These images may not be downloaded or used for any commercial purpose without specific written permission from Union Pacific. With no further construction undertaken, it subsisted primarily on livestock and grain traffic, along with the aforementioned timber business. Levey's other notable endeavors included acquisition of a pair of interurbans; the Sacramento Northern Railway (SN) and Tidewater Southern Railway (TS). While the route avoided the treacherous steep granite cliffs found along Donner Pass, the Feather River carried its own difficulties. Union Pacific celebrates the shared stories that have shaped our country since 1862. Drew Jacksich photo. Theodore Judah, a civil engineer who helped build the first railroad in California, promoted a route along the 41st parallel, running through Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California. The nearby Tidewater Southern joined Western Pacific as another freight line. But neither side was interested in halting construction, as each company wanted to claim the $32,000 per mile subsidy from the government. In the end, Gould and Keddie were rewarded for choosing the river as it afforded much easier grades, resulting in lower operational costs (Union Pacific even spent $30 million to rebuild the route in 1997 after landslides placed 100 miles out of service). But once through the Sierras, the Central Pacific rail lines moved at tremendous speed, crossing Nevada and reaching the Utah border in 1868. The latter was completed by the Union Pacific (UP) and Central Pacific (CP) in 1869, running the 42nd parallel between Omaha, Nebraska Territory and Sacramento, California. At 12:57 p.m. local time, as railroad dignitaries hammered in ceremonial golden spikes, telegraphers announced the completion of the Pacific Railway. ), 2 (Built as Union Pacific #1000-1001. It reached its final length on January 10, 1912 when it opened to Lakeview, Oregon. A pair of Sacramento Northern F3A's layover between assignments, circa 1960s. Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company The original SP was founded in San Francisco in 1865 by a group of businessmen led by Timothy Phelps with the aim of building a rail connection between San Francisco and San Diego, California. During the four years of construction, work was slow but steady. The Union Pacific (UP) is one the largest and most powerful railroads in the country. The line below belongs to the Southern Pacific, which is now abandoned. When completed in the early 20th century, the Western Pacific marked one of the last major projects of its kind ever undertaken. Drew Jacksich photo. In addition, the region's remote and desolate nature only compounded problems. Despite a route difficult to maintain it was operationally superior to the SP's former Central Pacific corridor over Donner Pass (part of the original Transcontinental Railroad). Major stockholders in the Union Pacific Railroad formed a company, the ⦠The 1950's brought excellent leadership, beginning with Frederic B. Whitman. (A bridge over the Missouri River would be built later to join Omaha to Council Bluffs, the official eastern terminus.) In 1910 the OA&E reached Walnut and a year later was opened to Lafayette. They blasted tunnels through the solid granite -- sometimes progressing only a foot a day. Interest in building a railroad uniting the continent began soon after the advent of the locomotive. On July 1, 1862, Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act, authorizing land grants and government bonds, which amounted to $32,000 per mile of track laid, to two companies, the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad. All photos and videos, copyright individual owners/organizations. A popular pastime for many is studying and/or exploring abandoned rights-of-way. Union Pacific operates North America's premier railroad franchise, covering 23 states in the western two-thirds of the United States. It wasn't formed until 1906, with completion in 1909. Thanks to the book, "Western Pacific Color Pictorial: Volume One," by Adam Clegg for help compiling this diesel roster. Other presidents such as Alfred Pearlman, an excellent railroader in his own right, followed Whitman and carried the company through that troubled decade. CENTRAL PACIFICâUNION PACIFIC RACECENTRAL PACIFICâUNION PACIFIC RACE, a construction contest between the two railroad companies bidding for government subsidies, land grants, and public favor. WP's section included 111.8 miles running north from Keddie, a junction where two spectacular bridges and a short tunnel were completed to form a wye off the main line. The SP went on to blossom into one of the West's most powerful railroads and denied any attempts at a second transcontinental connection at Salt Lake City. He was so obsessed with the idea of a transcontinental railroad that he became known as "Crazy Judah." In 1935 it experienced another bankruptcy but World War II witnessed record traffic which finally offered some consistency. By the 20th Century his goal was nearing reality as he controlled the Missouri Pacific, Wabash, Western Maryland, Wheeling & Lake Erie, and the Rio Grande properties consisting of the Denver & Rio Grande (D&RG) and Rio Grande Western (RGW). Printable Version. Today, there are tens of thousands of miles scattered throughout the country. The Pacific Railroad Act facilitated the creation of the First Transcontinental Railroad, a huge railway line that connected the east of the USA to the west. By 1918 it added three non-electrified branches reaching Turlock, Hatch, and Manteca that were designed solely for freight traffic. Heading into the setting sun is an A-B-B lashup of F7s, led by #914-A, as their pig train rolls eastbound near Livermore, California during July of 1966. The men, mostly Irishmen, worked hard and well, despite going on strike occasionally when Durant withheld their pay over petty labor disputes. The Western Pacific Railroad was not the largest of the Western Class-One railroads. Here, a freight train, led by U23B #2261, passes over itself near Spring Garden, California in October, 1972. A year later electrified service was initiated (November 15, 1913). Before the advent of the transcontinental railroad, a journey across the continent to the western states meant a dangerous six month trek over rivers, deserts, and mountains. In 1998 a gentleman by the name of Andre Kristopans put together a web page highlighting virtually every unit every out-shopped by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. Western Pacific's Keddie Wye Through Northern California, Sacramento Northern Railway, Long-Time Western Pacific Property, Denver & Rio Grande Western, "Mainline Thru The Rockies", California Zephyr: (Chicago - Denver - Salt Lake City - Oakland/San Francisco), Feather River Express: (Oakland - Portola, California). Several years later, Keddie tried a second time when he helped establish the San Francisco & Great Salt Lake Railroad, incorporated on May 21, 1892. The railroad workers were armed and oftentimes protected by U.S. Calvary and friendly Pawnee Indians, but the workforce routinely faced Native American raiding parties that attacked surveyors and workers, stole livestock and equipment, and pulled up track and derailed locomotives. Contact the Museum at ( 402 ) 501-3841 for pacific railroad history assistance n't formed until 1906, completion! The delta in 1910 the OA & E reached Walnut and a connection with the aforementioned timber.! 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