FROM THE EDITOR, MAY 2019 – By the time you read this, the largest steam locomotive ever built will have thundered her way from Union Pacific’s Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyo., to Ogden, Utah, to take part in ceremonies marking the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike, which completed the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.
The Big Boy is back, baby!
COVER STORY, MAY 2019 – Railway Age antecedent American Railway Times, May 15, 1869: “On May 10, the last rail connecting the tracks of the Union and the Central Pacific Railroads was spiked in place, thus giving a continuous railway line across the continent. The blows of the hammer driving home the last spike were heard simultaneously by the aid of the telegraphic wires at the extreme eastern and western sides of the continent; and in many places the marked event was celebrated by the ringing of bells, the firing of salutes, and the interchange of congratulations between the different sections of the country.
Union Pacific this week launched a two-year celebration commemorating the completion of the transcontinental railroad nearly 150 years ago.
Steam locomotive No. 844 is on the final leg of the UP 150 Express tour to Houston’s Amtrak Station for the October 26-28 commemoration to President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Act of Congress that created the Union Pacific Railroad 150 years ago.
Union Pacific steam locomotive No. 844, in many ways the 150-year-old railroad’s flagship, is on the fifth leg of the UP 150 Express, a multi-segment tour celebrating the company’s 150th anniversary, sharing UP’s rich history with the communities it serves throughout the railroad’s 32,000-mile, 23-state network.
Erie, Pa.-based GE Transportation Friday announced the rollout of the 5,000th Evolution Series Locomotive, in production since since 2005.
Union Pacific, which dates its beginning to the signing of the Pacific Railway Act by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, announced Thursday that it making a 150-year timeline eBook available free in the Apple iTunes Store under Books.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and the Illinois General Assembly have proclaimed July 1, 2012, as “Union Pacific Railroad Day” in Illinois to honor UP during its year-long 150th anniversary celebration.
