The
Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in
Omaha, NebraskaOmaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, is the largest railroad network in the United States.
James R. YoungJames R. Young is the current President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board for Union Pacific Railroad. Young has a wife, Shirley, and three children.- Youth and education :...
is president, CEO and Chairman.
UP's route map covers most of the central and western United States west of Chicago and
New OrleansNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. As of December 31, 2008 UP operates on 32012 miles (51,518 km) of track, of which it owns outright 26171 miles (42,118 km). Both numbers represent the highest amount of any railroad currently operating in the United States. It has achieved this size as a result of purchasing a large number of other railroads, notably the Missouri Pacific,
Chicago and North WesternThe Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
,
Western PacificThe Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California...
, Missouri-Kansas-Texas, and the
Southern PacificThe Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
(including the
Rio GrandeThe Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
). Currently, Union Pacific owns 26% of
FerromexFerromex is a private rail consortium that operates the largest railroad in Mexico.-Description:...
while
Grupo MexicoGrupo México is the largest mining corporation in Mexico and the third largest copper producer in the world.Ferrocarril Mexicano , the company's rail transport division, operates the nation's largest rail fleet.-History:...
owns the remaining 74%.
UP's chief railroad competitor is the
BNSF RailwayThe BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
, which covers much of the same territory.
History
The original company, prior to later uniting with the
Central Pacific RailroadThe Central Pacific Railroad is the former name of the railroad network built between California and Utah, USA that formed part of the "First Transcontinental Railroad" in North America. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Many 19th century national proposals to build a transcontinental...
, was incorporated on July 1, 1862 under an act of congress entitled
Pacific Railroad Act of 1862The Pacific Railroad Acts were a series of acts of Congress that promoted the construction of the transcontinental railroad in the United States through authorizing the issuance of government bonds and the grants of land to railroad companies. The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 was the original act...
. The act was approved by President
Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, and it provided for the construction of railroads from the
Missouri riverThe Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
to the Pacific as a war measure for the preservation of the Union. It was constructed westwardly from Council Bluffs to meet the Central Pacific line, which was constructed eastwardly from
San Francisco baySan Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. The line was constructed primarily by Irish labor who had learned their craft during the recent Civil War. The two lines were joined together at Promontory Summit, Utah, fifty-three miles west of
Ogden-Surname:* Aaron Ogden, governor of New Jersey* Bud Ogden, American professional basketball player* Carlos C. Ogden, American Medal of Honor recipient* Charles Ogden * Charles Kay Ogden, Cambridge University linguist, inventor of Basic English...
on May 10, 1869, hence creating the first transcontinental railroad in North America. Under the guidance of its dominant stockholder
Dr. Thomas Clark DurantThomas Clark Durant, was an American financier and railroad promoter. He was vice-president of the Union Pacific in 1869 when it met with the Central Pacific railroad at Promontory Summit in Utah Territory...
, the namesake of the city of Durant, Iowa, the first rails were laid in
Omaha, NebraskaOmaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. Subsequently, UP took over three
MormonThe term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
-built roads: the Utah Central Rail Road extending south from
Ogden, UtahOgden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, to Salt Lake City, the
Utah Southern RailroadThe Utah Southern Railroad was built by the Mormons between Salt Lake City and York , and acquired by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1875.-External links:* , Utah History Encyclopedia, University of Utah...
extending south from Salt Lake City into the
Utah ValleyUtah Valley is a valley in North Central Utah located in Utah County, and is considered part of the Wasatch Front. It contains Provo, Orem, and their suburbs, including Highland, Eagle Mountain, Saratoga Springs, Mapleton, Spanish Fork, Lindon, Pleasant Grove, Springville, Lehi, Payson, and...
, and the Utah Northern Railroad extending north from Ogden into
IdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
; and it built or absorbed local lines that gave it access to
DenverThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
and to
Portland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, and the
Pacific NorthwestThe Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. It acquired the Kansas Pacific (originally called the Union Pacific, Eastern Division, though in essence a separate railroad). It also owned narrow gauge trackage into the heart of the Colorado Rockies and a standard gauge line south from Denver across
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
into
TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(both parts of the
Union Pacific, Denver and Gulf RailwayThe Union Pacific, Denver and Gulf Railway was a subsidiary of Union Pacific Railroad created from what was the Colorado Central Railroad in 1890. It operated lines from Denver, Colorado through Cheyenne, Wyoming to Wendover, Wyoming and a route from Denver to Golden, Colorado...
).
UP was entangled in the
Crédit Mobilier scandalThe Crédit Mobilier scandal of 1872 involved the Union Pacific Railroad and the Crédit Mobilier of America construction company in the building of the First Transcontinental Railroad. The distribution of Crédit Mobilier shares of stock by Congressman Oakes Ames along with cash bribes to...
, exposed in 1872, that involved bribing congressmen and stock speculations. Its early troubles led to
bankruptcyBankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
during the 1870s, the result of which was reorganization of the Union Pacific Railroad as the Union Pacific Railway on January 24, 1880, with its dominant stockholder being
Jay GouldJason "Jay" Gould was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has long been vilified as an archetypal robber baron, whose successes made him the ninth richest American in history. Condé Nast Portfolio ranked Gould as the 8th worst American CEO of all time...
. The new company also declared bankruptcy, in 1893, but emerged on July 1, 1897, reverting to the original name, Union Pacific Railroad. Such minor changes in corporate titles were a common result of reorganization after bankruptcy among American railroads. This period saw the UP sell off some of its holdings; the Union Pacific Railway, Central Branch became the Central Branch of the
Missouri Pacific RailroadThe Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
and the Southern Branch was acquired by the newly-incorporated Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad in 1870. However, the UP soon recovered, and was strong enough to take control of
Southern Pacific RailroadThe Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
(SP) in 1901 and then was ordered in 1913 by the U.S. Supreme Court to surrender control of the same. UP also founded the
Sun ValleySun Valley is a resort city in Blaine County in the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum, lying within the greater Wood River valley. Tourists from around the world enjoy its skiing, hiking, ice skating, trail riding, tennis, and cycling. The population was 1,427...
resort in
IdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
in 1936, the UP engineering department in Omaha designed the first ski
chairliftAn elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
that summer. The MP and MKT both came back into the UP fold in the 1980s. On September 11, 1996 UP finally acquired SP in a transaction envisioned nearly a century earlier.
The headquarters of the railroad operation of the UP has been in
OmahaOmaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, Nebraska, since its inception. Currently they are housed in the
Union Pacific CenterThe Union Pacific Center at 1400 Douglas Street is one of downtown Omaha, Nebraska's newest high-rise buildings. It houses the headquarters of the Union Pacific Railroad and its parent company, the Union Pacific Corporation. It officially opened in June 2004 and rises 317 ft making it the fourth...
, completed in 2003. Other important UP facilities in Omaha have included the
Union Pacific Railroad Omaha Shops FacilityThe Union Pacific Railroad Omaha Shops Facility was a shop for the trains of the Union Pacific located at North 9th and Webster in Downtown Omaha. With the first locomotives arriving in 1865, it took until the 1950s for the facility to become the major overhaul and maintenance facility for the...
and the
Harriman Dispatch CenterThe Union Pacific Harriman Dispatch Center is located at 850 Jones Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. Called "the Bunker" by some, the Harriman is Union Pacific's rail traffic control headquarters, where the movement of more than 850 trains and nearly 36,000 miles of track across the country is...
. The corporate headquarters of the Union Pacific Corporation were located in New York City from its initial founding in the 1860s until Drew Lewis became CEO in the mid-1980s, at which time they were relocated to Bethlehem PA, and then later to Dallas TX; the corporate headquarters of the Union Pacific Corporation are now located also in Omaha.
Union Pacific Corporation
In 1986 UP purchased Overnite Transportation, a fairly major less-than-truckload shipping carrier. UP divested itself of Overnite Trucking through an
IPOAn initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
in 2004.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, UP purchased several non-railroad companies, such as Skyway Freight Systems of
Watsonville, CaliforniaWatsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 51,199 according to the 2010 census.Located on the central coast of California, the economy centers predominantly around the farming industry. It is known for growing strawberries, apples, lettuce and a host...
, and United States Pollution Control, Inc., but by 2000, following the appointment of Richard K. Davidson as CEO, it had divested itself of all non-railroad properties except for Overnite Trucking, and its holding company for logistical technology, Fenix Enterprises.
The Union Pacific Corporation (not the railroad itself) was located in
Bethlehem, PennsylvaniaBethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
until 1997, when Richard K. Davidson announced that it was moving to
DallasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
in September of that year. Two years later, on the sale of Skyway and the impending divestiture of Overnite, the UP corporate headquarters moved to Omaha to join the headquarters of the railroad.
Current trackage
Primarily concentrated west of the
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, UP directly owns and operates track in 23 U.S. states:
ArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
,
ArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
,
ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
,
IdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
,
IllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
,
IowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
,
KansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
,
LouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
,
MinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
,
MissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
,
MontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
,
NebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
,
NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
,
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
,
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
,
OregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
,
TennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
,
TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
,
UtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Washington,
WisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, and
WyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. For administrative purposes, its network is divided into 21 “service units”: Chicago, Council Bluffs, Commuter Operations, Denver, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Kansas City, Livonia, Los Angeles, North Little Rock, North Platte, Portland, Roseville, San Antonio, Saint Louis, Tucson, Twin Cities, Utah, and Wichita (incomplete list). Each “service unit” is further divided into many different subdivisions, which represent segments of track ranging from 300 miles (482.8 km) mainlines to 10 miles (16.1 km) branch-lines.
