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81-600: The Central Pacific Railroad ( CPRR ) was a rail company chartered by U.S. Congress in 1862 to build a railroad eastwards from Sacramento, California , to complete most of the western part of the " First transcontinental railroad " in North America. Incorporated in 1861, CPRR ceased independent operations in 1885 when the railroad was leased to the Southern Pacific Railroad . Its assets were formally merged into Southern Pacific in 1959. Following

162-611: A credit crunch, but not bankruptcy. As boom followed bust, the Union Pacific continued to expand. A new company, with dominant stockholder Jay Gould , purchased the old on January 24, 1880. Gould already owned the Kansas Pacific (originally called the Union Pacific, Eastern Division, though in essence a separate railroad), and sought to merge it with UP. Through that merger, the original "Union Pacific Rail Road" transformed into "Union Pacific Railway". Extending towards

243-495: A friend of Judah, told Leland Stanford that Judah had a feasible route for a railroad across the Sierras, and urged Stanford to meet with Judah. In early 1861, Marsh, Judah and Strong met with Collis P. Huntington , Leland Stanford , Mark Hopkins Jr. and Charles Crocker to obtain financial backing. Papers were filed to incorporate the new company, and on April 30, 1861, the eight of them, along with Lucius Anson Booth, became

324-642: A hump. Union Pacific also closed facilities in Kansas City ("Neff yard"), Hinkle, Oregon , and Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 2019. Union Pacific has owned some of the most powerful locomotives. These include members of the Challenger-type (including the 3985 ), and the Northern-type (including the 844 ), as well as the Big Boy steam locomotives (including the 4014 ). Union Pacific ordered

405-539: A ledge for the Central Pacific has been repeated and exaggerated by uncritical historians. There is reliable, primary-source evidence stating that surveyors used safety ropes while staking out the route, but nothing about construction workers using ropes. Digging the cut was done downward from the top, and from each horizontal end of the cut. It is conceivable that a safety rope would have been useful when digging an initial footpath, that could then be enlarged into

486-491: A lien upon the railroads and all their fixtures, were repaid in full (and with interest) by the company as and when they became due. Sec. 10 of the 1864 amending Pacific Railroad Act (13 Statutes at Large, 356) additionally authorized the company to issue its own "First Mortgage Bonds" in total amounts up to (but not exceeding) that of the bonds issued by the United States. Such company-issued securities had priority over

567-456: A new Union Pacific "Railroad". In the early 20th century, Union Pacific's focus shifted from expansion to internal improvement. Recognizing that farmers in the Central and Salinas Valleys of California grew produce far in excess of local markets, Union Pacific worked with its rival Southern Pacific to develop a spoilage-resistant rail-based transport system. These efforts came culminated in

648-428: A number of units were repainted with a large, billowing American flag with the corporate motto "Building America" on the side, where the 'UNION PACIFIC' lettering is normally positioned. Until 2017, UP operated some locomotives still in the paint scheme of their former railroads. In addition, some locomotives were renumbered by UP, varying in the degree of the previous railroads' logos being eradicated, but always with

729-558: A rail safety organization founded in 1970. As of December 2023, the Union Pacific had 7,175 locomotives on its active roster consisting of 42 different models. Union Pacific continues to use a small number of "heritage" steam locomotives and early streamlined diesel locomotives. This equipment is used on special charters (excursions). Union Pacific maintains a fleet of low-emissions locomotives. Most are used in Los Angeles basin rail yards, to satisfy an air quality agreement with

810-475: A shelf, but there was no reason to be suspended by ropes to dig or drill into the face of the cut. It wasn't done that way. And, most of the Chinese labor was not hired until later. So, the gangs that did the digging at Cape Horn were probably Irish. Central Pacific Director Charles Marsh had extensive civil engineering experience in projects of this nature, both from planning an earlier proposed railroad into

891-464: A yellow patch applied over the locomotive's former number and a new UP number applied on the cab. That allowed UP to number locomotives into its roster without spending the time and money necessary to perform a complete repaint. In May 2015, UP rostered 212 "patches", consisting of: In 2017, Union Pacific decided to repaint all locomotives which were not in the current corporate colors. As of March 2018, only 41 locomotives remained unpainted. From

