Oregon Short Line In Utah

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This page was last updated on December 28, 2024.

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Overview and Timeline

OSL in Utah, Salt Lake City to Ogden, and north of Ogden -- Tracks owned by OSL; all UP lines north of Salt Lake City (leased to UP in 1936; merged with UP in 1987)

Research Notes

Compiled from handwritten notes, dating from 1978-1988.

(Most of this information was transcribed from handwritten notes taken while doing research in the files of UP's engineering department during 1982-1983, then compiled as a computer file in 1988, with additions through September 1994.)

(The notes from the early 1980s were completed prior to the closure of UP's engineering office in Salt Lake City in about 1984. All files and most personnel were moved to Omaha in 1983-1984. The office was located in the Utah Division offices in the former depot annex building, just south of Union Pacific's Salt Lake City depot. The building was demolished in 1999 to make room for The Gateway Project.)

OSL Newspaper Articles

Oregon Short Line to build shops in Salt Lake City. (Salt Lake Tribune, December 15, 1900)
Oregon Short Line incorporates Utah, Nevada & Eastern to build into Nevada. (Salt Lake Tribune, December 16, 1900)

OSL Locations in Utah

(Salt Lake City to Ogden and North)

OSL in Salt Lake City

Becks Hot Springs was at engineering station 1741+44 (32.98 miles south of Ogden)
Grant Tower building was 34 feet, 4 inches by 19 feet, 4 inches. South Temple Street was vacated on July 26, 1948.
Ownership of tracks west of Salt Lake City changed at LA&SL milepost 781.3; west of that point the north track was WP and the south track was LA&SL; east of that point the south track was WP and the north track was LA&SL.
Deer Creek Coal Company was at 200 South, on west side of D&RGW tracks, served by a spur from D&RGW.

From a Union Pacific engineering drawing dated March 1913:

A brick factory was located on the curve between 300 West and Paxton Avenue (at about 1200 South). The factory was also served by a spur from the Salt Lake and Utah.
Oregon Short Line had joint trackage with D&RGW at Fireclay to serve the Western Fireclay Company, on the south side of Big Cottonwood Creek, just north of 4500 South.
Hanauer Spur, retired under Work Order 6514, was located east of the mainline, also along the south bank of Big Cottonwood Creek.
Murray depot was 24'5" x 112'8", with a 4' x 13' bay on the track (west) side and a 4' x 14'5" bay on the east side.
U.S. Smelter Branch at Midvale was built in August 1904, from Atwoods Siding, running west under the D&RGW tracks to the United States smelter in Midvale.
The Highland Boy Branch was also built in August 1904. It ran north from a connection with the U.S. Smelter Branch, west of the D&RGW tracks, to the Highland Boy smelter. The Highland Boy Branch was taken up in August 1918, under Work Order 6324.
Midvale changed to Cushing on December 15, 1915.
OSL Sandy depot was 24'5" x 63'8".

UP's 3rd West Industrial Lead -- Narrative and text for the construction in 1953 of Union Pacific's 3rd West Industrial Lead; an example of UP's dominance over D&RGW in the 1950s.

UP's Monroc Spur -- Information about the Monroc spur in north Salt Lake City, from the north end of UP's North Yard, northeast across Beck Street to the Monroc limestone quarry. Duirng the 1970s this quarry was a source of railroad ballast.

OSL in Davis County

Improved Brick Company was just north of 1/2 section line in Section 30 T2N R1W; right-of-way deed was dated July 10, 1906
Improved Brick Company was also served by Bamberger, located just off Second West, at curve to North Salt Lake, at about Seventh or Eighth South, near present-day Bountiful City shops and National Guard amory

OSL at Ogden

After UP gained controlled of OSL in 1898, and especially after 1900, Union Pacific in Ogden, and Oregon Short Line in Ogden were essentially the same company.

OSL at Dewey

Retire 50,000 gallon water tank, December 6, 1947 (depot already retired).

OSL Branches in Utah

(listed alphbetically)

OSL Baker Siding and Spur

North of Brigham City, east of the Bear River

Bakers (MP 25.6) was retired in 1949 (Work Order 2168)
Bakers Spur (MP 25.3) was located east of mainline, across from connection at Bakers for the Urban Branch. The Bakers Spur was retired on December 3, 1947, at same time as the Urban Branch. (Work Order 2162)
Bakers Spur left the mainline at engineering station 1590+00 and ended at station (for spur) 96+61 (1.82 miles long).
Bakers Spur was purchased from Utah Idaho Sugar Company in November 1920.

