Union Pacific 2-8-2 2250 assists 2-8-8-2 3572, acquired from the Chesapeake & Ohio to move wartime freight, up Sherman Hill in Wyoming sometime in 1946. R. H. Kindig photo […]
Doubleheader on Sherman Hill
Railroad: Union Pacific
BLET members ratify engineer scheduling agreement with Union Pacific
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen approved a landmark agreement with Union Pacific that will provide engineers with more predictable schedules. The union’s six general chairmen reported today that 90% of the BLET divisions representing 5,600 UP engineers had voted in favor of the agreement. The agreement provides locomotive engineers in unassigned […]
UP placing two tickets on sale today for Big Boy cab rides
OMAHA — Union Pacific’s auction for a chance to ride in the cab of Big Boy No. 4014 has become a sale of two tickets at a set price, with the tickets going on sale at 5 p.m. CDT today, July 23. In a message to its “Steam Club” members, the railroad says the auction […]
Union Pacific to serve new Arizona industrial park
BUCKEYE, Ariz. — Union Pacific will provide rail service to the new Buckeye Industrial Rail Park, which recently saw its first tenant, Rehrig Pacific Co., break ground on its manufacturing plant. The 260-acre industrial park is located 40 miles west of Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport and near Interstate 10. Rehrig Pacific’s plant will manufacture reusuable […]
Weather a factor as UP train derails in North Texas
POWELL, Texas — Severe weather is believed to have played a part in the derailment of a Union Pacific train Wednesday evening in Powell, WFAA-TV reports. About 26 cars of an intermodal train derailed during a period that the Navarro County Office of Emergency Management says included storms with winds up to 80 mph. No […]
Five scenic highlights aboard Amtrak’s ‘California Zephyr’
While the California Zephyr name continues today under the Amtrak banner, much has changed since the final run of the streamlined predecessor in 1970. What hasn’t changed since the original 1949 debut is the premise from vintage advertisements to “look up, look down, and look all around” when taking the Chicago-Emeryville, Calif. trip. Especially when […]
Union Pacific No. 4014 | Big Boy trip to the ballpark
In June 2023, Union Pacific’s No. 4014 “Big Boy”, a 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive, ventured out from Cheyenne, Wyo., to Omaha, Neb., for a display date at the 2023 College [Baseball] World Series. While any big steam run is noteworthy in this day and age, it was the routing that made this especially appealing. Instead of […]
Union, West Coast ports announce new labor deal
SAN FRANCISCO — The Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union have reached a tentative labor agreement covering 29 West Coast ports, ending more than a year of negotiations in a dispute that had seen work stoppages at major ports of entry. The settlement has major implications for the rail industry given the […]
Rising costs prompt Union Pacific to downgrade its full-year operating ratio outlook
CHICAGO — A trio of recent Union Pacific agreements with rail labor unions, combined with ongoing volume and expense challenges, likely will make the railroad’s operating ratio rise this year. Previously UP expected the operating ratio to improve this year compared to 2022’s 60.1%. Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Hamann, speaking at an investor conference today, […]
The Atlas O Multi-Max autorack
The Atlas O Master Gunderson Multi-Max Auto Carrier is out after an almost two-year wait. The company announced the newly tooled cars in its Summer 2021 catalog. For modern operator-collectors with the real estate on their layout, having an autorack train is a virtual must. Before the announcement of these the only scale option was […]
Big Boy Men: The genius behind a steam legend
The Big Boy Men William M. Jeffers, Union Pacific Railroad president, and Otto Jabelmann, vice president — research and mechanical standards, began their careers in the lowest ranking positions. Both men were known for their tempers and a belief that the only way to get a job done was to do it with their own […]
The promise of Silvis
When we drove off Illinois Route 92 onto former Rock Island property recently at Silvis, I was singularly focused on seeing steam locomotives. Three of them, to be specific, including one very special engine, former Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 Challenger No. 3985. The Challenger was among equipment that made headlines last year as Railroading Heritage […]
