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The Union Pacific Railroad, Building America

The Union Pacific (UP), the largest and one of the most powerful railroads in the country has been with us since 1862, some 146 years. The Union Pacific is far older than any other American Class I railroad today with the Kansas City Southern in a nearby second at 111 years (beyond that CSX Transportation ranks in third at 31 years). In that time the railroad has become not only one of the most highly respected institutions in the nation but also has seen nearly every major railroading event in our country’s history, and accordingly has a very long and storied history.

The company began in 1862 being created by Congress to complete a transcontinental railroad to the Pacific Coast. This the railroad began in 1863 heading west from Omaha, Nebraska to meet the Central Pacific building east from Sacramento, California. The famous meeting of the two railroads took place at Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869 with a symbolic golden spike (however, a golden spike was not actually pounded into the railroad tie as gold is much too soft), with the actual final spike driven into place at 12:47 p.m. that day.

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.

(Please note that the below map of the UP illustrates how the railroad historically appeared in 1950, prior to its major mergers and acquisitions.)

Perhaps what the UP is best recognized for is its appetite for large power, which perhaps matches its character to some degree! It holds the record for the largest diesel and steam locomotives (the steam issue remains up to debate) ever built in the way of the American Locomotive Company’s (Alco) 4-8-8-4 “Big Boys” (behemoth steamers able to produce some 135,000 pounds of tractive effort!) and EMD’s 6600 horsepower DD40AX “Centennial” diesel-electrics (which were essentially two SD40 models under one frame). These are not the only large units the railroad operated as they also owned Alco’s largest diesel-electric and experimented with a gas-turbine electric locomotive (GTEL) capable of 8500 horsepower!

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 Railway. 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 was a company that was floundering (so much so that it had been purchased earlier by the much smaller Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad).

The above map gives a family tree of the largest railroads which have made up Union Pacific. More information about each can be found in the below links:

Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad

Chicago & North Western Railway

Chicago Great Western

Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad

Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (Katy)

Missouri Pacific Railroad

Pacific Electric Railway

Southern Pacific

St. Louis Southwestern Railway

Western Pacific Railroad

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.

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Union Pacific Diesel Locomotive Roster

For a current diesel locomotive roster of the Union Pacific please click here. Also, for an excellent listing of EMD-built diesel locomotives, including those owned by the UP please click here. Lastly, please click here to locate preserved UP diesel locomotives.

Please note that the below UP diesel locomotive roster only includes new units the railroad has ever purchased. The Diesel Shop link above gives an excellent current UP diesel fleet, including those units from predecessor roads. Also listed there is the Union Pacific's current "Heritage Fleet".

The American Locomotive Company

Model TypeRoad NumberDate BuiltQuantity
C85560-61, 60B19643
PA-1604-607, 994A-997A1947-19498
PB-1604B-607B, 998B-999B1947-19496
RS27675-67619592
S21036-1054, 1119-11531943-194554
S41154-11981955-195645
RSC21180-1189194810
RS21191-11951948-19495
FA-11500A-1543A, 1626-16431947-194862
FB-11524B-1541B, 1618B-1642B (Evens), 1618C-1642C (Evens)1947-194834
C6302900-2909196610

The Baldwin Locomotive Works

Model TypeRoad NumberDate BuiltQuantity
VO-10001055-10601943-19446
DS-4-4-10001206-121019485
AS6161260-12651951-19526

Electro-Motive Corporation/Electro-Motive Division

Model TypeRoad NumberDate BuiltQuantity
Streamliner TrainsetM10000-M10001, M10002A/B-M10006A/B1934, 193612
E2ALA1, SF119372
E2BLA2-LA3, SF2-SF319374
E3ALA519391
E3BLA619392
E6A7M1A-9M1A, 7M2A-9M2A, LA4, SF41940-19418
E6BLA5-LA6, SF5-SF619414
DD35A70-84196515
DD3572B-98B196517
GP9130-248, 250-3491954-1957219
GP9B130B-204B, 300B-349B1954125
SD24B400B-444B195945
SD2444819581
GP7700-729 (First)195330
GP20700-729 (Second)196030
GP30700-735 (Third), 800-8751961-1963112
GP30B700B-739B196340
GP35740-7631963-196424
SD7775-784195310
E7A907A, 927A, 930A-931A, 959A-960A, 9881946-19477
E7B908B-909B, 928B-929B, 961B-963B19467
E8A926-9421950-195317
E8B926B-949B1950-195324
E9A900-914, 943-9621954-196435
E9B900B-904B, 910B-914B, 950B-974B1954-196330
F3A905-910, 964A-968A, 1400A-1441A, 1442-1463, 1550-15631947-194987
F3B905B-909B (Odds), 905C-909C (Odds), 969B-978B, 1430B-1458B (Evens), 1430C-1458C (Evens), 1442B-1471B, 1550B-1562B (Evens), 1550C-1562C (Evens)1947-194992
F7B910B, 910C, 1466B-1474B (Evens), 1466C-1474C (Evens), 1476B-1496B, 1476C-1496C1951-195233
FP7911-91219522
NW21000-10951939-194896
SDP351400-1409196510
F7A1467-14831951-195217
SW71800-1824195025
SW91825-1866195342
TR51870A-1877A (Cow), 1870B-1877B (Calf)195116
GP38-22000-20591974-197560
SD403000-3024, 3048-31221966-19714
SD40X3040-304719658
SD40-23123-3304, 3335-3399, 3410-3583, 3609-3668, 3769-3804, 8035-80991972-1980582
SD453600-3649196850
SD40T-23805-380819804
SD70M3779-3873, 3971-3973, 4000-4999, 5103-52312000-20041,227
SD606000-60841986-198885
SD60M6085-63651989-1992281
DDA40X6900-69461969-197147
SD9043MAC8000-83081995-2000309
SD90MAC8160-8205, 8506-85611996-199992
SD70ACe8309-8523, 8621-86702005-2008265