OSL Bear River Branch

Garland (on Malad Branch) south to Bear River City, west of the Bear River

Bear River Branch ran south from a spur at the Garland sugar factory to Bear River City (MP 10.6)
Portion of branch from MP 9.9 to end of track at Bear River City (MP 10.6) was retired in December 1942. (Work Order 439)
Portions of branch were sold to the Utah State Highway Department for various projects along U.S. Highway 30:
MP 1.561 to MP 3.283 for highway project FAP 205A, in July 1940
MP 3.434 to MP 5.542 for highway project FAP 63-B
MP 5.542 to MP 6.044 for highway project No. 80
MP 6.044 to MP 7.576 for highway project FAP 63-B
Bear River Branch paralleled U.S. Highway 30 south from engineering station 178+22 (MP 3.37), where U.S. 30 turns south from Tremonton, to Bush, at engineering station 390+05 (MP 7.38).
Beet dump located at Bear River City
Lamb name changed from Hart on November 1, 1918. Lamb Station was retired in March 1950.

OSL Cache Valley Branches

OSL Evona Branch

Retire 1.15 miles of Evona Branch, from MP 2.62 (crossing of Roy-Hot Springs Highway) to MP 3.77 (connection with OSL mainline near Roy). (Work Order 89, dated May 1942)
Retire 1.03 miles of Evona Branch, from MP 1.59 (interchange with D&RGW) to MP 2.62 (previous end-of-track at Roy-Hot Springs Highway). (Work Order 1332, dated October 1945)

OSL Little Mountain Branch

North of Ogden. Hot Springs westward to east shore of Great Salt Lake.

Completed in 1971. Abandoned in 1997.

Mar 1971 -- Construction started
Sep 1971 -- Completed
Sep 1996 -- Service ended due to UP-SP merger
Aug 2000 -- Converted to Rails To Trails
Jun 2002 -- Trail opened to public

OSL Malad Branch

Built by Malad Valley Railroad, a direct subsidiary of OSL; incorporated on November 25, 1902.

OSL and Malad Valley Railroad signed an agreement with Bear River Water Company, on November 25, 1902, to construct a line from Corinne, north to a construction site of a new sugar factory to be built by Bear River Water Company, a distance of 12 miles (later known as Garland). The new contrsuction included a new connecting line between the OSL at Brigham City, and a connection with Central Pacific at a point near Corinne, then into and through Corinne to a connection with Malad Valley Railroad. The water company agreed to acquire all needed property and right of way, and then to pass all rights and ownership of said property and right of way to OSL and Malad Valley Railroad. In return, in a separate agreement on the same day, OSL and Malad Valley Railroad agreed provide transportation services for the sugar factory, at a rate that was the same or lower than any rate that the sugar company might obtain from any competing railroad.

From Brigham City to Corinne Junction was called the "Brigham City Cutoff".

The land companies involved in the development of the agricultural land adjacent to the new Malad Branch included the Bear River Land, Orchard and Sugar Beet Company, and the Bear River Valley Land Company, which was in receivership and was sold to the Malad Valley Railroad in April 1903.

OSL/UP leased all of the former Central Pacific facilities, trackage and right-of-way between Corinne Junction and Corinne on June 5, 1945, effective on March 16, 1945, with a right to purchase. The trackage and property was purchased on October 16, 1947.

Bear River name was changed from Waukegan on April 1, 1915
Holmgreen name was changed from Bear River on April 4, 1918
Elwood was retired on July 12, 1946. (Work Order 1618)
Evans was retired on July 12, 1946 (Work Order 1617); reinstated as Ford in September 1959.
Fielding (MP 25.0) was retired on July 15, 1974. (Work Order 23066)
Halbert name changed from Esteep on October 25, 1917
Utah Idaho Sugar Company owned a spur in west Corinne, south of the Central Pacific line to Promontory, at junction where the OSL turned north from the Central Pacific. The spur was operated by the OSL under contract number 56653.
OSL purchased the 962-foot spur at Corinne Junction from Utah Idaho Sugar Company on April 12, 1950. The spur was the remainder of the old Central Pacific line between Corinne Junction and Ogden. Utah Idaho Sugar had purchased the spur earlier from Central Pacific.
Brigham Sugar factory was located on the south leg of the wye at Brigham City, where the Malad Branch left the OSL mainline.

