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55-800: Main lines included Chicago to St. Louis and a branch to Kansas City. The former is now part of Union Pacific , with Metra Heritage Corridor commuter rail service north of Joliet (owned by the Canadian National Railway but used by UP). Today, the Kansas City line is part of the CPKC system. The earliest ancestor to the Alton Railroad was the Alton and Sangamon Railroad, chartered February 27, 1847, in Illinois to connect

110-759: 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 , the Western Pacific Railroad , the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad and

165-642: 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

220-456: 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

275-428: 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

330-493: A part of Chicago-St. Louis train consists until May 1, 1971, with the takeover of passenger service by Amtrak . In 1932 the Alton was the first Chicago-St. Louis Railroad to install air conditioning on its passenger trains. First entry of C&A passenger trains from Joliet into Chicago was over the Chicago & Rock Island to that railroad's depot (later La Salle Street Station ). Briefly, passenger trains were moved over to

385-621: 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

440-512: A shuttle; staying a shuttle during the night, it reverted to that status on Sundays starting April 24, 1932. As of 1928, the main line had owl service between 1:01 and 5:20 a.m., during which cars ran for every ten minutes, but the Fifth Avenue branch did not, the last eastbound through-route car departing its western terminus of Crawford Avenue at 12:40 a.m. and the last westbound shuttle departing Madison at 2:00 a.m.; during

495-464: 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

550-525: Is a major east–west street in Chicago , Illinois . Prior to human intervention, the Chicago River emptied into Lake Michigan at the present day intersection of Madison Street and Michigan Avenue . Per a 1908 decision by Chicago's city council, Madison serves as the north–south dividing line for Chicago's street numbering system , while State Street serves as the east–west line. At one point,

605-880: 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

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660-768: 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

715-601: 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 is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation , which are both headquartered at

770-553: The Mississippi River town of Alton to the state capital at Springfield in Sangamon County . The line was finished in 1852 with the first locomotive trip from Alton to Springfield on September 9, 1852. The Chicago and Mississippi Railroad extended to Bloomington in 1854 and Joliet in 1855. Initially trains ran over the completed Chicago and Rock Island Railroad to Chicago. The Joliet and Chicago Railroad

825-580: 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

880-538: 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

935-862: 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 the stability of the Union throughout the American Civil War , but construction did not complete until after

990-567: 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

1045-736: 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 the New York Sun , Union Pacific's largest construction company, Crédit Mobilier, had overcharged Union Pacific; the railroad would then pass

1100-448: 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

1155-459: 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 , 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

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1210-481: 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

1265-608: 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

1320-703: 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 the Central Pacific Railroad line, which had been constructed eastward from Sacramento, California . The combined Union Pacific–Central Pacific line became known as

1375-428: The Alton and St. Louis Railroad to extend the line to East St. Louis , opened in 1864, giving it a line from Chicago to East St. Louis. The city of Bloomington, Illinois was the headquarters and primary repair site beginning in the 1850s. The repair shops for locomotives and rolling stock were located on the west side of the city between Seminary and Chestnut Streets. These were made of wood and burned in 1867. In 1883

1430-588: The Alton's steam locomotives were replaced by diesel locomotives. Springfield-Kansas City and Godfrey-Roodhouse The first sleeping car designed by George Pullman was built in the C&A's Bloomington shops and introduced on September 1, 1859, on the Chicago-St. Louis route. Sleeping cars were operated over most routes between Chicago, Peoria, Bloomington, St. Louis and Kansas City in principal train consists. Successor Gulf, Mobile & Ohio operated Chicago-St. Louis sleeping car service until December 31, 1969,

1485-631: 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

1540-581: 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

1595-607: The Illinois Central depot. On December 28, 1863, the leased J&C and Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway came to an agreement where the J&;C would use the PFW&;C's terminal at Madison Street , later becoming a tenant of Union Station, which opened in 1881. In 1924, with the completion of a new Union Station between Adams and Jackson streets, C&A became a tenant and its successors used Union Station until

