Union Pacific Railroad

Union Pacific Railroad
System map (trackage rights in purple)
Reporting mark	UP
Locale	United States from Chicago, Illinois, and cities along the Mississippi River to the Pacific coast
Dates of operation	1862 to present–
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	1400 Douglas Street Omaha, Nebraska

Union Pacific Railroad (UNP)

Type	Public (NYSE: UNP)
Industry	Railroad
Headquarters	Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Revenue	US$18.0 Billion (FY 2008)[1]
Operating income	US$4.08 Billion (FY 2008)[1]
Net income	US$2.34 Billion (FY 2008)[1]
Total assets	US$39.7 Billion (FY 2008)[2]
Total equity	US$15.4 Billion (FY 2008)[2]

The Union Pacific Railroad (reporting mark UP) (NYSE: UNP), headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman.^[3][4]

UP's route map covers most of the central and western United States west of Chicago and New Orleans. As of December 31, 2008 UP operates on 32,012 miles (51,518 km) of track, of which it owns outright 26,171 miles (42,118 km)^[5]. Both numbers represent the highest amount of any railroad currently operating in the United States.^[6][7] It has achieved this size as a result of purchasing a large number of other railroads, notably the Missouri Pacific, Chicago and North Western, Western Pacific, Missouri-Kansas-Texas, and the Southern Pacific (including the Rio Grande). Currently, Union Pacific owns 26% of Ferromex while Grupo Mexico owns the remaining 74%.

UP's chief railroad competitor is the BNSF Railway, which covers much of the same territory.

History

The Union Pacific Railroad was incorporated on July 1, 1862 in the wake of the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862. Under the guidance of its dominant stockholder Dr. Thomas Clark Durant, the namesake of the city of Durant, Iowa, the first rails were laid in Omaha, Nebraska. The Union Pacific Railroad was joined together with the Central Pacific Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah, in 1869, hence creating the first transcontinental railroad in North America. Subsequently, UP took over three Mormon-built roads: the Utah Central Rail Road extending south from Ogden, Utah, to Salt Lake City, the Utah Southern Railroad extending south from Salt Lake City into the Utah Valley, and the Utah Northern Railroad extending north from Ogden into Idaho; and it built or absorbed local lines that gave it access to Denver and to Portland, Oregon, and the Pacific Northwest. 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 Mexico into Texas (both parts of the Union Pacific, Denver and Gulf Railway).

The Last Spike, by Thomas Hill (painter), (1881)

Directors of the Union Pacific Railroad gather on the 100th meridian, which later became Cozad, Nebraska, approximately 250 miles (400km) west of Omaha, Nebraska Territory, in October 1866. The train in the background awaits the party of Eastern capitalists, newspapermen, and other prominent figures invited by the railroad executives.

UP was entangled in the Crédit Mobilier scandal, exposed in 1872, that involved bribing congressmen and stock speculations. Its early troubles led to bankruptcy 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 Gould. 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 Railroad 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 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 Valley resort in Idaho in 1936, the UP engineering department in Omaha designed the first ski chairlift that summer. The MP and MKT both came back into the UP fold in the 1980s. In 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 Omaha, Nebraska, since its inception. Currently they are housed in the Union Pacific Center, completed in 2003. Other important UP facilities in Omaha have included the Union Pacific Railroad Omaha Shops Facility and the Harriman Dispatch Center. 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.

UP:Chronological History ^[8]

Union Pacific Corporation

Union Pacific Center in Omaha, Nebraska

In 1986 UP purchased Overnite Transportation, a fairly major less-than-truckload shipping carrier. UP divested itself of Overnite Trucking through an IPO in 2004.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, UP purchased several non-railroad companies, such as Skyway Freight Systems of Watsonville, California, 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, Pennsylvania until 1997, when Richard K. Davidson announced that it was moving to Dallas 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 River, UP directly owns and operates track in 23 U.S. states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. 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-mile (480 km) mainlines to 10-mile (16 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 BNSF, 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 railroads, UP locomotives occasionally show up on competitors' tracks throughout the United States, Canada and most recently, Mexico.

