Utah Central Railroad (1869–1881)

[2] Brigham Young did not attend the grand celebration at Promontory Summit on May 10, 1869, when the two lines crossing the continent met.

He did, however, attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Utah Central Railroad in Ogden held a week later on May 17, 1869, and pitched the first shovel-full of ground to symbolize that construction was officially underway.

[3] The following year, Young hammered in the final, commemorative spike, with the words "Holiness to the Lord" engraved upon it, at a special ceremony to celebrate the Utah Central Railroad's completion.

See p. 372, Stephen E. Ambrose, "Nothing Like It in the World," 2000: "... Young bombarded the company headquarters in Boston with demands for payment in full.

The UP had no money, but it did have equipment left over and Young was desperate to have a branch line, to be owned and controlled by the Mormons, running from Ogden to Salt Lake City.