Logan Rapid Transit Company

The Logan Rapid Transit Company was organized on January 29, 1910 and was capitalized at $500,000. At the time of consolidation (in 1914) it operated 11.9 miles of electric railway in Logan and Cache County. (from Smithfield on the north, to Providence on the south)

An excellent picture of the company is to be found in the annual report of its secretary for the year ending December 31, 1913, from which we quote:

The cars mentioned were Nos. 1 and 2, built by Cincinnati in 1910 for ORT, and #38, also from Ogden, and built by St. Louis in 1910. The trailer was #101, built by American in 1910 and purchased from ORT when new. It completed the passenger car roster, but there were also a work car (#302), a flat car and two gravel cars, both from ORT.

The car barn was a frame building 28 by 100, with a 50 foot pit, two tracks in barn, one along the outside. A brick substation 14 by 17 housed an Allis-Chalmers motor-generator which took AC current at 2300 volts (three phase) and converted it to 600 v. DC.

The local line started at the Oregon Short Line Depot (Union Pacific) and ran 18 blocks to the Utah Agricultural College, a little more than two miles. There were two sidings, one at either terminus, while at the OSL Depot there was a track connection with the steam road.

The Smithfield Line ran from 6th East and 4th North to Smithfield, 7.4 miles.

The South Main St. line consisted of about 5-1/2 blocks of track.

Trolley wire and feeders were both 0000 on the interurban, while the city line used 00 wire for trolleys and feeders.

Comparison of Lines: The two lines of LRT were officially known as the "Logan Branch" which was the line in Logan, and the "Smithfield Branch" which was the interurban line between Smithfield and Providence via Logan. The Logan Branch comprised the entire operation prior to September 1912, but the Smithfield Branch from its first complete month of operation (October, 1912) surpassed the local line in receipts consistently. The Logan Branch averaged in the neighborhood of $1,200 monthly, while the Smithfield Branch jumped to a solid $1400 per month. For some obscure reason, Loganites' riding fell off badly every August; in 1912, the net earning for August was but $72.38, a drop of $600 from the previous month and $900 less than the following month. This interesting quirk failed to repeated on the Smithfield Branch; its riders apparently saw no reason for not patronizing the cars in August just as in every other month.

LRT was quite a profitable undertaking for the Eccles interests. In the four year period ending December 31, 1913, the net yearly earnings were: 1910, $8,180; 1911, 7,1.43; 1912, $10,923; 1913; $1,4,388. Total dividends for this period were $10,356!

In late 1914 and in 1915 rails were extended south from Providence to Wellsville, 11.5 miles from Logan, and north from Smithfield to Preston, 27 miles north of Logan. This gave the Logan operation a main line of 38.7 miles, serving a population of less than 23,000 people.

The building of the connection between Wellsville and Brigham was completed in 1915, and on October 27th of that year through interurban service was inaugurated between Ogden and Preston. In as much as the interurban was operated at a 1500-v. pressure, certain changes had to be made in the substation and city cars. Each car received two Westinghouse 543-A-6 750-1500 volt motors, connected permanently in series and controlled by R-200 double end equipment.

City car #2 on May 11, 1916, ran away while its motorman was in the station. He chased the car but failed to catch it, and the only passenger jumped without injury. Near the end of track the car jumped the rails and ended up on a lawn against a large tree, pulling down considerable trolley wire. For several hours interurban trains through the area were hauled by steam engines.

The automobile killed off patronage of the local line to such an extent that by 1924 UIC gave up and substituted two gas buses.

Lines operated by the Logan Rapid Transit Company at the time were:

• City line, from 6th West St. and Center via Main, 4th North, Sixth East (one block) -- 2.3 miles
• Logan to Providence (south) -- 1.5 miles
• Logan to Smithfield (north) -- 7.4 miles
• Total Mileage -- 11.2 miles

Case 902 -- Utah Idaho Central Railroad

To abandon street car line in Logan.

Operated by two cars, #211 and #212.

Route was along Center Street from 6th West to Main Street, then north along Main Street, over the interurban tracks, to 4th North, then east along 4th North to 6th East, then north along 6th East to 9th North. Also a one block line along 7th East from 4th North to 5th North.

Approved September 8, 1926.

In order to forestall possible competition, the U-IC began bus service between Ogden and Preston on August 5, 1924. Two small Fageols operated the route which paralleled the rail line except between Brigham and Wellsville where the road via Mantua cut 16 miles off the trip. City streetcars in Logan were replaced by two model AB Macks in 1926. The buses proved more economical to operate and three small Superiors were added in 1935 and 1936.

Expenses were barely covered in 1938, but several small Crown intercity coaches were bought for the interurban line, and at least one Yellow Coach model 733 and (in 1940) a TG-2101 were bought for the Logan city service. The situation grew worse since most passenger traffic was along the road and 90 percent of the rail passenger revenue was from school service; freight revenue had also declined due to a coal strike. In 1945, the deficit was $245,000.

(The GM TG-2101 was the first series of a popular Transit, Gas bus, 21 feet long; this TG-2101 was GM serial 89773, built in October 1940.)