Not including second, third, and fourth main line track, yard track, and siding track, UP directly operated some 36,206 miles (58,364 kilometers) of track, as of March 24, 2000. When the additional tracks are counted, the amount of track that it has direct control over rises to 54,116 miles (87,091 kilometers).
UP has also been able to reach agreements with competing railroads, mostly
BNSFThe BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
, that allow the railroad to operate its own trains with its own crews on hundreds of miles of competing railroads’ main tracks.
Furthermore, due to the practice of locomotive leasing and sharing undertaken by the
Class I railroadA Class I railroad in the United States and Mexico, or a Class I rail carrier in Canada, is a large freight railroad company, as classified based on operating revenue.Smaller railroads are classified as Class II and Class III...
s, UP locomotives occasionally show up on competitors' tracks throughout the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
,
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and most recently,
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
In California, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) maintains a database of crossings.
Yards and facilities
Because of the large size of UP, hundreds of yards throughout its rail network are needed to effectively handle the daily transport of goods from one place to another. To reduce overall emissions, Union Pacific is acquiring a new generation of environmentally friendly locomotives for use in Los Angeles basin rail yards.
Some of the more prominent rail facilities in UP’s system include:
- The Intermodal Container Transfer Facility in Wilmington, California, serving the ports of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles, also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT L.A, is a port complex that occupies of land and water along of waterfront. The port is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately south of downtown...
and Long BeachThe Port of Long Beach, also known as Long Beach’s Harbor Department, is the 2nd busiest container port in the USA. It adjoins the separate Port of Los Angeles. Acting as a major gateway for U.S.-Asian trade, the port occupies of land with of waterfront in the city of Long Beach, California...
.
- Bailey Yard
Bailey Yard is the world’s largest railroad classification yard. Owned and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad , Bailey Yard is located in North Platte, Nebraska. The yard is named after former Union Pacific President Edd H. Bailey....
, the largest railroad classification yard in the world, located in North Platte, NebraskaNorth Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the southwestern part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River...
.
- The Hinkle Locomotive Service and Repair Facility
The Union Pacific Railroad's Hinkle Locomotive Service and Repair Facility is located within the railroad's yard at Hinkle, Umatilla County, Oregon, United States...
in Hermiston, OregonAs of the census of 2010, there were 16,745 people, 4,964 households, and 3,360 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,035.4 people per square mile . There were 5,383 housing units at an average density of 832.9 per square mile...
.
- J.R. Davis Yard, the largest rail facility on the United States’ west coast, in Roseville, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Roseville had a population of 118,788. The population density was 3,279.4 people per square mile...
.
- Jenks Shop, one of the largest locomotive overhaul and maintenance facilities in the world, located in North Little Rock, Arkansas
the city was 62.55% White, 33.98% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races...
.
- Global III Intermodal Facility, a critical interchange hub and loading/unloading terminal for intermodal
Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation , without any handling of the freight itself when changing modes. The method reduces cargo handling, and so improves security, reduces damages and...
shipments moving through the Chicago metropolitan area, in Rochelle, IllinoisRochelle is a city in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,574 at the 2010 census, up from 9,424 at the 2000 census. Rochelle is about west of Chicago and south of Rockford...
.
- Mira Loma Terminal in Mira Loma, California
Mira Loma was a census-designated place in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 21,930 at the 2010 census, up from 17,617 at the 2000 census. Mira Loma was known as Wineville prior to 1930. The name was changed that year to help disassociate the community from the...
, the principal distribution center for Chrysler and Ford in Southern California
- Union Pacific Dallas Intermodal Terminal, a massive $80 million expansion of the railroad's transportation hub outside of Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.
- Union Pacific San Antonio Intermodal Terminal is a $90 million state-of-the-art intermodal terminal under construction in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
and is expected to be complete in 2008.
Active hump yards
Hump yardsA classification yard or marshalling yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill...
work by using a small hill over which cars are pushed, before being released down a slope and switched automatically into cuts of cars, ready to be made into outbound trains. UP's active humps include:
- Northlake, Illinois
Northlake is a city in suburban Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,878 at the 2000 census. The city's moniker is "The City of Friendly People".-Geography:...
– Proviso Yard
- Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
– Davidson Yard
- Hermiston, Oregon
As of the census of 2010, there were 16,745 people, 4,964 households, and 3,360 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,035.4 people per square mile . There were 5,383 housing units at an average density of 832.9 per square mile...
– Hinkle Yard
- Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
– Englewood Yard
- La Porte, Texas
La Porte is a city in Harris County, Texas within the Bay Area of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 31,880...
– Strang Yard
- Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
– Neff Yard
- Livonia, Louisiana
Livonia is a town in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,339 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is home to Livonia High School. The town's zip code is 70755...
- Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
- North Little Rock, Arkansas
the city was 62.55% White, 33.98% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races...
– North Little Rock Yard
- North Platte, Nebraska
North Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the southwestern part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River...
– Bailey YardBailey Yard is the world’s largest railroad classification yard. Owned and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad , Bailey Yard is located in North Platte, Nebraska. The yard is named after former Union Pacific President Edd H. Bailey....
- Roseville, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Roseville had a population of 118,788. The population density was 3,279.4 people per square mile...
– Davis Yard
- Colton, California
Colton is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The city is located in the Inland Empire region of the state and is approximately 57 miles east of Los Angeles. The population of Colton is 52,154 according to the 2010 census, up from 47,662 at the 2000 census.Colton is the...
– West Colton Yard
- Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
– Beaumont Yard
- East St Louis, Illinois – Gateway Yard
Union Pacific Police Department
Union Pacific maintains a functioning police department staffed with
Special Agents with jurisdiction over crimes against the railroad. Special Agents have federal and state arrest powers and can enforce laws even off railroad property in most states where the railroad operates. Special Agents typically investigate major incidents such as derailments, sabotage, grade crossing accidents, and hazardous material accidents and minor issues such as trespassing on the railroad right of way, vandalism/graffiti, and theft of company property or customer product.
Special Agents often coordinate with local, state, and federal law enforcement on issues concerning the railroad and are dispatched nationally through UP Headquarters in Omaha.
Union Pacific Railroad Museum
The Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa, houses one of the oldest corporate collections in the nation. It includes artifacts, photographs, and documents that trace the development of the railroad and the American West.
The completion of Union Pacific’s transcontinental railroad in 1869 helped shape the landscape and geography and brought tens of thousands of westward-bound immigrants to the American West.
The museum’s collection features weapons from the late 19th and 20th centuries, outlaw paraphernalia, a sampling of the immigrants’ possessions, and a photograph collection comprising more than 500,000 images.
In 2009, the America’s Power Factuality Tour stopped at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum to report on the railroad’s role in generating electricity in the United States.
Paint and colors
UP's basic paint scheme for its diesel-electric
locomotiveA locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s is the oldest still in use by a major railroad. The middle two-thirds of the locomotive body is painted
Armour Yellow, so-named because it was the color used by the
Armour meat companyArmour & Company was an American slaughterhouse and meatpacking company founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1867 by the Armour brothers, led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company was Chicago's most important business and helped make the city and its Union Stock Yards the center of the...
. A thin band of red divides this from the
Harbor Mist Gray (a fairly light gray) used for the body and roof above that point. A red line is also painted at the bottom of the locomotive body, but this color has gradually become yellow as new Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations for reflectorized tape came into effect in 2005; the trucks, underframe, fuel tanks and everything else beneath that line are also
Harbor Mist Gray. Lettering and numbering are in red, with black outlines. Some locomotives (historically passenger locomotives, and some recent units from 2000 on) have white-outlined blue "wings" on the nose. More recently, some units have been repainted with a large, billowing
American flagThe national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...
with the corporate motto "Building America" on the side, where the 'UNION PACIFIC' lettering is normally positioned. This paint scheme is known as "Building America," "Wings," or "Flags and Flares."
The Armour Yellow livery was first introduced on the UP's
M-10000The Union Pacific Railroad's M-10000, delivered to the railroad on February 12, 1934, at a cost of $230,997, was the first internal combustion engine, lightweight streamlined express passenger train in the United States. The carbodies and interior fittings were built by Pullman-Standard...
streamliner train in 1934, although Leaf Brown was used instead of Harbor Mist Grey. Passenger cars,
cabooseA caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
s, and other non-freight equipment have also been painted in a similar fashion.
The
steam locomotiveA steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
paint schemes are unique in their own way. Up until the mid-1940s, all steam locomotives on UP were painted in a standard scheme: the smokebox and firebox were painted graphite and the rest was painted jet black; the lettering was usually aluminum. In the late 1940s, many passenger steam locomotives were repainted in a two-tone grey scheme to match the scheme applied to some coaching stock. These locomotives were painted light grey, with one dark gray strip running from front to rear alongside the running board and in the middle of the tender. This dark grey strip was outlined in yellow (originally aluminum), and all lettering inside the strip was yellow also. After 1952, these locomotives were repainted in the same basic black color scheme as the earlier freight locomotives. The grey passenger cars were repainted in the yellow scheme.
