Utah Division
Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad

Castle Gate in thePrice Canyon, ca. 1929
Overview
Locale	Utah, westernColorado
Dates of operation	1882–1992
Successor	Southern Pacific Lines
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge; originally3 ft (914 mm)
Length	332.3 miles (534.8 km)[1]

TheUtah Division of the formerDenver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) is arail line that connectsGrand Junction, Colorado andSalt Lake City, Utah (formerlyOgden) in theWestern United States. It is now incorporated into theUnion Pacific Railroad (UP) system as part of theCentral Corridor. The modern Union Pacific has split the line into two subdivisions for operational purposes, theGreen River Subdivision between Grand Junction andHelper, Utah and theProvo Subdivision from Helper to Salt Lake City.^[2] Daily passenger service is provided byAmtrak'sCalifornia Zephyr; theBNSF Railway andUtah Railway havetrackage rights over the line.

The line dates back to the early 1880s, when the predecessors of the D&RGW completed a3 ft (914 mm)narrow gauge line through theRoyal Gorge, overMarshall Pass, through theBlack Canyon of the Gunnison, across the Utahdesert, and overSoldier Summit. It wasrebuilt tostandard gauge in 1890, and has since remained a through line, often serving as parts of larger networks including theGould transcontinental system,Southern Pacific, and now the Union Pacific.

The division also included a number ofbranch lines, the longest being the Marysvale Branch through theSevier Valley.

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When theDenver & Rio Grande Railway (D&RG) was chartered in 1870, it had the goal of connectingDenver withEl Paso, Texas.^[3] But when it reachedRaton Pass in 1878, it found that theAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad had beaten it to the best crossing intoNew Mexico.^[4] After several years of financially draining battle, the two companies came to an agreement in 1880, and the D&RG, under the direction ofWilliam J. Palmer, set its sights on Salt Lake City.^[5]

In the meantime, theUtah and Pleasant Valley Railway (U&PV) had built a 3-foot (914mm)narrow gauge line from thecoal mines in thePleasant Valley toProvo on theUnion Pacific Railroad-controlledUtah Southern Railroad. The company was incorporated on December 11, 1875, under the general laws of Utah^[6] by owners of land in the valley. The company began grading in April 1877 andtrack laying on August 29, 1878, driving the lastspike between Pleasant Valley andSpringville on November 5, 1879.^[7] The short distance in theUtah Valley from Springville to the larger city of Provo, which closely paralleled the Utah Southern, opened in October 1880. InvestorCharles W. Scofield ofNew York, who was already in control of two other narrow gauge mining roads - theBingham Canyon and Camp Floyd Rail Road since 1873 and theWasatch and Jordan Valley Railroad since 1875 - acquired the U&PV in October 1878.^[8][9]

The U&PV began at a mine in the Pleasant Valley south ofScofield,^[10] heading north along the presentPleasant Valley Subdivision to theScofield Reservoir. The old grade has been flooded until it leaves the lake to the north, rising to an elevation of 7,967 feet (2,428 m)above sea level before descending, via a pair ofswitchbacks, toStarvation Creek. The valley of that creek took the railroad to theSpanish Fork Canyon, and the later D&RGW, atTucker. The remainder of the U&PV is now, for the most part, still operated, as it follows Spanish Fork Canyon into the Utah Valley.^[11]

The Central Pacific Coal & Coke Co. Ltd. of London chartered the San Pete Valley Railroad in 1873 to develop its mining properties in Utah. Opened in 1882, the narrow-gauge line ran 30 miles from Nephi to the parent company's coal deposits at Wales, was extended 35 miles to Moroni in 1884, to Manti (43 miles) in 1893, and to Morrison (51 miles) in 1894. The D&RG purchased the railroad in 1907.^[12]

Associates of Palmer incorporated theSevier Valley Railway in Utah on December 7, 1880,^[6] with a route paralleling the Union Pacific's lines from the railroad center ofOgden south through Salt Lake City and Provo toNephi, and then continuing throughSalt Creek Canyon and theSanpete Valley toSalina in theSevier Valley. There it would split, one line continuing south to theArizona state line, and the other turning east throughSalina Canyon and across theCastle Valley to theGrand (Colorado) River, following it to meet the westward-building D&RG at theColorado border. To counter this threat to its monopoly, the Union Pacific set up the Utah Southern and Castle Valley Railroad less than two weeks later to extend its Utah Southern through Salina Canyon to the Castle Valley. In another week, when UP workers reached the canyon, the Sevier Valley had already begun grading.^[8]

