Summit County Railroad (1871-1881)

This page was last updated on May 23, 2010.

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Locomotives

Based in part on the research of George Pitchard

Summit County Ry 2-6-0 -- 2 locomotives

Summit County
Number
Date To
Summit County
Builder Builder
Number
Date of Trial Date To
U&N
Notes
SC 1 Mar 1873 Baldwin 3113 27 Jan 1873 Sep 1880 1
SC 2 Sep 1875 Baldwin 3663 11 Nov 1874 Sep 1880 2

General Notes:

  1. The first locomotive actually used on the Summit County Railroad was the Utah Northern's first engine, the 2-4-0 named 'John W. Young' which was loaned by John W. to his brother Joseph A. Young, builder of the Summit County. It was in use on the Summit County from October of 1872 until about July 1873.
  2. Individual locomotive specifications (taken from 1885 UP roster, as U&N locomotives):
  Summit County
Number
Cylinders Drivers Engine Weight
  SC 1 11 x 16 inches 36 inches 35,000 pounds
  SC 2 12 x 16 inches 36 inches 39,000 pounds

Notes:

  1. Summit County Railroad number 1 was built as Cairo & St. Louis No. 8 in January 1873, named "Jonesboro", sale canceled; to Montrose Railroad number 2 in March 24, 1873, canceled the next day; diverted to Summit County Railroad number 1 on March 28, 1873, named "Weber", shipped on April 4, 1873, arrived in Utah on April 22, 1873; to Utah & Northern Railway 22 in September 1880; to Utah & Northern number 2 in 1885; vacated before 1891, scrapped.
  2. George Pitchard wrote the following about Summit County number 1:
  3. Named 'Weber' arrived in Echo on April 22, 1873, and appears to have run for the first time on the 28th, with the Baldwin engineer who delivered the engine, Nathan Pettys, at the throttle. It appears, from the Baldwin list, that the No. 1 was built to be Cairo & St. Louis No. 8, but was not delivered. Baldwin entered John W. Young's order for an engine on March 28, 1873, and shipped the No. 1 on April 4, 1873. This engine was sold, according to the general journal of the Summit County Railroad, to the Utah & Northern in September of 1880, at a price of $5,000.00, and became No. 22 on the U. & N. Railway. In the 1885 renumbering, it became No. 2, class DF-1, and was dropped from equipment prior to January 1, 1891 and scrapped by the end of 1891, according to an entry in the U. P.'s general journal.
  4. No. 1 was Baldwin Class 12D-16; ordered on March 28, 1873; construction number 3113; 11x16 inch cylinders, 36 inch drivers, six-wheel tender, water capacity of 750 gallons; car and messenger service, at $8.00 per day, 35 days, from April 5, 1873 to May 9, 1873, $280.00; cost of locomotive: $9,250 on a four-month note of J. W. Young, endorsed by Brigham Young.
  5. Initially to be Cairo & St. Louis No. 8, "Jonesboro"; C&StL had ordered Baldwin 12D-16 class engine on March 19, 1872 at a cost of $8,150.00, class 12D-16 was built as Baldwin construction number 3113, with a date of trial of January 27, 1873, completed and ready to go as C&StL No. 8 about a week after that, but was not delivered, apparently owing to C&StL's money problems; diverted on March 27, 1873 to Montrose Railroad No. 2, but changed the next day to Summit County Railroad No. 1, repainted (from C&StL No. 8), shipped to Utah on April 4, 1873.
  6. (View a digital image of the Baldwin specification sheet -- with "Montrose Railroad" crossed out and "Summit County Railroad" written above; from PacificNG.com)
  7. Summit County Railroad number 2 was built 1874 either as a Baldwin stock locomotive, or for another railroad and not delivered; sold to Summit County Railroad in September 1875, numbered as Summit County number 2; to Utah & Northern number 1 (2nd) in 1880; to U&N 290 in 1885; vacated before 1891, scrapped.
  8. George Pitchard wrote the following about Summit County number 2:
  9. Received in October of 1875. It may have been an engine built for another road, but for some reason not delivered, and finally sold to the Summit County. That seems to be the most likely explanation for the differential between its construction date of November 1874 and its delivery date of October 1875. The likelihood of error is reduced substantially by the fact that the Summit County didn't go shopping for a No. 2 until September of 1875, when W. W. Riter went East for that purpose, and to get more cars. No. 2 was delivered to the Utah & Northern, at Jay Gould's behest, on March 26, 1878, and was 'officially' sold to the U & N in May 1878 for $5,000.00, according to the Summit County journal. On the U&N, it eventually became the second No. 1, on an as-yet uncertain date. And in the 1885 renumbering, it became No. 290, in the odd class. No. 290, like the No. 2 above, was dropped from equipment prior to January 1, 1891 and scrapped by the end of 1891, according to the same entry in the U. P. journal.
  10. No. 2 was Baldwin Class 8/18D-11; construction number 3663; date of trial, November 11, 1874; date of proposition to Summit County Railroad, September 10, 1875; 12x16 inch cylinders, 36 inch drivers, tender with usual two trucks, at a cost of $6,550.00; shipped on September 16, 1875; car and messenger service fee, at $7.00 per day, 28 days, $196.00; UP charges for returning empty car, $266.95.
  11. Some sources have been interpreted as stating that No. 2 was built for another road, but it is not very clear from the surviving information. By the time Summit County bought the engine, in September 1875, it was basically a "stock" engine, waiting for the first available purchaser.
  12. (View a digital image of the Baldwin specification sheet, from PacificNG.com)

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Letter, Baldwin Locomotive Works (M. Baird & Co.) to John W. Young, March 1873:

28 March 1873

John W. Young, Esq.,

94 Broadway, New York

Dear Sir: We enter your order for one narrow gauge locomotive on the plan of the Sparta (photograph enclosed) Cylinders 11 x 16; Drivers 36" diam.; Weight 35000 pds.; steel firebox, steel tires and wristpins, iron boiler and tubes; to be marked Summit County Railroad No. 1. Price $9250.00, f.o.b. car here. Terms 4 months satisfactory paper, 7% interest added, and privilege of one renewal at current rates.

We cannot name a rate at which the engine can be delivered at Echo City. We telegraphed the Union Pacific Railroad Co. asking for a rate from Omaha, and have reply of general freight Agt. as per enclosed copy of telegram. We will, therefore, propose for delivery as follows: We will furnish our car to go through with the engine to Omaha and our messenger to accompany same and arrange rates where necessary, charging for service of car and messenger eight dollars per day from time of departure to retrun of car. The railroad charges to follow.

Please acknowledge and advise us if this arrangement will be satisfactory.

Yours very truly

M. Baird & Co.

/signature/ J. H. C.

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