The first railroad track laid through Thistle was a narrow-gauge spur line servicing coal mines near today's Scofield Reservoir, built in 1878 by the Utah and Pleasant Valley Railway.
By 1890, the Denver and Rio Grande Western, which acquired the line in a foreclosure sale in 1882, had rebuilt the line to standard gauge.
The D&RGW connected this line with one they had built west from Colorado, completing a link from Salt Lake City to Denver.

The railroad built several facilities in Thistle to service and prepare trains for the change in grade and curvature of the line.
The railroad placed helper engines on eastbound trains at Thistle for the ascent to Soldier Summit.
The town provided a meal service for the trains until the use of on-board dining cars eliminated the need for meal stops.

Thistle saw more rail traffic with the construction of the Marysvale Branch line.
This line branched from the main at Thistle, following modern US‑89 towards mines near Marysvale.
Another line through Thistle, paralleling the D&RGW main, was built by the Utah Railway.
The two lines were later combined into a dual-track main line, as part of a trackage rights agreement between the two companies.

Rail traffic through Thistle continued to increase as the Rio Grande cooperated with connecting railroads, making the rail line through Thistle a bridge line for transcontinental rail traffic.
The growth of Thistle was closely tied to the success of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad throughout the era of steam locomotives.

At its peak, around 1917, Thistle had about 600 residents.
The town's railroad infrastructure included a five-stall roundhouse, depot, machine shop, and structures to restock passing trains with sand, coal and water.
Non-railroad infrastructure included general stores, a post office, barber shop, saloon, pool hall, bakeries and restaurants.
The largest building was a two-story schoolhouse, built in 1911.

In the 1950s, the Denver & Rio Grande Western began to phase out steam locomotives in favor of diesel locomotives, which require less maintenance.
With the change in technology, Thistle faded in importance.
Gradually the town shrank in population; the passenger depot was torn down in 1972 and the post office closed in 1974.
By 1983, only a few families remained in Thistle.
The first railroad track laid through Thistle was a narrow-gauge spur line servicing coal mines near today's Scofield Reservoir, built in 1878 by the Utah and Pleasant Valley Railway. By 1890, the Denver and Rio Grande Western, which acquired the line in a foreclosure sale in 1882, had rebuilt the line to standard gauge. The D&RGW connected this line with one they had built west from Colorado, completing a link from Salt Lake City to Denver.
The railroad built several facilities in Thistle to service and prepare trains for the change in grade and curvature of the line. The railroad placed helper engines on eastbound trains at Thistle for the ascent to Soldier Summit. The town provided a meal service for the trains until the use of on-board dining cars eliminated the need for meal stops.
Thistle saw more rail traffic with the construction of the Marysvale Branch line. This line branched from the main at Thistle, following modern US‑89 towards mines near Marysvale. Another line through Thistle, paralleling the D&RGW main, was built by the Utah Railway. The two lines were later combined into a dual-track main line, as part of a trackage rights agreement between the two companies.
Rail traffic through Thistle continued to increase as the Rio Grande cooperated with connecting railroads, making the rail line through Thistle a bridge line for transcontinental rail traffic. The growth of Thistle was closely tied to the success of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad throughout the era of steam locomotives.
At its peak, around 1917, Thistle had about 600 residents. The town's railroad infrastructure included a five-stall roundhouse, depot, machine shop, and structures to restock passing trains with sand, coal and water. Non-railroad infrastructure included general stores, a post office, barber shop, saloon, pool hall, bakeries and restaurants. The largest building was a two-story schoolhouse, built in 1911.
In the 1950s, the Denver & Rio Grande Western began to phase out steam locomotives in favor of diesel locomotives, which require less maintenance. With the change in technology, Thistle faded in importance. Gradually the town shrank in population; the passenger depot was torn down in 1972 and the post office closed in 1974. By 1983, only a few families remained in Thistle.
Thistle, Utah