On May 26, 1881, D&RG interests incorporated theSalt Lake and Park City Railway,^[6] a branch from Salt Lake City east toPark City andCoalville.^[13] The lines of this company and the Sevier Valley were included in the far-reaching charter for theDenver & Rio Grande Western Railway, incorporated on July 21, 1881^[6] and immediately consolidated with the others. Palmer knew that it would be important to first complete the line to Ogden, where theCentral Pacific Railroad extended west toCalifornia. It was rumored as early as April 1881 that the D&RG had gained control of the U&PV and would bypass Salina Canyon, instead using a shorter route northwesterly from Castle Valley to a connection with that road,^[14] and Palmer confirmed this in September. (The original grading through Castle Valley was never used for a railroad, although in the 1910s it was briefly part of theMidland Trail, nowUS-6.) The D&RGW bought the assets of the Wasatch and Jordan Valley Railroad, which had merged with the Bingham Canon and Camp Floyd Rail Road, atforeclosure on December 31, 1881, adding to its system two profitable branches fromMidvale toBingham andLittle Cottonwood Canyons.^[8]

The D&RGW similarly acquired the U&PV's property on June 14, 1882, and at about that time began operating trains between Salt Lake City and Pleasant Valley, using new trackage north of Provo. The D&RG of Colorado leased the D&RGW of Utah on August 1,^[15] allowing the former to operate the latter for a payment of 40% of gross receipts. The difficult double switchback on the original U&PV was bypassed by a new connection to the under-construction D&RGW atColton on November 23, 1882, as well as the new line from Colton overSoldier Summit toTucker.^[16] D&RG and D&RGW crews met at a point now known asDesert, 14 miles (23 km) west ofGreen River, on March 30, 1883, and trains began running between Denver and Salt Lake City several days later.^[17] (Although the D&RG built the line from the state line to Desert, it was owned by the D&RGW.^[18]) Final completion to Ogden in May was delayed for several days by the Union Pacific's refusal to let the D&RGW cross, but on May 19 the D&RGW was complete.^[8] Palmer soon resigned as D&RG president, since the directors were opposed to further expansion, but remained in control of the leased D&RGW.^[19]

With the line into Utah complete, the D&RG system consisted of anarrow gauge main line from Denver to Ogden, passing through or overColorado Springs,Pueblo, theRoyal Gorge,Salida,Marshall Pass,Gunnison, theBlack Canyon of the Gunnison,Montrose,Grand Junction,Green River, and Salt Lake City. It included numerous branches, but only three west of Grand Junction - to Pleasant Valley, Bingham Canyon, and Little Cottonwood Canyon.^[10] The main line began by following the valley of theGrand (Colorado) River west out of Grand Junction, but curved away atMack to avoidRuby Canyon. Some steep grades and sharp curves carried the original line over the highlands north of the river, crossing the state line and continuing southwesterly and westerly toGreen River, Utah. Curving northwest around theBeckwith Plateau, the railroad crossed thePrice River atWoodside, where it began to follow that river through its valleys and canyons. Almost immediately, due to flooding, the railroad had to be removed from the canyon between Grassy Trail (south ofCedar) and Farnham (southeast ofWellington), though it remained alongside the river from Grassy Trail southeast to Woodside until bypassed by the present standard gauge alignment. Continuing on, the line passed through thePrice Canyon, including theCastle Gate rock formation, as it rose to the top of theWasatch Range atSoldier Summit. TheSpanish Fork Canyon took the line down into theUtah Valley, with some 4%grades near the top before it met the earlier U&PV atTucker. Through the Utah Valley and adjacentSalt Lake Valley, connected by theJordan Narrows, the D&RGW's line closely paralleled a UP line, serving many of the valleys' populated areas. The final stretch generally followed theGreat Salt Lake's shore toOgden, where it connected to theCentral Pacific Railroad.^[11][20]

The expansion resulted in a largedebt that the D&RG was unable to pay theinterest on. D&RGW president Palmer and D&RG presidentFrederick Lovejoy got into an argument over the management and payment of rental for the leased D&RGW. Unable to break the lease, Lovejoy ordered the tracks torn up at the state line in retaliation, costing both railroads theChicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad's through traffic. The D&RG enteredreceivership on July 12, 1884 and the D&RGW on August 12, with D&RGW superintendentW. H. Bancroft being appointed to the Utah company.^[21] The two companies resumed friendly relations, and after the D&RGreorganized on July 14, 1886,^[6] it terminated the lease of the D&RGW on July 31, giving the latter company significant amounts ofrolling stock.^[22] Palmer returned to his position as D&RGW president, the company having been released from receivership.^[23]

