Utah Iron Ore Corporation
This page was last updated on May 22, 2011.
(This is a work in progress; research continues.)
(Return to the Iron and Steel index page)
Overview
Utah Iron Ore Corporation owned and operated the large iron mines in southwestern Utah, west of Cedar City. (map)
Utah Iron Ore Corporation was organized in December 1923 (corporation file) and began shipping iron ore to Columbia Steel's Ironton plant in 1924.
The iron ore bodies in Iron County had been discovered in the early 1850s by Mormon pioneers. The particular deposits near Iron Mountain were first located in the 1870s but by the 1920s had not yet been commercially worked. The mines were to be developed to furnish ore for the new Columbia Steel Company's new iron mill that was being constructed near Springville. The actual mining was done by the steel company's subsidiary Columbia Iron Mining Company, and also by the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company to supply its mill in Pueblo, Colorado. Columbia's mill near Springville, called Ironton, went into production, producing pig iron, on May 1, 1924. The construction of the Cedar City Branch also included the 4.5-mile Iron Mountain Branch to Desert Mound, which left the Cedar City Branch at Iron Springs (Mile Post 20.28).
Utah Iron Ore Corporation completed a four-mile in-plant railroad between the Vermillion pit and the Desert Mound pit, along with a couple spurs. These four locomotives were used to operate that line. Apparently the two gas-mechanical locomotives, purchased in 1924 and 1926, did not have enough power, and were replaced by the two Shay locomotives in 1928. The in-plant railroad was used until about 1940, when truck haulage replaced rail haulage at the Desert Mound mine.
August 1924
Vulcan locomotive number 1 arrived.
May 1926
Vulcan locomotive number 2 arrived.
March 1928
The following comes from the Salt Lake Telegram issue for March 2, 1928:
Cars, Engine Purchased for Desert Mound Mine — Cedar City, March 2. — Wallace R. Cook, general manager of the Utah Iron Ore Corporation mine at Desert Mound, has returned from a trip to Salt Lake in connection the buying of several cars and and other locomotive for the Desert Mound mine.
April 1928
Shay locomotive number 3 arrived.
August 1928
Shay locomotive number 4 arrived.
Non-Steam Locomotives
All locomotives were 36 inches gauge; used at Iron Mountain, Utah.
| Road Number |
Builder | Builder Model |
Type | Builder Number |
Builder Date |
Notes |
| 1 | Vulcan | 7-61-B | 7-ton Gasoline | 3468 | Aug 1924 | 1 |
| 2 | Vulcan | 7-60-B | 20-ton Gasoline | 3622 | May 1926 | 2 |
General Notes:
| a. | Both locomotives were built by Vulcan Iron Works of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania |
| b. | Roster based on information furnished by Robert Lehmuth and Allen Copeland. |
Notes:
| 1. | Utah Iron Ore number 1 was a four-wheel gas-mechanical locomotive, with 22-1/2-inch drive wheels; equipped with a Waukesha 60-horsepower gasoline engine; weight was 14,000 pounds. |
| 2. | Utah Iron Ore number 2 was a four-wheel gas-mechanical locomotive, with 30-1/2-inch drive wheels; equipped with a Climax 125-horsepower gasoline engine; weight was 40,000 pounds. |
Steam Locomotives
All locomotives were 36 inches gauge; used at iron Mountain, Utah.
| Road Number |
Wheel Arrangement |
Cylinders | Drivers | Weight | Builder Number |
Builder Date |
Date To Utah Iron Ore |
Notes |
| 3 | 2-Truck Shay | 8x8 inches | 26-1/2 inches | 40,000 pounds | 1672 | Apr 1906 | Apr 1928 | 1 |
| 4 | 2-Truck Shay | 8x8 inches | 29 inches | 48,000 pounds | 3324 | Aug 1928 | (new) | 2 |
General Notes:
| a. | Both locomotives were built by Lima Locomotive Works of Lima, Ohio. |
| b. | Roster based on information furnished by Robert Lehmuth and Allen Copeland. |
| c. | Allen Copeland found a reference to a possible third Shay locomotive being used at the Desert Mound mine. In December 1964, before Michael Koch published his landmark book "The Shay Locomotive: Titan of the Timber," Allen compiled a list of Shay locomotives based on a booklet called "Shays of The Western United States and Canada", compiled by Ralph Ranger, Jr. in 1963. It was a bound mimeographed list with hard covers. Ralph Ranger and Jack Holst were early geared engine enthusiasts, and dug through records, rosters and photographs. Although Mr. Ranger did not cite his sources, he did cite the people that helped him with his effort, including Gerald Best, C. W. Witbeck, Charles Fischer, and Bob Hanft. The Koch book does not show Lima 672 as being on the Utah Iron Ore railroad, nor does the booklet published and sold by Tom Lawson "Shay-The Supplement" in 1998. At any rate, if Lima 672 was sent to Utah, it was a lot heavier than the other two Shays on the property, as well as being standard gauge, and this could explain why it did not last long on the property. The locomotive had the following specifications. (email from Allen Copeland, dated March 6, 2011) (ed note: The similarity of numbers, 672 vs. 1672, also suggests a simple typographical error.) (additional information at Shay Locomotives.com) |
| Road Number |
Wheel Arrangement |
Cylinders | Drivers | Weight | Builder Number |
Builder Date |
Date To Utah Iron Ore |
|
| ?? | 2-Truck Shay | 10x12 inches | 29-1/2 inches | 64,000 pounds | 672 | Dec 1901 | ?? |
Notes:
| 1. | Utah Iron Ore number 3 was built new for Silver City, Pinos Altos & Mogollon number 3 (also known as Commanche Mining & Smelting); sold in 1913 to W. A. Zenicker Supply Company (dealer), St. Louis, Missouri, moved to Birmingham Rail & Locomotive, Birmingham, Alabama for conversion from 24-inch gauge to 36-inch gauge; sold to Little Cottonwood Transportation Company, Wasatch, Utah and shipped from Alabama to Utah on July 3, 1917; sold in 1925 to Alta Scenic Railway number 3, Wasatch, Utah; sold in April 1928 to Utah Iron Ore Corporation number 3, Iron Springs, Utah; Lima records show parts being ordered as late as January 1934; further disposition unknown. (additional information at Shay Locomotives.com) |
| 2. | Utah Iron Ore number 4 was purchased new in 1928; further disposition unknown. (additional information at Shay Locomotives.com) |
