Ogden Union Station

Union Station, also known as Ogden Union Station, is a train station in Ogden, Utah, at the west end of Historic 25th Street, just south of the Ogden Intermodal Transit Center. Formerly the junction of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads, its name reflects the common appellation of train stations whose tracks and facilities are shared by railway companies.

No longer a railway hub, the building remains a cultural hub: it houses the Utah State Railroad Museum, the Spencer S. Eccles Rail Center, the John M. Browning Firearms Museum, Utah Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and the Browning-Kimball Classic Car Museum, and an art gallery for local and regional artists every month. The Myra Powell Gallery features traveling exhibits and the Station's permanent art collection. Union Station Research Library has an extensive collection of historic Ogden photographs and documents available to the public.

The last long-distance passenger train to use Union Station was Amtrak's ''Pioneer'' in May 1997. The adjacent Ogden Intermodal Transit Center serves the Utah Transit Authority's (UTA) ''FrontRunner'' commuter rail line.

In December of 2022, Ogden City entered into a purchase agreement with Union Pacific Railroad to buy the land under and around the station for $5.5 million USD. They plan to pursue development of the area around the station into a downtown business and tourist hub, as well as potentially bring rail service back to the station itself.

History

On March 8, 1869, Union Pacific laid tracks through Ogden on its way to Promontory Summit to meet the Central Pacific and complete the transcontinental rail line. Four cities near this location, Corinne, Promontory, Uintah, and Ogden, competed with each other for the opportunity to house the train station that would be the junction for railroad travel in the Intermountain West. Promontory and Uintah lacked the necessary resources to house the Station. Corinne and Ogden competed for many years for the "Junction City" title, until Brigham Young donated several hundred acres of land to the two railroads on the condition that they build the yards and station in west Ogden.


The first station was built in 1869, a two-story wooden frame building on a mud flat on the banks of the Weber River. The building served the narrow gauge Utah Central Railroad (later Oregon Short Line) and the narrow gauge Rio Grande Western (later Denver & Rio Grande Western). Local newspapers complained about, among other things, the need to walk a quarter-mile of wood boardwalk over swampy ground to reach the station. So the Union Pacific and Central Pacific launched a joint venture, Ogden Union Railway & Depot Co. (OUR&D), to oversee the construction and management of a new Union Station.

Completed in 1889, this new structure was designed in the Romanesque Revival style, with a large clock tower in the center. Considerably larger than the old and constructed of brick, it held 33 hotel rooms, a restaurant, barbershop, and other conveniences for travelers.

In 1923, a fire that began in a hotel room destroyed the station's interior and left the walls and clock tower in a fragile state. No deaths or injuries were reported, and work continued inside the first floor to some extent, but construction on a new building did not start until a stone from the clock tower fell and struck a railroad clerk, killing him instantly. Originally, the OUR&D planned to rebuild the station to its original design, but the accident reversed this decision and a new design was proposed by John and Donald Parkinson, architects of the Caliente Depot in Nevada and the Kelso Depot in California.

The construction of the current building was completed in 1924 in the Spanish Colonial Revival (also known as Early Christian/Byzantine) style and is built on the foundation of the earlier building. It was dedicated on November 22 of that year, with a series of publicity shots being taken. One of these shots, showing 13 young women pulling the first train to arrive at the station by ribbons, made its way into the La Domenica del Corriere, an Italian newspaper, with the headline "Curious American Custom". The ceiling of the Grand Lobby, taking up the center portion of the building, has a height of 56 feet and extends to the roof. The trusses were originally painted in bright colors with geometric designs, but have since been painted over with a faux wood grain. Murals of the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad were painted on the north and south end of the lobby. The second floors of the north and south wing were occupied by Southern Pacific, Ogden Union Railway & Depot Co., and Union Pacific Telegraph Department offices.

Of special note are the two drinking fountains on either end of the Grand Lobby. These fountains, surrounded by colored mosaics, were the favorite resting spot of Ogden Union Railway & Depot Co. Superintendent Hubert Lloyd Bell. At Bell's passing in 1927 the OUR&D placed a bronze plaque, bearing his likeness, over the fountain on the north end. The plaque reads "In Memory of Hubert Lloyd Bell SUPT. O.U.RY. AND D. Co., 1918–1927, A Just Man, A Friend Who Will Be Remembered".

