SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Union Pacific will bring its Abraham Lincoln locomotive to Springfield, the hometown of the 16th president, on July 1, to commemorate the railroad’s 163rd birthday.
The railroad was founded on July 1, 1862, when Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act authorizing construction of the first transcontinental railroad. To mark the occasion, UP, the Lincoln Presidential Foundation, Looking for Lincoln (the Lincoln National Heritage Area), and Hanson Professional Services are sponsoring a ceremony featuring the locomotive and presentation of a Union Pacific “Train Town” designation for the city of Springfield.
According to a Lincoln Presidential Foundation press release, the ceremony is set for 1:30 p.m. at Springfield’s Amtrak station, 100 North 3rd Street. Seating is limited, so advance registration is required and is available here. The ceremony will be followed by public viewing from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Union Pacific unveiled locomotive earlier this year at its shops in North Little Rock, Ark. [see “Union Pacific unveils …,” Trains News Wire, April 30, 2025]. The color scheme is a nod to steam locomotive No. 119, one of the participants in the 1869 Golden Spike ceremony at Promontory Summit, Utah.
This is fantastic! If you go please take time to see the Lincoln Library 2 blocks away. It is a great tour of history.
So no through Amtrak service from 1:30PM until 4:30PM as there is no siding at the Amtrak Depot. If something stops there, it signals red at both ends. And I don’t think UP is going to redirect their double stacks up the NS and Illinois Midland during the show.