From the second half of 2005 to the summer of 2006, UP unveiled a new set of six EMD SD70ACe locomotives in "Heritage Colors," painted in schemes reminiscent of railroads acquired by UP since the 1980s. The engine numbers match the year that the predecessor railroad was absorbed into Union Pacific. The locomotives commemorate the
Missouri PacificThe Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
with
UP 1982Union Pacific 1982 is an EMD SD70ACe locomotive owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. It is one of six SD70ACe locomotives referred to as the UP's Heritage units, units painted to pay tribute to predecessor railroads acquired by Union Pacific. UP 1982 is painted in Missouri Pacific colors...
, the
Western PacificThe Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California...
with
UP 1983Union Pacific 1983 is an EMD SD70ACe locomotive owned by Union Pacific Railroad. It is one of UP's locomotives painted in the scheme of a predecessor railroad. UP 1983 is painted in Western Pacific Railroad colors...
, the
Missouri-Kansas-TexasThe Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad was incorporated May 23, 1870. In its earliest days the MKT was commonly referred to as "the K-T", which was its stock exchange symbol; this common designation soon evolved into "the Katy"....
with
UP 1988Union Pacific 1988 is an EMD SD70ACe locomotive owned by Union Pacific Railroad. It is one of UP's locomotives painted in the scheme of a predecessor railroad. UP 1988 is painted in Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad or "Katy" colors. The locomotive was unveiled in early August 2005, after which it...
, the
Chicago and North WesternThe Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
with
UP 1995Union Pacific 1995 is an EMD SD70ACe diesel-electric locomotive owned by the Union Pacific Railroad . It is the fifth locomotive in the railroad's "Heritage Series" of SD70ACe locomotives painted as tributes to UP predecessor railroads...
, the
Southern PacificThe Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
with
UP 1996Union Pacific 1996 is a SD70ACe locomotive owned by Union Pacific Railroad . It is the sixth locomotive to receive a commemorative paint scheme in honor of UP's predecessor railroads as part of UP's "Heritage Series". It was unveiled on August 19, 2006, and is currently operating in regular...
, and the
Denver and Rio Grande WesternThe Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
with
UP 1989Union Pacific 1989 is an EMD SD70ACe locomotive owned by Union Pacific Railroad . It is one of UP's "Heritage Series" locomotives painted in the scheme of a predecessor railroad, in this case the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. The locomotive was unveiled to the public on June 17, 2006, at...
. Although the Denver & Rio Grande Western was not a direct predecessor because it had purchased the SP in 1988 but kept the larger system's name, the Union Pacific still included it in the heritage series.
In October 2005, UP unveiled another specially painted SD70ACe:
4141Union Pacific 4141 is an EMD SD70ACe locomotive owned by Union Pacific. Its paint scheme is based on that of Air Force One and "George Bush 41" is painted on the sides in honor of George H. W...
has "
George BushGeorge Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
41" on the sides and its paint scheme resembles that of
Air Force OneAir Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft...
.
On March 31, 2010, UP dedicated a specially painted
GE ES44ACThe Evolution Series is a line of diesel locomotives built by GE Transportation Systems, designed to meet the U.S. EPA's Tier 2 locomotive emissions standards that took effect in 2005. The first pre-production units were built in 2003. Evolution Series locomotives are equipped with either AC or DC...
locomotive commemorating the centennial of the
Boy Scouts of AmericaThe Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
. Although it retains the standard Armour Yellow and Harbor Mist colors, the unit has a large BSA 2010 logo on the side and the scouting logo low on the side of the nose.
2008 locomotive roster
As of January 1, 2008, UP has 8,595 locomotives on its active roster.
| Type |
Quantity |
| 4-6-6-4 In Whyte notation, a 4-6-6-4 is a railroad steam locomotive that has four leading wheels followed by six coupled driving wheels, a second set of six driving wheels and four trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:...
|
1 |
| 4-8-4 Under the Whyte notation classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification: 2D2...
|
1 |
B40-8The GE Dash 8-40B is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems between 1988 and 1989. 150 examples of this locomotive were built for North American railroads. The GE Dash 8-40BW is a variant fitted with a full-width cab. Another variant is the GE Dash 8-40BP, more commonly...
|
91 |
| C40-8 A GE Dash 8-40C is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems between 1987 and 1992, wheel arrangement is of a C-C type. This locomotive model is sometimes referred to as a C40-8. or simply "Dash 8". "Dash 8" in general refers to the electrical control series, "Dash" being a...
|
333 |
C40-8WA GE Dash 8-40CW is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems from 1990 to 1994. It is distinguished from the Dash 8-40C by the addition of a "wide" or "safety" cab. This locomotive model is sometimes referred to as a C40-8W...
|
50 |
C41-8WA GE Dash 8-40CW is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems from 1990 to 1994. It is distinguished from the Dash 8-40C by the addition of a "wide" or "safety" cab. This locomotive model is sometimes referred to as a C40-8W...
|
154 |
| C4460AC The GE AC4400CW is a diesel-electric locomotive that was built by GE Transportation Systems between 1993 and 2004. It is similar to the Dash 9-44CW, but features AC traction motors instead of DC, with a separate inverter per motor. 2,598 examples of this locomotive were produced for North American...
|
80 |
| C44-9W The GE C44-9W is a 4,400 hp diesel locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems of Erie, Pennsylvania. Keeping in tradition with GE's locomotive series nicknames beginning with the "Dash 7" of the 1970s, the C44-9W was dubbed the Dash 9 upon its debut in 1993. The design has since proven popular...
|
274 |
| C44AC/CTE The GE AC4400CW is a diesel-electric locomotive that was built by GE Transportation Systems between 1993 and 2004. It is similar to the Dash 9-44CW, but features AC traction motors instead of DC, with a separate inverter per motor. 2,598 examples of this locomotive were produced for North American...
|
1338 |
| C45AC/CTE |
775 |
C6044ACThe AC6000CW is a diesel electric locomotive that is built by GE Transportation Systems. They are all used by major railroads in the United States, except for 8 units exported to BHP Billiton Iron Ore in Australia...
|
176 |
C60ACThe AC6000CW is a diesel electric locomotive that is built by GE Transportation Systems. They are all used by major railroads in the United States, except for 8 units exported to BHP Billiton Iron Ore in Australia...
|
75 |
| DDA40X The EMD DDA40X was a D-D diesel-electric locomotive built by the General Motors EMD division of La Grange, Illinois for the Union Pacific Railroad...
|
1 |
E9AThe EMD E9 was a , A1A-A1A passenger train-hauling diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between April 1954 and January 1964. 100 cab-equipped lead A units were produced, along with 44 cabless booster B units. All were for service within the...
|
2 |
E9BThe EMD E9 was a , A1A-A1A passenger train-hauling diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between April 1954 and January 1964. 100 cab-equipped lead A units were produced, along with 44 cabless booster B units. All were for service within the...
|
1 |
GP15-1The EMD GP15-1 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between June, 1976 and March, 1982. Intended to provide an alternative to the rebuilding programs that many railroads were applying to their early road switchers, it is generally employed as a yard switcher...
|
160 |
GP38-2An EMD GP38-2 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive of the road switcher type built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the GP38-2 was an upgraded version of the earlier GP38...
|
334 |
GP38ACAn EMD GP38AC is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between February 1970 and December 1971. It was basically a GP38 with an AR10 alternator instead of the GP38's normal generator....
|
2 |
GP39-2An EMD GP39-2 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1974 and 1984. 239 examples of this locomotive were built for American railroads. Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the GP39-2 was an upgraded GP39...
|
49 |
| GP40 The EMD GP40 is a 4-axle diesel-electric road switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between November 1965 and December 1971...
|
15 |
GP40-2An EMD GP40-2 is a 4-axle diesel road switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division as part of its Dash 2 line between April 1972 and December 1986. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder engine which generated 3000 horsepower .- Production :Standard GP40-2 production...
|
142 |
GP40-2PAn EMD GP40-2 is a 4-axle diesel road switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division as part of its Dash 2 line between April 1972 and December 1986. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder engine which generated 3000 horsepower .- Production :Standard GP40-2 production...
|
2 |
GP40M-2An EMD GP40-2 is a 4-axle diesel road switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division as part of its Dash 2 line between April 1972 and December 1986. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder engine which generated 3000 horsepower .- Production :Standard GP40-2 production...
|
65 |
GP50* Sarberenyi, Robert. ...
|
48 |
GP60An EMD GP60 is a 4-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1985 and 1994. The GP60 was EMD's first diesel that was classified as a third-generation locomotive...
|
194 |
| MP15AC The EMD MP15AC is a 1,500 hp diesel switcher/road-switcher locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between August 1975 and August 1984. 246 examples were built, including 25 for export to Mexico, and four built in Canada...
|
41 |
MP15DCThe EMD MP15DC was a switcher-type diesel locomotive model produced by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between 1974 and 1980. 351 examples were built...
