RGW mainline)
• Salt Lake Subdivision: 20 to 35-foot portion of right of way from milepost 782.48 in Salt Lake City, to milepost 818.05 in Ogden (adjacent to UP mainline)
• Provo Industrial Lead: milepost P-775.23 at Point of the Mountain, to milepost P-762.00 at Hardy (UP mainline)
• Provo Subdivision: 20 to 35-foot portion of right of way from milepost 705.71 at Lakota Junction, to milepost 729.29 near Riverton, and from milepost 729.50 near Riverton to milepost 745.50 in Salt Lake City (adjacent to former D&RGW mainline).
• Sharp Subdivision: milepost P-752.41 in Provo, to milepost P-757.25 at Lakota Junction (UP mainline)
• Sharp Subdivision: 20 to 35-foot portion of right of way from milepost 745.82 in Spanish Fork, to milepost P-749.99 in Provo, and from milepost P-750.81 in Provo to milepost P-752.41 in Provo (adjacent to UP mainline)
• Tintic Industrial Lead: from milepost 0.00 in Springville, to milepost 13.06 in Payson (former D&RGW Tintic Branch)
• Sugar House Spur: from milepost 0.00 at Roper, to milepost 2.74 in Sugar House (former D&RGW Sugar House Branch)
• Bingham Industrial Lead: from milepost 6.60 at Bagley, to milepost 11.81 (Lead Mine) (former D&RGW Bingham Branch)
• Bingham Industrial Lead: 20 to 35-foot portion of right of way from milepost 0.00 to milepost 6.60 (former D&RGW Bingham Branch)
• Consummation of sale to occur on or about May 30, 2002.
• UTA is acquiring tracks for future passenger operations, and does not intend to conduct freight operations.
• (STB Finance Docket 34170)

 

The sale also included the former D&RGW locomotive shops at 300 South and 700 West. The former D&RGW shops in Salt Lake City were sold to Utah Transit Authority in September 2002 as part of the larger property acquisition for rights of way along the Union Pacific tracks in northern Utah. UTA continued to develop possible and proposed plans for the large facility, but the cost of retrofitting the buildings continued to be a delaying factor. Finally, in July 2019 the shops were demolished in favor of building an all-new bus maintenance facility.

December 2, 2002
Union Pacific received approval from the federal Surface Transportation Board to abandon its rail operations along 23.69 miles of the former D&RGW mainline, from Mile Post 754.31 "near Valencia (400 North in Bountiful), to Mile Post 778.0 "near Ogden" (Midland Road in Roy). The portion south of 400 North in Bountiful was retained by UP to retain access to the oil refineries in North Salt Lake, Woods Cross and West Bountiful. The portion north of Midland Road in Roy was retained to retain access to the businesses in West Ogden. (STB Docket AB-33, Sub 191X, service date December 2, 2002)

(This 23.69 miles of former D&RGW Salt Lake City-to-Ogden mainline has been paved and is known as the "Denver and Rio Grande Western Rail Trail.)

December 2, 2002
Union Pacific received approval from the federal Surface Transportation Board to abandon its rail operations along 3.23 miles of the UP Provo Subdivision from milepost P-772.00 at Cutler (near Lehi) north to milepost P-775.23 at Mount (Point of the Mountain -- at the Utah/Salt Lake County Line). This section of track has been used infrequently for freight car storage. This trackage had been sold to Utah Transit Authority, but UP had retained "perpetual easement and common carrier obligation to conduct freight operations", and this action allowed UP to abandon those rights. (STB Docket AB-33, Sub 192X; notice of intent to abandon published in Salt Lake Tribune, November 8, 2002)

(This 3.23 miles of line was a portion of UP's old Provo Subdivision mainline from Lakota Junction near Orem, to Salt Lake City's Grant Tower, built as part of the original Utah Southern Railroad in 1872, and shut down as a through route in November 1985. This route once hosted Wyoming's unit iron ore and Geneva's coil steel trains equipped with helpers.)