Fairbanks Morse

Model TypeRoad NumberDate BuiltQuantity
H10-44DS1300-DS13041945-19475
H15-44DS1325-DS132919485
H16-44DS1340-DS134219503
H20-44DS1360-DS1365, DS1367-DS1370194710
Erie Built (A)700-7071945-19488
Erie Built (B)700B, 702B-703B, 705B-706B1945-19485

General Electric

Model TypeRoad NumberDate BuiltQuantity
44-TonnerDS139919471
U5031-531963-196523
U25B625-6401961-196216
C30-72415-2539, 2960-29741978-1980140
U28C2800-2809196610
U30C2810-29591972-1976150
U50C5000-5039197140
ES44AC5248-5347, 5353-5553, 5695-5699, 7345-7469, 7600-79242005-2008756
AC4400CW5554-5694, 5700-6081, 6430-6699, 6738-6887, 6995-6999, 7080-7297, 9997-99991994-20041169
AC6000CW7000-7009, 7510-7579, 7111 (Second)1995-200081
AC6000CW (Rated At 4400 HP)7010-7079, 7300-73351996-1998106
C40-89100-93551988-1989256
C40-8W9356-94801990-1991135
C41-8W9481-9559199379
C44-9W9700-9739199440

Union Pacific Steam Locomotive Roster

For a more complete roster of Union Pacific steam locomotives please click here. Also, for information regarding surviving UP steam locomotives please click here.

Please note that the below roster only includes the UP's own fleet and not that of railroad's it either controlled or owned.

ClassTypeWheel Arrangement
219, 400 (Various), 1300 (Various), 1600 (Various), 1901, C (Various)Consolidation2-8-0
600, 700 (Various), 800 (Various), 900American4-4-0
900 (Various), 1200 (Various), 1300 (Various), 1400, 1703, 1800 (Various), TTen-Wheeler4-6-0
4664 (Various), CSA-1, CSA-2Challenger4-6-6-4
9000Union Pacific4-12-2
A-2 Through A-4Atlantic4-4-2
Big BoyBig Boy4-8-8-4
FEF-1 Through FEF-3Northern4-8-4
MC (Various)Mallet2-8-8-0
MC-1Chesapeake2-8-8-2
MK (Various)Mikado2-8-2
MT-1, MT-2Mountain4-8-2
P (Various)Pacific4-6-2
TTT-1 Through TTT-7Santa Fe2-10-2

Notable Union Pacific Railroad Passenger Trains

Challenger

City of Denver

City of Los Angeles

City of Portland

City of Salina

City of San Francisco

City of St. Louis

Butte Special: (Salt Lake City - Butte, Montana)

Columbine: (Omaha - Denver)

Forty-Niner: (Chicago - Oakland)

Gold Coast: (Chicago - Oakland/Los Angeles)

Idahoan: (Cheyenne - Portland)

Los Angeles Limited: (Chicago - Los Angeles)

Pony Express: (Kansas City - Los Angeles)

Portland Rose: (Denver - Portland)

San Francisco Overland: Connected Chicago and Oakland, later serving only as far east as St. Louis.

The Spokane: (Spokane - Portland)

Utahn: (Cheyenne - Los Angeles)

Yellowstone Special: (Poncatello, Idaho - West Yellowstone, Montana)

(A deep thanks to the Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University for allowing Ron Nixon's historic collection of Union Pacific steam locomotives to be featured here. Please note that the photos featured on this page feature their corresponding image number so that you may quickly and easily find more information about it from their website. To view Ron Nixon's entire collection please click here.)



For more reading on the Union Pacific you might want to consider Union Pacific Railroad from authors Joe Welsh and Kevin Holland. Of course, being that the Union Pacific is so well known and has been around for so many years, hundreds of publications (many quite good) have been written about it detailing various subjects of the railroad. However, this book will at least give you a general overview and history of the UP (filled with many, excellent, historical and colorful photographs) at which point you can decide if you are interested in further books of study on the railroad. Even if you are a historian of the UP and have not seen this book I'm sure you will enjoy it! One other book of interest is Union Pacific's Streamliners, also from Joe Welsh. The book gives an in depth look at the railroad's famed streamliners, notably its City fleet. In any event, if you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.



Share Your Thoughts

Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. Please note that while I strive to present the information as accurately as possible I am aware that there may be errors. If you have potential corrections the help is greatly appreciated.

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