Utah Railway Steam Era (1917-1957)

I was selected to bring engine No. 103 to Provo from the Oregon Short Line shops at Salt Lake City where it had been placed in running condition upon its arrival from the builders. At Salt Lake City about twenty tons of mine run coal were put into the tender. As the coaling facilities at Provo had not been completed, it was necessary to run to Thistle, about twenty miles easterly beyond Provo, for a supply of slack coal; the engine was equipped with the type "C" Street stoker which would not handle coarser sizes of coal. All the unused mine run coal which was in the tender had to be shoveled out by hand and replaced with slack. This was loaded with a clamshell as the Thistle chute was then out of service.

Upon our return to Provo, we were required to take eight hours rest, after which we were called to take the first train east on November 27th, 1917. Engine 103 was run onto the turntable and this is where I lost out on the first trip over the road for the turntable belied part of its name and refused to turn. This made it necessary to run engine 102, with Engineer Pumphrey, on the first train, beating me out of the privilege, for which reason I have ever since regarded the Provo turntable with considerable contempt.

…locomotives of the 2-10-2 type were designed for this division under the supervision of C. E. Fuller, Superintendent of Motive Power and Machinery, and A. H. Fetters, Mechanical Engineer. Twenty-seven of these engines were built last year by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, fifteen for the Union Pacific, six for the Los Angeles and Salt Lake, and six for the Utah Railway.

Along US 6 between Price and Helper, Utah is a large open field at Spring Glen that contains a relic of Helper's steam days: the tender from Utah Railway 2-8-8-0 Mallet No. 201, one of the largest steam locomotives ever owned by that railroad.

While many railfans best remember the Utah for its fleet of white and red Alco diesels, before they arrived in 1952 the railroad relied on a stable of nine 2-10-2s and three 2-8-8-0s - all Baldwins - to move heavy coal trains between the mines of Carbon County and Provo. Like the Utah's cabooses, the railroad's steam locomotives were purchased through the Union Pacific Equipment Association, and thus their headlights, tenders, cabs, and even number indicator boards were all UP standard design.

The Utah's 2-10-2s, Nos. 100-108, were the "bread and butter" engines of the road; six were ordered new in 1917, and three more were added in the 1920s. They were mainly as road engines, but were also used in helper service as needed.

Three big 2-8-8-0 compound mallets, or "Consolidation Mallets," were built for the Utah by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in April 1918, numbered 200 - 202. They were based on a B&O design, and were identical in appearance to the Union Pacific 3600-series "Bull Moose" Mallets (at the time, fifteen of which were under construction at Alco).

The 200-series were used mostly for mid- and rear-train helper service in both directions from Soldier Summit, assisting the 2-10-2s up the hill with loaded coal trains. They were equipped with 57" drive wheels, 26" x 32" high pressure cylinders, 41" x 32" low pressure cylinders, Walschaert valve gear, Schmidt superheaters, and a boiler pressure of 210 PSI; this contributed to an impressive 96,227 pounds of tractive effort (just 39,143 pounds less than a Union Pacific Big Boy of 1941).

The 2-8-8-0s were well suited for mountain railroading and were touted as being supplied with "Baldwin's flexible articulated frame connection," which allowed them to negotiate a 9-degree curve on the mainline or a 20-degree curve in sidings, and tackle grades as steep as 2.4 percent. Tenders supplied were of the Vanderbilt type and were 36 feet long, as was standard on the UP. They held 20 tons of coal and 12,000 gallons of water, and rode on Vulcan four wheel trucks.

No. 201 arrived on the Utah Railway just after the 4th of July celebrations ended in the summer of 1918. The new Mallets were immediately popular with the crews, since they were equipped with Street type "C" automatic stokers (Rio Grande power, frequently leased to the Utah in the early days, was not yet outfitted as such). By all accounts they did their jobs very well, shoving trains up Spanish Fork Canyon day in and day out.

By the early 1950s, though, the Mallets days were numbered. While the Utah kept its steam power in excellent mechanical shape, by then the 201 and her sisters were showing the effects of 30-plus years of continuous service, and rather than purchase second-hand replacements the Utah management authorized the aquisition of six new Alco RSD-4s, which quickly took over most chores. Most steam power was scrapped, with the exception being three 2-10-2s that saw some limited use in Provo, then were store, and the No. 201, which - being in the best shape of all the Mallets - was stored serviceable in Helper Yard.

In 1955 the Utah purchased a new RSD-5 from Alco, bringing its fleet of diesels up to seven, and it became apparent that the stored steam locomotives would not be needed. The remaining two 2-10-2s were cut up in March of 1957, along with Mallet 201 at Helper. However, the 201's tender was saved and converted into a water car. Its fading paint shows evidence that it was last serviced at Martin during 1964.

By the early 1970s the water car was no longer needed and it was destined to be scrapped. By then no other trace of the Utah Railway steam power still existed - the tender of 201 was the only survivor. Fortunately, a savior was found. The tender was acquired by Mr. H. L. Lowdermilk of the Lowdermilk Construction Company, which in the 1970s was the largest construction company in central and eastern Utah. Mr. Lowdermilk was a fan of railroad memorabilia and other equipment, and over the years he assembled a small display of old iron at the entrance to the company's equipment yard at Spring Glen. The tender was moved there and placed on a piece of panel track for display.

Today the Lowdermilk equipment yard is silent, and many of the displays have moved elsewhere. The tender remains, forlorn and rusting, along with some mining equipment, the boiler from an Avery steam tractor, and a derelict Fordson tractor.