In California, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) maintains a database of crossings which can be found here: http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/transportation/crossings/crossingsdb.htm

Real estate holdings

Union Pacific Railroad is the largest landholder west of the Mississippi River and is second only to the United States government in overall landholdings within the United States.^[9]

Yards and facilities

Ogden, Utah yard

One of the 20 new 2,000 hp "Green Goat" locomotives manufactured for Union Pacific's "Green" Fleet by Railpower Technologies

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 and Long Beach.
• Bailey Yard, the largest railroad classification yard in the world, located in North Platte, Nebraska.
• The Hinkle Locomotive Service and Repair Facility in Hermiston, Oregon.
• J.R. Davis Yard, the largest rail facility on the United States’ west coast, in Roseville, California.
• Jenks Shop, one of the largest locomotive overhaul and maintenance facilities in the world, located in North Little Rock, Arkansas.
• Global III Intermodal Facility, a critical interchange hub and loading/unloading terminal for intermodal shipments moving through the Chicago metropolitan area, in Rochelle, Illinois.
• Mira Loma Terminal in Mira Loma, California, 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.
• Union Pacific San Antonio Intermodal Terminal is a $90 million state-of-the-art intermodal terminal under construction in San Antonio, Texas and is expected to be complete in 2008^[10].

Active hump yards

Hump yards 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:^[11]

• Northlake, Illinois - Proviso Yard
• Fort Worth, Texas - Davidson Yard
• Hermiston, Oregon - Hinkle Yard
• Houston, Texas - Englewood Yard
• La Porte, Texas - Strang Yard
• Kansas City, Missouri - Neff Yard
• Livonia, Louisiana
• Pine Bluff, Arkansas
• North Little Rock, Arkansas - North Little Rock Yard
• North Platte, Nebraska - Bailey Yard
• Roseville, California - Davis Yard
• Colton, California - West Colton Yard
• Beaumont, Texas - Beaumont 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. The UP Police Department and the term "Special Agent" were models for the FBI when it was created in 1907.

Union Pacific Railroad Museum

The 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.^[12]

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.^[13]

Locomotive and rolling stock

Paint and colors

Union Pacific #9214, a GE Dash 8-40C, shows the standard UP diesel locomotive livery on May 10, 1991.

UP's basic paint scheme for its diesel-electric locomotives is the oldest still in use by a major railroad. The bottom two-thirds of the locomotive body is painted Armour Yellow, so-named because it was the color used by the Armour meat company. 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 Stars and Stripes 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 first version of this scheme was used on the UP's streamlined trains in the 1940s, although a brown was used instead of grey. Passenger cars, cabooses, and other non-freight equipment have also been painted in a similar fashion.

The steam locomotive 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.

UP Locomotive EMD SD60 hauling a CN train Edmonton, Canada

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 Pacific with UP 1982, the Western Pacific with UP 1983, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas with UP 1988, the Chicago and North Western with UP 1995, the Southern Pacific with UP 1996, and the Denver and Rio Grande Western with UP 1989. 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.^[14]

In October 2005, UP unveiled another specially painted SD70ACe: 4141 has "George Bush 41" on the sides and its paint scheme resembles that of Air Force One.

On March 31, 2010, UP dedicated a specially painted GE ES44AC locomotive commemorating the centennial of the Boy Scouts of America.^[15] 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.

Model railroad enthusiasts were upset by UP's insistence on collecting royalties for the use of all railroad logos owned by the UP for use on model railroading equipment. In July 2006 UP announced that it would use the income from the licensing program to enhance the Heritage Programs of the company. In November 2006, however, the railroad reached an agreement with model railroad manufacturer MTH Electric Trains whom it sued in 2005, which resulted in the railroad discontinuing the collection of royalties from all model railroad manufacturers.^[16]

2008 locomotive roster

As of January 1, 2008, UP has 8,595 locomotives on its active roster.^[17][18]

Surviving merger partner locomotives

A former Southern Pacific GP38-2 locomotive renumbered with UP "patch" markings.