December 2, 2002
Union Pacific received approval from the federal Surface Transportation Board to abandon its rail operations along 2.83 miles of Provo Subdivision (known by this time as the Provo Industrial lead) between mile post 753.27 near Provo (one mile west of Provo) and mile post 756.10 near Gatex (one mile east of Lakota Crossing). There had been no traffic over the line for at least two years. This trackage had been sold to Utah Transit Authority, but UP had retained "perpetual easement and common carrier obligation to conduct freight operations", and this action allowed UP to abandon those rights. (STB Docket AB-33, Sub 193X)

(This 2.83 miles of line was a portion of UP's old Provo Subdivision mainline between Provo and the Lakota Crossing with D&RGW, built as part of the original Utah Southern Railroad in 1872).

December 2, 2002
Union Pacific received approval from the federal Surface Transportation Board to abandon its rail operations along 5.21 miles of the former D&RGW Bingham Branch, which by this time was officially known as the "Bingham Industrial Lead." This section of track runs from MP 6.60 near Bagley (West Jordan Industrial Park; about 5200 West) to MP 11.81 near Lead Mine (Copperton). This trackage had been sold to Utah Transit Authority in September 2002, but UP had retained "perpetual easement and common carrier obligation to conduct freight operations", and this action allowed UP to abandon those rights. (STB Docket AB-33, Sub 194X, service date December 2, 2002; notice of intent to abandon published in Salt Lake Tribune, November 8, 2002)

(This 5.21 miles of trackage hadn't seen any regular use since the mid-1990's when Kennecott's precipitation plant closed at Lead Mine. The line extends from West Jordan's Bagley Industrial Park (home of SME Steel and the Interstate Brick Company) west through Dalton Junction (connection to the abandoned Lark Branch) up Bingham Canyon to Lead Mine at Copperton. This track was a regular assignment for Rio Grande's fleet of SD7/SD9's and later GP30's.)

June 23, 2003
"OMAHA -- The Scoular Company announced today that it has assumed operation of the grain facilities owned by Farmers Grain Cooperative of Idaho. The principal facility is located in Ogden, Utah, with additional facilities in American Falls, Michaud, Malad, Grace and Bancroft, Idaho. These facilities give Scoular 6,950,000 bushels of grain storage space, in addition to the 360,000 bushels of space at the Ogden facility already owned by Scoular. Both of the Ogden facilities are served by the Utah Central Railway. The Bancroft, Michaud, and American Falls facilities are served by the Union Pacific Railroad." (The Scoular Company press release, dated June 23, 2003)

July-September 2003
The rail and ties of the D&RGW line between Salt Lake City and Ogden were removed. The line was sold to Utah Transit Authority in September 2002, with UTA announcing plans in May 2005 to convert the former rail line into it a trail. (Larry Deppe, email dated July 18, 2003; Deseret Evening News, May 24, 2005)

"Scrappers have been busy pulling rail on the old D&RGW line between Ogden and Salt Lake. Rail was pulled in Roy yesterday and they are currently working their way south through Clinton. Unlike the scrapping of lines in the past this line is not even graced with a final scrappers train. The line is being pulled up by about six people with a push car and a front end loader." (Shay Stark, email to Utah Railroading Yahoo group, July 18, 2003)

September 3, 2003
The Federal Railroad Administration approved the use of "Quiet Zones" in Salt Lake City.

October 2003
Operations on the former D&RGW line over Soldier Summit (just "Summit" after 1983) included moderate traffic between Provo and Helper. Mostly coal trains, some of which load at CV spur at Wellington, east of Price. BNSF usually ran a manifest one way each way per day. UP infrequently ran a manifest across the line. The Skyline Mine on the Pleasant Valley branch (south from Colton) may have already been shut down. The Utah Railway usually ran daily and employed manned helpers, but most other trains used DPU, or distributed power. UP also operated what had become known as the "Dirt Train," which was at that time running with three former D&RGW SD40T-2 tunnel motors, and a UP SD40-2. the Dirt Train usually departed Helper eastbound in mid-morning and returned in mid-to-late afternoon. On Saturday, the train left Helper around 7:00 a.m. (posted by "rivulet" on Trainorders.com, October 9, 2003)

