NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Union Pacific has unveiled its Abraham Lincoln commemorative locomotive, honoring the president who signed the bill creating Union Pacific as part of the transcontinental railroad.
“Union Pacific exists because President Abraham Lincoln wasn’t afraid to ask, ‘What’s Possible?’” Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said at a ceremony in North Little Rock. “Our employees move the critical goods Americans use each day. We are proud of our heritage and look forward to sharing this special locomotive with the communities and people along the 23 states where we operate.”
Officials including Arkansas Lt. Governor Leslie Rutledge, North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick and Lincoln Presidential Foundation Chairman Emeritus Sergio “Satch” Pecori were among those taking part in the event.
The color scheme of locomotive No. 1616 — numbered to reflect Lincoln’s service as the 16th president — is a nod to steam locomotive No. 119, one of two to take part in the Golden Spike ceremony at Promontory Summit, Utah, in 1869. The locomotive, painted at the railroad’s Downing B. Jenks Locomotive Shop in North Little Rock, will serve as a traveling ambassador, the railroad said. It will make its first public appearance on May 10 at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland, as part of National Train Day. The railroad will announce additional details on the trip on its website and on social media.
The railroad had announced plans for the locomotive in February [see “UP announces locomotive honoring Abraham Lincoln,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 17, 2025]. It becomes the railroad’s second presidential diesel, following No. 4141, honoring George H.W. Bush. That unit is now displayed at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas.
I guess the UP hearld on the front was all that existed in Lincoln’s day. It sure would have been a treat hough to see this loco with the UP “Wings” herald on the front. All good things have to come to an end…
In the pic it looks like Jim be steppin’ on the rail…
That’s because he has a bottle of some type of brew (probably bourbon) to but over the coupler. Interesting that they chose an SD70M from the 1000 loco order back in the 90’s instead of a newer unit.
Run it to Springfield, Satch!
Maybe the Lincoln Museum will be its final display site just as the Bush library is the final display site for that locomotive.
Love the locomotive. The rumor is that this locomotive will be going with big boy over to Portland that means it will be coming through Idaho on the 8th of May and arriving in Portland on the 10th.
Seeing that the UP line (former Alton) goes right next to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois, hopefully it will make a stop there before they tear the tracks out.
Is UP going to be ripping up that line soon?
There is a plan (I think at the city or state level) to consolidate the UPRR and NS tracks through town into a single corridor. The NS line would be kept, the UPRR line would go away.
The UP (formerly SP, CMNW, ICG, GM&O, C&A) line is being relocated from the 3rd Street corridor to the 10th Street corridor occupied by NS (formerly N&W, Wabash).
http://springfieldrailroad.com/newsite/