As the meeting point of the Transcontinental Railroad, as well as a terminus for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad along with several regional and interurban railroads, Ogden Union Station was a crucial hub in the national passenger train network. At its height, it had 13 passenger tracks with platforms, a commissary that provided food and supplies to long-distance trains, a large United States Postal Service annex that served mail trains, and saw more than 60 passenger trains pass through each day. The largest surge of traffic came during World War II. Ogden became an important stopover point for soldiers and materials being moved across the country for the war effort, and many new businesses popped up on nearby 25th Street to entertain and support the huge influx of travelers.

Rail traffic began to decline sharply after the war ended in 1945, owing mainly to the newfound popularity of both the Airline industry and increasing accessibility of automobiles for the average traveler and commuter. By 1950, the number of daily passenger trains was down to 20. The construction of the Interstate Highway System continued to pull traffic from both freight and passenger trains into the late 1950s.

By the late 1960's passenger train traffic to Ogden had been reduced to just two trains in each direction daily. The United States Postal Service had ended its Railway post office service, leading to the discontinuation of mail trains by 1967. The Ogden Union Railway and Depot Co. tore out passenger tracks 6-13, leaving just 5 tracks and three platforms at the once massive station complex. The Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads, which at this point were the joint owners of the OUR&D, decided to begin curtailing its operations and re-absorbing its infrastructure and employees into their own. The commissary was torn down in 1969, marking the end of Ogden as a servicing point for long-distance passenger trains. The station building was now empty for most of the day except for what was described as a handful of OUR&D employees handling daily operations. The final agreement between the OUR&D and a privately-owned passenger train service for use of the station was signed in 1971.

On May 1st, 1971, most passenger train operations in the United States were taken over by the government-funded Amtrak company. This left Ogden with one through passenger train in each direction daily. Ogden was a through stop for the train, and not a major servicing point. Amtrak handled the tasks of loading and unloading passengers, as well as selling tickets, which meant that the OUR&D no longer served a major purpose at the station.

After the Amtrak takeover, it became clear that Union Pacific and Southern Pacific no longer had any interest in the station and would look to sell or demolish it. Ogden City was keen to save the building, as it had long been the center of economic activity in the city. Ogden had been highly reliant on the railroad industry for almost all of its existence, and the sharp declines in traffic were having major economic impacts on local businesses and residents. Plans to turn the station into a museum were first brought forward during the centennial celebration of the driving of the golden spike in 1969. On December 7, 1971, the Ogden City Council sent a formal letter to the Union Pacific asking that the station building be donated to them for conversion to a museum and convention center. Over the next few years, the city began holding events such as art exhibitions inside the building to demonstrate this new planned use. The station building was turned over to Ogden City on a 50-year lease in 1977 and renovations were begun to house the planned museums. Amtrak continued to maintain a ticket agency inside the building and use the station as a stop for their ''Califonia Zephyr, Desert Wind,'' and ''Pioneer'' trains as well.

At the dedication ceremony in 1978, Union Pacific ran their famous UP 844 (then number 8444) at the head of a special passenger train from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to the new museum. They also donated a steam derrick (built by Industrial Works) and a steam rotary snow plow (built by ALCO in 1912), which were the last pieces of steam-powered equipment in use on the Union Pacific System. In 1988, the State of Utah designated the Union Station as the Utah State Railroad Museum to handle the railroad artifacts. This spurred a series of donations by the Union Pacific through the years, leading to an extensive collection of locomotives and rolling stock being displayed on the station grounds.

On May 11, 1997, the final Amtrak ''Pioneer'' train departed from Union Station at 7:38 AM bound for Chicago via Wyoming. The route was discontinued after this date, and along with it ended all passenger rail service at Ogden Union Station (the ''California Zephyr'' and ''Desert Wind'' had both been re-routed through Salt Lake City starting in 1983). While it has been visited by the occasional excursion train, no revenue passenger service has used the station building or platforms since this date. When the Utah Transit Authority constructed their FrontRunner commuter rail service between Ogden and Provo, Utah in 2008, the decision was made to build a new station platform just to the north of Union Station at the Ogden Intermodal Transit Center. There is currently no direct access for passengers between the FrontRunner station and Union Station, though new plans have been announced that may change this in the future.