Some Utah Railway trains used UP motive power. An coal empty coming over Soldier with only three units was likely a Utah train. UP empties seemed to run with four or more units. The Utah helpers usually came out to shove their trains and any BNSF train as needed. On Monday through Friday, Utah also ran the IPPX train, supposedly coming out of Provo in the 0600-0700 hour, coming over to either Wildcat or the CV Spur. Once loaded, they grabbed helpers at either Martin or Helper, respectively, and headed on up the hill. Helpers can cut out at Colton or on top. The Utah road train is currently running all MK-5000s with five matched SD-50s for helpers. Utah 5005 was in G&W orange. Also, the power was reversed if they load at Wildcat, and will turn with the train on the CV Spur. BNSF had two freights each way, each day, with occasional extra trains, like the coil steel U-JOLPIT train. (Trainorders.com, October 9, 2003)

January 2004
Union Pacific was operating two locals on the Ogden Subdivision, including the Malad Local six days per week between Brigham City and the Nucor Steel plant at Plymouth, 31 miles to the north. The other local was the Cache Valley Local, which was operating five days per week between Cache Junction and Logan, and between Logan and Preston, Idaho. (James Belmont, posted to Trainorders.com, January 30, 2004)

February 1, 2004
UP's Cheyenne and Denver service units were combined, with new headquarters being located in Denver. The new service unit included all former D&RGW lines in Colorado, as well as the old Kansas Pacific across Kansas, along with assorted branches in Colorado and the old UP mainline and associated branches across Nebraska (from O'Fallons) and Wyoming, west to Ogden, Utah. (David Blazejewski, email dated January 20, 2004)

May 2004
The following comes from Trains magazine, "Big Train" by Edward Brunner:

October 2004
Union Pacific and Utah Department of Transportation completed a new bridge and overhead crossing of UP's former D&RGW mainline at 12300 South in Salt Lake County. The project, started in late 2002, included a temporary track, known as a "shoofly," to temporarily relocate the main track while the new bridge was built, and also included a raised grade to increase the clearance for highway traffic below the bridge. (Trainorders.com, October 23, 2004, reported by James Belmont)

April 2005
The operation of Ogden municipal garbage trains came to an end. About 680 tons per day of waste would be hauled by truck to a new landfill facility in Tooele County. The service started in 1997 when a transfer station was completed in the former SP yard just west of downtown Ogden. At the same time, Weber County closed it own landfill. The transfer station in Ogden was designed to hold no more than four days of municipal waste, but problems had developed with Union Pacific not delivering sufficient empty cars in a timely manner, causing waste to build up within the transfer facility. At times there was a week's accumulation of waste. Also, Union Pacific was increasing the haulage fee by double-digit numbers every year, including a 27 percent increase in 2004. The new landfill in Tooele County, known as Wasatch Regional, was to be completed in September 2005 and was owned by Allied Waste, which also owned the facility in East Carbon, Utah, the destination of the garbage-by-train. In the interim, the Ogden waste would be trucked to the Box Elder County landfill. Kory Coleman, district manager for Allied Waste in Utah, was quoted as saying, "It doesn't work when the railroad doesn't want the business. They've done very little over the last three years to improve the service. They continue to raise the prices significantly. We take that as a message." (Salt Lake Tribune, April 18, 2005)

June 22, 2005
UP received federal Surface Transportation Board approval to abandon its rail operations on the Sugar House Branch between milepost 0.0 near Roper Yard, and the end of the branch at milepost 2.74 in Salt Lake City's Sugar House district. The abandoned line was to become a rail-trail, with UTA reserving the right to reactivate or reconstruct the line for future rail service. UP had made its application on March 4, 2005. On March 5, 2005, UTA applied to use the line as a rail trail. (STB Docket AB-33, Sub 195X, decided on June 16, 2005, service date June 22, 2005)

(Read more about D&RGW's Park City Branch, later known as the Sugar House Branch)