Now independent, the D&RGW looked to the east, where thestandard gaugeColorado Midland Railway was building west fromColorado Springs with the intent of entering Utah. Palmer realized that if he did not widen his gauge and cooperate with the Midland, he might soon have new competition. To raise the money to convert the line, which would require about 100 miles (160 km) of new railroad where the existing grade was too steep or curvy, he incorporated a newRio Grande Western Railway. (Palmer had initially proposed the name "Utah and Colorado Railway" for the new company.^[24]) TheState Line and Denver Railway was incorporated May 16, 1889^[6] with the power to build east toGlenwood Springs, Colorado, then the terminus of the Midland. That same day, it was consolidated with the old Denver & Rio Grande Western Railway, with articles of incorporation filed in both states on June 24.^[25]

Construction began immediately, the line being converted from Ogden to Salt Lake City by mid-November 1889,^[26] toProvo on March 7, 1890,^[27] and the rest of the way to Grand Junction on June 10.^[28] The line was completely relocated out of the canyon of thePrice River fromGrassy Trail toWoodside, and into theRuby Canyon of theGrand (Colorado) River fromWhitehouse toCrevasse, Colorado. Beyond Crevasse, the RGW leased the D&RG track to Grand Junction in December 1889 and subsequently widened its gauge. TheRio Grande Junction Railway, owned jointly by the D&RG and Midland, was completed to Grand Junction on November 15, 1890, and through service began the next day over the RGW and both eastern roads, the D&RG having completed its standard gauge line overTennessee Pass.^[29] All branches were also converted, except for short3 ft (914 mm) gauge sections at the ends of the lines into Bingham and Little Cottonwood Canyons.^[30]

For the next ten years, the RGW operated as an independent standard gaugebridge line connecting Grand Junction to Salt Lake City and Ogden, with branches to sources of valuable minerals. Through its new subsidiary, the Utah Central Railroad, the RGW acquired several Salt Lake City-area lines in 1898, finally adding to its system the branch toPark City throughParley's Canyon that had been chartered in 1881. The RGW teamed up with theColorado and Southern Railway, which had recently been split from the bankruptUnion Pacific Railroad, and stretched north–south fromWyoming through eastern Colorado intoTexas, to jointly buy control of the connectingColorado Midland Railway. RGW's publicly listed share prices rose, delaying a takeover by the D&RG untilGeorge Gould arrived. Gould, owner of theMissouri Pacific Railroad (MP), wished to createa transcontinental railroad system, and identified the D&RG/RGW as the best route west into Utah. The MP began buying D&RG stock in 1900, and the D&RG did the same with the RGW. Palmer still owned acontrolling interest in the RGW, but he came to an agreement to sell the company to Gould, and Gould management, including new presidentEdward Turner Jeffery, took over on July 1, 1901.^[31]

In 1901, theUnion Pacific Railroad gained control of theSouthern Pacific Railroad, which owned theCentral Pacific Railway, the portion of theFirst transcontinental railroad west of Ogden. Searching for another route to the Pacific, Gould incorporated theCastle Valley Railway as a cutoff from the RGW's main line nearFarnham to theMarysvale Branch atSalina and beyond to the under-constructionSan Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad (Salt Lake Route) atMilford. However, the Union Pacific gained control of the Salt Lake Route in mid-1903, forcing Gould to construct an entirely new line to California. The financing of theWestern Pacific Railway (WP) would take almost all the revenues of the MP, D&RG, and RGW, leaving very little for maintenance, let alone improvements. The D&RG and RGW, operated as a single system since 1901, were merged as theDenver & Rio Grande Western Railroad on July 31, 1908,^[6] finally combining the two halves of the Denver-Ogden line into one railroad company.^[32]

Improvement of the standard gauge main line through Utah to relieve congestion had begun in 1898, when the RGW added a second track to the steep 4% grade toTucker on the west side ofSoldier Summit. The shallower east-side grade was similarly doubled toColton in 1906, and further toKyune and fromCastle Gate toHelper in 1909. Construction began on a new low-grade line west of the summit in 1912, when the D&RG added a track betweenDetour (the west end of the realignment) andThistle. The new line, with a doublehairpin curve, was completed the next year, as was a second track between Kyune and Castle Gate, completing a double-track line between Thistle and Helper,^[33] with a maximum grade of 2.4% on the east slope and 2.0% on the west.^[34] Local competition arrived in 1912, when theUnited States Smelting, Refining and Mining Company, which ownedcoal mines southwest ofPrice, organized theUtah Railway (originally the Utah Coal Railway). U.S. Smelting objected to the D&RG's charging of higher freight rates due to the mines' location on abranch line, and began to build its own line over Soldier Summit into theUtah Valley. The two companies reached an agreement in November 1913, where the D&RG would operate the Utah Railway between a junction near Castle Gate and the mines, and the unfinished line between Thistle andProvo would be completed as a second track.^[35] This arrangement began with the completion of the road in 1914, and the D&RG now had a double-track line between Provo and Helper. Three years later, the Utah Railway began independent operations between the mines and Provo under areciprocal trackage rights arrangement that has persisted to the present, where each company allows the other to use its half of the double-track line.^[36]