|
102 |
SD40-2The EMD SD40-2 is a C-C locomotive produced by EMD from 1972 to 1989.The SD40-2 was first introduced in January 1972 as the mid-range offering in EMD's six-axle "Dash-2" series, competing against the GE U30C and the MLW M630...
|
948 |
| SD40T-2 An EMD SD40T-2 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. Power is provided by a 16-cylinder EMD 645E3 diesel engine capable of producing . The Southern Pacific's locomotive features a fuel tank and is long. The Rio Grande's locomotive features a smaller fuel...
|
24 |
| SD40T-2R An EMD SD40T-2 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. Power is provided by a 16-cylinder EMD 645E3 diesel engine capable of producing . The Southern Pacific's locomotive features a fuel tank and is long. The Rio Grande's locomotive features a smaller fuel...
|
84 |
SD50The EMD SD50 was a diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. It was introduced in May 1981 as part of EMD's "50 Series", but prototype SD50S locomotives were built from 1980; production ceased in January 1986...
|
10 |
SD60The EMD SD60 is a 3,800 horsepower 6-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. Intended for heavy-duty drag freight or medium-speed freight service, it was introduced in 1984, and production of SD60 variants ran until 1995.- History and development...
|
85 |
SD60MThe EMD SD60 is a 3,800 horsepower 6-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. Intended for heavy-duty drag freight or medium-speed freight service, it was introduced in 1984, and production of SD60 variants ran until 1995.- History and development...
|
560 |
SD70ACeThe EMD SD70 is a series of diesel-electric locomotives produced by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors beginning in 1992. Over 4000 locomotives in this series have been produced, mostly of the SD70M and SD70MAC models. All locomotives of this series are hood units with C-C trucks...
|
321 |
SD70MThe EMD SD70 is a series of diesel-electric locomotives produced by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors beginning in 1992. Over 4000 locomotives in this series have been produced, mostly of the SD70M and SD70MAC models. All locomotives of this series are hood units with C-C trucks...
|
1452 |
SD9043ACThe EMD SD90MAC is a C-C diesel-electric hood unit locomotive produced by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. It is, with the SD80MAC, one of the largest single-engined locomotives produced by that company, surpassed only by the dual-engined DD series...
|
309 |
SW1500The EMD SW1500 was a diesel locomotive intended for switching service and built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between June 1966 and January 1974. 808 examples were constructed. It was closely related to the less powerful EMD SW1000 model, forming a line of switchers powered by the new...
|
18 |
Surviving merger partner locomotives
As of March 21, 2010, UP operates 50 Southern Pacific, 36 St. Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt), and 2 Chicago and North Western locomotives that are still in the former railroads' paint. In addition, many locomotives have been "patched" and renumbered by UP, varying in the degree of the previous railroads' logos being eradicated, but always with a yellow patch applied over the locomotive's former number and a new UP number applied on the cab. This allows UP to number locomotives into its roster, yet it takes less time and money than it does to perform a complete repaint into UP colors. As of July 31, 2005, UP rostered 492 "patches", consisting of:
- 37 Chicago and North Western (whose CNW logos have been hidden by the "patches"),
- 445 Southern Pacific
- 47 St. Louis Southwestern
- 23 Denver and Rio Grande Western
While not technically a predecessor locomotive in the traditional sense, UP rosters a single SD40-2 (3564) in pre-merger paint.
Historic locomotives
Alone among modern railroads, UP maintains a small fleet of historic locomotives for special trains and hire in its Cheyenne, Wyoming roundhouse. The roundhouse is just south of the historic depot.
- UP 844
Union Pacific 844 is a 4-8-4 steam locomotive owned by Union Pacific Railroad. It was the last steam locomotive delivered to Union Pacific and is unique in that it is the only steam locomotive never retired by a North American Class I railroad....
is a 4-8-4Under the Whyte notation classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification: 2D2...
Northern type express passenger steam locomotiveA steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
(class FEF-3). It was the last steam locomotive built for UP and has been in continuous service since its 1944 delivery. Many people know the engine as the No. 8444, since an extra '4' was added to its number in 1962 to distinguish it from a diesel numbered in the 800 series. It regained its rightful number in June 1989, after the diesel was retired. A mechanical failure occurred on June 24, 1999, in which the boiler tubes from the 1996 overhaul, being made of the wrong material, collapsed inside the boiler and put the steam locomotive out of commission. The UP steam crew successfully repaired it and returned it to service on November 10, 2004. It is the only steam locomotive to never be officially retired from a North American Class I railroad.
- UP 3985
Union Pacific 3985 or UP 3985 is a four-cylinder simple articulated 4-6-6-4 Challenger-type steam locomotive owned by Union Pacific Railroad. The UP 3985 locomotive was built in 1943 by the American Locomotive Company of Schenectady, New York...
is a 4-6-6-4In Whyte notation, a 4-6-6-4 is a railroad steam locomotive that has four leading wheels followed by six coupled driving wheels, a second set of six driving wheels and four trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:...
Challenger class dual-service steam locomotive. It is the largest steam locomotive still in operation anywhere in the world. Withdrawn from service in 1962, it was stored in the UP roundhouseA roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
until 1975, when it was moved to the employees' parking lot outside the Cheyenne, WyomingCheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
, depotA train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
until 1981 when a team of employee volunteers restored it to service. In 2007, it underwent repairs for service, and was back up and running in 2008 to continue its run.
- UP 951, 949 and 963B are a trio of streamlined General Motors Electro-Motive Division E9
The EMD E9 was a , A1A-A1A passenger train-hauling diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between April 1954 and January 1964. 100 cab-equipped lead A units were produced, along with 44 cabless booster B units. All were for service within the...
passenger locomotives built in 1955. They are used to haul the UP business cars and for charter specials. While externally they are 1955 vintage locomotives, the original twin 1200 hp 12-cylinder 567 series engines have been replaced with single EMD 16-645E 2000 hp (1.5 MW) engines and the electrical and control equipment similarly upgraded, making them more modern locomotives under the skin. Some refer to the units as "E38-2" units, as the internal equipment was taken from wrecked GP38-2 locomotives. The set is made of two A unitAn A unit, in railroad terminology, is a locomotive equipped with a driving cab, or crew compartment, and the control system to control other locomotives in a multiple unit, and therefore able to be the lead unit in a consist of several locomotives controlled from a single position...
s and one B unitA "B" unit, in railroad terminology, is a locomotive unit which does not have a driving cab, or crew compartment, and must therefore be controlled from another, coupled locomotive with a driving cab . The term booster unit is also used. The concept was largely confined to North America...
. The B unit contains an HEPHead end power or electric train supply is a rail transport term for the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive at the front or “head” of a train or a generator car, generates all the electricity used for lighting, electrical and other...
engine-generator set for powering passenger cars. The two A units were recently modified to eliminate the nose doors to increase safety in the event of collision.
- UP 6936
Union Pacific 6936 is an EMD DDA40X locomotive owned by Union Pacific Railroad . It is the sole example of the "Centennial" type that is still in operation, and thus is the largest operational diesel-electric locomotive in the world...
is an EMD DDA40X "Centennial" diesel-electric locomotive. These were the largest diesel locomotives ever built and were manufactured specifically for UP.
- UP 5511 is a 2-10-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-10-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, ten powered and coupled driving wheels on five axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle, usually in a trailing truck...
steam locomotive. This locomotive is very rarely ever heard of, because it was never donated for public display. This locomotive is reportedly in excellent condition, and a restoration probably would not take more than a couple of weeks. The only thing keeping it from being restored is that it would be limited to 40 mi/h or lower due to its large cylinders and small drivers. As of August 2004, this locomotive is being offered for sale by UP. It is currently in storage at the roundhouse where 844 & 3985 are repaired in Cheyenne, Wyoming
- UP 1243 is a 4-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
steam locomotive, and is the oldest locomotive owned by UP. Built in 1890 and retired in 1957, it was at first stored in Rawlins, WyomingRawlins is a city in Carbon County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 8,538 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Carbon County...
. It was cosmetically restored in 1990 for public display, and toured with 844 as part of the Idaho and Wyoming Centennial train, being moved on a flat car. It was moved to Omaha, NebraskaOmaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
in November 1996 and put on display at the Western Heritage Museum.
In addition there are a number of other locomotives kept in storage for possible future restoration. Rio Grande (DRGW) F9B 5763 is one of the units in storage, part of the Trio (A-B-B) of
F9sThe EMD F9 was a Diesel-electric locomotive produced between February 1953 and May 1960 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors and General Motors Diesel . It succeeded the F7 model in GM-EMD's F-unit sequence. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, Illinois plant. The F9 was also...
that served on the Rio Grande in various Passenger Duty services (From the Denver Ski Train to the Zephyr Trains) until their retirement in 1996. Sister Units 5771 (F9A) and 5762 (F9B) were donated to the Colorado Railroad Museum. Chicago & Northwestern
F7The EMD F7 was a Diesel-electric locomotive produced between February 1949 and December 1953 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors and General Motors Diesel . It succeeded the F3 model in GM-EMD's F-unit sequence, and was replaced in turn by the F9. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La...
#401, used in Chicago Commuter Service, also was retained by UP.