December 20, 2005
Union Pacific began using the new intermodal facility in west Salt Lake City, located adjacent to its mainline at 5600 West. The new site covered 240 acres and had four loading tracks. Trailers would not be accepted at the old facility at 2000 North in north Salt Lake City after December 23, 2005, and effective Monday December 26, 2005, all intermodal loads were to be "tendered" at the new facility. The first train was scheduled to leave on Tuesday December 27th. The old facility was reported to be just 30 acres in size and capable of holding just 470 units, compared to the new facility's 240 acres size, and capacity of 1315 units. Both facilities had four loading tracks, but the new facility also had four support tracks. (UP news release; Pacer StackTrain news release)

December 25, 2005
The first train entered the new Salt Lake City intermodal facility. ("spdesertdog", email posted to Trainorders.com, January 10, 2006)

April 2006
UP realigned trackage in Farmington to allow the addition of new tracks for UTA's FrontRunner commuter rail, moving Track No. 2 (the west track) to the inside of the curve. UP also began the installation of new signal bridges to accommodate the new triple track, replacing the existing trackside signals on the existing double track. The first new signal bridge was at Centerville, with others at Glovers Lane (about Mile Post 794) and Shepard Lane (about Mile Post 801).

June 2, 2006
Union Pacific received federal Surface Transportation Board approval to formally abandon the 900 South Line between milepost 780.1, west of Redwood Road, and milepost 782.32, near 400 West, all in Salt Lake City. The line's abandonment was not to actually take place until after the reconfiguration of UP's Grant Tower interchange, which is planned for completion in early 2007 as part of many changes in support of UTA's commuter rail project between Salt Lake City and Ogden. (STB Docket AB-33, sub 237X, decided on May 24, 2006)

(Read more about UP's 900 South passenger line)

August 22, 2006
Palladon Iron Corporation's lease of Union Pacific's Comstock Subdivision went into effect. Palladon organized the PIC Railroad LLC to operated the line. On the same day, PIC Railroad assigned the lease to Iron Bull Railroad, a company controlled by Michael Root and the Albany & Eastern Railroad. Also on the same day, the Surface Transportation Board designated Iron Bull Railroad as a common carrier. (Surface Transportation Board dockets FD 34896, 34897, 34898, all dated September 14, 2006)

Authorization has been granted by the federal Surface Transportation Board for the operation of the newly-named Iron Bull Railroad, the 14-mile short line running between the Iron Mountain mine site and interchange tracks in Iron Springs, Utah. Mike Root and the Albany Eastern Railroad have also been authorized as the operator of the Iron Bull Railroad. Palladon Iron Corp. is the lessee. Construction of interchange tracks at Iron Springs was completed in April, 2006.

(Read more about Palladon Iron Corporation's railroad, briefly known as Iron Bull Railroad, and finally as Utah Southern Railroad, which operated from 2008 to 2012)

September 2006
Union Pacific employed 1,756 persons in the state of Utah, with an annual payroll of $11.6 million. The railroad operated on 1,333 miles of track, with its operations centered within the Salt Lake City and Ogden terminals, along with a new 260-acre intermodal terminal at 1045 South 5500 West, west of Salt Lake City. (Deseret Morning News, September 24, 2006)

September 20, 2006
Union Pacific officially opened its new intermodal terminal in Salt Lake City. On Wednesday, September 21, 2006, Union Pacific officially unveiled its $83 million intermodal container terminal, increasing the railroad's shipping container capability in Salt Lake by three times. UP's 260-acre terminal in west Salt Lake City, which replaced an obsolete 30-acre facility closer to downtown, and was capable of loading or unloading 12 to 14 trains a day, each pulling 75 "double-stack" container rail cars. "The number of rail containers arriving and departing UP's terminal is up 20 percent since last year," said John Kaiser, UP vice president of intermodal marketing and sales. The old terminal was operated by six UP employees and 19 contract workers. UP still employs six people, but the number of contract workers has increased to 109, UP spokesman Mark Davis said. The new terminal was located at 1045 South on 5600 West on Salt Lake City's west side, adjacent to its mainline to Los Angeles. (Salt Lake Tribune, September 21, 2006)

2007
The OSL depot at Smithfield (north of Logan on the Cache Valley Branch) was removed from railroad property after being retired in the 1960s and moved a few blocks away, but still in Smithfield. In 2007 the building was purchased from its owner and in late 2009 it was moved to become a real estate office at 775 South Main Street in Logan. (Herald Journal, November 9, 2009) The original site in Smithfield was on the east side of the OSL tracks, at 350 West 100 North.