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972-880: Is named in honor of George H. W. Bush , the US 41st President and is exhibited at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Center at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. The locomotive, custom painted in the colors of GWH Bush's Air Force One is the only UP locomotive not painted in traditional Armour yellow. The engine also pulled the president's funeral train on his final journey to College Station in 2018. The Union Pacific system includes hundreds of yards. Most are flat yards used for local switching. Other types of yards include intermodal terminals and hump yards. Most UP intermodal terminals are typically ports, but UP also has inland terminals for transfers to trucks, such as

1053-730: Is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation , which are both headquartered at the Union Pacific Center , in Omaha, Nebraska . The original company, the "Union Pacific Rail Road", was incorporated on July 1, 1862, under the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 . President Abraham Lincoln had approved the act, which authorized railroad construction from the Missouri River to the Pacific to ensure

1134-626: Is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF , with which it shares a duopoly on transcontinental freight rail lines in the Western , Midwestern and West South Central United States. Founded in 1862, the original Union Pacific Rail Road was part of the first transcontinental railroad project, later known as the Overland Route . Over the next century, UP absorbed the Missouri Pacific Railroad ,

1215-507: The New York Sun , Union Pacific's largest construction company, Crédit Mobilier, had overcharged Union Pacific; the railroad would then pass the inflated costs on to the United States government. To convince the federal government to accept the increased costs, Crédit Mobilier had bribed multiple congressmen. Several prominent UP board members (including Durant) had been involved in the scheme. The ensuing financial crisis of 1873 led to

1296-494: The Central Pacific Railroad line, which had been constructed eastward from Sacramento, California . The combined Union Pacific–Central Pacific line became known as the first transcontinental railroad and later the Overland Route . The line was constructed primarily by Irish labor who had learned their craft during the recent Civil War . Under the guidance of its dominant stockholder, Thomas C. Durant ,

1377-822: The Chicago & Northwestern trackage starting in 1936. Disputes over trackage rights and passenger revenues with the C&;NW prompted the UP to switch to the Milwaukee Road for the handling of its streamliner trains between Chicago and Omaha beginning in late 1955. The last intercity passenger train operated by UP was the westbound City of Los Angeles , arriving at Los Angeles Union Station on May 2. Since then, Union Pacific has satisfied its common carrier requirements by hosting Amtrak trains. Many Amtrak and commuter rail routes use Union Pacific rails. This list excludes

1458-576: The Mariners' Museum at Newport News, Virginia . Alfred A. Hart was the official photographer of the CPRR construction. The Central Pacific's first three locomotives were of the then common 4-4-0 type, although with the American Civil War raging in the east, they had difficulty acquiring engines from eastern builders, who at times only had smaller 4-2-4 or 4-2-2 types available. Until

1539-580: The Missouri Pacific and Western Pacific railroads, and 1988, the Missouri–Kansas–Texas . By 1993, Union Pacific had doubled its system to 17,385 miles (27,978 km) routes. By then, few large (class I) railroads remained. The same year that Union Pacific merged with the Chicago and North Western (1995), Burlington Northern and ATSF announced merger plans. The impending BNSF amalgamation would leave one mega-railroad in control of

1620-590: 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 . In October 2005, UP unveiled SD70ACe 4141 , commissioned in honor of George Bush . The locomotive has " George Bush 41" on the sides and its paint scheme resembles that of Air Force One . It was sent into storage in 2007, but returned in 2018 to power Bush's funeral train . It

1701-606: The Old Sacramento State Historic Park . Nearly all the company's early correspondence is preserved at Syracuse University , as part of the Collis Huntington Papers collection. It has been released on microfilm (133 reels). The following libraries have the microfilm: University of Arizona at Tucson; and Virginia Commonwealth University at Richmond. Additional collections of manuscript letters are held at Stanford University and

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1782-745: The Sacramento Valley Railroad from Sacramento to Folsom, California and was working on the California Central Railroad to extend the former from Folsom to Marysville . Marsh, who had already surveyed a potential railroad route between Sacramento and Nevada City, California, a decade earlier, went with Judah into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. There they examined the Henness Pass Turnpike Company's route (Marsh

1863-613: The Sierra Nevadas and east of the designated base of the Rocky Mountains (UPRR). Section 11 of the Act provided that the issuance of bonds "shall be treble the number per mile" (to $ 48,000) for tracked grade completed over and within the two mountain ranges (but limited to a total of 300 miles (480 km) at this rate), and doubled (to $ 32,000) per mile of completed grade laid between the two mountain ranges Section 12 of