(from UP AFE 14, dated March 20, 1947)

Purchase 1.83 miles of former Central Pacific mainline, Corinne Junction to Corinne
OSL operated over the trackage since an agreement with CP on January 26, 1903, as part of OSL's Malad Branch
(research completed on May 3, 1995; UP archives; AFE files, ICC Class 44)

March-June 1968
On a date in the three-month period between March 10, 1968, and June 30, 1968 (the dates of the appliable Union Pacific public timetables), the mixed train local servive the Malad Branch was discontinued. The Malad mixed train was UP Trains 311 and 312, and was shown in the March 10, 1968 public timetable, but not in the June 30, 1968 public timetable.

OSL Syracuse Branch

OSL Thatcher Branch

From a point near Tremonton (on Malad Branch, west to Thatcher.

(from OSL drawing 21809, dated January 1924)

Thatcher Branch ran west, along the half section line, from a point about a half mile south of Tremonton (MP 17.8 on the Malad Branch) to Nelson.
Portion of branch from Thatcher (MP 6.25) to the end of the branch at Nelson (MP 7.3) was retired in January 1943. End of track was at the north side of the highway. (Work Order 461)
Portion of branch from MP 5.63 to Thatcher (MP 6.25) was retired in October 1945. Thatcher was moved to the new end of track, at MP 5.6, in November 1945. (Work Order 1429)

(from UP AFE 148, dated September 12, 1922)

Purchase and rehabilitate Thatcher Branch
Purchase price was $5,000.00; rehabilitation cost was $67, 830.00, including $58,000 to upgrade 40-pound rail to 80-pound rail
7.1 miles
Owned by Utah-Idaho Sugar Company; built in 1904
Operated by OSL only during sugar beet season; operating agreement was dated May 24, 1904
AFE work completed on August 6, 1923
Beet loading sites "dump" at Sommer, Bothwell, Sunset, Thatcher, Nelson
(research completed on May 3, 1995; UP archives; AFE files, ICC Class 44)
(Read the AFE accompanying letter; PDF, 3 pages; 1.2MB)

OSL Urban Branch

North of Brigham City, east of the Bear River

(from OSL drawing 20716, dated February 1919)

Urban Branch ran west and north from Bakers (MP 25.2) to Urban (MP 4.95)
Urban was located on the section line between Sections 8 and 17, due west from calls Fort on the OSL mainline.
Beet dumps were located at Urban, Teal (MP 2.9), and Natal
Cement plant was located at Opco (MP 1.1) (for the original Ogden Portland Cement Company)
From Bakers to Opco (1.1 mile) constructed in 1909 to serve the plant of the Ogden Portland Cement Company.
From Opco to Urban constructed in 1917 and 1918 for the handling of sugar beets grown on the east side of the Bear River to the sugar factory at Garland.
"For the past few years the only traffic handled on the line has been from beet dumps at Teal (MP 2.6) and Urban (MP 2.93). No regular train service is provided. No organized communities located on line. During beet harvest season the traffic is handled by trains making one round trip a day for a period of about 30 days. Traffic handled on the line for 6 years 1941-1946, in order, amounted to 105, 79, 72, 75, 49, and 36 carloads. The decline in traffic is attributed to the steady decrease in the number of acres planted in sugar beets. No substantial loss or inconvenience will be suffered...because the beet producers can truck their shipments to beet dumps located at nearby stations on the mainline, and no shipper objected to the abandonment." (267 ICC 634)
Retired 4.93 miles of branch from Bakers to Urban on 1 May 1948, under Work Order 2162 (ICC Finance Docket 15740, dated 3 November 1947, in 267 ICC 633)
At the time of abandonment, the cement plant was owned by the Western Portland Cement Company and the "cement ponds" were owned by the Utah-Idaho Cement Company. The cement plant trackage had been removed.
Bakers to Opco right-of-way was sold to Box Elder County, under Work Order 20414
Bakers was retired in 1949. (Work Order 2168)

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