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ST JOHN
&
OPHIR RR

The St John & Ophir was built in 1912 by Senator William A. Clark of Montana who owned the Ophir Hill Mine. The line was laid from the SP,LA&SL tracks at St John to the silver mines in Ophir along the western slope of the Oquirrh Mountains.

The nine mile line ran on a 2.0% grade from the mainline to the mouth of Ophir Canyon. From there to the town, the grade was a steep 7.0% up the canyon. The St John & Ophir was the only railroad to use the climax locomotive. They ran two of them for the sixteen years the line was in service.

The line shut down in 1928 and the rails were finally pulled in 1938

Last Update 01/30/01

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