CELEBRATE 150 YEARS OF AMERICAN PROGRESS UNION PACIFIC BY JAMES P. BELL/PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR
IN 1862 THE NAME SAID IT ALL. This en- terprise aimed for the far western shore of North America, and the en- deavor would be orchestrated by the northern United States, not the South. America was at war with itself, and the outcome still seemed undecided. In the midst of this great unknown, President Abraham Lincoln signed into existence the Pacific Railroad Act on July 1, 1862, which shaped the future of the country by authorizing the first transcontinental railroad. The Union Pacific Railroad was born that day 150 years ago. As the worries of the Civil War overtook Lincoln and the nation,
work on the newborn rail line did not begin for another three years and was not completed until 1869 in Utah. It is doubtful that Lincoln could have imagined the Union Pacific of 2012. To- day’s UP is a giant of a railroad that serves the West and Midwest, hauling coal out of the Powder River Basin, moving corn and wheat to milling com- panies, and bringing new automobiles to the heartland. The UP celebrated with style the important milestone of 150 years under the same corporate name. A unique, interactive website called “UP150” offered historical time- lines, photographs, and video to the
public. A contest challenged film mak- ers to create a new version of a 1970s UP television commercial, adding to the festivities. To the enjoyment of many, the railroad took its classic Ar- mour yellow streamliner trains around the system for local and national cele- brations of UP railroading. Legendary steam locomotive, No. 844, provided the power for these excursions with backup power from the elegant E-9 diesel locomotive, No. 949. The frequent appearance of the vin-
tage trains across the Overland Route in 2012 afforded railfans numerous chances to photograph historic loca-
OPPOSITE: The steam crew services 844 on a siding at North Platte, Nebraska, where the locomotive and will stay for the night of June 29, 2012. The train had been on display in Omaha the week previous, and was heading home to Cheyenne. ABOVE: Union Pacific No. 844 speeds westbound on the UP mainline between Lexington and Kearney, Nebraska, while paced by a motorcycle on U.S. Highway 30.
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