The northern states supported the railroad as it connected California to its big industrial cities. During 1863, UP turned the first mound of soil from Omaha, Nebraska and set out westward. Three competing private companies built the railroad, one starting in the East, the other two in the West, allowing the railroad to meet in the middle. It earned a great deal of publicity by making history with the country's first radical and sleek streamliner trainset, delivered to the railroad on February 25, 1934. This location, an important division point on the UP with a large roundhouse and turntable, became the permanent home of the locomotive. He played a pivotal role in the creation of the first railway that encompassed the western United States. railroads in the country. According to the book, "The Northern Pacific, Main Street Of The Northwest: A Pictorial History" by author and historian Charles R. Wood there were a total of eight different options put forth running along various parallels from north to south. On May 2, 2019, after three years of restoration, the big locomotive made its initial test run from Cheyenne to Greeley, Colorado. It is a must visit! Electro-Motive Corporation/Electro-Motive Division. The traffic strains felt by World War II meant that many railroads were struggling to avoid power shortages. During that time it took delivery of 25 new 4-8-8-4's from the American Locomotive Company between 1941 and 1944. Into the diesel era such variants included the U50 and U50C (General Electric), DDA40X "Centennial" and DD35/A (Electro-Motive), and the C855 (another Alco model). © Copyright 2007-2020 American-Rails.com. The Union Pacific Railroad started in Omaha, Neb., and worked west, while the Central Pacific Railroad started in Sacramento, Calif., and worked east. After the war UP realized passenger service was on the decline although remained strong enough into the 1950s that it continued purchasing or upgrading its fleet. They have over 32,100 route-miles in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans.The Union Pacific Railroad system is the biggest in the United States. Then project engineer quit in frustration and Durant subsequently hired Greenville Dodge to replace him. In addition, just before the war broke out, Abraham Lincoln became the country's 16th President. The fabled Midwestern road was liquidated in 1980 and parts were purchased by surrounding carriers, which ironically included Union Pacific. Union Pacific operates North America's premier railroad franchise, covering 23 states in the western two-thirds of the United States. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Union-Pacific-Railroad-Company. It was directed to "construct a railroad and telegraph line from the Pacific coast, at or near San Francisco, or the navigable waters of the Sacramento River, to the eastern boundary of California." James Ehernberger photo. Today’s UP is much different from the system predating 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!). Having fired and operated that locomotive many, many thousands of miles this is not the news that you or I want to hear. The original rail line was built westward 1,006 miles (1,619 km) from Omaha, Nebraska, to meet the Central Pacific, which was being built eastward from Sacramento, California. The Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) came into existence in response to the widely held belief, fully formed by the 1850s, that the United States needed a rail link between its older, eastern states and the distant but rapidly growing states of the far west. Union Pacific Railroad, transportation company chartered (1862) by Congress to build part of the nation's first transcontinental railroad line. The first arrived in 1937, given Class FEF-1, and numbered 800-819. 150 facts you should know. Mobilier would be used as the conduit upon which monies were distributed to Union Pacific for its construction. The two railroads were joined at Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869 (see Golden Spike National Historic Site). Both examples of Union Pacific's high-horsepower, experimental General Electric "U-boats" it acquired from the mid-1960s through the early 1970s; U50 #47 and U50C #5006 are seen here at Council Bluffs, Iowa circa 1971. Union Pacific's famous heritage steam locomotive fleet, 4-8-4 Northern #844 and 4-6-6-4 Challenger #3785, power an excursion for 'Railfair 1991' as it rolls through Doyle, California during April of that year. Perhaps not surprisingly this setup was greatly abused; Durant used the company to grossly overcharge UP and the government for contract work, nearly driving the railroad into bankruptcy. Union Pacific was not alone in this regard as several other railroads had experienced similar set backs which led to the great financial Panic of 1893. Shows lines as reorganized by Edward H. Harriman after the business depression of 1893. The silliness was finally put to end when the two formally met at Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869 with a symbolic driving of a golden spike (however, a golden spike was not actually pounded into the railroad tie as gold is much too soft). Many were pulled up in the 1970's and 1980's