Uintah Railway
Encyclopedia
The Uintah Railway was a small railroad company in Utah
and Colorado
in the United States. It operated from 1902 to 1939.
mines.
The route chosen would link the newly founded company town of Mack, Colorado
, with the mines at Dragon, Utah
. The route chosen crossed 8437 ft (2572 m) Baxter Pass with grades of 7.5% (westbound) and 5% (eastbound) as well as 66 degree curves. Because of this, the railroad was built as a narrow gauge railroad. The extremely sharp curves and steep grades required the use of Shay locomotive
s for the steep climb up the pass, however elsewhere on the line conventional locomotives could be used. On the eastern base of Baxter Pass the railroad founded the company town of Atchee, Colorado, which served as both division point and maintenance center for the railroad. At the western base of the pass the company built a small dam, creating Lake McAndrews. Just below the lake was the water tank and a turning wye at a site named Wendella. Thus trains originating in Mack would be pulled by a conventional steam locomotive
as far as Atchee; there a Shay would take the train over the pass to Wendella where a conventional steam locomotive would take the train on to Dragon and the mines.
When a public library
was built in Dragon in 1910, the Uintah Railway agreed to deliver library books free of charge to and from any borrower along its route. Many area ranchers and miners took advantage of the opportunity.
In 1911 the Uintah Railroad expanded northward beyond Dragon to the new mining towns of Watson and Rainbow. In 1926 the railroad purchased an articulated locomotive
, #50, which was specifically designed to handle the extreme curvature and steep grades of Baxter Pass. The idea was that this new locomotive would do away with the need to change engines at Atchee and Wendella. After some initial modifications, this engine proved to be such a success that in 1928 the railroad purchased a sister locomotive, #51. These were the only narrow gauge simple articulated locomotives sold for use in the United States.
For much of the 1920s the Uintah was headed by Lucian Sprague
, a railroad executive who later became well known for orchestrating the dramatic turnaround of the bankrupt Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
.
The railroad lasted until 1939 when trucks took over hauling the Gilsonite. At that time, the rails were pulled up and the towns abandoned. Most of the railway's locomotives were scrapped immediately; the two famous articulateds were sold to the Sumpter Valley Railway
in Oregon, and later went to Guatemala
, where they were dismantled. Today all that remains of the Uintah are the cellar pits of some of the buildings, the shell of the machine shop in Atchee, a few pieces of rolling stock, and part of the company hotel in Mack.
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in the United States. It operated from 1902 to 1939.
History
The company was founded in 1902 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Gilson Asphaltum Co. with the sole purpose of building a railroad into the isolated Uintah basin where the Gilson Asphaltum Co. was operating several GilsoniteGilsonite
Gilsonite is the registered trademark for a form of natural asphalt found only in the Uintah Basin of Utah; the non-trademarked mineral name is uintaite or uintahite. It is mined in underground shafts and resembles shiny black obsidian...
mines.
The route chosen would link the newly founded company town of Mack, Colorado
Mack, Colorado
Mack is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office located about 10 miles east of the Colorado/Utah border in Mesa County, Colorado, United States. The Mack Post Office has the ZIP Code 81525...
, with the mines at Dragon, Utah
Dragon, Utah
-External links:* at GhostTowns.com...
. The route chosen crossed 8437 ft (2572 m) Baxter Pass with grades of 7.5% (westbound) and 5% (eastbound) as well as 66 degree curves. Because of this, the railroad was built as a narrow gauge railroad. The extremely sharp curves and steep grades required the use of Shay locomotive
Shay locomotive
The Shay locomotive was the most widely used geared steam locomotive. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a geared steam locomotive...
s for the steep climb up the pass, however elsewhere on the line conventional locomotives could be used. On the eastern base of Baxter Pass the railroad founded the company town of Atchee, Colorado, which served as both division point and maintenance center for the railroad. At the western base of the pass the company built a small dam, creating Lake McAndrews. Just below the lake was the water tank and a turning wye at a site named Wendella. Thus trains originating in Mack would be pulled by a conventional steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
as far as Atchee; there a Shay would take the train over the pass to Wendella where a conventional steam locomotive would take the train on to Dragon and the mines.
When a public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
was built in Dragon in 1910, the Uintah Railway agreed to deliver library books free of charge to and from any borrower along its route. Many area ranchers and miners took advantage of the opportunity.
In 1911 the Uintah Railroad expanded northward beyond Dragon to the new mining towns of Watson and Rainbow. In 1926 the railroad purchased an articulated locomotive
Articulated locomotive
Articulated locomotive usually means a steam locomotive with one or more engine units which can move independent of the main frame. This is done to allow a longer locomotive to negotiate tighter curves...
, #50, which was specifically designed to handle the extreme curvature and steep grades of Baxter Pass. The idea was that this new locomotive would do away with the need to change engines at Atchee and Wendella. After some initial modifications, this engine proved to be such a success that in 1928 the railroad purchased a sister locomotive, #51. These were the only narrow gauge simple articulated locomotives sold for use in the United States.
For much of the 1920s the Uintah was headed by Lucian Sprague
Lucian Sprague
Lucian C. Sprague was an American railroad executive. Sprague was born in Serena, Illinois on September 29, 1882, and during his early years held a variety of railroad jobs, including stints at the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, Great Northern, and Baltimore and Ohio...
, a railroad executive who later became well known for orchestrating the dramatic turnaround of the bankrupt Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
The Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway was an American Class I railroad that built and operated lines radiating south and west from Minneapolis, Minnesota which existed for 90 years from 1870 to 1960....
.
The railroad lasted until 1939 when trucks took over hauling the Gilsonite. At that time, the rails were pulled up and the towns abandoned. Most of the railway's locomotives were scrapped immediately; the two famous articulateds were sold to the Sumpter Valley Railway
Sumpter Valley Railway
The Sumpter Valley Railway is a heritage railroad located in Baker County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Built on a right-of-way used by the original railway of the same name, it carries excursion trains on a roughly route between McEwen and Sumpter. The railroad has two steam locomotives and...
in Oregon, and later went to Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, where they were dismantled. Today all that remains of the Uintah are the cellar pits of some of the buildings, the shell of the machine shop in Atchee, a few pieces of rolling stock, and part of the company hotel in Mack.