Friends of the Tooele Valley Railway

https://www.railwayage.com/regulatory/stb-approves-construction-of-11-mile-utah-rail-line/?fbclid=IwAR3nLvCa1XE0omUzoqS9EZ2TAuCzTyI3ReqPV8H9VOaqH1LFbJe6NadIUBg

STB Approves Construction of 11-Mile Utah Rail Line - Railway Age The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on April 1 signed off on Savage Tooele Railroad Company’s proposal to build and operate approximately 11 miles of rail line in Tooele County, Utah, subject to certain environmental mitigation conditions.

When I had last photographed the Ritz Theater, it was shortly after it's closure as a movie house.

As many now know, the curtain closing on that act of the building's life was a prelude for it's next as the Tooele City Art Council's new community art center. The encore performance many had hoped would come for the theater is now underway, and plans for further use and renovation are being looked at.

With the Tooele Valley Theatre (my sister and brother-in law are part of the co-founders of said group) company's upcoming summer shows, auditions are being held inside the Ritz this weekend. Although those productions will be outdoors at Wigwam Park, the use of the Ritz as an indoor audition space is one of the building's first steps in it's journey into hosting live entertainment in the future. For the occasion, the lighting on the building's marquee which has often been dark in the last few months was turned on for the auditions.

So now, the old neon shines bright in Tooele and on the Ritz's own future.

- Jacob Lyman

Was there a World War 1 skirmish against saboteurs on the Tooele Valley Railway at the Middle Canyon Trestle in 1917?

As a lead and copper smelter, International was a key defense industry for the war effort; and it heightened security around it and the Tooele Valley Railway came with the war. Two guards were stationed at the Middle Canyon Trestle to protect the structure against sabotage, a pressing threat after several sabotage cells operated by the German Empire had managed to strike American targets both before and after the US entered the war, most notably with the Black Tom explosion in New Jersey on July 30, 1916.

On Sunday night October 7, 1917 near 10:00 PM; bridge guard Earl M. Parson spotted a group of six individuals (described as foreign aliens) approaching the Tooele Valley Railway's trestle. After failing to yield to Earl's demands the group of men halted, Earl opened fire firing four shots at the group; one of which struck it's mark. The six strangers along with their wounded companion made an escape back up Middle Canyon.

The next day Sherriff David M. Adamson arrived to investigate the site of the shooting. While he was able to find blood marks and footprints, there was no trace of the group of men. Some newspapers reported rumors the shot man had made it to a hospital, but those were denied as false. The guards related that they had scared off other trespassers from the bridge recently as well, including scaring off a man who was crawling along the bridge on his hands and knees, and other incidents of firing shots at those who approached the bridge.

Tuesday the news ran in local newspapers such as the Salt Lake Tribune and Ogden Daily Standard, which are shown below. The newspapers made mention of the heightened security in the war effort, and the need to protect vital pieces of infrastructure against the Germans. The possibility that shots rang in Tooele against a terrorist cell backed by the Kaiser hung over the news.

I have tried seeing if there was any follow-up in other newspapers later that year, and unfortunately have not found anything. The possibility the group of six men were not agents of Germany, but possibly a group of people in the wrong-place at the wrong time sits in my mind; but without further evidence on who they were and what they were doing at the railroad that night I have no further substantial proof on who the strangers were in the matter. It seems that just as dramatically as shots were fired, so to does the story end anti-climactically with the group responsible vanishing into history. All we know for certain is a man was shot in the name of preventing German sabotage, and seemingly all efforts to find out who that was must have fizzled out shortly afterwards.

The following year, the Tooele Valley Railway would join the USRA, and it's brief time under government control would be another evidence of how the Great War came to affect the domestic front. In 1925 sometime after leaving USRA control, the Tooele Valley Railway would receive a $30,343.81 settlement from the US Government in recompense of expenses owed from the railroad's brief time under nationalization.

The Middle Canyon Trestle, since in-filed with overburden from the Elton Tunnel; still stands at the Oquirrh Hills Golf Course where it can be seen in the present day.

- Jacob Lyman

The former Hobson Half-way House near Stansbury Park has been one of the most elusive pieces of narrow gauge history in Utah for us, and we have been tracking down information on the site's history the last few months. A photo of the complex is in the collection of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint's Church History Library in Salt Lake City. With some confidence, we can roughly pinpoint the station's location as being near modern day SR-36, along 138 between Mill Junction up to near Mill Pond and the Benson Gristmill site.