UP 838, a twin to 844, is stored in the Cheyenne roundhouse as a
partsSpare Parts may also refer to:* Spare Parts , by Status Quo* Spare Parts is a Doctor Who audio drama.* Spare Parts , by Servotron* "Spare Parts" , by Bruce Springsteen* "Spare Parts"...
source, though as most of its usable parts have already been applied to 844, it is more likely to see use as a source of
patternA pattern, from the French patron, is a type of theme of recurring events or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set of objects.These elements repeat in a predictable manner...
parts for reproduction replacements. Reputedly, 838's
boilerA boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
is in better condition than that of 844, due to 838 having not been in steam since retirement, compared to 844's relatively heavy use since 1960.
Among the former tenants was
Southern Pacific 1518Southern Pacific Railroad's number 1518 is an EMD SD7 diesel locomotive. It was built originally in May 1951 as General Motors Electro-Motive Division's Demonstrator #990. It was the first "SD" series locomotive ever built. Its road number 990 is in reference to its EMD Engineering Department...
(the First Production SD7 ex EMD demo 990), transferred to the
Illinois Railway MuseumThe Illinois Railway Museum is the largest railroad museum in the United States and is located in Union, Illinois, northwest of Chicago...
after sometime in storage in the UP shops.
Preserved locomotives
In addition to the historic fleet outlined above kept by UP itself, a large number of UP locomotives survive elsewhere. Many locomotives were donated to towns along the Union Pacific tracks, for instance, as well as locomotives donated to museums.
- UP 18, 26. From 1948 to the early 1970s, UP operated a series of Gas turbine-electric locomotive
A gas turbine - electric locomotive, or GTEL, is a locomotive that uses a gas turbine to drive an electric generator or alternator. The electric current thus produced is used to power traction motors. This type of locomotive was first experimented with during the Second World War, but reached its...
s. No other railroad in the world operated turbines on such a scale. At one point, UP claimed that the turbines hauled 10% of its freight. These were ultimately retired due to rising fuel costs. Union Pacific GTELsUnion Pacific operated the largest fleet of gas turbine-electric locomotives of any railroad in the world. The prototype, UP 50 was the first in a series built by General Electric for Union Pacific's long-haul cargo services. The prototype was introduced in 1948 and was followed by three series...
can be seen on display, UP 18 at the Illinois Railway Museum and UP 26 at the Utah State Railroad Museum.
- UP 407 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, donated to City of Sidney, NebraskaSidney is a city in Cheyenne County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,282 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cheyenne County.-History:The city was named for Sidney Dillon, a railroad attorney...
in July 1956.
- UP 421 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, donated to City of Fairbury, NebraskaFairbury is a city in Jefferson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,262 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Jefferson County....
in April 1956.
- UP 423 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, donated to City of Gering, NebraskaGering is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Scottsbluff, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,751 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Scotts Bluff County....
in July 1955.
- UP 428 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, on display at Illinois Railway MuseumThe Illinois Railway Museum is the largest railroad museum in the United States and is located in Union, Illinois, northwest of Chicago...
, Union, IllinoisUnion is a village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 580 at the 2010 census, up from 576 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Union is located at ....
.
- UP 437 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, donated to City of Grand Island, NebraskaGrand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 48,520 at the 2010 census.Grand Island is home to the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center which is the sole agency responsible for training law enforcement officers throughout the state,...
in September 1955.
- UP 440 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, donated to City of Lincoln, NebraskaThe City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
in May 1955, moved to Mid-Continent Railway MuseumThe Mid-Continent Railway Museum is a railroad museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin.-Collection:Three steam locomotives are currently under restoration to federal guidelines. The museum has 14 steam and 6 diesel locomotives including Chicago & North Western # 1385 and over 100 other pieces of...
, North Freedom, WisconsinNorth Freedom is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Baraboo River. The population was 649 at the 2000 census.-Geography:North Freedom is located at ....
in June 1975.
- UP 460 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, donated to City of Marysville, KansasMarysville is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,294.-History:...
in April 1956.
- UP 477 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, donated to City of Salina, KansasSalina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
in July 1955.
- UP 480 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, donated to City of North Platte, NebraskaNorth Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the southwestern part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River...
in February 1956.
- UP 481 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, on display at Buffalo County Historical Society, Kearney, NebraskaKearney is a city in and the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 30,787 at the 2010 census. It is home to the University of Nebraska-Kearney....
.
- UP 485 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, donated to City of Lexington, NebraskaLexington is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 10,230 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dawson County. Lexington is located in southern Nebraska, on the Platte River, southeast of North Platte. It sits along the route of U.S. Route 30 and the Union...
in June 1956.
- UP 529 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, on display at Northwest Railway MuseumThe Northwest Railway Museum is a railroad museum in Snoqualmie, King County, Washington.-Snoqualmie Depot:The museum owns the Snoqualmie Depot built in 1890, of railroad right-of-way, and of the former Northern Pacific Railway North Bend branch...
, Snoqualmie, WashingtonSnoqualmie is a city next to Snoqualmie Falls in King County, Washington. The city is home to the Northwest Railway Museum. The population was of 10,670 at the 2010 census...
.
- UP 533 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, donated to City of Rawlins, WyomingRawlins is a city in Carbon County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 8,538 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Carbon County...
in December 1958.
- UP 561 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, on display at Pawnee Park, Columbus, NebraskaColumbus is a city in east central Nebraska, United States. Its population was 22,111 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Platte County.-Pre-settlement history:...
.
- UP 616 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, donated to City of Nampa, IdahoNampa is the largest and the fastest growing city in Canyon County, Idaho, USA. The population of Nampa was 81,557 at the 2010 census. Nampa is located about west of Boise along Interstate 84, and six miles west of Meridian. Nampa is part of the Boise metropolitan area...
in August 1958.
- UP 618 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, at the Heber Valley Historic RailroadThe Heber Valley Historic Railroad is a heritage railroad based in Heber City, Utah. It operates passenger excursion trains along a line between Heber City and Vivian Park, which is located in Provo Canyon. The HVRR carries over 94,000 passengers a year....
.
- UP 737 – A 4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, was in the collection of Steamtown National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad . The museum is built around a working replica turntable and a roundhouse that is...
, then moved to Feather River Railroad Museum, Portola, CaliforniaPortola is the only incorporated city in Plumas County, California, United States. The population was 2,104 at the 2010 census, down from 2,227 at the 2000 census...
. It will be moved to the Nevada State Railroad MuseumNevada Southern Railway is a railroad museum in Boulder City, Nevada operated by the Nevada State Railroad Museum which is an agency of the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs....
at Boulder City, NevadaBoulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately from the City of Las Vegas. As of the 2010 census the population of Boulder City was 15,023.Boulder City is one of only two cities in Nevada that prohibit gambling....
.
- UP 814 – A 4-8-4
Under the Whyte notation classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification: 2D2...
type, on display at Dodge Park, Council Bluffs, IowaCouncil Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...
.
- UP 833 – A 4-8-4
Under the Whyte notation classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification: 2D2...
type, on display at Eccles Rail Center, Utah State Railroad Museum Union Station, Ogden, UtahOgden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
.
- UP 1242 – A 4-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
type, on display at Lions Park, Cheyenne, WyomingCheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
.
- UP 2005 – A 2-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
type, on display at Ross Park, Pocatello, IdahoPocatello is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock...
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- UP 2295 – A 2-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
type, on display at former UP passenger depot, Boise, IdahoBoise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
.
- UP 2537 – A 2-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
type, donated to City of Walla Walla, WashingtonWalla Walla is the largest city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,731 at the 2010 census...
in December 1959.
- UP 2564 – A 2-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
type, originally on display in Oro Grande, CaliforniaOro Grande is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, United States. It lies on the city boundary of Victorville and Adelanto. It is at elevation in Victor Valley north of the San Bernardino mountain range. It is located on old Route 66 near...
, May 1959, then moved to Orange Empire Railway MuseumThe Orange Empire Railway Museum , 2201 South "A" Street, Perris, California, is a railroad museum founded in 1956 at the Pinacate Station as the "Orange Empire Trolley Museum." The museum also operates a heritage railroad on the museum grounds.-Background:The collection focuses on Southern...
, Perris, CaliforniaPerris is a city in Riverside County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city population was 68,386, up from 36,189 at the 2000 census. The city is named in honor of Fred T. Perris, chief engineer of the California Southern Railroad...
.
- UP 3203 – A 4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
type, donated to City of Portland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
in January 1958. Originally Oregon Railway and Navigation Company #197, it was moved to the Brooklyn Roundhouse in 1996 and is scheduled to return to operation by 2012.
- UP 3206 – A 4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
type, originally on display at Highbridge Park in Spokane, WashingtonSpokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
. Moved to Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds in 1978.
- UP 3977 is the only 4-6-6-4
In Whyte notation, a 4-6-6-4 is a railroad steam locomotive that has four leading wheels followed by six coupled driving wheels, a second set of six driving wheels and four trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:...
Challenger class dual-service steam locomotive on static display. It is located in Cody Park in North Platte, NebraskaNorth Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the southwestern part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River...
.
- UP 4004 – A Union Pacific Big Boy
Big Boy was the name of the Union Pacific Railroad's 4000-class 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotives, built between 1941 and 1944 by American Locomotive Company...
