The West Auto Tour is approximately seven miles and follows the original Transcontinental railroad grade and allows visitors to experience what passengers would have encountered on their travels through Utah Territory. A glimpse of the Great Salt Lake, wide open spaces and the iconic "10 Miles in a Day" sign await the visitor. The tour begins seven miles west of the Visitor Center via Golden Spike Drive. The West Tour is closed seasonally from late November to early June.
East Auto Tour Marker 11-Union Pacific's Last Cut. Ironically, some of the most difficult work for the Union Pacific on their line from Nebraska to Utah was here in these mountains, only a few miles from the completion site. A tortuous ten miles of track, with an average climb of eighty feet per mile, was laid from the valley floor to the summit of the four long fills, four major trestles, five sizable rock cuts, and numerous culverts.
Trestles and Fills Union Pacific crews began construction work in the Promontory Range much later than Central Pacific. Their belated start and the difficult job required shortcuts wherever possible.
Blasting Deep rock cuts like this one required specialized labor, tools, and huge quantities of explosives. Cuts were started by two-man drilling teams called double-jackers. One worker rotated a steel, chisel-like star drill, while the other struck it with a sledgehammer. A good double-jack team could drill a thirty-inch-deep hole in an hour. Look carefully; many of these drill holes are still visible.
Choosing a Route The Great Salt Lake created a sizeable barrier to the railroad. The Union Pacific entered the valley from the east through Weber Canyon into Ogden. The choice then was to go around the lake either to the north or the south. Residents of Salt Lake City pressed the railroads for a southerly route, which would bring it right through town.
Natural Memorial The limestone formation on your left, known as the Chinese Arch, has become a memorial to the thousands of Chinese who helped build the transcontinental railroad. Labor was scarce in California. The Central Pacific first employed Chinese experimentally in 1865. They proved themselves to be excellent workers and soon the company recruited directly from China. By 1868, over 11,000 Chinese laborers were employed on the railroad. Many of the Chinese remained wi
The Steepest Grade You are now descending the steepest mile of railroad in Utah. The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 authorized construction of and stipulated that grades were not to exceed 2.2%, or 116 feet of elevation per mile. This stretch measures 1.7% or 90 feet per mile, a hard pull for steam locomotives of the day. Yet, in the entire 1,776 miles of the transcontinental railroad, the grade seldom exceeded 1.5%.
More to Discover Look across the valley to the right. Can you see the two grades on the hillside? After their descent to the valley floor they run parallel to Highway 83 into Brigham City. With a sharp eye you will be able to see them on your right if you drive into town.
Big Fill and Big Trestle Site This leisurely walk will allow you to see many of the details of railroad construction close-up. Look for drill marks in the deep cuts. These long, straight scars from 1869 are silent testimony to the hurdle over the mountains.
The West Auto Tour is approximately seven miles and follows the original Transcontinental railroad grade and allows visitors to experience what passengers would have encountered on their travels through Utah Territory. A glimpse of the Great Salt Lake, wide open spaces and the iconic "10 Miles in a Day" sign await the visitor. The tour begins seven miles west of the Visitor Center via Golden Spike Drive. The West Tour is closed seasonally from late November to early June.
The West Auto Tour is approximately seven miles and follows the original Transcontinental railroad grade and allows visitors to experience what passengers would have encountered on their travels through Utah Territory. A glimpse of the Great Salt Lake, wide open spaces and the iconic "10 Miles in a Day" sign await the visitor. The tour begins seven miles west of the Visitor Center via Golden Spike Drive. The West Tour is closed seasonally from late November to early June.
