Utah Railroading and Railfanning In "The Beehive State"

Utah railroading is recognized for its historic role in being the site of the completion of our country’s first transcontinental railroad, which took place at Promontory on May 10, 1869 between the meeting of the Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad (today the site is home to the Golden Spike National Historic Site). History aside, Utah's traffic has typically been natural resources like coal and copper although with Union Pacific’s main line running through Salt Lake City don’t be surprised to see a little bit of everything traveling through the state! During its height the Beehive State was once home to four Class I railroads although today the state’s trackage is mostly under the control of Union Pacific (with its ownership of the Southern Pacific Railroad, Western Pacific Railroad and Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad) with the rest operated by BNSF Rialway and a few shortline railroads like the historic Utah Railway.

With two main lines along with operating most of the state’s trackage today, perhaps the UP is the most-recognized and influential railroad ever to operate in Utah. The Union Pacific Railroad’s original main line (that is still in use today and quite busy) is the Overland Route, which runs between Ogden, Utah; Omaha, Nebraska; and Chicago. Today’s Union Pacific is much different from the system prior to 1980 as it operates as far north as Seattle, as far west as Los Angeles/Long Beach, as far east as Minneapolis, and as far south as Dallas, Brownsville, and New Orleans (and about every west in between!).

The UP of today, however, was not as large or wealthy prior to the 20th century. It struggled on and off during the late 19th century but after coming under the guidance of Edward Harriman the UP has generally lived a prosperous life since that time. As the 20th century progressed so too did the UP, being instrumental in the development of lightweight streamliners in the 1930s (the M-10000) which would be the forerunner of today’s common diesel-electric locomotives.

The current UP system began to take shape in 1982 when it purchased rival Western Pacific Railroad, which granted it access to northern California, and soon after this it would take over the Missouri Pacific Railroad to reach Chicago, St. Louis, and Texas. In 1988 the company grew even larger when it purchased the Katy (the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad) and in 1995 did the same with the Chicago & North Western Railway. Finally, just a year later in 1996 the UP purchased the gigantic Southern Pacific, a one-time powerhouse railroad that by the time of its take over by UP was a company that was floundering (so much so that it had been purchased earlier by the much smaller Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad).

While UP dominates the Beehive State one shouldn’t forget about the historic Utah Railway. The railroad is still based in its original headquarters located near Martin, Utah and is nearing its 100 birthday in 2012 having been incorporated in early 1912. Today it continues to carry on in much of the same way as it was originally intended, hauling coal.

In 2002 the railroad was sold to the Genesee & Wyoming family of shortlines, although it continues to wear a version of its original livery, much of the reason because of its storied history. Today the Utah Railway hauls more than 90,000 annual carloads and operates over 400 miles of track although only 45 of those are actually owned (the rest are leased from the BNSF Railway and Union Pacific). Of note, the railroad also owns the Salt Lake City Southern Railroad, which itself serves over 30 customers between downtown Salt Lake City and Draper, Utah (about 25 miles away).

Along with the Utah Railway and UP, BNSF makes a brief appearance in the Beehive State, operating a single line through the northern half of the state and reaching Salt Lake City. Along with BNSF a few shortlines also operate in Utah and include the Deseret Western Railway and Salt Lake Garfield & Western Railway.

In total, these railroads operate nearly 1,500 miles of trackage. For more information on Utah railroading, in terms of route mileage over the years please take a look at the chart below.

Utah railroading is also home to the famed California Zephyr as Amtrak has been continuously operating the train over much of its original route dating back to the days of the CZ’s ownership under the D&RGW, CB&Q and Western Pacific. And, Utah is now home to the highly anticipated Frontrunner commuter rail system operating between Salt Lake City, Pleasant View and Ogden, Utah which opened in 2008.

In all, not only is the exquisite natural beauty of Utah alone worth a trip to the Beehive State but also seeing its interesting and unique railroad operations make a visit to Utah quite rewarding as well.

For more reading about Utah's railroad history you might want to consider the book Railway Reflections: A Historical Review of Utah Railroads, and is illustrated with some fine artwork by Mr. Gilbert Bennett. Also, for more reading about railroads in the west you might want to consider picking up a copy of the book The Story of the Western Railroads: From 1852 Through the Reign of the Giants by Robert Riegel, which describes western railroading from its beginnings in the 1850s, before the transcontinental line was built (when west meant across the Mississippi) to how the large systems that dominated the 20th century came about. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.