EXHIBITS
The Utah-Idaho Central Railroad: Northern Utah’s Interurban Experience: Traces and Memories of the U.I.C.
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Traces and Memories of the U.I.C.
At the turn of the twentieth century, David Eccles had an idea that would forever change the affairs of Ogden and Cache Valley, Utah and Idaho. Beginning in 1900, he and his associates created a company that would expand and develop into the lands and hearts of the people living in Ogden, Preston, and the many other communities in between. For forty-seven years, its trains and buses shaped the daily life of individuals, businesses, organizations, and local governments within an increasingly connected nation and world. From the beginnings of the two Rapid Transit Companies to the establishment of the O.L.I and then the U.I.C., the operation of the railroad permanently influenced the towns and cities it serviced, and it left a lasting memory that continues today.
Though the tracks, engines, some stations, and other features of the railroad no longer exist, there are physical features that can still be traced to the operation of the U.I.C. The stations that still stand have been discussed and continue to be used for both commercial and residential purposes.[1] In Utah Ghost Rails, a number of previous U.I.C. railroad grades are mentioned that can be seen in locations throughout Cache Valley and northern Utah. Some of these grades were constructed by the Eccles Investment Corporation for U.I.C. purposes, others were those that the U.I.C. inherited from the Utah Northern Railroad. Carr notes that the most visible sections of grade today can be seen in stretches near Deweyville, Collinston, and the foothills of Mendon; near the present highway between Wellsville and Hyrum; near Lewiston and Trenton; and within the city of Ogden. Others have been covered by the construction of buildings, modern roads, or even the Pineview Reservoir covering part of the Ogden Canyon Line grade near Huntsville.[2] Some railroad bridges also stand in connection with the railroad grades. Many of these, such as the East Quinney Branch Bridge, have been removed and repurposed.
Local newspapers have also memorialized the U.I.C. and its operations on anniversaries of the operation of the last train, as well as with the discovery of remnants of the railroad and its features. Recently, construction work on Center Street in Logan unveiled the tracks that were once used by the Logan Rapid Transit Company beginning in 1910 and that were used as streetcar tracks by the O.L.I. and U.I.C. until the mid-1920s. The Herald Journal provided photos and a brief summary of the history of the tracks, as well as additional items that were once associated with the train. A PDF of that information is displayed below and can also be viewed at the following location: https://www.hjnews.com/news/local/unearthed-center-street-project-exposes-long-buried-logan-trolley-tracks/article_0345f2fc-6c7b-5f46-84a1-158fa3033633.html.
