ific's transcontinental line. Utah & Northern converted its line between Silver Bow and Pocatello, Idaho from three-foot narrow gauge to standard gauge on July 24, 1887.
Montana Union Railway was jointly owned and operated by Union Pacific and Northern Pacific Railway, with each road taking its turn at operations in alternating years. Montana Union continued as a joint company for another 12 years until March 1898 when the assets of Montana Union were divided between UP and NP as part of Union Pacific's reorganization. Union Pacific took ownership of the tracks, but gave Northern Pacific a 999-year lease, with the lease fee being based on traffic being carried. As part of the settlement, in October 1898 three Montana Union 2-8-0s were transferred to Union Pacific ownership. A year earlier, OSL had purchased two Montana Union 0-6-0 switchers and moved them to Pocatello and Salt Lake City for service.
The following comes from the "Report on the Internal Commerce of the United States By United States Dept. of the Treasury, Bureau of Statistics, 1889":
On March 9, 1880 the Utah & Northern crossed the Idaho line into Montana and the first rail was laid on Montana soil. The Utah & Northern was completed to Garrison in Deer Lodge County and there connected with the Northern Pacific Railroad and over its main line ran its trains to Helena. From Ogden to Garrison is 453 miles and from Garrison to Helena 51 miles. Utah & Northern had two short branches in Montana, one from Silver Bow to Butte City a distance of seven miles and another branch from Stuart to the Anaconda Copper Smelting Works a distance of nine miles. The 44 miles of the road between Silver Bow and Garrison is called the Montana Union Railway and is operated jointly by the Union Pacific and the Northern Pacific companies for the convenience of local traffic for both roads between Helena, Garrison, Anaconda and Butte.
The Utah and Northern has been the most profitable branch of the Union Pacific system. Its freights have been enormous and very profitable. It brought all the salt required by the numerous silver mills roasters and smelters of Montana used in chloridizing silver ores. Also all the coal and coke of Wyoming used at Butte and Anaconda. The railroad company owned and monopolized the most of these supplies and charged for them and for freights all that the mill men and smelters could stand. The exports of crude ore, and of silver and copper matte for working and refining them in the East have amounted to hundreds of thousands of tons per annum. Although respectfully requested these roads have failed to give any information as to the amount or value of their business into or out from Montana for the year past.
The first annual report of the railways of the United States, dated January 1, 1889, showed that Union Pacific Railway owned 57.99 miles of tracks that were operated by Montana Union Railway. (First Annual Report of the Statistics of Railways in the United States to the Interstate Commerce Commission for the Year Ending June 30, 1888; Google Books)
(Additional reading: Maury Klein presents an excellent summary of Montana Union difficulties between Union Pacific, Northern Pacific, the Butte mines, and the Anaconda smelter in Union Pacific, The Birth Of A Railroad, 1862-1893, pages 555-559)
March 9, 1880
Utah & Northern rails reached the Montana territorial line. ("Utah & Northern, the Narrow Gauge That Opened a Frontier" by Mallory Hope Ferrell, in Colorado Rail Annual No. 15, Golden, Colorado, 1981, page 45)
Utah & Northern reached Dillion, Montana. Construction ceased until Spring 1881. ("Utah & Northern, the Narrow Gauge That Opened a Frontier" by Mallory Hope Ferrell, in Colorado Rail Annual No. 15, Golden, Colorado, 1981, page 45)
Utah & Northern reached Silver Bow, Montana. ("Utah & Northern, the Narrow Gauge That Opened a Frontier" by Mallory Hope Ferrell, in Colorado Rail Annual No. 15, Golden, Colorado, 1981, page 45)
December 26, 1881
Utah & Northern reached Butte, Montana, seven miles east of Silver Bow. ("Utah & Northern, the Narrow Gauge Tha