Salt Lake & Arizona Railroad

Synopsis
The Salt Lake & Arizona Railroad was a 2" Gauge Railroad projected to Connect the Salt Lake Valley with The Grand Canyon. The Railroad was designed solely as a tourist facility, and was a very ambitious Project.

Overview
The Salt Lake & Arizona Railroad was incorporated in August 1905, with the purpose of building a 30" gauge railroad to connect The Grand Canyon with a proposed Branch of the Union Pacific. The fact that the National Park Commission was not likely to grant permission for the S.L.&.A. to enter the park does not seem to have bothered its promoters. We can only speculate about the choice of such a narrow gauge for what was expected to be a fairly ambitious project. By 1905 most narrow gauge railroads had either been abandoned or converted to standard gauge, and no new lines were being constructed. The choice of gauge may have been a gamble to reach the Canyon ahead of competing projects by minimizing the need for construction in difficult terrain. Equipment consisted originally of an 0-4-2 locomotive and a pair of 4 wheeled Flatcars for Construction work, and ground was broken two months after the company's founding.