1.) Samuel S. Montague, Central Pacific chief engineer 2.) Grenville M. Dodge, Union Pacific chief engineer 3.) James H. Strobridge, CP construction superintendent 4.) Unknown UP officials 5.) CP Jupiter engineer George Booth 6.) Beverages, possibly champagne 7.) UP No. 119 engineer Sam Bradford 8.) Funnel or “Yankee” stack for a wood burning locomotive 9.) Coal oil or […]
Railroad: Union Pacific
Big Boy No. 4014 fired up for the first time; May 12 excursion announced NEWSWIRE
Big Boy No. 4014, shown at Pomona, Calif., in November 2013, is hot once more. Trains: Jim Wrinn CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Union Pacific said Wednesday steam shop crews lit a fire in Big Boy 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 for the first time in 60 years on April 9. It was the first time the engine was […]
A map of the Union Pacific today — that includes the original route of the Transcontinental Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad as of 2019 The original Transcontinental Railroad route was the combined efforts of two railroads: the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific. By 2019, 150 years after joining their rails at Promontory Summit, Utah, only the Union Pacific remains. Union Pacific operates along much of the original Transcontinental Railroad route between Sacramento, […]
No. 119, meet SD70ACe
What could be: See how Trains Art Director Tom Danneman added — layer by layer — the various color, striping, and artwork to his photo of a Montana Rail Link SD70ACe, creating a commemorative paint scheme for Union Pacific’s celebration of the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad. The imaginary paint scheme pays tribute to […]
No. 119, meet SD70ACe
What could be: See how Trains Art Director Tom Danneman added — layer by layer — the various color, striping, and artwork to his photo of a Montana Rail Link SD70ACe, creating a commemorative paint scheme for Union Pacific’s celebration of the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad. The imaginary paint scheme pays tribute to […]
Finding the Transcontinental Railroad’s special tree that marked 1,000 miles from Omaha
The Transcontinental Railroad’s replacement 1,000-mile tree in Utah. Jim Wrinn Of all of the locations that Union Pacific marked either formally or informally in the 1860s as it worked westward toward Promontory, one of the most interesting is the 1,000-mile tree. Nestled next to the tracks in Weber Canyon between Evanston, Wyo., and Ogden, Utah, […]
Piedmont Road: the place on the Transcontinental Railroad where Thomas Durant was delayed traveling to Promontory
A view of the Union Pacific main line from Piedmont Road near the Altamont and Alpine tunnels along the Transcontinental Railroad route. The location is where, legend has it, that Union Pacific workers delayed Thomas Durant’s train on his way to the Golden Spike ceremony at Promontory Summit, Utah. Jim Wrinn A tried and true […]
Rediscovering the Ames Brothers monument on the Transcontinental Railroad’s Sherman Hill
The Ames Brothers monument along the former Union Pacific and Transcontinental Railroad right-of-way in Wyoming. The monument is on the Sherman Hill grade. Richard Koenig OLD SHERMAN, Wyo. — One of my favorite places on the first Transcontinental Railroad is Sherman Hill. It was the first big obstacle in Union Pacific’s way when the railroad […]
Law enforcement and road closures on Big Boy No. 4014’s route in Wyoming and Utah NEWSWIRE
The 2014 deadhead move of No. 4014 through Utah’s Echo Canyon created a long line of chasers in vehicles. Trains: Jim Wrinn CHEYENNE, Wyo. — With only one month before Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 makes its inaugural run from Cheyenne, Wyo., to Ogden, Utah, law enforcement agencies in both states are reminding fans […]
What’s in a photograph?: Mountain-type F3s on the Union Pacific
Jerry A. Pinkepank 1 “Mountain Type” F3A. Briefly in 1947, EMD referred to its steam-generator-equipped, passenger-geared F3s as “The Mountain Type.” These units were intended for use on passenger trains that traversed grades for which E7s were not suitable. In September 1947 Union Pacific got eight F3 A-B-B sets, plus three extra A units, all […]
Tickets still available for Big Boy sendoff in Cheyenne NEWSWIRE
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – More than 600 tickets have been sold to the christening celebration of Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 at the Cheyenne Depot Museum on May 4. As of Monday morning, Christy McCarthy, executive director of the Cheyenne Depot Museum, tells Trains News Wire that all of the “VIP” tickets have been sold […]
Union Pacific slows work on new Texas hump yard, no longer has firm completion date NEWSWIRE
Union Pacific CEO Lance Fritz Union Pacific OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has slowed work on the new hump yard it is building near Hearne, Texas, and no longer has a firm opening date for the $550-million Brazos Yard. UP now has about 90 contractors working on the yard, down from 300. Crews were aiming […]