Spring 2007
UP demolished the North Tower at the north end of its Salt Lake City yard, located at about 1300 North. (Visible in Google Earth image dated August 2006; gone by April 2007; other dates from dated railfan photos)

(No references have been found for when the tower was completed. UP's engineering drawing, "Communication & Control Tower" is dated 1956.)

March 28, 2007
The federal Surface Transportation Board approved the acquisition of railroad freight operations along UP's Bingham Industrial lead (former D&RGW Bingham and Garfield branches), by Savage Bingham & Garfield:

SBGR, a noncarrier, to acquire from Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) and operate freight easements upon, over, and across:

• UP's rail line between milepost 0.18 at Midvale and milepost 6.60 at Bagley Spur (Bingham Industrial Lead, about 5200 West)
• UP's rail line between milepost 4.66 at Welby and milepost 17.10 at Magna (Garfield Branch)
• UP's rail line between milepost 0.00 at Kearns and milepost 2.01 at Bacchus (Bacchus Branch)
• Various UP wye, yard, and team tracks in the vicinity of Midvale (Midvale Trackage)
• A total of 20.87 miles, all in Salt Lake County, Utah.
• (Surface Transportation Board, Finance Docket 35002, decided March 28, 2007; service date March 28, 2007)

Savage Bingham & Garfield operations started on October 1, 2007.

(Read more about Savage Bingham & Garfield)

April 24, 2007
Utah Transit Authority was given authority to acquire the remaining 35 feet of right-of way of UP's Bingham Industrial Lead (former D&RGW Bingham Branch) between Midvale and Bagley (about 5200 West), being the portion with the actual track structure on it, and adding to the 35 feet of right-of-way acquired in 2002, gave UTA complete ownership of the entire line. (Surface Transportation Board, Finance Docket 35008, decided April 23, 2007; service date April 24, 2007)

Construction of UTA's Mid-Jordan light rail passenger line started in May 2008, and was completed and opened to the public in August 2011.

November 2, 2007
Union Pacific began official use of the new re-aligned Grant Tower trackage. The adjacent right-of-way for Utah Transit Authority's commuter rail was located and partially graded; UTA trackage was laid and in place by December 28, 2007.

July 2008
"About a week ago, UP shut down the old Provo main between CP C753 (Provo) and CP C758 (Lakota Junction). Apparently the signal at 753 (5th West in Provo) has been removed with a giant pile of dirt placed on the tracks (right next to the D&RGW double track). I need to do some investigating and hope to visit the area today. I wonder if the CTC signals at Lakota Jct. have been taken down? Quinn Clegg said the crossings between Provo and Lakota have been paved over. I've included two images taken yesterday by Quinn. just south of Lakota for you to see. Apparently this will be UTA's right of way into Provo for the expansion of FrontRunner." (James Belmont, email dated July 13, 2008)

2010
Union Pacific changed the track configuration at Burmester, on the former Western Pacific. They reinstated the wye, rebuilt 6000 feet of storage track of the former Tooele Branch, and added two more tracks to the yard. In late 2011, they were putting down the foundation for a cell tower just west of the yard. (Bradley Ogden, email dated December 13, 2011)

In October 2016 the UP yard at Burmester, Utah (former WP), was designated as Stauffer Yard. The new name was to honor Larry Stauffer, who worked on the Wendover local for 30 years. (Bradley Ogden, message to Utah Rail Enthusiasts group on Facebook, May 23, 2016 and October 6, 2016)

October 2011
Layton Depot -- UDOT announced that the Layton depot building would be sold, with the previous owner given first refusal. Several plans and ideas for potential preservation have been discussed, but none are certain. (Deseret News, December 7, 2009; Standard Examiner, October 14, 2011)

Spring 2012
UP demolished the South Tower at the south end of its Salt Lake City yard, located at about 700 North. (Visible in Google Earth image dated October 2011; gone by June 2013; other dates from dated railfan photos)

(No references have been found for when the tower was completed. UP's engineering drawing, "Communication & Control Tower" is dated 1956.)