1944-585: The Southern Pacific Railroad ) companies in order to construct a continuous transcontinental railroad between the eastern side of the Missouri River at Council Bluffs, Iowa (opposite from Omaha, Nebraska ) and the navigable waters of the Sacramento River in Sacramento, California . Section 2 of the Act granted each Company contiguous rights of way for their rail lines as well as all public lands within 100 feet (30 m) on either side of

2025-497: The Thurman Act , was an amendment to solve disputes over the railroad subsidies, revenues, and loan repayments consequential to the original act. Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad ( reporting marks UP , UPP , UPY ) is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over 32,200 miles (51,800 km) routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans . Union Pacific

2106-670: The Western Pacific Railroad , the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad . In 1995, the Union Pacific merged with Chicago and North Western Transportation Company , completing its reach into the Upper Midwest . In 1996, the company merged with Southern Pacific Transportation Company , itself a giant system that was absorbed by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad . The Union Pacific Railroad Company

2187-448: The first diesel streamliner , the largest fleet of turbine-electric locomotives in the world , and the largest diesel locomotives ever built (including 6936 ). The yellow paint scheme was introduced in the spring of 1934. Engineers claimed the visibility of yellow would reduce grade crossing accidents. In 1941, UP introduced its yellow and gray color scheme with red highlights, which remains in use today. The middle two-thirds of

2268-806: The gauge to be used by the railroads at four feet and eight and one-half inches, a gauge that had previously been used by George Stephenson in England for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (1830) and was already popular with railroads in the Northeastern states . Due in part to the 1863 Act the gauge would come to be widely (but not universally) adopted in the United States and is known as standard gauge . A common gauge choice allowed easy transfer of cars between different railroad companies and facilitates trackage rights between companies. An act of Congress (May 7, 1878, 20 Stat. 56), which became known as

2349-481: The 1906 founding of Pacific Fruit Express , soon to be the world's largest lessee of refrigerated railcars . Meanwhile, Union Pacific worked to construct a faster, and more direct substitute for the original climb to Promontory Summit . In 1904, the Lucin cutoff opened, reducing curvature and grades. The original route would eventually be stripped of track in 1942 to provide war scrap . To attract customers during

2430-608: The 22% recommendation rating from Glassdoor.com. When Union Pacific bought out the Chicago & North Western in 1995, it inherited the railroad's Metra commuter rail services in the Chicago metropolitan area : the Union Pacific North Line to Kenosha, Wisconsin , Northwest Line to Harvard, Illinois , and West Line to Elburn, Illinois , all of which operate from Ogilvie Transportation Center (the former North Western Station–a name still used by many Chicago residents). In order to ensure uniformity across

2511-474: The Act provided that the grades and curves were not to exceed the maximum grades and curves of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad . The 30-year U.S. government bonds authorized by the act would be issued and backed by the U.S. government, which would then provide the capital raised to the railroad companies upon completion of sections of the railroads in exchange for a lien on that section. The liens covered

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2592-748: The Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco to take and subscribe One Million Dollars to the Capital Stock of the Western Pacific Rail Road Company and the Central Pacific Rail Road Company of California and to provide for the payment of the same and other matters relating thereto" (which was later amended by Section Five of the "Compromise Act" of April 4, 1864). On May 19, 1863,

2673-499: The CPRR remained a corporate entity until 1959, when it was formally merged into Southern Pacific. (It was reorganized in 1899 as the Central Pacific "Railway".) The original right-of-way is now controlled by the Union Pacific , which bought Southern Pacific in 1996. The Union Pacific-Central Pacific (Southern Pacific) main line followed the historic Overland Route from Omaha, Nebraska , to San Francisco Bay . Chinese labor

2754-686: The Chicago area commuter rail system, trains are branded as Metra services and use Metra equipment. However, Union Pacific crews continue to operate the trains under a purchase-of-service agreement. In 2023, UP announced its intentions to surrender the control and operation of commuter rail services and trains in Chicago to Metra , however the UP would retain ownership and control of the right-of-ways of former Chicago & Northwestern lines radiating from Chicago. Between 1869 and 1971, Union Pacific operated passenger service throughout its historic "Overland Route". These trains ran between Chicago and Omaha on

