Nebraska Railroading and Railfanning In "The Cornhusker State"

Nebraska railroading can somewhat be compared to the aviation term “flyover country,” in that the state sees plenty of through trains heading to either Chicago or the West Coast. The term, however, is in no way meant to be demeaning to Cornhuskers as one can witness quite a parade and variety of trains hitting 70 mph on their way east or west with their only stop a quick refueling at places like Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard in North Platte. All in all, Nebraska railroading is best known for flat, open country, lots of trains, plenty of grain, the Union Pacific and long drags of coal heading east from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin.

Nebraska railroading has its beginnings dating back to 1862 when the Pacific Railroad Act allowed for construction to begin on the Transcontinental Railroad, with the Union Pacific heading west from Omaha (and the Central Pacific building eastward from Sacramento, California), which remains the railroad’s headquarters to this day. Along with the Union Pacific Nebraska would be home to a number of other well known railroads such as the Rock Island, Chicago & North Western, the Milwaukee Road, Missouri Pacific, Illinois Central and the Santa Fe (which had a line that reached into extreme southern Nebraska at Superior).

While railroads, like the North Western and Rock Island, had a significant presence in the Cornhusker State perhaps it is the Union Pacific that is most recognized when one thinks of Nebraska and railroading since the UP has always been headquartered in Omaha.

The Union Pacific’s original main line (that is still in use today and quite busy) is the Overland Route which runs between Ogden, Utah; Omaha, Nebraska; and Chicago. Today’s Union Pacific is much different from the system prior to 1980 as it operates as far north as Seattle, as far west as Los Angeles/Long Beach, as far east as Minneapolis, and as far south as Dallas, Brownsville, and New Orleans (and about every west in between!).

The UP of today, however, was not as large or wealthy prior to the 20th century. It struggled on and off during the late 19th century but after coming under the guidance of Edward Harriman the UP has generally lived a prosperous life since that time. As the 20th century progressed so too did the UP, being instrumental in the development of lightweight streamliners in the 1930s (the M-10000) which would be the forerunner of today’s common diesel-electric locomotives.

The Union Pacific we know today began to take shape in 1982 when it purchased rival Western Pacific, which granted it access to northern California, and soon after this it would take over the Missouri Pacific to reach Chicago, St. Louis, and Texas. In 1988 the company grew even larger when it purchased the Katy (the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad) and in 1995 did the same with the Chicago & North Western. Finally, just a year later in 1996 the UP purchased the gigantic Southern Pacific, a one-time powerhouse railroad that by the time of its take over by UP a company which was floundering (so much so that it had been purchased earlier by the much smaller Denver & Rio Grande Western).

The future of the Union Pacific is as wide open as the great western plains where the railroad operates. However, if the company’s past is any measure of what may happen in the years ahead, I think we can safely say that when the merger movement picks up again the Union Pacific and its famous shield logo will continue to flank locomotives during their daily task of moving goods across the country.

Aside from the Union Pacific, Nebraska railroading is home to the BNSF and several shortlines which include the Nebkota Railway; Nebraska Central Railroad; Nebraska, Kansas & Colorado Railnet; Nebraska Northeastern Railway, and the Sidney & Lowe Railroad.

In total these railroads operate nearly 3,500 miles of trackage in the Cornhusker State although at its peak the state was home to nearly twice that amount. For more information about Nebraska railroading, in terms of rail mileage over the years please have a look at the chart below.

While Nebraska railroading was once home to famous passenger trains like the Union Pacific’s Cities and Burlington’s Zephyrs, today only Amtrak’s California Zephyr operates through the state serving Lincoln, Hastings, Holdrege, McCook and Omaha.

Lastly, be sure and stop by one of the state’s several museums or better yet, ride the Fremont Dinner Train based in Fremont! Aside from the Fremont Dinner Train you can visit the Durham Western Heritage Museum, Fremont & Elkhorn Valley Railroad, Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, and Trail & Rails Museum to learn more about Nebraska’s rail heritage.

In all, while Nebraska may look only like flat, boring farmland it offers an exciting and interesting mix of railroad operations (few other states offer such high speed freight railroading as Nebraska!).