February 2012
After starting the move in April 2009, by February 2012, Union Pacific had moved a total of 5 million tons of the Moab tailings.

January 2013
The former D&RGW yard office at Ogden, known as "Transfer," was demolished by Union Pacific. (Tim Morris, courtesy of James Belmont via email dated March 16, 2013)

July 5, 2013
The federal Surface Transportation Board approved Union Pacific application to abandon the last mile of its line to Cedar City, Utah, from MP 30.8 to MP 31.8. UP made the application on June 6, 2013.

This is the line east of the I-15 overcrossing, and it served the team track that is right adjacent to Main Street at 400 North. This is an area with lots of commercial development, so it is likely that a developer, or the city, or both, has plans to put in something that will bring in some tax revenue. There are several mixed traffic customers west of the I-15 crossing, so UP will continue to serve these customers.

There was a delay in the STB approval due to the state historical society, which is a state agency in Utah, not yet responding to the standard STB request to determine any buildings or structures with historical significance. From past experience, they never find anything of historical significance, so this is simply a result of personnel cutbacks due to a reduced state budget. In the final STB decision, UP was restrained from removing any structure, including removing rails and ties, until the historical review has been completed.

This is not related in any way to the iron ore unit trains being shipped over the Cedar City Subdivision, which come on to UP tracks at Iron Springs, nine miles to the west at MP 21. (Surface Transportation Board, Docket No. AB 33, Sub-No. 283X [Decision 43120]; Union Pacific Railroad Company--abandonment Exemption--in Iron County, Utah; Decision 43120, dated June 6, 2013; Decision 43169, dated July 5, 2013)

October 2015
Union Pacific began construction of a new bridge, 180 feet in length, in its Great Salt Lake causeway. The purpose of the bridge is to open the causeway, to help balance the ecology and salinity of the north arm of the lake and the south arm of the lake. Currently, the north arm is essentially cut off from the south arm by the causeway, allowing higher salinity due to evaporation.

The original pass-through culverts installed as part of the original causeway construction had subsided to the point that water was no longer passing between the south arm of the lake and the north arm.

(Read more about the history of the Great Salt Lake causeway, as part of the Ogden Rails project)

February 2016
The depot at Thompson, Utah (former D&RGW) was demolished during the week of February 16-19, 2016. (Adam Pinales, message to Rails Through the Wasatch group on Facebook group, February 24, 2016)

September 24, 2016
Burmester station and the small yard there were renamed as Stauffer (and Stauffer Yard) in September 2016. The name honors Larry Stauffer, as 47-year employee of WP (and later UP). Larry Stauffer worked on the Wendover local for 30 years. The new Stauffer is UP control point CP F896 (896 miles from Oakland).

December 1, 2016
Union Pacific completed its breach of the Great Salt Lake causeway, opening a breach that was 180 feet wide. The new opening in the causeway replaced much smaller openings that had sunk along with the entire causeway itself over the years since it was opened in 1959, blocking the flow of water. The new opening had been ready to be put into service as early as October 2016, but Union Pacific had agreed to delay the planned breach while federal and state agencies, as well as public and private organizations investigated the restoration of water levels between the north arm and the south arm of the lake. When the opening was finally breached, the difference was 3.5 feet, and the two sides of the lake were expected to be equal within six months. The north arm was expected to raise a foot within a month of the breach. The flow of water through the breach was reported as being 4,700 cubic feet per second, compared the current flow of the Colorado River at 2,800 cubic feet per second. (Ogden Standard Examiner, December 13, 2016)