2835-608: The City and County of San Francisco, and Wilhelm Lowey, Clerk 27 Cal. 655) directing that the Bonds be countersigned and delivered. In 1863 the State legislature's forcing of City and County action became known as the "Dutch Flat Swindle". Critics claimed the CPRR's Big Four intended to build a railroad only as far as Dutch Flat, California , to connect to the Dutch Flat-Donner Pass Wagon Road to monopolize

2916-838: The Dutch Flat-Donner Lake Wagon Road Company. Frustrated, Judah headed off for New York via Panama to raise funds to buy out the Big Four from CPRR and build his trans-Sierra railroad. Unfortunately, Judah contracted yellow fever in Panama and died in New York in November 1863. A replica of the Sacramento, California , Central Pacific Railroad passenger station is part of the California State Railroad Museum , located in

2997-581: The Great Depression, Union Pacific's chairman W. Averell Harriman simultaneously sought to "spruce up" the quality of its rolling stock and to make its unique locations more desirable travel destinations. The first effort resulted in the purchase of the first streamlined train : the M-10000 . The latter resulted in the Sun Valley ski resort in central Idaho ; it opened in 1936 and finally

3078-698: The Pacific Northwest, Union Pacific built or purchased local lines to reach Portland, Oregon . Towards Colorado, it built the Union Pacific, Denver and Gulf Railway : a system combining narrow-gauge trackage into the heart of the Rockies and a standard gauge line that ran south from Denver, across New Mexico , and into Texas. The Union Pacific Railway would later declare bankruptcy during the Panic of 1893 . The resulting corporate reorganization reversed Gould's name change: Union Pacific "Railway" merged into

3159-554: The Sierras, and from building ditches and flumes through those mountains for his water company. Construction of the road was financed primarily by 30-year, 6% U.S. government bonds authorized by Sec. 5 of the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 . They were issued at the rate of $ 16,000 ($ 265,000 in 2017 dollars) per mile of tracked grade completed east of the designated base of the Sierra Nevada range near Roseville, CA where California state geologist Josiah Whitney had determined were

3240-607: The Supreme Court of the State of California ordered them under Writs of Mandamus ( The People of the State of California ex rel the Central Pacific Railroad Company vs. Henry P. Coon, Mayor; Henry M. Hale, Auditor; and Joseph S. Paxson, Treasurer, of the City and County of San Francisco. 25 Cal. 635) and in 1865, a legal judgment against Loewy ( The People ex rel The Central Pacific Railroad Company of California vs. The Board of Supervisors of

3321-405: The Union Pacific", which is painted in a scheme to honor the United States armed forces. On June 6, 2019, Union Pacific unveiled SD70ACe 1111, the "Powered By Our People" unit. In April 2021, Union Pacific repainted an SD70M into a commemorative paint scheme called "We Are ONE" to honor Juneteenth and Pride Month. UP also has a collection of locomotives painted for Operation Lifesaver ,

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3402-421: The commuter services the company directly operates in Chicago (see above). On June 28, 2004, a UP train collided with an idle BNSF train in a San Antonio suburb . In the course of the derailment, a 90-ton tank car carrying liquified chlorine was punctured. As the chlorine vaporized, a toxic "yellow cloud" formed, killing three and causing 43 hospitalizations. The costs of cleanup and property damaged during

3483-507: The companies with a total of 6,400 acres (2,600 ha) for each mile of their railroad. (The interspersed non-granted area remained as public lands under the custody and control of the United States General Land Office .) The U.S. Government Pacific Railroad Bonds were authorized by Section 5 to be issued to the companies at the rate of $ 16,000 per mile of tracked grade completed west of the designated base of

3564-752: The completion of the Pacific Railroad Surveys in 1855, several national proposals to build a transcontinental railroad failed because of political disputes over slavery . With the secession of the South in 1861, the modernizers in the Republican Party controlled the US Congress . They passed legislation in 1862 authorizing the central rail route with financing in the form of land grants and government railroad bond, which were all eventually repaid with interest. The government and

3645-559: The completion of the Transcontinental rail link and the railroad's opening of its own shops, all locomotives had to be purchased from builders in the northeastern U.S. The engines had to be dismantled, loaded on a ship, which would embark on a four-month journey that went around South America's Cape Horn until arriving in Sacramento where the locomotives would be unloaded, re-assembled, and placed in service. Locomotives at

