San Pete

Company History: The SPV was established by the Central Pacific Coal & Coke Company, based in London, England. It opened in 1882 with a 30 mile 3’ gauge railroad from a connection with the Utah Southern in Nephi, Utah to Wales where the parent company was establishing a coal mine. Over the next two years they extended the line to Moroni. In 1893 the railroad and the parent company were reorganized with Railway replacing Railroad in the name. The line was then extended to Manti, then through Six-Mile Canyon to another mine at Morrison. Like most narrow gauge lines in the mid-1890s, it quickly became difficult to obtain financing. With the writing on the wall, the extension to Morrison had been laid with wider clearances and standard gauge ties. The conversion to standard gauge began in the summer of 1896. Over the next few years, the Denver & Rio Grande built their Marysvale Branch into this area, running directly parallel to the SPV for part of the line. That brought an end to any plans for further southward expansion although a spur was built to Nebo to serve a brownstone quarry. In 1907, the Denver & Rio Grande bought the SPV. Parallel lines were soon removed. In 1983, the last train ran on a former SPV route. The track was pulled up four years later.

Successor/Parent History: The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (reporting mark DRGW), often shortened to Rio Grande, D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870. It served mainly as a transcontinental bridge line between Denver, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

In 1988, the Rio Grande's parent corporation, Rio Grande Industries, purchased Southern Pacific Transportation Company, and as the result of a merger, the larger Southern Pacific Railroad name was chosen for identity. The Rio Grande operated as a separate division of the Southern Pacific, until that company was acquired by the Union Pacific Railroad. Today, most former D&RGW main lines are owned and operated by the Union Pacific while several branch lines are now operated as heritage railways by various companies.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.