UNION PACIFIC ACTION BEYOND BAILEY YARD
BY STEVE BARRY/PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR
U
NION PACIFIC has never been a railroad to do anything in a small way. It is the largest railroad
in the United States. It has operated some of the largest steam and diesel locomotives ever built. And of all the Class I railroads in the U.S., the Union Pacific name has been around the longest. It does things boldly and big. There is perhaps no better place to see
just how big UP does things than in North Platte, Neb. Close to 100 trains pass through the town daily, and the town is home to the largest rail classification yard in the world. Big, indeed.
A Historic Railroad Town
North Platte got its start in 1866 when the Union Pacific arrived as it pushed
32 FEBRUARY 2016 •
RAILFAN.COM
west from Omaha, Neb., on its way to Promontory, Utah, to meet up with the Central Pacific and create the first transcontinental railroad. UP’s chief engineer Grenville Dodge selected North Platte (named for the adjacent river) as a place for a new railroad servicing location to augment the previous one east at Grand Island, Neb. The location would be fortuitous for the new town, since its location halfway between Omaha and Denver would make it an increasingly important spot on the UP system. Upon arrival of the railroad in 1866, Dodge established a shop and winter headquarters the new railroad. Mainline operations began the next year, with a 20-track yard established. In addition to being an important point
on the fledgling railroad, North Platte has another important claim to fame — its most famous resident was Buffalo Bill Cody. And it was no coincidence that Cody based his headquarters in North Platte. His Wild West Show needed to move by train, and the presence of the Union Pacific, along with the near- center of the U.S. location of the town, made North Platte the ideal choice. Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show toured the country from 1883 until 1913. In World War II, as troop trains crossed the country, North Platte gained additional fame for its hospitality. Many towns had established “canteens” where volunteers fed the servicemen as they passed through, but no canteen did as much business as the one in North
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