3726-669: The eastern terminal was moved to a location where the Union Pacific could link up with the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad in Iowa. Following the Act's passage, commissioners appointed by Congress began selling stock in the federally chartered Union Pacific Railroad Company. By 1863, Durant had organized the purchase of 2,000 shares, the prerequisite amount of stock sold in order to begin the railroad's construction. The resulting track ran westward from Council Bluffs, Iowa , to meet in Utah

3807-483: The electors of the City and County of San Francisco passed this bond by a vote of 6,329 to 3,116, in a highly controversial Special Election. The City and County's financing of the investment through the issuance and delivery of Bonds was delayed for two years, when Mayor Henry P. Coon , and the County Clerk, Wilhelm Loewy, each refused to countersign the Bonds. It took legal actions to force them to do so: in 1864

3888-644: The entire work force. The " Golden spike ", connecting the western railroad to the Union Pacific Railroad at Promontory, Utah , was hammered on May 10, 1869. Coast-to-coast train travel in eight days became possible, replacing months-long sea voyages and lengthy, hazardous travel by wagon trains. In 1885 the Central Pacific Railroad was acquired by the Southern Pacific Company as a leased line. Technically

3969-572: The extent that the FRA, in a letter to UP's CEO, said "safety of railroad operations is paramount ... decisions that comprise that fundamental ... are unacceptable. You must ensure that highly trained and experienced personnel perform critical inspections and repairs .... Your railroad (layoffs) are far outpacing any of your Class 1 peers." In 2024 the railway celebrated 150 years of having its headquarters in Omaha. The railway's Big Boy #4014,

4050-446: The first board of directors of the Central Pacific Railroad. Planned by Judah, the Central Pacific Railroad was promoted by Congress by the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 which authorized the issuance of government bonds and land grants for each mile that was constructed. Stanford served as president (at the same time he was elected governor of California), Huntington served as vice-president in charge of fundraising and purchasing, Hopkins

4131-428: The geologic start of the Sierras' foothills. Sec. 11 of the Act also provided that the issuance of bonds "shall be treble the number per mile" (to $ 48,000) for tracked grade completed over and within the two mountain ranges (but limited to a total of 300 miles (480 km) at this rate), and "doubled" (to $ 32,000) per mile of completed grade laid between the two mountain ranges. The U.S. Government Bonds, which constituted

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4212-431: The local authorities. 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: 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. UP

4293-483: The locomotive body is painted Armour Yellow , a color used by Armour and Company on the packaging of its meat products. A thin band of Signal Red divides this from the Harbor Mist Gray (a light gray) used for the body and roof above that point. There is also a thin band of Signal Red along 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;

4374-411: The lucrative mining traffic, and not push the track east of Dutch Flat into the more challenging and expensive High Sierra effort. CPRR's chief engineer, Theodore Judah, also argued against such a road and hence against the Big Four, fearing that its construction would siphon money from CPRR's paramount trans-Sierra railroad effort. Despite Judah's strong objection, the Big Four incorporated in August 1863

4455-426: The namesake of the city of Durant, Iowa , the first rails were laid in Omaha . The two lines were joined at Promontory Summit, Utah , 53 miles (85 km) west of Ogden on May 10, 1869, hence creating the first transcontinental railroad in North America. Leland Stanford, founder of the Central Pacific Railroad which itself eventually was merged with Union Pacific, himself drove the golden spike , inscribed with

4536-454: The original Government Bonds. The amending Act of March 3, 1865 ratified and confirmed the assignment made by Central Pacific Railroad to Western Pacific Railroad to construct the westernmost leg of the Pacific Railroad from Sacramento to San Jose and authorized Western Pacific as one of the charter companies. From 1850 to 1871, the railroads received more than 175 million acres (71 million ha) of public land – an area more than one tenth of

4617-445: The original Government Bonds. (Local and state governments also aided the financing, although the City and County of San Francisco did not do so willingly. This materially slowed early construction efforts.) Sec. 3 of the 1862 Act granted the railroads 10 square miles (26 km) of public land for every mile laid, except where railroads ran through cities and crossed rivers. This grant was apportioned in 5 sections on alternating sides of

4698-426: The practice of granting federal government owned lands directly to corporations; before that act, land grants were made to the states, for the benefit of corporations. The original 1862 Act's long title was An Act to aid in the construction of a railroad and telegraph line from the Missouri river to the Pacific ocean, and to secure to the government the use of the same for postal, military, and other purposes . It