As of March 21, 2010, UP operates: 50 Southern Pacific, 36 St. Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt), 2 Chicago and North Western locomotives. These locomotives are still in the former railroads' paint. In addition, many locomotives have been "patch" 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

#68, one of the Union Pacific's turbine 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 is a 4-8-4 Northern type express passenger steam locomotive (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 is a 4-6-6-4 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 roundhouse until 1975, when it was moved to the employees' parking lot outside the Cheyenne, Wyoming, depot 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 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 units and one B unit. The B unit contains an HEP 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 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 steam locomotive. This locomotive is very rarely ever heard of, due to the fact that 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 mph (64 km/h) or lower due to its large cylinders and small drivers. As of August 2004, this locomotive is being offered for sale by UP.
• UP 1243 is a 4-6-0 steam locomotive, and is the oldest locomotive owned by UP. Built in 1890 and retired in 1957, it was at first stored in Rawlins, Wyoming. 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, Nebraska 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 F9s 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 F7 #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 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 pattern parts for reproduction replacements. Reputedly, 838's boiler 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 1518 (the First Production SD7 ex EMD demo 990), transferred to the Illinois Railway Museum after sometime in storage in the UP shops.

Preserved locomotives

Union Pacific 618 operates at the Heber Valley Historic Railroad

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 locomotives. 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 GTELs 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 type, donated to City of Sidney, Nebraska in July 1956.
• UP 421 - A 2-8-0 type, donated to City of Fairbury, Nebraska in April 1956.
• UP 423 - A 2-8-0 type, donated to City of Gering, Nebraska in July 1955.
• UP 428 - A 2-8-0 type, on display at Illinois Railway Museum, Union, Illinois.
• UP 437 - A 2-8-0 type, donated to City of Grand Island, Nebraska in September 1955.
• UP 440 - A 2-8-0 type, donated to City of Lincoln, Nebraska in May 1955, moved to Mid-Continent Railway Museum, North Freedom, Wisconsin in June 1975.
• UP 460 - A 2-8-0 type, donated to City of Marysville, Kansas in April 1956.
• UP 477 - A 2-8-0 type, donated to City of Salina, Kansas in July 1955.
• UP 480 - A 2-8-0 type, donated to City of North Platte, Nebraska in February 1956.
• UP 481 - A 2-8-0 type, on display at Buffalo County Historical Society, Kearney, Nebraska.
• UP 485 - A 2-8-0 type, donated to City of Lexington, Nebraska in June 1956.
• UP 529 - A 2-8-0 type, on display at Northwest Railway Museum, Snoqualmie, Washington.
• UP 533 - A 2-8-0 type, donated to City of Rawlins, Wyoming in December 1958.
• UP 561 - A 2-8-0 type, on display at Pawnee Park, Columbus, Nebraska.
• UP 616 - A 2-8-0 type, donated to City of Nampa, Idaho in August 1958.
• UP 618 - A 2-8-0 type, at the Heber Valley Historic Railroad.
• UP 737 - A 4-4-0 type, was in the collection of Steamtown National Historic Site, then moved to Feather River Railroad Museum, Portola, California. It will be moved to the Nevada State Railroad Museum at Boulder City, Nevada.
• UP 814 - A 4-8-4 type, on display at Dodge Park, Council Bluffs, Iowa.
• UP 833 - A 4-8-4 type, on display at Eccles Rail Center, Utah State Railroad Museum Union Station, Ogden, Utah.
• UP 1242 - A 4-6-0 type, on display at Lions Park, Cheyenne, Wyoming.
• UP 2005 - A 2-8-2 type, on display at Ross Park, Pocatello, Idaho.
• UP 2295 - A 2-8-2 type, on display at former UP passenger depot, Boise, Idaho.
• UP 2537 - A 2-8-2 type, donated to City of Walla Walla, Washington in December 1959.
• UP 2564 - A 2-8-2 type, originally on display in Oro Grande, California, May 1959, then moved to Orange Empire Railway Museum, Perris, California.
• UP 3203 - A 4-6-2 type, donated to City of Portland, Oregon in January 1958.
• UP 3206 - A 4-6-2 type, originally on display at Highbridge Park in Spokane, Washington. Moved to Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds in 1978.
• UP 3977 is the only 4-6-6-4 Challenger class dual-service steam locomotive on static display. It is located in Cody Park in North Platte, Nebraska.
• UP 4004 - A Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotive, on display in Holiday Park, Cheyenne, Wyoming.
• UP 4005 - A Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotive, on display at Forney Museum of Transportation, Denver, Colorado.
• UP 4006 - A Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotive, on display at National Museum of Transport, St. Louis, Missouri.
• UP 4012 - A Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotive, originally on display at Bellows Falls, Vermont, moved to Steamtown, Scranton, Pennsylvania.
• UP 4014 - A Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotive, on display at Los Angeles County Fair Grounds, Pomona, California.
• UP 4017 - A Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotive, on display at National Railroad Museum, Green Bay, Wisconsin.
• UP 4018 - A Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotive, originally on display at Texas State Fair Grounds, Dallas, Texas. Number 4018, currently residing at the Museum of the American Railroad 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 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotive, on display at Lauritzen Gardens/Kenefick Park, Omaha, Nebraska. Number 4023 has been involved in a rumor over the years that UP was considering restoring it to operational status, but this has proved to be only a rumor, and due to the tremendous size, the area of operation would be very limited. The 4000's developed over 6290 horsepower at 42 mph and over 135,000 lbs tractive effort when starting. It accomplished this feat of shear power whilst not only being fast but also by being extremely reliable, breakdowns were seldom heard of.
• UP 4420 - An 0-6-0 type, donated to City of Evanston, Wyoming, in June 1958.
• UP 4436 - An 0-6-0 type, on display at Eccles Rail Cener, Utah State Railroad Museum Union Station, Ogden, Utah.
• UP 4439 - An 0-6-0 type, on display at Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California.
• UP 4442 - An 0-6-0 type, donated to City of Las Vegas, Nevada, in April 1960, since moved to Henderson, Nevada.
• UP 4455 - An 0-6-0 type, was operated by the Laramie Portland Cement plant hauling limestone from the quarry southwest of Laramie, Wyoming until 1965, then to Colorado Railroad Museum for display.
• UP 4466 - An 0-6-0 type built by Lima Locomotive Works in 1920, displayed at the California State Railroad Museum. It operated at the museum until 1999.
• UP 6051 - A 2-8-0 type, on display at Fairmount park, Riverside, California.
• UP 6072 - A 2-8-0 type, on display at Ft. Riley Museum, Ft. Riley, Kansas.
• UP 6237 - A 2-8-0 type, donated to City of Hastings, Nebraska in July 1956.
• UP 6264 - A 2-8-0 type, on display at Nevada State Railroad Museum, Boulder City, Nevada.
• UP 6535 - A 2-8-0 type, on display at LaBonte Park, Laramie, Wyoming.
• UP 6900 Centennial series - Several of the huge DDA40X 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 Museum has operating cab controls, allowing it to couple to another locomotive and control it.
• UP 9000, a Union Pacific 9000 class 4-12-2 giant non-articulated freight locomotive, at the Fairplex in Pomona, California.

