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Show a rail line from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles was considered to run counter to the economic interests of both the Union and Southern Pacific railroads. The Union Pacific, particularly, through its Oregon Short Line subsidiary, considered the region to be within its "protected territory" (Signor 1988). E.H. Harriman, who had led the Union Pacific to "become one of the strongest railroads in the United States" (Signor 1988:26), warned Clark that should he attempt to build the railroad, "he would have a fight on his hands" (Signor 1988:26). Harriman offered to purchase Clark's interest in the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad for the sum of $5 million in cash, but the offer was refused. Both the Oregon Short Line (Union Pacific) and Clark's company then rushed to be the first to complete the new railway. On July 9, 1902, following several court battles which disrupted construction, both Clark and Harriman agreed to "merge and proceed jointly in the construction of the railroad between Salt Lake City and Southern California" (Signor 1988:34). Construction resumed on July 8, 1903 with the projection that the line would be completed early in 1905, and passenger service promptly provided (Signor 1988). The inaugural run of the Los Angeles Limited service took place on December 17, 1905. By the spring of 1909, thrice daily service to the Los Angeles communities was provided, while in Utah, six daily trains provided passenger service to the Salt Lake and Utah Valley communities (Signor 1988). As demand for passenger service grew, additional spur lines were added to the rail system. Additionally, the corporate name was changed, as noted above, on August 16, 1916, to be known as the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railway, since the city of San Pedro had been annexed into Los Angeles in 1909 (Signor 1988). This corporate title continued remained, and "continued to be used in various ways with the railroad. But for all practical purposes, after April 27, 1921, was a firmly established in Los Angeles as it was in Omaha.... Judge Robert S. Lovett, Chairman of the Union Pacific System, announced that the logical and natural destiny of the Los Angeles and Salt Lake ultimately as a railroad property is as a part of the Union Pacific system" (Signor 1988: 89). The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad continues to operate today as a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad system (consolidated in 1931) running between Salt Lake City, Utah and Long Beach, California. In total, 1,078 miles of track fall under the auspices of the company, with 553 of those miles running within the state of Utah. The railroad, registered as a common carrier, primarily hauls freight (5075 freight cars), but also carries significant passenger traffic (116 passenger cars) along the route (Robertson 1986). Union Pacific Railroad The Pacific Railroad Act, passed on July 1, 1862, encouraged the development of a Transcontinental railway, which would provide a significantly improved transportation system across the United States. "Though the railroad was almost certain to diminish church influence in the territory, Brigham Young was one of its outspoken advocates, supporting petitions to Congress as early as 1852 and 1854 ... he subscribed to $5,000 worth of stock in the newly organized Union Pacific Railroad Company" (Poll et al. 1989:218) shortly after the Act was passed. E.H. Harriman, Chairman of Union Pacific, became involved with the rail industry in 1880, and "by 1900 the name Harriman was perhaps the most formidable in the railroad industry in the United States" (Signor 1988:26). During the early 1900's, Harriman reorganized a bankrupt Union Pacific, and began reuniting all the pieces of the former system. Part of the strategy for rebuilding the railroad consisted of the compromise with W.A. Clark which made the Salt Lake City to Los Angeles rail line possible. Consolidation of the line into the Union Pacific corporation strengthened the overall performance of the company, particularly as beginning in 1922, the Salt Lake route experienced tremendous growth. Between 1922 and 1925, any substandard sections of the track lines were brought up to United Pacific standards. Growth was particularly strong near Redlands, in California, but several branch lines were also 12 |