4779-445: The railroad refused to buy engines from Baldwin, and three former Western Pacific Railroad (which the CP had absorbed in 1870) engines were the only Baldwin engines owned by the Central Pacific. The Central Pacific's dispute with Baldwin remained unresolved until well after the road had been acquired by the Southern Pacific. In the 1870s, the road opened up its own locomotive construction facilities in Sacramento. Central Pacific's 173

4860-459: The railroad, with each section measuring 0.2 miles (320 m) by 10 miles (16 km). These grants were later doubled to 20 square miles (52 km) per mile of grade by the 1864 Act. Although the Pacific Railroad eventually benefited the Bay Area, the City and County of San Francisco obstructed financing it during the early years of 1863–1865. When Stanford was Governor of California, the Legislature passed on April 22, 1863, "An Act to Authorize

4941-457: The railroads and all their fixtures, and all the loans were repaid in full (and with interest ) by the companies as and when they became due. Section 10 of the 1864 amending Act (13 Statutes at Large, 356) additionally authorized the two charter companies to issue their own "First Mortgage Bonds" in total amounts up to (but not exceeding) that of the bonds issued by the United States, and that such company issued securities would have priority over

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5022-431: The railroads both shared in the increased value of the land grants, which the railroads developed. The construction of the railroad also secured for the government the economical "safe and speedy transportation of the mails, troops, munitions of war, and public stores". In the fall of 1860, Charles Marsh , a surveyor, civil engineer and water company owner, met with Theodore Judah , a civil engineer, who had recently built

5103-543: The same, they were also given room and board. In time, CPRR came to see the advantage of good workers employed at low wages: "Chinese labor proved to be Central Pacific's salvation." The difficulties faced by the Central Pacific in the Sierra Nevada – particularly the extensive tunneling required – were far more formidable than those encountered by the Union Pacific Railroad in the Rocky Mountains. The story that Chinese workers were suspended in wicker baskets over vertical granite cliffs at Cape Horn, California, to drill and blast

5184-436: 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 the Union Pacific Corporation since the 1980s. The engine numbers match the year that the predecessor railroad became part of the Union Pacific system. The locomotives commemorate the Missouri Pacific with UP 1982 , the Western Pacific with UP 1983 ,

5265-410: The stability of the Union throughout the American Civil War , but construction did not complete until after the conflict's conclusion. Under the original bill that formed the basis of the 1862 Pacific Railroad Act , the Union Pacific Railroad was to be built from the Nevada–Utah border in the west to the Colorado–Kansas border in the east. However, due to intense lobbying by Dr. Thomas Clark Durant ,

5346-495: The terminal in San Antonio that opened in 2009 or the one in Santa Teresa, New Mexico , that opened in 2014. In 2006, Union Pacific had 11 major active hump yards : In the late 2010s, Union Pacific began deactivating hump yards in favor of flat switching. In this, Union Pacific followed the industry-wide trend towards Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR); railway executive Hunter Harrison explained that under PSR, few yards receive enough variegated traffic to necessitate

5427-434: The time came from many manufacturers, such as Cooke , Schenectady , Mason, Rogers, Danforth, Norris, Booth, and McKay & Aldus, among others. The railroad had been on rather unfriendly terms with the Baldwin Locomotive Works , one of the more well-known firms. It is not clear as to the cause of this dispute, though some attribute it to the builder insisting on cash payment (though this has yet to be verified). Consequently,

5508-435: The track. Section 3 granted an additional 10 square miles (26 km ) of public land for every mile of grade except where railroads ran through cities or crossed rivers. The method of apportioning these additional land grants was specified in the Act as being in the form of "five alternate sections per mile on each side of said railroad, on the line thereof, and within the limits of ten miles on each side" which thus provided

5589-420: The trucks (painted Aluminum from 1955 to 1982), underframe, fuel tanks and everything else beneath that line are also Harbor Mist Gray. Lettering and numbering are in Signal Red, with black outlines. Most locomotives have white-outlined blue "wings" on the nose, on either side of the renowned shield featuring white lettering on a blue background and, below it, red and white vertical stripes. Beginning in early 2002,

5670-430: The west. To compete, UP merged with Southern Pacific , thereby incorporating D&RGW and Cotton Belt , and forming a duopoly in the West. The merged railroad took the Union Pacific name. As of 1999, the UP had 33,705 miles (54,243 km) of track, about 33,000 employees, nearly 7,000 locomotives and over 155,000 rail cars. In March 2024 Union Pacific layoffs caused concern at the Federal Railroad Administration to