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 Amtrak assumed operation of long-distance passenger operations in the United States. UP at various times operated the following named passenger trains:

UP Coach #5437, photographed as it stopped in Laramie, Wyoming on May 30, 1970.

• Butte Special (operated between Salt Lake City and Butte, Montana)
• Challenger (operated jointly with the Chicago and North Western Railway until October 1955, and thereafter the Milwaukee Road)
• City of Denver (operated jointly with the Chicago and North Western Railway until October 1955, and thereafter the Milwaukee Road)
• City of Las Vegas; later, the Las Vegas Holiday Special (1956–1967)
• City of Los Angeles (operated jointly with the Chicago and North Western Railway until October 1955, and thereafter the Milwaukee Road)
• City of Portland (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 (operated jointly with the Chicago and North Western Railway and the Southern Pacific 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 (in service 1905)
• Overland Flyer; renamed the Overland Limited in 1890 (1887–1963)
• Pony Express (operated between Kansas City and Los Angeles)
• 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 Metra on the Union Pacific Lines: Union Pacific/North Line, Union Pacific/Northwest Line, and Union Pacific/West Line.

Many Amtrak Routes use Union Pacific rails: Amtrak Cascades, California Zephyr, Capitol Corridor, Cardinal, Coast Starlight, Hoosier State, Lincoln Service, Missouri River Runner, Pacific Surfliner, San Joaquin, Sunset Limited, and Texas Eagle.

Criticism

Safety Concerns

Aerial image of a deadly derailment in Macdona, Texas on June 28, 2004.

