Salt Lake City Southern Railroad

Salt Lake City Southern Railroad
Reporting mark	SL
Locale	Salt Lake City, Utah
Dates of operation	April 19, 1993–Present
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Murray, Utah

The Salt Lake City Southern Railroad (reporting mark SL) is a 25-mile shortline operating between Salt Lake City, Utah and Murray, Utah. The SL began operating on April 19, 1993 as a RailTex subsidiary. Today the SL is a subsidiary of the Utah Railway and is owned by the Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

History

The line was originally built between 1871–1872 by the Utah Southern Railroad. By March 30, 1872 the Utah Southern reached Point of the Mountain which is the southern end of the Salt Lake City Southern Railroad at Mount. In the 1870s, the Utah Southern was constructing a 105-mile line from Salt Lake City to Chicken Creek (Juab, Utah). Brigham Young was listed as the railroad's president. In June 1875 financial control of the railroad was turned over to the Union Pacific Railroad.

On July 1, 1881 the Utah Southern was consolidated into the Utah Central Railway. The Utah Central was building a rail network from Ogden–Milford, Utah. By 1888 the Utah Central was an operating subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad.

On August 1, 1889 the Utah Central was consolidated into the Oregon Short Line and Utah Northern Railway, an operating subsidiary of the Union Pacific. On March 1, 1897 the railway was renamed the Oregon Short Line Railroad. The OSL, a UP subsidiary, was leased to the UP on January 1, 1936.

From 1936–1993 the Union Pacific operated the tracks as part of their "Provo Subdivision." In the 1990s the UP shifted shifted its trains on the Provo Subdivision to the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad tracks between Salt Lake City and American Fork, Utah. The UP no longer needed the line between Salt Lake City and Mount (also known as Mound or Point of the Mountain).

RailTex acquired the line between Salt Lake City and Mount and began operations in 1993 as the Salt Lake City Southern Railroad. Today the Utah Transit Authority (UTA light rail) owns much of the track as part of their light rail right-of-way acquisitions. The SL operates over the UTA tracks via trackage rights.

On September 30, 1999 the SL became a subsidiary of the Utah Railway.

Map

Salt Lake City Southern Railroad
Legend
Tracks end at 600 South (originally connected to Union Pacific station) 700 South 800 South Former connection to mainline to the west 400 West (southbound, northbound) 900 South West Temple-Interstate 15 ramp 300 West UTA TRAX 200 West (southbound) Ball Park 1300 South Salt Lake and Utah mainline 1700 South freight spur freight spur Salt Lake City 2100 South South Salt Lake Central Pointe West Valley Line freight siding Haven Avenue Interstate 80 2700 South Century Park Way Mill Creek UTA Right-of-way to Main Street Gregson Avenue Millcreek 3300 South Meadowbrook South Salt Lake 3900 South Millcreek Township freight spur Central Avenue freight spur Millcreek Township Big Cottonwood Creek Murray Fireclay Avenue Murray North 4500 South 4500 South Frontage Road 4800 South Little Cottonwood Creek Vine Street Union Pacific and FrontRunner Murray Central freight siding 5300 South Cottonwood Street Union Pacific and FrontRunner Rail yard access road 5900 South 6100 South Interstate 215 Fashion Place West Winchester Street Mid-Jordan Line Murray Midvale 7200 South Midvale Fort Union 7500 South Center Street Midvale Center State Street Jordan and Salt Lake Canal 8000 South industrial access road Midvale Sandy 8530 South (Pioneer Avenue) former Salt Lake and Alta mainline 8680 South Main street (Sandy, Utah) 8800 South Historic Sandy East Jordan Canal 9000 South Sandy Expo 9400 South Sego Lily Drive Sandy Civic Center Dry Creek 10600 South 11000 South 11400 South (temporary name) Sandy 11400 South Draper 11800 South 11800 South (temporary name) 700 East 12300 South Draper Town Center (temporary name) 12400 South Freight service extended to Draper until ca. 2009 UTA (former Union Pacific) right of way to Utah County

References

• Stindt, Fred A. (1996). American Shortline Railway Guide (5th Edition ed.). Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. pp. 272–273. ISBN 0-89024-290-9. 

• Strack, Don (2004). "Salt Lake City Southern Railroad" (PHP). UtahRails.net. http://utahrails.net/utahrails/salt-lake-city-southern.php. Retrieved March 12, 2006. 

• Walker, Mike (1999). SPV's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America—Colorado & Utah. Faversham, Kent, United Kingdom: Steam Powered Publishing. pp. 39, 41, 45. ISBN 1-874745-03-X. 

• "Genesee & Wyoming". Salt Lake City Southern Railroad. http://www.gwrr.com/default.cfm?action=rail&section=3B15a. Retrieved March 12, 2006.