1650-468: 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 ,

1705-421: 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

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1760-745: 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 , the eastern terminal was moved to a location where the Union Pacific could link up with the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad in Iowa. Following

1815-403: The day, streetcar lines in Chicago typically had intervals of between eight and fifteen minutes. Buses replaced main line streetcars on weekends starting May 11, 1952 – simultaneous with the Fifth Avenue branch's replacement by buses on Saturdays – and altogether on December 13, 1953, whereupon the Fifth Avenue branch became a shuttle service at all times before it too

1870-572: 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,

1925-544: 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 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 ,

1980-527: The incident exceeded $ 7 million. Investigations of the Macdona incident revealed several serious safety lapses on the part of the Union Pacific and its employees, including employees not following the company's own safety rules. While the immediate cause of the derailment was the UP crew's "fatigue", chlorine tank cars had been improperly placed near the front of the train, a danger in the case of derailment. Madison Street (Chicago) Madison Street

2035-468: 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 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

2090-656: The intersection between the two streets was considered the "world's busiest corner." Notable buildings located along Madison Street include the Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building , Chase Tower , Three First National Plaza , the Chicago Civic Opera House , Citigroup Center and the United Center . The Chicago Stadium was situated across the street from the United Center until it

2145-740: The last railroad to do so between the two cities. The first dining car , the Delmonico , named for the famous New York restaurant, was built by Pullman in the Aurora, Illinois , shops of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy . The car first appeared in regular service over the C&A's Chicago-St. Louis mainline. Two other Pullman diners built at the same time, the Tremont , and the Southern , were leased, providing dining car service on all three principal C&A Chicago-St. Louis trains. Dining cars were

2200-431: 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

2255-549: 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;

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2310-576: 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 the Pacific Northwest, Union Pacific built or purchased local lines to reach Portland, Oregon . Towards Colorado, it built

2365-579: 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 ,

2420-557: The shops were substantially rebuilt on 40 acres of new land with 15 stone buildings. At that time the shops concentrated mainly on car repairs, but in 1905 they were expanded to accommodate major repairs and rebuilding of locomotives. At the peak of operations in the 1920s the shops employed 2,000 people. In 1925 Chicago and Alton carried 2,143 million revenue ton-miles of freight and 202 million revenue passenger-miles on (at year-end) 1,056 miles of road and 1,863 miles of track. Same numbers for 1944 were 2596, 483, 959 and 1717. By 1950, all of

2475-511: The street until they were replaced by streetcars on August 19, 1906. This line was formally codified as Through Route 20 (TR 20) in July 1921. Two-car motor-trailer trains ran on Madison from October 14, 1923, to July 19, 1930; multiple-unit control trains began on an experimental basis on July 13, 1924. A branch line diverging from the main service on Fifth Avenue joined the main line downtown starting August 19, 1906, after having previously been

2530-451: The takeover by Amtrak. Presidents of the Alton Railroad have included: 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 is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF , with which it shares

2585-614: 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

2640-479: 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,

2695-568: 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

2750-533: 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,

2805-458: Was chartered February 15, 1855, and opened in 1856, continuing north and northeast from Joliet to downtown Chicago. It was leased by the Chicago and Mississippi, providing a continuous railroad from Alton to Chicago. In 1857 the C&M was reorganized as the St. Louis, Alton and Chicago Railroad, and another reorganization on October 10, 1862, produced the Chicago and Alton Railroad. The C&A chartered

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2860-440: Was demolished in 1995. Madison Street was one of the "Big Five" streetcar lines of Chicago in the early-to-mid 20th century, which carried the most passengers, had the shortest intervals between cars, and had two- car trains in contrast to the typical one-car Chicago streetcar the most often. Madison Street was home to some of the earliest transit in Chicago, having a horse car service starting from 1859. Cable cars operated on

2915-547: 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

2970-490: 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

3025-712: 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

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