4-8-8-4In the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, a 4-8-8-4 is a locomotive with a four-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a four-wheel trailing truck.Other equivalent classifications are:...
articulated steam locomotive, on display in Holiday Park, Cheyenne, WyomingCheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
.
- UP 4005 – A Union Pacific Big Boy
Big Boy was the name of the Union Pacific Railroad's 4000-class 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotives, built between 1941 and 1944 by American Locomotive Company...
4-8-8-4In the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, a 4-8-8-4 is a locomotive with a four-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a four-wheel trailing truck.Other equivalent classifications are:...
articulated steam locomotive, on display at Forney Museum of Transportation, Denver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
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- UP 4006 – A Union Pacific Big Boy
Big Boy was the name of the Union Pacific Railroad's 4000-class 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotives, built between 1941 and 1944 by American Locomotive Company...
4-8-8-4In the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, a 4-8-8-4 is a locomotive with a four-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a four-wheel trailing truck.Other equivalent classifications are:...
articulated steam locomotive, on display at National Museum of Transport, St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
- UP 4012 – A Union Pacific Big Boy
Big Boy was the name of the Union Pacific Railroad's 4000-class 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotives, built between 1941 and 1944 by American Locomotive Company...
4-8-8-4In the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, a 4-8-8-4 is a locomotive with a four-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a four-wheel trailing truck.Other equivalent classifications are:...
articulated steam locomotive, originally on display at Bellows Falls, VermontBellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,165 at the 2000 census...
, moved to SteamtownSteamtown may refer to:* Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre, museum in Peterborough, South Australia* Steamtown, Peterborough Railway Preservation Society Inc., former heritage railway in Peterborough, South Australia* Steamtown, USA, former Vermont museum...
, Scranton, PennsylvaniaScranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
.
- UP 4014 – A Union Pacific Big Boy
Big Boy was the name of the Union Pacific Railroad's 4000-class 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotives, built between 1941 and 1944 by American Locomotive Company...
4-8-8-4In the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, a 4-8-8-4 is a locomotive with a four-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a four-wheel trailing truck.Other equivalent classifications are:...
articulated steam locomotive, on display at Los Angeles County Fair Grounds, Pomona, California-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
.
- UP 4017 – A Union Pacific Big Boy
Big Boy was the name of the Union Pacific Railroad's 4000-class 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotives, built between 1941 and 1944 by American Locomotive Company...
4-8-8-4In the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, a 4-8-8-4 is a locomotive with a four-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a four-wheel trailing truck.Other equivalent classifications are:...
articulated steam locomotive, on display at National Railroad MuseumThe National Railroad Museum is a railroad museum located in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, in suburban Green Bay.The museum is one of the oldest institutions in the United States dedicated to preserving and interpreting the nation's railroad history. It was founded in 1956 by community volunteers in...
, Green Bay, WisconsinGreen Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
.
- UP 4018 – A Union Pacific Big Boy
Big Boy was the name of the Union Pacific Railroad's 4000-class 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotives, built between 1941 and 1944 by American Locomotive Company...
4-8-8-4In the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, a 4-8-8-4 is a locomotive with a four-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a four-wheel trailing truck.Other equivalent classifications are:...
articulated steam locomotive, originally on display at Texas State Fair Grounds, Dallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. Number 4018, currently residing at the Museum of the American RailroadThe Museum of the American Railroad, formerly known as the Age of Steam Railroad Museum, is located at 1105 Washington Street in Fair Park, Dallas, Texas. The museum has a large collection of steam, diesel and passenger railroad equipment...
in Dallas, TX, almost saw a return to operation in 1998 when a film director proposed restoring the locomotive for use in a movie. However, it has been 9 years since anything has been heard of this proposal, and it is considered to have been only a whim.
- UP 4023 – A Union Pacific Big Boy
Big Boy was the name of the Union Pacific Railroad's 4000-class 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotives, built between 1941 and 1944 by American Locomotive Company...
4-8-8-4In the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, a 4-8-8-4 is a locomotive with a four-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a four-wheel trailing truck.Other equivalent classifications are:...
articulated steam locomotive, on display at Lauritzen Gardens/Kenefick Park, Omaha, NebraskaOmaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. It has been rumoured that Number 4023 was being considered by UP for restoration to operational status.
- UP 4420 – An 0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, donated to City of Evanston, WyomingEvanston is a city in Uinta County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 12,359 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Uinta County.-Geography:Evanston is located at...
, in June 1958.
- UP 4436 – An 0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, on display at Eccles Rail Cener, Utah State Railroad Museum Union Station, Ogden, UtahOgden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
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- UP 4439 – An 0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, on display at Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
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- UP 4442 – An 0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, donated to City of Las Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, in April 1960, since moved to Henderson, Nevada-Demographics:According to the 2000 census, there were 175,381 people, 66,331 households, and 47,095 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,200.8 people per square mile . There were 71,149 housing units at an average density of 892.8 per square mile...
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- UP 4455 – An 0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, was operated by the Laramie Portland Cement plant hauling limestone from the quarry southwest of Laramie, WyomingLaramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
until 1965, then to Colorado Railroad MuseumThe Colorado Railroad Museum is a non-profit railroad museum The museum is located on at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains in Golden, Colorado....
for display.
- UP 4466 – An 0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
type built by Lima Locomotive Works in 1920, displayed at the California State Railroad MuseumThe California State Railroad Museum is a museum in the state park system of California, USA, interpreting the role of the "iron horse" in connecting California to the rest of the nation. It is located in Old Sacramento at 111 I Street....
. It operated at the museum until 1999.
- UP 6051 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, on display at Fairmount park, Riverside, CaliforniaRiverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
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- UP 6072 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, on display at Ft. Riley Museum, Ft. Riley, Kansas.
- UP 6237 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, donated to City of Hastings, NebraskaHastings is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Nebraska, United States. It is the principal city of the Hastings, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Adams and Clay counties. The population was 24,907 at the 2010 census...
in July 1956.
- UP 6264 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, on display at Nevada State Railroad MuseumNevada Southern Railway is a railroad museum in Boulder City, Nevada operated by the Nevada State Railroad Museum which is an agency of the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs....
, Boulder City, NevadaBoulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately from the City of Las Vegas. As of the 2010 census the population of Boulder City was 15,023.Boulder City is one of only two cities in Nevada that prohibit gambling....
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- UP 6535 – A 2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, on display at LaBonte Park, Laramie, WyomingLaramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
.
- UP 6900 Centennial series – Several of the huge DDA40X
The EMD DDA40X was a D-D diesel-electric locomotive built by the General Motors EMD division of La Grange, Illinois for the Union Pacific Railroad...
diesel-electric locomotives have been saved. Other than 6936 that UP maintains in its heritage fleet, none of the remaining Centennials operate. However, 6930 at the Illinois Railway MuseumThe Illinois Railway Museum is the largest railroad museum in the United States and is located in Union, Illinois, northwest of Chicago...
has operating cab controls, allowing it to couple to another locomotive and control it.
- UP 9000, a Union Pacific 9000 class 4-12-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-12-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels, twelve coupled driving wheels, and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:...
giant non-articulated freight locomotive, at the FairplexFairplex, formerly known as the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, has been since 1922 the home of the L.A. County Fair. It is located in the city of Pomona, California. The L.A...
in Pomona, California-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
.
Passenger train service
Union Pacific operated through passenger service over its historic "Overland Route" between 1869 until May 1, 1971. The last passenger train operated by UP was the westbound
City of Los Angeles. After May 1, 1971
AmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
assumed operation of long-distance passenger operations in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. UP at various times operated the following
named passenger trainsA train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
:
- Butte Special (operated between Salt Lake City and Butte, Montana)
- Challenger
The Challenger was a named passenger train fleet jointly operated by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chicago and North Western Railway . The economy service ran between Chicago, Illinois and several major cities located along the West Coast of the United States...
(operated jointly with the Chicago and North Western RailwayThe Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
until October 1955, and thereafter the Milwaukee Road)
- City of Denver
The City of Denver was a passenger train operated jointly by the Chicago and North Western and Union Pacific railroads. The train operated on both railroads' rights of way between Chicago, Illinois, and Denver, Colorado...
(operated jointly with the Chicago and North Western Railway until October 1955, and thereafter the Milwaukee Road)
- City of Las Vegas
The City of Las Vegas was a named passenger train operated by the Union Pacific Railroad between Las Vegas, Nevada and Los Angeles, California beginning December 18, 1956. Train Nos...
; later, the Las Vegas Holiday Special (1956–1967)
- City of Los Angeles
The City of Los Angeles was a streamlined passenger train that ran between Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California, via Omaha, Nebraska, and Ogden, Utah. Between Omaha and Los Angeles it ran on the Union Pacific Railroad; east of Omaha it ran on the Chicago and North Western Railway until...
(operated jointly with the Chicago and North Western Railway until October 1955, and thereafter the Milwaukee Road)
- City of Portland
The City of Portland was a named passenger train operated by the Union Pacific Railroad and Chicago and North Western Railway between Chicago, Illinois, and Portland, Oregon. It started in June 1935, using the refurbished M-10001 streamliner trainset; with only one set of equipment the train left...