The Hobson Half-Way House predated the arrival of the Utah Western narrow gauge route as an Overland Stage station. The area underwent several name changes as "Richville" and "E.T. City" during the era, before becoming the modern Stansbury Park and neighboring Lake Point. At one point Richville was the county seat. The History of Tooele County notes the Hobson Half-way House was a hostel for stage travelers, located near the Ezra Taft Benson's gristmill and Thomas Lee's tannery and sawmill along the Mill Pond.

In 1876 "The Pacific Tourist" described the Half-Way House after the arrival of the railroad, which had reached the Half-Way House in 1875. The railroad would terminate there for two years, before being extended to Bauer on the north-side of the Stockton Bar in 1877. In "The Pacific Tourist" the author gave readers a geographic description of the Half-Way House in relation to other landmarks which still stand in the present day, allowing us to narrow down it's location.

"25 miles from Salt Lake City, is the next station, and present terminus of the road. Stages leave here for the mining camps on the western slope of the mountains, and a large amount of freighting is done with teams, to and from the mines. The station will lose its importance as soon as the road passes beyond it. There are large springs of fresh water near the station, which supply a flouring mill and woolen factory with power. Twelve miles from Half-Way house is Grantsville, one of the richest agricultural towns in Utah. On the left side of the track, before you reach the station, is "E.T. City" - the initials being those of E.T. Benson who was interested in the town. It is simply a settlement of Mormon farmers, nestled under the mountains. The woolen factory alluded to is a long, low stone structure, with approved modern machinery, about one and three-fourths miles from the station, north of the track. This route must prove very attractive to travelers, and one which will amply reward them in the pleasures it will afford. The rich mining districts of Rush Valley, Ophir and others, are reached by this line of Road. The Hidden Treasure and other mines in these districts have already acquired a reputation and standing among the first mines in the country." One can speculate from that description the railway tracks roughly followed the wagon roads which modern SR-36 now runs on.

Indeed Half-Way house would lose prominence as the railroad extended south to Bauer and closer to the mining districts. But ultimately it would be the 20th century standard-gauging effort by E.H. Harriman's railroad empire that built a new railroad grade along the sand bar to the east that would spell the end of the Utah Western, which was in it's final years operated by the Oregon Shortline. It was Union Pacific's grander ambitions in building the Leamington Cutoff that ended narrow gauge in Tooele County. What happened to the Half-Way House and other Utah Western stations after the rails were gone is unknown.

- Jacob Lyman

https://donstrack.smugmug.com/UtahRails/Dean-Gray-Photos/DG-Other-Photos/i-7xgvRrT/A

Dean Gray, Other Photos - Don Strack UtahRails Photo Albums

What part of the International Smelter did this former ore-conveyor bridge come from? I have no clue. International had quite a few bridges, and since this one was refurbished to be something modern with glass and pedestrian access it's hard to see it's work-a-day industrial roots at the core. But it is the largest surviving fragment of the Tooele Smelter by far, even if it has long been divorced from it's home.

Visiting the abandoned track of the Western Pacific's Warner Branch. Originally built to connect the WP to Tooele City and the traffic from the Tooele Valley Railway, providing a competing route to the LA&SL mainline, the WP would eventually find the route further valuable thanks to the opening of the Tooele Army Depot.

After the UP and WP merger though, the branch was surplus since UP had no need for two routes to Tooele, and it was eventually abandoned. While some of the northern end was still in use for car storage, the southern end was cut. The WP's earthen flyover berm at Warner was left standing in place, however construction at the Peterson Industrial Depot recently has chipped away at the berm which is now nearly gone.

But the northern end has a new shot at life, as the proposed Savage Tooele Railroad to the new Lakeview Business Park. Regulatory mumbo-jumbo has slowed the effort, the STB denied an expedited path to rebuilding the railroad last March; however environmental assessments have continued with a report released in October. It is likely that someday in the future, these rails will no longer sit silent, and trains will once again roar down the Warner Branch.

- Jacob Lyman

https://www.lakestatesarchive.org/J-David-Ingles-Collection/Cabooses/i-rBxqLK5/A

Cabooses - Lake States Railway Historical Association 2021.004.C.686--j david ingles 35mm kodachrome--TV--Tooele Valley wooden caboose 04--International UT--1965 0800

Christmas came a little early for Tooele Valley Theatre and the people of Tooele City this year! The iconic Ritz Theater on Tooele City Main Street will now be known as the Ritz Theater for the Arts

🎭🎻🎨🩰🎬

Tooele City now has a place for Artists and those who love the arts to gather, create, and share their talents. Tooele Valley Theatre is so excited to be one of the non-profit organizations in our city to have the opportunity to use the space and give this historical landmark in our community a new purpose and continue it's legacy!