(Watch a 35-second time delay USGS video on YouTube showing the breach taking place)

November 2018
Union Pacific demolished the buildings and reclaimed the site of its oil reclamation facility on the west side of its North Yard, just north of the 600 North viaduct. The oil reclamation facility was in place as early as 1958, with an aerial photo showing two tracks with concrete pads where tank cars of used oil were brought in and unloaded. The oil reclamation facility, with its two tracks, is not visible in an aerial photo dated September 1946. The two tracks were still visible in an aerial photo from 1970, but were removed when UP put in its track for run-through trains along the west side of the yard. Changes to the oil reclamation facility were made in the 1977-1978 period in response to a 1977 law by the State of Utah concerning the disposal of used oil, the by-products of which at that time were simply being dumped into the adjacent drainage ditch.

February-March 2019
Union Pacific demolished its yard office building at about 700 north in Salt Lake City. The demolition began on February 13th and continued for about a week. The site was finally cleared in late March. The building had been completed in June 1953.

April 23, 2019
Union Pacific's North Yard in Salt Lake City was formally closed when the last crew position was abolished on April 23, 2019. The yard was to become a training facility. (Report to Facebook Rails Through The Wasatch group)

July 2019
The former D&RGW shops in Salt Lake City were sold to Utah Transit Authority in September 2002 as part of the larger property acquisition for rights of way along the Union Pacific tracks in northern Utah. UTA continued to develop possible and proposed plans for the large facility, but the delaying factor was the cost of retrofitting the buildings for earthquake protection and the associated environmental mitigation. Finally, almost 17 years later, in July 2019 the shops were demolished in favor of building an all-new bus maintenance facility.

April 1, 2022
A federal Surface Transportation Board decision dated April 1, 2022, allowed the formal abandonment of the 1/2-mile remaining part of the former D&RGW passenger line in Salt Lake City. This is a short bit between its former connection to the freight main (near 1300 South), and the former crossing of UP's 9th South Passenger line at 500 West. The formal description reads, "to abandon a 0.5-mile portion of a rail line known as the SLC Passenger Line, from milepost 743.7 to milepost 744.2 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah (the Line)." There was a hold on the final approval until a a historical study was completed to determine if any portion was eligible for designation under the National Register of Historic Places, which was completed in August. The date of the final approval for abandonment was November 25, 2022. (Surface Transportation Board Docket No. 33, Sub-No. 338X, dated April 1, 2022)

In its application, Union Pacific wrongly stated that the former D&RGW line was constructed in 1882. The line being abandoned was completed in 1910 at the time that the Salt Lake Union Depot Company was organized and the depot and approach tracks completed, with D&RG and WP each owning equal shares in the depot company. The Union Depot company owned and operated the two railroads' joint Salt Lake City passenger depot, and most of the approach tracks.

Union Pacific's description of the line, taken from the application and decision for the abandonment.

April 17, 2023
Union Pacific filed an application with the federal Surface Transportation Board for the abandonment of its Hill Field Industrial Lead in northern Utah, between Ogden and Arsenal, adjacent to Hill Air Force Base (6.8 miles). The line was the remaining portion of the Bamberger Railroad, which ended operations in December 1958. The portion of the Bamberger between Ogden and Arsenal was sold to Union Pacific in November 1958, with UP taking ownership at the end of Bamberger operations. UP called the new line its Hill Field Branch, and the branch first appeared in UP's Wyoming Division No. 31 timetable, dated April 26, 1959. The name was changed from Hill Field Branch to Hill Field Industrial Lead at some time between 1989 and 1992.

The application was opened to public comment on May 26, 2023, with the comment period ending on June 13, 2023. Union Pacific planned on selling the right-of-way to Utah Department of Transportation, and UDOT announced plans to set aside part of the line as a rail trail, and another part to be used as part of an additional gate to the western side of the adjacent Hill Air Force Base.

In the period between mid August and early November 2023, Union Pacific removed the track structure (rails and ties) from the former Bamberger right-of-way.

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