| Show AMERICAN FORK TRAIN RECALLED BY COUPLE 0 y r I Y fir f Y Yr r S r fie r rY Y t sue a I 3 rR 55 lilt S S. 0 Once the means of or frolicking excursions and the thc bearer of rich ric-h pa pay loads from the mines the dinky train shown in the above picture picture picture pic pic- ture has passed Into history but it holds fond memories for an American American Amerlean Amer Amer- ican lean Fork couple Mr and Mrs Warren B B. B Smith who recall its can canyon on runs back in the I Warren rT arren B. B Smith Remembers Hazardous I I Trips on Little Engine in Early Days All board for tor American Fork canonA canyon canon A dozen women clad in voluminous voluminous now dresses and wearing ponderous hats perched on on piles of hair clasp their skirts and clamber to the wooden wood wood- en seats scats in the little passenger car A dozen dOlen men in the antiquated garb of 1872 emerge from the station and saloon and hurr hurry hurry to catch the train tram Signals arc are given and the valiant little engine voices a shrill screech and begins to groan It moves mO protesting pro pro- testing then swings into a creaking creaking creaking creak creak- ing careening gait following the old American Fork river bed Women's laughter drifts back to the station where Mr Emails the agent stands watching the departure The empty flat cars sway precariously on the narrow tracks The daily train to American Fork canyon is on its way Not until afternoon afternoon af at will it be back back after after the passengers have finished their sightseeing sightseeing sight sight- seeing outing at Deer creek and after af af- after ter the cars are loaded with silver bullion lumber ore and charcoal Brakeman ral and Conductor An American Fork man who was Ithe the brakeman and conductor on the narrow gauge line recalls this canyon can can- canyon yon on train of GO 60 years ears ago He is Warren B. B Smith 89 years old His Nis wife Emma Smith remembers the frolicking excursions to the Deer Creek terminus of ol the line where the canyon canon flattens out into an ideal idea setting for lor pleasure parties Doing Doin the work of a brakeman on this train was no ens easy task It took look tooka looka a man of oC nerve a man steeled to hazard to keep the train in check in the return down the sleep steep and winding canyon Coasting down the canyon with the cars loaded the train picked up considerable speed I had to climb over the freight to gel get down to work the brake controls to slow us up says sas Mr Smith In some places I had to put pul on all aU the brakes In level places I had to lo go from car to car again and take the brakes o off off l. l Mrs Smith remembers less prosaic aspects of the trips the time Ive I've gone to the canyon canon on this train People from Crom Salt Lake and the east used to come to lo see the canyon can can- yon on It had quite a reputation for its it scenery After Arter the lunch the women picked the flowers In the late ate sixties sL mining mInIm took a n spurt in Utah American Fork mining mining min min- ing d district strict was among the first to toI tobe tobe I be opened up In the north fork Cork 01 of the canyon the Miller l 1 and I Smelting company opened its mines and built bunt the Sultana smelter Other mining companies and a sawmill began began be be- gan operations here as itS well welt Hardly had the last spike been driven by Brigham Young in the Utah Central railroad when it was completed to Salt SaIt Lake from Ogden in 1870 than the Utah Ulah Southern Railroad Railroad Rail Rail- road rond company was Incorporated to connect Salt Lake with Juab by rail The demand for rail service to the American Fork district mines was Insistent t. t Construction of the narrow gauge road to the can canyon on was begun Ma May 20 1872 Mr Smith helped build the road and when daily train service ervice began he became the brakeman ant and conductor The railroad was a boon to the canyon industries Ore silver lumber lum lum- ber and charcoal were the chief chic freight which came down from Deer Creek on the flat cars as far as Lehat Lehi Leh at first and later to American Fork when the main line reached there When freight loadings began to slump the railroad became mainly a pleasure line Proving extremely un unprofitable pro to its owners the road was abandoned and later It W was taken up Toda Today there is little evidence that the rail rail- railroad railroad I road ever ex existed ted but it lives as a memory with Mr Ir and Mrs 1 Smith I the oldest pion pioneer r couple in Ameri American can Fork and the few other pioneers I who remain |
