(The Council Bluffs Daily Non Pareil posted the following article on its website on August 1.)
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — Union Pacific has unveiled its Heritage series of locomotives to honor the people and railroads that have made the company one of North America’s major rail franchise.
In announcing the new locomotives, UP Chairman and CEO Dick Davidson said each will incorporate one of the six major railroads that have merged with Union Pacific.
“Our reputation as America’s greatest railroad has been strengthened by the many lines that have become a part of the UP,” Davidson said. “It is time we pay homage to those railroads.”
The first two locomotives will honor the men and women of Missouri Pacific and Western Pacific. The locomotives will operate across the UP system.
Those locomotives will be followed by others painted in the styles of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (Katy), Chicago & North Western, Southern Pacific and Denver & Rio Grande.
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The addition of the Missouri Pacific more than doubled UP’s route miles, and Western Pacific track led UP to the ports of San Francisco and Oakland. Katy gave the railroad access to Texas through Oklahoma, while Chicago & North Western took UP to Chicago and the Denver & Rio Grande Western provided a direct route through Colorado.
The Heritage series is important as current employees retire and are replaced by new workers, Davidson said.
“We want to instill in these new employees the importance of UP’s rich history and the major role each of these railroads played,” he said.
This is the fifth time Union Pacific has painted locomotives in colors other than its traditional “Armour Yellow.” In 1991 locomotives were custom made to honor employees serving in the Persian Gulf War. In 1994 locomotives were painted to highlight the United Way Campaign.
Special locomotives were painted in 1996 for the Atlanta Games Olympic Torch Relay Train and in 2002 for the Salt Lake City Games Olympic Torch Relay Train.