The station building currently houses the Utah State Railroad Museum, John M. Browning Firearms Museum, The Browning-Kimball Classic Car Museum, the Western Heritage and Utah Cowboy Museum, and a library and archives. It plays host to various conventions and events, including the annual Hostlers Model Railroad Festival, weddings, Ogden Marathon Expo, craft and bridal fairs.

Features

Railway post office/mail terminal annex

This building was constructed in 1929 to serve the needs of the United States Postal Department. It is located directly north of the Union Station building. In 1950 a flat-roofed addition was constructed on the east and was used to sort mail. The Railway Post office closed in the 1970s. Following the conversion of the station complex to a museum, an addition was constructed in between the station and the annex, connecting the two buildings and allowing year-round indoor access to the facilities in the annex. Currently the Mail Terminal Annex houses the Browning Theatre and the Browning-Kimball Classic Car Museum.

Trainmen's building

The Trainmen's Building is the northernmost structure on the Union Station grounds. It was constructed of red brick some time between 1903 and 1923 and predates the current station building. It served as the Railway Post Office (used for sorting mail) until 1929 when the Mail Terminal Annex was constructed to the south, then was used as a crew locker room for the Ogden Union Railway & Depot Co., owner of the Union Station and in turn jointly owned by Union Pacific and Southern Pacific. Space in the building was taken up with lockers, a changing room and a lunch room.

In 2006, Ogden City installed fluorescent lighting and an alarm system to the building, which up to that time had been vacant. The building is now used as a shop for the restoration of D&RGW 223, a narrow gauge steam locomotive. Restoration is being done by the Golden Spike Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society.

Butterfly canopy and passenger platforms

The passenger shelter along tracks 1 and 2 is the only remaining canopy of a series of five. The other four canopies were demolished in April 1969. It was built in 1928 to Southern Pacific plans and is similar to canopies at the Sacramento Station in California, and is 23 feet wide. During the peak of passenger train travel in 1927, a tunnel was built under the eleven tracks with stairways to the surface at each platform. Called the passenger subway, this tunnel allowed pedestrians to access all eleven tracks from the Grand Lobby, bypassing those tracks that were occupied by trains. When passenger service ended the entries to the tunnel were filled in for safety purposes, although when the platform was repaved in 2008 a portion of the tunnel was uncovered. Plans are to place a glass over the uncovered portion for visitors to see.
Similar canopies are used at the adjacent Ogden Central Station as a reference to Ogden's railroading past.
The Butterfly Canopy and platforms are host to Union Pacific's Steam Team during their east–west trips over the Transcontinental Railroad route and the former Rio Grande Soldier Summit route. The operating water column at the north end, which is connected to the Ogden City water line, allows the steam locomotives to be serviced conveniently.

Laundry building

The laundry operations at Union Station date to 1906, when they were carried out in the commissary building (now demolished, on the site of the current Spencer S. & Dolores Dore’ Eccles Rail Center). Soiled linens and cloth from sleeper and diner cars were removed from the trains and washed during their stop in Ogden. In 1951, Union Pacific constructed a 100 by 180 foot brick building for the express purpose of washing laundry; prior to this time excess laundry that was not able to be handled in the commissary building was sent out to commercial facilities.

The building was constructed to centralize the Union Pacific's laundry operations and to cut costs by an estimated fifty percent. It was the only laundry facility constructed by the Union Pacific and was expected to pay for itself within three years. Laundry was sent to Ogden from all ends of the Union Pacific Lines, and even took in laundry from Sun Valley, Idaho; West Yellowstone Lodge; Bryce Canyon National Park; Zion National Park; and Grand Canyon National Park, as well as other resorts and hotels.

The use of the latest equipment, such as nine Troy Electromatic washers; 42 individual pressers; and seven diesel-powered Vapor-Clarkson steam generators, as well as 105 employees, gave the building a capacity to process 110,000 individual pieces of laundry during an eight-hour shift, or about 13,333 individual pieces per hour.