The WP was completed in 1910, but its construction had given the D&RG enormous debts. After periods of ownership byEastern U.S. bankers, the courts appointed two localtrustees in 1935. The system was slowly rebuilt into a profitable enterprise, and in 1947 it was reorganized as the *Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad.^[37] After buying theSouthern Pacific Transportation Company in 1988 and adopting the latter's name,^[38] the D&RGW became part of theUnion Pacific Railroad in 1996.^[39]

With the level of theGreat Salt Lake rising in the mid-1980s, the D&RGW and UP came to atrackage rights agreement, where the D&RGW would use the UP's higher line between Salt Lake City and Ogden, and in exchange the UP could use the D&RGW between Salt Lake City and Provo, a better-designed route than the UP's.^[38] The majority of the ex-D&RGW north of Salt Lake City is now theDenver & Rio Grande Western Rail Trail, while the UP has sold itsSharp Subdivision north of Provo to theUtah Transit Authority, which operates theTRAXBlue Line (light rail) along the corridor, as well as contracts with theSalt Lake City Southern Railroad for freight.

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In 1873, the Central Pacific Coal & Coke Company, Ltd. of London chartered the narrow-gauge San Pete Valley Railroad to connect its 10,000 acres of coal property in Wales, Utah to theUtah Southern Railroad at Nephi, Utah (about 30 miles). This was later extended to Manti and Morrison. The Denver & Rio Grande bought all the securities of the SPV in 1907.^[40]

A long branch was begun in 1890 as3 ft (914 mm) gauge and widened in 1891, extending south fromThistle upThistle Creek and down theSan Pitch River toManti. It was extended south toSevier in 1891, via theSevier River, by theSevier Railway, and that same year theTintic Range Railway built fromSpringville southwest and west toEureka in theTintic Mountains. The RGW organized both of these companies to be owned by RGW stockholders, but out of the control of RGW bondholders. ThePanic of 1893 stopped new construction until 1896, when the Sevier Railway was extended farther south toBelknap.^[41]

TheBallard & Thompson Railroad between Thompson Springs and Sego was purchased in 1913 by the D&RGW and became the Sego Branch.^[42]

The Rio Grande obtained control of the narrow gauge Wasatch & Jordan Valley Railway in 1881 which had been built upLittle Cottonwood Canyon.^[43] Portions of the line would be standard gauged as far as Wasatch station by 1913. From Wasatch to the line's terminus atAlta, Utah would remain narrow gauge, the Rio Grande's last narrow gauge in the state of Utah. Rather than operating the line themselves the Rio Grande would lease it to various operators such as the horse-drawn Alta Tramway and later theShay locomotive powered Little Cottonwood Transportation Company until 1922. Postal service and passenger service on the narrow gauge was provided from 1922 to 1928 by a "jitney" service operated by Elbert Despain on an automobile converted for rail service.^[44][45] Following the end of jitney service, the Rio Grande abandoned access to the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon in 1933 along with the narrow gauge route up the canyon. Segments ofUtah State Route 210 follow the former railroad grade up the canyon. Full abandonment of the surviving segments of the remaining Sandy branch would occur in 1965.

In the future, anew rail line into theUintah Basin, currently under study by the state of Utah, may be constructed, branching off the existing line nearSoldier Summit.^[46]

This is a list of presidents (and equivalents) of the Utah company before it was merged into the D&RG in 1908. For post-1908 presidents, seeDenver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Presidents.

• William J. Palmer, 1881–1884
• W. H. Bancroft, 1884–1886 (receiver)
• William J. Palmer, 1886–1901
• Edward Turner Jeffery, 1901–1908

• List of Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad lines

• R. A. LeMassena (1974).Rio Grande ... to the Pacific!. Sundance Publications.ISBN 0-913582-09-3.

Media related toUtah Division (D&RGW) at Wikimedia Commons

• Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
• Rail infrastructure in Utah
• Colorado River
• 3 ft gauge railways in the United States
• Standard-gauge railways in the United States

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