BAMBERGER RAILROAD

The Bamberger Railroad was Utah's famous interurban line that connected Salt Lake City to Ogden.

History

The start - 1891

It began as the Great Salt Lake & Hot Springs Railway, built north from the west side of Salt Lake City near the Union Pacific depot. It was owned mostly by Simon Bamberger, a mining millionaire who later became the 4th Governor of Utah. The first run was just 4 miles to Beck's Hot Springs in July 1891.

Growth

Bountiful in less than a year, Centerville in 1894, Farmington in 1895
To give people a destination while the line was recovering financially, Bamberger bought a swamp north of Farmington, drained it, and built Lagoon Resort — which is still one of the largest amusement parks in the West today
Reorganized as the Salt Lake & Ogden Railway in October 1896, reached Kaysville and Layton in 1906, and finally completed to Ogden on July 1908 with passenger service starting August 8, 1908
It was nicknamed "the Dummy Line" because it started with small steam dummy streetcars built to look like electric streetcars.

Electric era

In 1910 it was electrified with overhead trolley wire and a coal-fired power plant at Farmington. First electric day was May 28, 1910. In 1917 it officially became the Bamberger Electric Railroad.

Decline and end

Like many interurbans, it was hit hard by competition from trucks and buses using new public highways. It went bankrupt in 1933 and emerged in 1939 as the Bamberger Railroad, dropping "Electric" from the name.

It got a WWII bump moving freight and passengers, but after the war it faded. Passenger trains ended on September 6, 1952. It continued as a freight-only railroad until December 31, 1958.

Only a small spur between Ogden and Hill Air Force Base, later bought by Union Pacific, remains in regular use today.

The logo with the orange Utah shape inside the yellow circle was its classic herald — very collectible today.