The laundry facility was closed in 1970 and donated to the City of Ogden in 1986. It is currently vacant.

Railroad Museum

Spencer S. & Dolores Doré Eccles Rail Center

The Spencer S. & Dolores Doré Eccles Rail Center (also known as the Spencer S. Eccles Rail Center) is a collection of prototype equipment from various railroads in the west, most notably Union Pacific. It occupies the spot where the Ogden Union Railway & Depot Co. (OUR&D) Commissary Building once stood. It houses several locomotives, as well as passenger cars, freight cars, cabooses, and railroad maintenance equipment.

Locomotives

CRGX 6751

: Cargill 6751 is a General Motors' (GM) Electro-Motive Corporation SW1 diesel-electric switcher locomotive built in 1940 with construction number 1111, was one of the first SW1s that Electro-Motive built. After acquisition, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) initially numbered the locomotive as 213, but subsequently changed the number to 8413. Leased by the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad (W&OD) in 1968, it was one of the last locomotives to operate on the W&OD before the railroad closed during the same year. ''At'' Google Books. After several transfers of ownership, the locomotive was acquired by Cargill, becoming Cargill No. 6751. Cargill moved the locomotive to Ogden in 1993 for use in the company's Globe Mill. Following Cargill's donation of the locomotive in 2010, the Utah Central Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad delivered it to the museum on May 21, 2011.

D&RGW 223

: Denver & Rio Grande Western 223 is a class C-16 Consolidation type steam locomotive built in 1881 by the Grant Locomotive Works. Restoration on hold due to dispute between Ogden City, the State of Utah and the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Golden Spike Chapter regarding building usage and ownership of the locomotive.
;D&RGW 5371: Denver & Rio Grande Western 5371 is the last GM Electro-Motive Division SD40T-2 "Tunnel Motor" to be in its original Rio Grande paint colors. It was retired in 2009 and moved into the Rail Center in 2010.

SP 3769

: Southern Pacific 3769 is a GM Electro-Motive Division GP-9 diesel-electric switcher locomotive, built in February 1957 as 5733. In the mid 1970’s it was rebuilt as a GP9R, and renumbered to 3769.

SP 7457

: Southern Pacific 7457 is the first GM Electro-Motive Division SD45 diesel-electric switcher locomotive to be built for the Southern Pacific railroad in August 1966, originally numbered 8800. It was rebuilt as an SD45R in September 1982, and renumbered to 7457. It last saw service on Donner Pass. It was donated to the Utah State Railroad Museum in 2002.
;UCRY 1237:Utah Central Railway 1237 is a 44-ton General Electric diesel-electric switcher, originally built for the U.S. Air Force with the same number in 1953. It was donated to the Utah State Railroad Museum, and subsequently leased to the Utah Central Railway where it got its current paint scheme. It has since been returned to the Museum.

UP 833

: Union Pacific 833 is an FEF-2 class steam locomotive, built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in 1939. It was originally donated to the Salt Lake City in 1972, and when transferred to Ogden in 1999 it obtained the distinction of being the largest locomotive in the United States to be moved by truck.

UP 4436

: Union Pacific 4436 is an 0-6-0 steam switcher built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1918. It was last used in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was donated to the City of Ogden in 1958, and moved to the Utah State Railroad Museum upon its establishment

UP 6916

: Union Pacific 6916 is a DDA40X "Centennial" diesel-electric locomotive that GM's Electro-Motive Division (EMD) built in 1969, one of only 47 built. Retired in 1985 and donated to the Utah State Railroad Museum in 1986.
;UP X-26: Union Pacific X-26 is one of the Union Pacific gas turbine-electric locomotives (GTELs) that General Electric built in 1961. It was advertised as the "most powerful locomotive in the world". Popularly known as "Big Blows", it is one of only two that survived. The other one being displayed at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL

Utah Railway #401

A former ATSF ALCO RSD-15 built in 1959, it served on the Santa Fe railway until being sold to the Utah Railway in 1977, it was retired and donated to the museum in 1989.
;U.S. Army 1216: USAX 1216 is a 44-ton Davenport Locomotive Works switcher that was originally used at the Tooele Army Depot in Tooele, Utah.