5751-409: The whole United States and larger in area than Texas . Railroad expansion provided new avenues of migration into the American interior. The railroads sold portions of their land to arriving settlers at a handsome profit. Lands closest to the tracks drew the highest prices, because farmers and ranchers wanted to locate near railway stations. The act of March 3, 1863 (12 Sta. 807) was: This act set

5832-796: The words "to span the continent and wed the oceans." Subsequently, the UP purchased three Mormon -built roads: the Utah Central Railroad extending south from Ogden 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 . The original UP was entangled in the Crédit Mobilier scandal , exposed in 1872. As detailed by

5913-533: The world's largest operating steam locomotive, will visit 14 states in middle America in 2024. Twenty-five locomotives of Big Boy's size were fabricated during World War II, but only Big Boy survives. Its "Heartland of America" tour begins in August 2024 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and visits Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas through October. Another locomotive, UP No. 4141,

5994-533: Was a founding director of that company). They measured elevations and distances, and discussed the possibility of a transcontinental railroad. Both were convinced that it could be done. In December 1860 or early January 1861, Marsh met with Judah and Daniel Strong in Strong's drug store in Dutch Flat, California , to discuss the project, which they called the Central Pacific Railroad of California. James Bailey,

6075-667: Was based largely on a proposed bill originally reported six years earlier on August 16, 1856, to the 34th Congress by the Select Committee on the Pacific Railroad and Telegraph. Signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on July 1, 1862, the 1862 Act authorized extensive land grants in the Western United States and the issuance of 30-year government bonds (at 6 percent) to the Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad (later

6156-547: Was donated to the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on November 8, 2019. On March 31, 2010, UP dedicated a specially painted GE ES44AC locomotive commemorating the centennial of the Boy Scouts of America . On September 28, 2010, UP dedicated a specially painted GE ES44AC locomotive, as a tribute to Susan G. Komen for the Cure . On October 19, 2017, Union Pacific unveiled SD70AH 1943, "The Spirit of

6237-490: Was ranked 134th on the 2019 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by revenue and had 41,967 employees. The Chief Executive Officer of Union Pacific since August 14, 2023, is Jim Vena , the President is Beth Whited, and the chairman of the board is Mike McCarthy. In 2019, Union Pacific has been rated the worst company to work for by 247wallst.com, citing Past CEO Lance Fritz's 12% approval rating and

6318-717: Was rebuilt by these shops and served as the basis for CP's engine construction. The locomotives built before the 1870s were given names as well as numbers. By the 1870s, it was decided to eliminate the names and as each engine was sent to the shops for service, their names would be removed. However, one engine that was built in the 1880s did receive a name: the El Gobernador . The following CP engines have been preserved: 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1876 1877 1883 1885 1888 1899 1959 Pacific Railroad Acts The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 began

6399-712: Was sold in 1964. Despite the fact that the M-10000 and its successors were among the first diesel locomotives, Union Pacific completed dieselization relatively late. In 1944, UP finally received delivery of its last steam locomotive: Union Pacific 844 . As the 20th century waned, Union Pacific recognized—like most railroads—that remaining a regional railroad would only lead to bankruptcy. On December 31, 1925, UP and its subsidiaries operated 9,834 miles (15,826 km) routes and 15,265 miles (24,567 km) tracks; in 1980, these numbers had remained roughly constant (9,266 route-miles and 15,647 track-miles). But in 1982, UP acquired

6480-650: Was the most vital source for constructing the railroad. Most of the railroad workers in the west were Chinese, as they could be hired at a lower cost to do the difficult work. Fifty Cantonese emigrant workers were hired by the Central Pacific Railroad in February 1865 on a trial basis, and soon more and more Cantonese emigrants were hired. Working conditions were harsh, and Chinese were compensated less than their white counterparts, leading to far less white workers being hired. Chinese laborers were paid thirty-one dollars each month ($ 1,051 in 2023), and while white workers were paid

6561-535: Was treasurer and Crocker was in charge of construction. They called themselves "The Associates," but became known as " The Big Four ." Construction began in 1863 when the first rails were laid in Sacramento. Construction proceeded in earnest in 1865 when James Harvey Strobridge, the head of the construction work force, hired the first Cantonese emigrant workers at Crocker's suggestion. The construction crew grew to include 12,000 Chinese laborers by 1868, when they breached Donner summit and constituted eighty percent of

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