The company has been accused by some of having very lax safety standards and of maintaining "cosy" relationships with federal safety investigators. These arguments typically highlight the series of deadly derailments which rattled San Antonio, Texas and its neighboring communities in 2004. The most prominent of these derailments occurred on June 28, 2004 in Macdona, Texas when UP train collided with an idle BNSF train resulting in the puncturing of a 90-ton tank car carrying liquified chlorine. 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.^[19] The litigation and healthcare expenses have yet to be enumerated.

After yet another deadly derailment in November 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.^[20] Area civic leaders called for the rerouting of Union Pacific’s hazardous chemicals around the city altogether.

Various investigations of the Macdona incident have revealed several serious safety lapses on the part of the Union Pacific and its employees. 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 cars near the front of the train.^[21] Placing cars containing hazardous materials had traditionally been an operational measure used to safeguard against the likelihood of the tank cars being among the first affected in the event of a derailment and reduce their likelihood of colliding with heavier steel cars. Poor coordination with local authorities has been also cited as a contributing cause of the severity of the Macdona incident.

To remedy the situation, Brian Gorton, was appointed as superintendent of the railroad’s San Antonio Service Unit (SASU). However, under Gorton’s stewardship, the unit has continued to have numerous dangerous derailments.^{[22][23][24][25]} Including a Schulenburg, Texas incident in June 2009 in which again tank cars containing chlorine and petroleum naptha xylene derailed but were not punctured.^[26]

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. This accusations have recently surfaced in a recent high-profile civil lawsuit against the company: Alvarado v. Gorton and the Union Pacific Railroad Co.^[27]

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
• 12,272 Boxcars
• 18,647 Open-top Hoppers
• 13,780 Gondolas
• 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 (1862–1863)
• John Adams Dix (1863–1865)
• Oliver Ames, Jr. (1866–1871)
• Thomas Alexander Scott (1871–1872)
• Horace F. Clark (1872–1873)
• John Duff (1873–1874)
• Sidney Dillon (1874–1884)
• Charles F. Adams (1884–1890)
• Sidney Dillon (1890–1892)
• S.H.H. Clark (1890–1898)
• W.S. Pierce (acting) (1897)
• Horace G. Burt (1898–1904)
• E. H. Harriman (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 (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 (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 (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 (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."^[28] 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 petroleum hydrocarbons, industrial solvents, and metals. This has affected a nearby groundwater source.^[29]

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 Agency’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.^[30]

See also

• California and the railroads
• First Transcontinental Railroad
• Central Pacific Railroad
• Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad
• Missouri Pacific Railroad
• Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad
• Pacific Fruit Express
• Southern Pacific Railroad
• Western Pacific Railroad
• Control Car Remote Control Locomotive (ex-locomotives used by the UP for remote control)
• Renzenberger, Inc.
• Railex

References

• Ambrose, Stephen E. (2000). Nothing Like It In The World; The men who built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-84609-8. 
• Cooper, Bruce C., "Riding the Transcontinental Rails: Overland Travel on the Pacific Railroad 1865-1881" (2005), Polyglot Press, Philadelphia ISBN 1-4115-9993-4
• Cooper, Bruce Clement (Ed), "The Classic Western American Railroad Routes". New York: Chartwell Books/Worth Press, 2010. ISBN 9780785825739; BINC: 3099794.
• Trains News Wire (May 17, 2005), UPS to buy Overnite trucking company. Retrieved May 18, 2005 — details UPS/Overnite deal.
• Union Pacific Railroad
• Thousands of photographs from as early as 1860 taken by employees of the Union Pacific railroad
• Union Pacific Historical Society
• The Union Pacific Railroad "Building America"
• Union Pacific Railroad 19th Century Stereoview Exhibit (at the Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum)
• Union Pacific Railroad, History of the UP logo: Decorative Victorian logos. Retrieved February 24, 2005.
• Union Pacific Railroad, History of the UP logo: Early shields. Retrieved February 24, 2005.
• Union Pacific Railroad, Significant individuals. Retrieved February 24, 2005.

Notes

Books

• Kelly, John (2009) Union Pacific Railroad - Photo Archive: Passenger Trains of the City Fleet Iconografix ISBN 978-1583882368

External links

• Union Pacific's official website and system map
• 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
• Railserve's Union Pacific News
• 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
• Union Pacific at the Internet Movie Database
• Railex in partnership with the Union Pacific