We have some ideas on how we will like to use this space during our 2024 Season- so follow us on social media to stay caught up!

A HUGE thank you to Tooele City, Tooele City Arts Council, and the Peterson Family for making all of this possible.

For more information about this exciting news please follow the links below:
https://www.deseret.com/2023/12/23/24002976/a-christmas-gift-for-tooele

https://www.tooelecityartscouncil.org/ritztheater

Draft assessment of reactivating the Warner Branch to the new business park site:

STB Issues Environmental Assessment for Proposed 11-Mile Utah Rail Line - Railway Age The Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis has released a Draft Environmental Assessment for Savage Tooele Railroad Company’s (STR) proposal to construct and operate a new 11-mile rail line in Tooele

The various "B&O E-60" locomotives in this article look strikingly familiar. 😜The ALCO built 2-8-0's built for the Buffalo & Susquehanna Railroad with their distinctly slanted cylinder chests were to have been succeeded by an upgraded design which replaced the old valve gear with Walschaerts equipment. By the time B&S 169 rolled off the factory line at ALCO Brooks as an example of the upgraded Walschaerts locomotive, the B&S had gone bankrupt and the ten orphaned engines ended up getting sold out to various shortlines across America; and that 169 was replaced with the number 11 and the rest was history for us...

Check out the modeler's examples of though of the older E-60's at work through-out the article though, and take a moment to imagine perhaps what "169" might have looked like working the coal fields of Pennsylvania instead of the Great Basin desert.

The Buffalo & Susquehanna Railroad - Trains For most of my 70 plus years I have been interested in trains. Wherever I lived, I built a number of layouts in basements and attics. It was not until I became interested in the life of the Buffalo & Susquehanna Railroad that I thought it would be a railroad to model. It could not be called a short....

ADMX 9020 (ex-Tooele Valley 104) as seen in 2021.

ADMX 9020 ADMX 9020

Ah yes, awaiting the release of the Dowdle puzzle so I can count the number of wheels on 11 and make sure its a proper 2-8-0. 🤣

On this National Puzzle Day, we are excited to announce that in commemoration of the 170th anniversary of the Incorporation of Tooele City, world-renowned folk artist Eric Dowdle has created a beautiful, original work of art featuring Tooele City. This whimsical piece of artwork has been manufactured into Dowdle Puzzles.

The artwork and the puzzle will be revealed at a birthday celebration for Tooele City which will be held on February 25th at 11:00 a.m. at the Dow James Building. Mayor Winn, Tooele City Council Members, and artist Eric Dowdle will unveil the artwork. There will be entertainment, a big puzzle, birthday cake, and more!

Puzzles will be available for purchase at the event. Purchase your Tooele City Dowdle Puzzle at the event and have your puzzle autographed by Eric Dowdle! A Tooele City Dowdle Puzzle will be something every Tooele City resident will treasure!

This event is free and open to the public. No registration is required. Come purchase your very own Dowdle Puzzle!

News article on the destruction of the Warner Depot (December 9th 1975 I believe), published December 10th 1975. https://access-newspaperarchive-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/us/utah/salt-lake-city/salt-lake-tribune/1975/12-10/page-12/

https://donstrack.smugmug.com/UtahRails/Vic-Oberhansley-Photos/Vic-Oberhansley-Miscellaneous-Photos/i-b5hQqPC/A

100 unknown date in Salt Lake City. Possibly at the Union Pacific shops for servicing before being sent back out to Tooele, or maybe its at the end of its career in Tooele prior to being shipped up to Butte. Either way, neat view and a different location outside the normal photos of 100 in action.

Vic Oberhansley Miscellaneous Photos - Don Strack Miscellaneous photos of various subjects in Utah, including depots, mostly from the mid 1960s. These photos are made available through the courtesy of Ralph Gochnour, a good friend of Vic's for many years, and who has kept Vic's photos safe after Vic passed away in 1987.

IMPORTANT FOR ALL TOOELE CITY RESIDENTS: Did you know a reauthorization for the PAR tax is on this year's ballot? The PAR tax is responsible for funding parks across the city as well as cultural organizations like TVT! Please spread the word that if we want to continue advocating for the Arts in Tooele, we must reauthorize the PAR tax. If you can share, please do! Spread the word! For more information about the PAR tax: https://tooelecity.org/parks-arts-and-recreation-par-renewal-2022/