(operated jointly with the Chicago and North Western Railway until October 1955, and thereafter the Milwaukee Road)
- City of Salina (1934–1940)
- City of San Francisco
The City of San Francisco was a streamlined passenger train operated jointly by the Chicago and North Western Railway, the Southern Pacific Railroad, and the Union Pacific Railroad...
(operated jointly with the Chicago and North Western Railway and the Southern Pacific RailroadThe Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
; after October, 1955 the Milwaukee Road assumed operation of the Chicago-Omaha leg of the service)
- City of St. Louis
- Columbine (in service to Chicago and Denver, beginning in the 1920s)
- Forty-Niner (operated between Chicago and Oakland)
- Gold Coast (operated between Chicago and Oakland/Los Angeles)
- Idahoan (operated between Cheyenne and Portland)
- Los Angeles Limited
The Los Angeles Limited was a named passenger train in the United States. It was operated by the Union Pacific Railroad from 1905 to 1954.- History :...
(in service 1905)
- Overland Flyer; renamed the Overland Limited in 1890 (1887–1963)
- Pacific Limited (operated between Chicago and Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
where it was split to serve Los Angeles and San Francisco, beginning in 1913. It was combined with the Portland Rose in 1947.)
- Pony Express, operated between Kansas City and Los Angeles) (1926—1954)
- Portland Rose (in service between Chicago and Portland, beginning in the 1920s)
- San Francisco Overland (originally operated between Chicago and Oakland, later terminated only at St. Louis)
- Spokane (operated between Spokane and Portland)
- Utahn (operated between Cheyenne and Los Angeles)
- Yellowstone Special (operated between Pocatello, Idaho and West Yellowstone, Montana)
UP mainly operates commuter trains for
MetraMetra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
on the Union Pacific Lines:
Union Pacific/North LineThe Union Pacific/North is a commuter rail line in the Chicago metropolitan area that runs between Chicago and Waukegan, Illinois, with some trains continuing to Kenosha, Wisconsin. It is part of the Metra system, but it is operated by the Union Pacific Railroad...
,
Union Pacific/Northwest LineThe Union Pacific/Northwest is a commuter rail line provided by Metra and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois, and its surrounding suburbs...
, and
Union Pacific/West LineThe Union Pacific/West is a commuter rail line provided by Metra and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois, and its surrounding suburbs...
.
Many Amtrak Routes use Union Pacific rails:
Amtrak CascadesThe Amtrak Cascades is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in partnership with the states of Washington and Oregon in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and the province of British Columbia in Canada...
,
California ZephyrThe California Zephyr is a long passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the midwestern and western United States.It runs from Chicago, Illinois, in the east to Emeryville, California, in the west, passing through the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California...
,
Capitol CorridorThe Capitol Corridor is a 168-mile passenger train route operated by Amtrak in California. Because it is fully supported by the state, the Capitol Corridor operates under Amtrak California. It runs from the San Francisco Bay Area to Sacramento, roughly parallel to Interstate 80...
,
Cardinal,
Coast StarlightThe Coast Starlight is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States. It runs from King Street Station in Seattle, Washington, to Union Station in Los Angeles, California. The train's name was formed as a merging of two of Southern Pacific's train names, the Coast...
,
Hoosier StateThe Hoosier State is a passenger train that provides service on a 196-mile route from Chicago to Indianapolis. It runs on the four days each week that the Cardinal does not run...
,
Lincoln Service,
Missouri River RunnerThe Missouri River Runner is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak running between Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center in St. Louis and Kansas City Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri. This train route was formerly operated as part of the Missouri Service train network, which included...
,
Pacific SurflinerThe Pacific Surfliner is a Amtrak regional passenger train route serving communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo....
,
San Joaquin,
Sunset LimitedThe Sunset Limited is a passenger train that for most of its history has run between New Orleans, Louisiana and Los Angeles, California, and that from early 1993 through late August 2005 also ran east of New Orleans to Jacksonville, Florida, making it during that time the only true transcontinental...
, and
Texas EagleThe Texas Eagle is a 1306-mile passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the central and western United States. Trains run daily between Chicago, Illinois, and San Antonio, Texas, and continue to Los Angeles, California, 2728 miles total, three days a week...
.
Corporate mismanagement
Some have questioned the managerial structure of the Union Pacific and the efficacy of the company's internal affairs departments in dealing with clear tortious actions of some employees. These accusations have recently surfaced in a recent high-profile civil lawsuit against the company: Alvarado v. Gorton and the Union Pacific Railroad Co.
Accidents
On June 28, 2004 in
Macdona, TexasMacdona is an unincorporated community in Bexar County, Texas, United States. Macdona lies along the Union Pacific rail line near Loop 1604 in southwest Bexar County. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
a UP train collided with an idle BNSF train resulting in the puncturing of a 90-ton
tank carA tank car is a type of railroad rolling stock designed to transport liquid and gaseous commodities.-Timeline:...
carrying liquified
chlorineChlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
. As the chlorine vaporized, a toxic “yellow cloud” soon formed which killed 3 (the UP conductor and two residents nearby) and caused 43 hospitalizations. The costs of cleanup and property damaged during the incident have exceeded 7 million dollars.
Another derailment in November 1994 killed a bystander in a neighboring business in San Antonio. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson demanded a federal investigation in the Union Pacific crashes around Bexar County. Area civic leaders called for the rerouting of Union Pacific’s hazardous chemicals around the city altogether. In March 2005, Texas Governor
Rick PerryJames Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
supported a plan to reroute trains around large urban population centers in the state of Texas, including San Antonio
Various investigations of the Macdona incident have revealed several serious safety lapses on the part of the Union Pacific and its employees; specifically,
Federal Railroad AdministrationThe Federal Railroad Administration is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation. The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966...
officials in 2004 have reported that the Union Pacific had "notable deficiencies", including its employees not following the company's own safety rules. While initial reports blamed "fatigue" of the crew of the UP train, many other contributing factors have been cited. Among those, the improper placing of the chlorine
tank carA tank car is a type of railroad rolling stock designed to transport liquid and gaseous commodities.-Timeline:...
s near the front of the train. Placing cars containing hazardous materials had traditionally been an operational measure used to safeguard against the likelihood of the
tank carA tank car is a type of railroad rolling stock designed to transport liquid and gaseous commodities.-Timeline:...
s being among the first affected in the event of a derailment and reduce their likelihood of colliding with heavier steel cars.
In the aftermath of the Macdona and other incidents, the
Federal Railroad AdministrationThe Federal Railroad Administration is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation. The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966...
(FRA) signed a compliance agreement with the railroad in November 2004 in which the railroad promised to rectify the "notable deficiencies" that regulators found. Specifically, the agreement mandated increased training for railroad managers and increased FRA inspectors in the region by 10 inspectors. United States Assemblyman
Charlie GonzalezCharles A. "Charlie" Gonzalez , is a Democratic politician from Texas. He has represented Texas's 20th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1999. The district includes more than half of San Antonio....
questioned if the agreement went far enough; he and other Congressional delegation members questioned the FRA's "partnership" approach as being "too cozy a relationship to the railroads" and cited an article in The New York Times that reported that the acting FRA administrator, Betty Monro, and the chief lobbyist for Union Pacific, Mary E. McAuliffe, had vacationed several times together on Nantucket.
The railroad’s San Antonio Service Unit (SASU) has had other derailments.
Including a
Schulenburg, TexasSchulenburg is a city in Fayette County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,699 at the 2000 census.Known for its German culture, Schulenburg is home of the Texas Polka Music Museum.-Geography:Schulenburg is located at ....
incident in June 2009 in which again tank cars containing
chlorineChlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
and
petroleum naptha xyleneNaphtha normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, i.e., a component of natural gas condensate or a distillation product from petroleum, coal tar or peat boiling in a certain range and containing certain hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering among the...
derailed but were not punctured.
Facts and figures
According to UP’s 2007 Annual Report to Investors, at the end of 2007 it had more than 50,000 employees, 8,721 locomotives, and 94,284 freight cars.
Broken down by specific type of car, owned and leased:
- 35,437 Covered Hoppers
A hopper car is a type of railroad freight car used to transport loose bulk commodities such as coal, ore, grain, track ballast, and the like. The name originated from the coke manufacturing industry which is part of the steel industry ....
- 12,272 Boxcar
A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...
s
- 18,647 Open-top Hoppers
A hopper car is a type of railroad freight car used to transport loose bulk commodities such as coal, ore, grain, track ballast, and the like. The name originated from the coke manufacturing industry which is part of the steel industry ....
- 13,780 Gondolas
In railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-top type of rolling stock that is used for carrying loose bulk materials. Because of its low side walls, gondolas are used to carry either very dense material, such as steel plates or coils, or bulky items such as prefabricated pieces of rail...
- 14,148 “Other” types of cars
In addition, it owns 6,950 different pieces of maintenance of way work equipment. At the end of 2007 the average age of UP’s locomotive fleet was 14.8 years, the freight car fleet 28 years.
Company officers
Presidents of the Union Pacific Railroad:
- William Butler Ogden
William Butler Ogden was the first Mayor of Chicago.Ogden was born in Walton, New York. When still a teenager, his father died and Ogden took over the family real estate business...