although others were removed long before that. Butte Special: (Salt Lake City - Butte, Montana), City of Los Angeles: (Chicago - Cheyenne - Los Angeles), City of Portland: (Chicago - Cheyenne - Portland), City of Salina: (Kansas City - Topeka - Salina, Kansas), City of San Francisco: (Oakland - Cheyenne - Chicago), City of St. Louis: (St. Louis - Los Angeles/San Francisco/Portland), Gold Coast: (Chicago - Oakland/Los Angeles), Los Angeles Limited: (Chicago - Los Angeles), Pony Express: (Kansas City - Los Angeles). However, in doing so corners were cut including poor grade construction, weak bridges, and lack of sufficient tie usage. On August 25, 1916 it changed its name to the aforementioned LA&SL and on April 27, 1921 UP acquired full control from Clark. It is an excellent resource with thousands of historic maps on file throughout the country. The Union Pacific’s original main line is the Overland Route, which runs between Ogden, Utah; Omaha, Nebraska; and Chicago. Many years of hard operation has resulted in the locomotive requiring a complete frame up restoration just as the big boy [sic] received recently.". The Union Pacific Railroad system is the second largest in the United States after BNSF and is one of the world's largest transportation companies. I … An American Western television series of the same name was loosely based on the phenomenon and the Transcontinental Railroad's construction. Bob Collins photo. Union Pacific 4-8-4 #844 leads an excursion through rural Humboldt, Nevada over the old Central Pacific/Southern Pacific transcontinental main line during an early spring snowstorm on April 15, 2009. When Union Pacific elected to save one its Class FEF 4-8-4s as steam operations wound down during the 1950s it planted the seeds of what is today considered one of the greatest heritage fleets across the country, and perhaps the world. Under Casement’s leadership, the Union Pacific laid 1,087 miles of track, from Fremont, Nebraska, west to Utah where the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads met to form the transcontinental railroad. The issue wasn't resolved until 1872 although little punishment was ever handed down to those involved in the corruption. When the two railroads met at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10, 1869 the country was finally linked with ribbons of steel, thus opening the West to commerce, trade, and settlement. Its City trains were unmatched, used by Hollywood and other dignitaries for many years. It is estimated its trips (which concluded in November, 2019) drew an estimated 1 million+ trackside to see the massive locomotive. Thomas Clark Durant was an American investor and railroad executive. In any event, the new Northerns were able to save the railroad some $300,000 annually at a cost of roughly $10-$11 per mile. As Welsh and Holland note in their book, by 1909, at the time of Harriman's death (September), its traffic density had increased 186% from thirteen years prior. The locomotive had participated in the New Orleans World Fair that year. To celebrate the restoration the Challenger was sent to Railfair '81 at Sacramento to help showcase the opening of the California State Railroad Museum that year. Union Pacific Railroad (or legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and simply Union Pacific) is a freight-hauling railroad that has 8,500 locomotives. The information includes original numbers, serials, and order numbers. One of its most notable excursions during these early years included Ross Rowland's Gold Spike Special to celebrate the centennial of the transcontinental railroad completion on May 10th, 1969. Durant quickly asserted himself as the leading authority although he technically was in charge only of UP's construction. All content copyright American-Rails.com (unless otherwise noted). Mac Owen photo. Since the region carried few trees, and of course no way to manufacture rails, these all had to be shipped in from the East. There are also some other notable heritage pieces kept at Cheyenne including one of the largest diesels ever constructed, Electro-Motive DDA40X Centennial #6936. The Challenger As the horsepower needs of the Union Pacific increased in the early 20th century, so did the size of it’s locomotives. Interestingly, even now sections of these never-used grades canbe seen. The Union Pacific grew to operate in 13 western states, extending from Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Kansas City, Missouri, to Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles. A Union Pacific publicity photo of 4000-class 4-8-8-4 "Big Boy" #4011 sitting next to "Big Blow" gas-turbine #1 in Cheyenne, Wyoming during the latter's initial westbound run over the Labor Day Weekend of 1958. For those primarily interested in the history of the Union Pacific Railroad, this database makes it possible to read UPRR history as viewed by the editors of the local newspapers. Construction was slower than…, …the first transcontinental railroad, the Union Pacific east of Great Salt Lake and the Central Pacific west thereof. This, in itself, was an interesting starting point since the railroad was still disconnected from the national rail network; Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa were separated by the mighty Missouri River and it was not until 1872 that a new bridge opened across the waterway, linking UP with what was later the Chicago & North Western and other carriers. World War II rages as several examples of Union Pacific's main line steam power await their next assignments near the coaling tower in Laramie, Wyoming during 1943. However, it holds an important place in American history by helping establish the Transcontinental Railroad in conjunction with the Union Pacific. A popular pastime for many is studying and/or exploring abandoned rights-of-way. It aired from 2011 to 2016 on AMC. April 1, 2019 Back in 1869, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad worked tirelessly under brutal conditions to drive the last spike, The Golden Spike, at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory, to complete the Transcontinental Railroad. Union Pacific DDA40X #6910 and a pair of SD40-2's near Portola, California on the former Western Pacific in August, 1984. One was the Union Pacific, to run westward from Council Bluffs, Iowa; the other was the Central Pacific, to run eastward from Sacramento, California. History. In 1998 a gentleman by the name of Andre Kristopans put together a web page highlighting virtually every unit every out-shopped by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. If you have any interest in history at all, you will find this database fascinating. To herald the railroad’s activities during World War II and highlight their … Roger Puta photo. In addition, its line into Southern California proved one of its most important acquisitions. A sly individual set upon enriching himself, he and several associates formed Credit Mobilier in 1864, originally known as the Pennsylvania Fiscal Agency a loan and contract company created in 1859. In an effort to stake more land from the government and pocket even more money, Union Pacific and Central Pacific actually began grading lines past one another! UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY. Gary Morris photo. If you are researching anything EMD related please visit this page first. This collection also contains an essay entitled " History of Railroads and Maps, " which includes a section on the building of the transcontinental railroad. Corporate headquarters are in Omaha, where Union Pacific laid its first rails in 1865. Corrections? In 1980 President Jimmy Carter signed the Staggers Act into law which greatly deregulated the railroad industry making it easier to set freight rates, abandon unprofitable lines, and carry out mergers. At that time, traffic control and marketing for all three railroads were fully unified, and all lines operated under the Union Pacific name. It was formally consolidated in 1880. Union Pacific Railroad Company, company that extended the American railway system to the Pacific Coast; it was incorporated by an act of the U.S. Congress on July 1, 1862. Dec 1, 2014 - Explore Michael Smith's board "Transcontinental Railroad 1869" on Pinterest. It is also important to note the company's nod to its history. According to Dodge it was so well organized that at no time did crews run short on supplies. Alas, in 2013 the site closed by thankfully Don Strack rescued the data and transferred it over to his UtahRails.net site (another fine resource). In 1954 UP began retiring the first of the 4-8-4s although the locomotives continued to see service through 1962. Union Pacific #8444 hustles northbound on ex-Missouri Pacific trackage near Bryan, Texas in December of 1984. Today, there are tens of thousands of miles scattered throughout the country. Requiring more driving wheels and a longer chassis than could be accommodated on even their broadest of mainline curves, a new design had to be achieved. The southernmost route,…. Dodge proved far better at dealing with Durant and often ignored his boss if he felt it was in the best interest of the company. From left to right is first-generation gas-turbine #60, 4-8-8-4 "Big Boy" #4017, and F7's (rebuilt from F3's). In 1982 the Union Pacific merged with two other railroads, the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company (headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri) and the Western Pacific Railroad Company (headquartered in San Francisco), to form what came to be called the Union Pacific System. October 30: Thomas C. Durant, who has illegally manipulated a controlling interest in the Union Pacific Railroad Company, gets himself appointed the railroad's vice president and general manager. It carries products and commodities such as coal, automobiles, foods, forest and agricultural products, and chemicals and is one of the largest intermodal shippers (including truck trailers and containers) in the country. place in Ponoma, California has also been widely watched and Then, E.H. Harriman (Edward Henry "Ned" Harriman), along with a group of investors, stepped in to acquire the former Transcontinental main line between Omaha to Ogden for $110 million. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The First Transcontinental Railroad was the first railroad in the United States to connect the West coast to the already existing rail system in Iowa. This locomotive remains operational and also occasionally pulls excursions. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Union Pacific Center, the headquarters of Union Pacific Railroad, Omaha, Neb. The only real issue the railroad dealt with was keeping the men focused; all along the route towns sprang up to accommodate the workers during downtime. Even by the early 20th century, Union Pacific was a highly respected company thanks to Harriman's visionary leadership. After exposure of the scheme, which left the railroad badly in debt, the company went into receivership in 1893. That locomotive was #844 and today it is a household name throughout the railfan community having hosted numerous special excursions over the many decades as the only steamer never officially retired from a Class I railroad. In 1873 noted tycoon Jay Gould acquired a controlling interest in UP and set about upgrading its infrastructure while expanding its reach. The event took place at 12:47 p.m. that day and was performed by Leland Stanford. Just type in a town or city and click on the timeline of maps at the bottom of the page! Featured here is a brief history of one of America's great corporations. note; when Union Pacific officially announced its intentions to restore But I feel most everyone understands having two steam locomotives on the roster has historically been the norm on the Union Pacific. The original company was incorporated on July 1, 1862, under an act of Congress entitled Pacific Railroad Act of 1862.The act was approved by President Abraham Lincoln, and it provided for the construction of railroads from the Missouri River to the Pacific as a war measure for the preservation of the Union. Additionally, UP's fleet of streamlined E9s normally assigned to the business train call there for maintenance as do its restored, lightweight cars. The move from its longtime resting The Union Pacific Railroad logo. These moves propelled it into becoming the massive and successful system it is today, serving most states and communities west of the Mississippi River. This cam… The railroad took 7 years to complete and is a 1,907-mile contiguous line. It had even controlled Southern Pacific between 1901 and 1912 before a Supreme Court decision forced the road to divest its holdings due to antitrust laws. "March 1971; after bringing in the Union Pacific's 'City of Los Angeles' a four unit set of 'E' units are backing out of Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal and on the way to the engine terminal." Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 #3985 was an important and popular component of the railroad's steam program from 1981-2010. Only later, under better leadership, were these issues corrected. After it was moved to Cheyenne in 2014 the locomotive began its complete restoration in 2016. If you are researching active or abandoned corridors you might want to check out the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Historical Topographic Map Explorer. If you are researching active or abandoned corridors you might want to check out the, You will be hard pressed at finding a better online resource regarding diesel locomotives than Craig Rutherford's, Andre Kristopans put together a web page highlighting virtually every unit every out-shopped by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. He was serving as vice president of the Union Pacific railroad (UP) in 1869 when it was connected with the Central Pacific railroad at Promontory Summit in Utah territory. The database is very "user friendly". Thanks to the its forward thinking, during the postwar period UP began gobbling up smaller, and larger, railroads. UP #3985 Specifications (Official Retired, 1981-2010). A true monster; Alco's 5,500 horsepower C855, which utilized a pair of 251C prime movers, is seen here in a company photo circa 1964. It had been suggested as early as 1832 in an article by Dr. Hartwell Carver and in 1847 he submitted a proposal to Congress. 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 railroad, and its famous shield logo, will continue to flank locomotives during their daily task of moving goods across the country. We see a group of railroad men and women make their way west on the Union Pacific side of construction. The concept for what eventually became Union Pacific has its roots in the spring of 1853 when then-U.S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis (who later became president of the Confederate States of America) began surveying western routes beyond the Mississippi to link the Pacific Coast as part of the government's endeavor to complete a transcontinental line. Another, somewhat less scandalous incident, took place as the two roads neared one another. During Union Pacific's race for higher horsepower two powerful examples pose together here in Laramie, Wyoming during September of 1966: on the left is a third-generation gas-turbine "Big Blow," #4, rated at 8,500 horsepower while to the right is DD35A #75 capable of 5,000 horsepower. Union Pacific VO-1000 #1204 and 4-8-4 #830 (FEF-2) work together at Council Bluffs, Iowa on September 28, 1958. 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