Utah Railway #306

ALCO RSD-5 original to the Utah Railway. Owned previously by Doyle McCormack and kept at the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation where it was painted as a Nickel Plate Road locomotive. Repatriated to Utah in September 2022 with plans to restore it to its Utah Railway colors.

Union Pacific Rotary Snowplow 900061

Steam Powered Rotary snowplow, originally built for the Oregon, Washington Railroad & Navigation Company.

Rolling Stock

2002 Winter Olympics Cauldron Car

This specially designed flatcar was used by Union Pacific to transport the Olympic flame as part of the 2002 Winter Olympics torch relay is displayed at the museum. UP donated the car to the museum after the conclusion of the 2002 Winter Olympics.

U.S. Army Hospital Car

This was one of at least 100 special passenger coaches that were retrofitted by the US Army for use as a hospital car to transport wounded soldiers during World War II. The car was acquired by the museum in 2001 and was restored to its original condition. In 2003, the restored interior of the car was opened to the public and is now open for tours and visitors.

Union Pacific Golden Spike Centennial Expo Railcar

This is a former passenger coach that was specially painted by the Union Pacific for use as a display car in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the driving of the Golden spike in May 1969. The car currently sits on static display with badly faded paint.

File:SP 7457.jpg, SP #7457 ''City of Los Angeles'' an EMD SD45
File:UP DDA40X.jpg, UP #6916, an EMD DDA40X
File:SP 3769.jpg, Southern Pacific #3769, an EMD GP7R
File:UP 833.jpg, UP #833, an FEF-2 steamer, sister locomotive to the Union Pacific 844
File:UTAH 401.jpg, UTAH #401, an ALCO RSD-15 still in original ATSF livery
File:UP GTEL -26.jpg, UP #26, one of two surviving GE ''Big Blow'' 8500 Gas turbine locomotives
File:Drgw 5371.jpg, DRG&W #5371, an EMD SD40T-2 Tunnel Motor
File:Cargill 2751.jpg, CRGX #6751, an EMD SW1
File:Union Pacific Olympic Torch Flatcar.jpg, Union Pacific 2002 Winter Olympics Cauldron car
File:Rotary snowplow.jpg, UP #900061, a steam powered Rotary snowplow
File:GE Switcher.jpg, UCRY 1237, a former USAF GE 44-ton switcher

Future of the Station

As recently as 2009, Amtrak was involved in feasibility studies regarding the restoration of some previously discontinued routes, including the ''Pioneer,'' which would be routed through Ogden and potentially resume its old use of Union Station as a passenger platform.

On December 8th, 2022, Ogden City entered into a purchase agreement with Union Pacific Railroad to buy the land under and around the station building for $5.5 Million USD. They did this to avoid potentially losing the station if Union Pacific decided to sell the land privately after the end of their initial lease agreement. As part of the purchase, Ogden City presented extensive plans to redevelop the area around the station into a downtown business and tourist hub. This would include moving the museums out of the station and into a new museum building right next door, which would include the current Eccles Rail Center. They also want to work with the Utah Transit Authority to potentially move the station platforms for their FrontRunner commuter rail service to the station itself, which would bring rail service back to the station and allow rail commuters to use the station's Grand Lobby. There is now a 180-day feasibility study underway to make sure Ogden City is willing to undertake the cost and labor of environmental cleanup in the station area before they could begin developing it.

See also

* National Register of Historic Places in Weber County, Utah
* List of Amtrak stations
* List of museums in Utah
* Union Station (disambiguation)

References

External links

Utah State Railroad Museum
* ttp://www.utah.com/culture/ogden.htm Historic Union Station & Ogden 25th Streetat the Utah Office of Tourism's Utah.com website.

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Buildings and structures in Ogden, Utah
Railroad museums in Utah
Museums in Weber County, Utah
Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Utah
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1924
Former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad stations
Ogden
Union Pacific Railroad stations in Utah
Ogden, Utah
Former Amtrak stations in Utah
Transportation in Weber County, Utah
Tourist attractions in Ogden, Utah
1924 establishments in Utah
John and Donald Parkinson buildings
Railway stations closed in 1997
Former railway stations in Weber County, Utah
National Register of Historic Places in Weber County, Utah