(1862–1863)
- John Adams Dix
John Adams Dix was an American politician from New York. He served as Secretary of the Treasury, U.S. Senator, and the 24th Governor of New York. He was also a Union major general during the Civil War.-Early life and career:...
(1863–1865)
- Oliver Ames, Jr.
Oliver Ames, Jr. was president of Union Pacific Railroad when the railroad met the Central Pacific Railroad in Utah for the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in North America.-Biography:...
(1866–1871)
- Thomas Alexander Scott
Thomas Alexander Scott was an American businessman. He was the 4th president of what was the largest corporation in the world, the Pennsylvania Railroad, during the middle of the 19th century...
(1871–1872)
- Horace F. Clark
Horace Francis Clark was a railroad executive and U.S. Representative from New York.Born in Southbury, Connecticut, Clark graduated from Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 1833...
(1872–1873)
- John Duff (1873–1874)
- Sidney Dillon
Sidney Dillon , an America railroad executive and one the nations premier railroad builders.-Biography:Dillon was born in Northampton, Fulton County, New York...
(1874–1884)
- Charles F. Adams
Charles Francis Adams II was a member of the prominent Adams family, and son of Charles Francis Adams, Sr. He served as a colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
(1884–1890)
- Sidney Dillon
Sidney Dillon , an America railroad executive and one the nations premier railroad builders.-Biography:Dillon was born in Northampton, Fulton County, New York...
(1890–1892)
- S.H.H. Clark (1890–1898)
- W.S. Pierce (acting) (1897)
- Horace G. Burt
Horace Greeley Burt was President of Union Pacific Railroad from 1898 until 1904. He was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. He began his Railway service in 1868 with Chicago and North Western Railway as a resident engineer from 1873 until 1881. He was Division superintendent from 1881 until 1887,...
(1898–1904)
- E. H. Harriman
Edward Henry Harriman was an American railroad executive.-Early years:Harriman was born in Hempstead, New York, the son of Orlando Harriman, an Episcopal clergyman, and Cornelia Neilson...
(1904–1909)
- Robert S. Lovett (1910–1911)
- A.L. Mohler (1911–1916)
- E.E. Calvin (1916–1918)
- C.B. Seger (1918–1919)
- Carl R. Gray
Carl Raymond Gray was an American railroad executive in the early 20th century. He was President of the Great Northern Railway from 1912 to 1914, President of the Western Maryland Railway from 1914 to 1919, and President of the Union Pacific Railroad from 1920 to 1937.-Biography:During his...
(1920–1937)
- William Jeffers (1937–?)
- G.F. Ashby (1946–1949)
- A.E. Stoddard (1949–1965)
- E.H. Bailey (1965–1971)
- John Kenefick (1971–1986)
- Drew Lewis
Andrew Lindsay Lewis, Jr. is a businessman who was Secretary of Transportation for part of the administration of United States President Ronald Reagan. He is widely known as Drew Lewis....
(1986–1987)
- Mike Walsh (1987–1991)
- Richard K. Davidson (1991–1996)
- Ron Burns (several months in 1996)
- Jerry Davis (1996–1998)
- Ike Evans (1998–2004)
- James R. Young
James R. Young is the current President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board for Union Pacific Railroad. Young has a wife, Shirley, and three children.- Youth and education :...
(2004–present)
Chief Executive Officers, Presidents, and Chairmen of the Union Pacific Corporation (parent corporation of the railroad)
- John Kenefick (several months in 1986)
- Drew Lewis
Andrew Lindsay Lewis, Jr. is a businessman who was Secretary of Transportation for part of the administration of United States President Ronald Reagan. He is widely known as Drew Lewis....
(1986–1997)
- Richard K. Davidson (1997 – January 2006)
-
- James R. Young (January 2006)
Environmental record
Citing its development of a "green" locomotive fleet and energy conservation measures, the UP states it is "...committed to protecting the environment now and for future generations. Our employees, customers, shareholders and the communities we serve can expect our full compliance with all laws and regulations ... We will continue our leadership in caring for the environment while delivering the goods that America needs." In Eugene, Oregon, the UP and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality are jointly studying ground contamination at the railroad's yard originating from over one hundred years ago, consisting mostly of
petroleumPetroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
hydrocarbonIn organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons from which one hydrogen atom has been removed are functional groups, called hydrocarbyls....
s, industrial solvents, and metals. This has affected a nearby groundwater source.
Union Pacific Railroad has recently started an experimental method of reducing emissions from the engine exhaust of their locomotives. By adding an experimental oxidation catalyst filtering canister to the diesel engine's exhaust manifold, they are attempting to reduce the amount of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matter generated, much like a catalytic converter in automobiles and trucks. The
United States Environmental Protection AgencyThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
’s National Vehicle Fuels and Emissions Laboratory provided most of the funding for the test. Using Ultra Low Sulfur diesel with the oxicat resulted in reduced particulate emissions by approximately 50 percent, unburned hydrocarbons by 38 percent and carbon monoxide by 82 percent.
See also
- California and the railroads
The establishment of America's transcontinental rail lines securely linked California to the rest of the country, and the far-reaching transportation systems that grew out of them during the century that followed contributed to the state’s social, political, and economic development...
- First Transcontinental Railroad
- Central Pacific Railroad
The Central Pacific Railroad is the former name of the railroad network built between California and Utah, USA that formed part of the "First Transcontinental Railroad" in North America. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Many 19th century national proposals to build a transcontinental...
- Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad
The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad was a rail company that completed and operated a railway line between its namesake cities, via Las Vegas, Nevada. Incorporated in Utah in 1901 as the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, the line was largely the brainchild of William Andrews Clark,...
- Missouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
- Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad
- Pacific Fruit Express
Pacific Fruit Express was a railroad refrigerator car leasing company that at one point was the largest refrigerator car operator in the world. The company was founded on December 7, 1906 as a joint venture between the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads...
- Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
- Western Pacific Railroad
The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California...
- Control Car Remote Control Locomotive
A Control Car Remote Control Locomotive is a stripped diesel locomotive body with remote control equipment installed. The term and the units are a creation of the Union Pacific Railroad, which is widely adopting remote control of locomotives in switching service...
(ex-locomotives used by the UP for remote control)
- Renzenberger, Inc.
Renzenberger, Inc. , is a company that provides transportation services for the rail industry. It has over 1,500 vehicles operating in 23 states. Renzenberger "van drivers" are required to transport "railroad workers" to and from the trains...
- Railex
Railex is a refrigerated rail service in partnership with the Union Pacific and CSX. In 2006 Railex LLC launched a new service between Wallula, Washington, and Rotterdam, New York, that transports fruits and vegetables cross-country. In 2008 Railex opened the Delano, California to NY lane...
- Hell on Wheels
Hell on Wheels is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Joe and Tony Gayton. Set in 1865, the series centers on the settlement that accompanied the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, referred to as "Hell on Wheels" by the company men, surveyors, support...
(T.V. series involving the Union Pacific in 1865)
Books
- Athearn, Robert G. Union Pacific Country (1976) 480pp; covers impact of the railroad on the region it served from the 1860s to the 1890s.
- Cahill, Marie, and Lynne Piade. The History of the Union Pacific: America's Great Transcontinental Railroad (1996), heavily illustrated
- Galloway, John Debo, The First Transcontinental Railroad: Central Pacific, Union Pacific (1990)
- Kelly, John (2009) Union Pacific Railroad – Photo Archive: Passenger Trains of the City Fleet Iconografix ISBN 978-1583882368
- Klein, Maury. Union Pacific: Volume I, 1862–1893 (U of Minnesota press, 2006); 820pp excerpt and text search; the standard scholarly history
- Klein, Maury. Union Pacific: Volume II, 1894–1969 (2006) excerpt and text search
- Klein, Maury. Union Pacific: The Reconfiguration: America's Greatest Railroad From 1969 to the Present(Oxford University Press; 2011), vol 3.
- Mitchell, Thomas Warner. "The Growth of the Union Pacific and Its Financial Operations," Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 21, No. 4 (Aug., 1907), pp. 569-612 in JSTOR
External links
- Union Pacific's official website and system map
- Railserve's Union Pacific News
- Photographs of the Construction of the Union Pacific Railroad, 1868–69 at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University
- Heritage paint photos: Union Pacific 1982 (Missouri Pacific), Union Pacific 1983 (Western Pacific), Union Pacific 1988 (Missouri-Kansas-Texas),
- Union Pacific 1989 (Denver & Rio Grande Western), Union Pacific 1995 (Chicago and North Western), Union Pacific 1996 (Southern Pacific), and Union Pacific 4141 (Air Force One)
- Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center
- A Brief History of Union Pacific's Passenger Trains
- Manifest Destiny? The Union Pacific-Southern Pacific Merger
- The Union Pacific/Southern Pacific Rail Merger: A Retrospective on Merger Benefits
- Railex in partnership with the Union Pacific
- Nevada Central RR Branch of the UP 1880–1888 http://nevada-railways.net/
- Railroad Photograph collection, including photos of Union Pacific construction] at Newberry Library
The Newberry Library is a privately endowed, independent research library for the humanities and social sciences in Chicago, Illinois. Although it is private, non-circulating library, the Newberry Library is free and open to the public...