UP Monroc Spur

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This page was last updated on June 27, 2022.

(This is a work in progress; research continues.)

Overview

Newspaper research suggests that the first quarry along the east side of Salt Lake City's Beck Street was Utah Sand & Gravel Products ("Established in 1920") at 1605 North, which opened it quarry in 1929-1930. By 1940 the company was also offering concrete under the name of Ready Mix Concrete company. By 1966 the company had four other locations in the Salt Lake valley, including Kearns, South Salt Lake, Cottonwood Heights and Magna.

At some time during the 1972-1973 period, Utah Sand & Gravel Products became a subsidiary of Monroc, Inc., a company that specialized in pre-stressed concrete products. In early 1998 Monroc was acquired by the privately-held U. S. Aggregates, although by this time the railroad spur to the Monroc quarry had been removed.

During the 1970s there was a spur that from the east side of UP's North Yard, at the north end, at about 1300 North. The spur climbed a steep grade to the northeast and curved across Back Street to the Monroc quarry, at about 1700 North. The first 2,000 feet or so was still in place in early 2020, but is connected to UTA's Frontrunner track. The Beck Street crossing was three-tracks by 1970, but was gone by the time the first Google Earth image was taken in 1993.

Aerial photographs from 1937 show the spur in place. The spur crossed the Bamberger minaline on a 90-degree crossing, with a connection between the Bamberger and the UP spur along the north side of this crossing. This connection allowed the Bamberger to serve and interchange rail cars loaded with sand and gravel, and rock.

Aerial photos dated 1993 show that the quarry was essentially closed, and the railroad grade crossing of Beck Street removed.

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