Temple Square Railroad Spur

Temple Square Railroad Spur. . , Hauling granite to build a temple, From 1872-1892, a railroad spur ran up the middle of South Temple Street, greatly accelerating the construction of the temple. In its first year of operation, it carried more than 4,000 tons of rough cut stone from quarries in Little Cottonwood Canyon to the construction site on Temple Square. A trip, which onde took a wagon three to four days, could now be completed in just a few hours., The rail line was actually the second attempt to move temple stone by rail. In 1853, workers constructed portions of a wooden railroad to carry foundation stone from Red Butte Canyon to the construction site by force of gravity. During test runs, the cars lurched out of control so the idea was abandoned until railroads with steam locomotives, steel rails, and braking systems had arrived in Utah., Photo: Railroad Cars and Stone on Temple Square. Charles W. Carter, photographer (from roof of Tabernacle) ca. 1875. Courtesy Church History Library.