The arrival of railroads in Summit County bolstered the area’s economic development by providing affordable freight transportation, initially for agriculture and mining enterprises. Union Pacific contractors laid the first tracks in January 1869, and it wasn’t long before a spur connecting Park City to Echo facilitated regular passenger service to and from the area.
Railroad travel was a primary mode of transportation for most in the country from the mid-1800s into the early 1900s. As early as 1887, the Union Pacific provided passengers with daily round trip service from Park City to Ogden as well as round trip service from Echo to Park City. While the Park City to Ogden route proved reliable for passengers, the Echo to Park City route was serviced via a mixed train – one that transported both passengers and freight – the latter of which led to frequent delays on the route. In addition to Union Pacific’s Park City service, the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad provided regular passenger service from Park City to Salt Lake City, repurposing rails originally constructed by the Salt Lake & Eastern Railroad from 1888-1890 to transport silver.
In the first half of the 20th century, the availability of federal funds for improvements to the nation’s highway system led to a precipitous decline in passenger rail travel. In 1909, speculation was brewing that Rio Grande’s passenger train service would be discontinued due to low ridership. Instead, it continued, with mixed train service replacing its passenger service in 1927, even as other local routes ceased to operate. In the 1930s, with ski tourism in its infancy, the Rio Grande introduced “ski trains” from Salt Lake City to Park City. This service continued until the closure of the line in 1946. The Union Pacific continued to operate occasional ski trains to the area until 1950.
After a fifteen-year hiatus, on December 4, 1965, the Union Pacific resurrected ski trains to Park City. The first train was called the “Hootspa Special” to commemorate the Utah Winter Hootspa, part of a larger and unsuccessful effort to promote Utah as the site of the 1972 Winter Olympics. The train carried passengers from Salt Lake City to Park City, stopping in Ogden and Echo to pick up additional passengers – about 500 passengers in total upon arrival in Park City. According to Utah Rails dot net: “The train was remembered by many for the liberal serving of liquor-by-the-drink, which was not allowed on the ground in Utah, but was allowed on trains because Utah’s liquor laws did not apply to the federally regulated railroads.”
Credit: Unknown photographer for the Park Record, February 27, 1971. Acquired through Utah Digital Newspapers.
The special ski trains – rebranded as the Snowball Express – continued to operate for several more years. The Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce assumed sponsorship of the ski trains, utilizing the fun and festive train service to promote its annual Winter Carnival in Park City. However, by May 1971 most private passenger railroads in the United States were consolidated through the creation of Amtrak, thus ending Union Pacific’s operation of passenger trains for the public, leading to the demise of both the Snowball Express and passenger train service to Park City. The last Snowball Express ran on February 27, 1971.
The Union Pacific train depot in Park City, built in 1886, was located at 660 Main Street (now home to Le Depot Brassiere). It was listed on the Utah State Register of historic sites in 1972 and listed as a contributing building on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as part of the Park City Main Street Historic District. The Rio Grande train depot was located at 820 Park Avenue (now the site of Harvest Park City). According to the Park City’s Historic Sites Inventory, changes to the structure and the removal of surrounding structures have significantly diminished its historical value, although the current owners pay homage to its history through the continued use of the Rio Grande name.
The Park City Museum is hosting a lecture titled “The Last Passenger Train to Park City – All Aboard!” given by David Nicholas and Stuart Stanek on Thursday, February 27 from 5-6 p.m. at their Education and Collections Center located at 2079 Sidewinder Drive.