UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD
ROSTER OF ROCK ISLAND LOCOMOTIVES
(As of April 1980)
Compiled by Don Strack
April 1980 Total: 76 units
As part of a planned merger between Union Pacific Railroad and Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P, or simply "Rock Island"), in 1966 Union Pacific purchased a total of 65 locomotives (and an additional 20 more in 1970), along with thousands of cars and 150 cabooses. The locomotives included:
| CRI&P Road Number | Model | Qty. | Year Built |
UP Number |
| CRI&P 262-281 | U28B | 20 | 1966 | UP 500-519 |
| CRI&P 340-359 | GP40 | 20 | 1966 | UP 600-619 |
| CRI&P 362-381 | GP40 | 20 | 1966 | CRI&P 362-373 renumbered to UP 620-630 |
| CRI&P 420-424 | C-415 | 5 | 1966 | (not assigned UP numbers) |
| CRI&P 4700-4719 | GP40 | 20 | 1970 | UP 631-650 |
Rock Island worked the GP40s very hard. Over the following 8-10 years, Rock Island's dwindling financial resources forced deferred maintenance on the GP40s, as well as the road's other road power. By 1978 many were out of service because of the heavy work load and lack of regular maintenance, and by the time of the bankruptcy shut-down in late March 1980, many were in storage at its shops in Silvis, Illinois.
Corporate Events
May 13, 1963 — Union Pacific Railroad announced a propsed merger with Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. (New York Times, May 14, 1963)
June 27, 1963 — The Board of Directors of Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad voted unanimous approval to accept a proposed merger with Union Pacific Railroad. (New York Times, June 28, 1963)
July 6, 1963 — Chicago & North Western Railway applied to the ICC for its own merger with CRI&P. (New York Times, July 7, 1963)
Over the following 18-24 months, several suits and countersuits, and shareholder proxy fights kept the Rock Island in the financial news. By late 1964, the ICC had begun its hearings. The C&NW proposed that C&NW, CRI&P (Rock Island) and CMStP&P (Milwaukee Road) merge to form an Upper Midwest system of railroads, selling any lines south of Kansas City to AT&SF. (Note here that UP and SP were not part of C&NW's plans.)
UP's proposal would have given the road direct access to Chicago. All of the western roads soon entered the case, asking the federal ICC for some form of consideration, in what would be the longest and most complex railroad merger case heard by the ICC. The case continued for a full 10 years. (The Historical Guide to American Railroads, 5th printing, 1991, page 91)
June 27, 1966 — C&NW let its bid for control of CRI&P to expire on June 27, 1966, and withdrew its bid to merge with Rock Island. (New York Times, June 28, 1966) Instead, C&NW and almost every railroad in the nation jumped into the UP/Rock Island merger and sought various considerations to the ICC's approval of the merger.
November 8, 1974 — The ICC finally approved the merger of UP and CRI&P, but with numerous conditions that UP was unwilling to accept, and UP decided to withdraw its merger application. (The Historical Guide to American Railroads, 5th printing, 1991, page 91)
March 17, 1975 — CRI&P declared bankruptcy.
August 4, 1975 — UP withdrew its appliction to merge CRI&P due to the financial condition of the company. The federal ICC approved the UP-CRI&P merger on November 8, 1974, but due to conditions imposed by the ICC to satisfy the objections of D&RGW and SP, UP withdrew its application.
July 10, 1976 — The ICC dismissed the proposed UP-CRI&P merger after UP withdrew its application.
ALCO C415 (DL415) — 5 units
B-B; 1500 horsepower
|
Road Number |
Builder Date |
Builder Number |
Date Retired |
Notes |
| CRI&P 415 | Nov 1966 | 3451-1 | 1 | |
| CRI&P 416 | Nov 1966 | 3451-2 | 1 | |
| CRI&P 417 | Nov 1966 | 3451-3 | 1 | |
| CRI&P 418 | Nov 1966 | 3451-4 | 1 | |
| CRI&P 419 | Nov 1966 | 3451-5 | 1 | |
| CRI&P 420 | Nov 1966 | 3451-6 | Dec 1980 | 2 |
| CRI&P 421 | Nov 1966 | 3451-7 | Dec 1980 | 3 |
| CRI&P 422 | Nov 1966 | 3451-8 | Dec 1980 | 4 |
| CRI&P 423 | Nov 1966 | 3451-9 | Dec 1980 | 5 |
| CRI&P 424 | Nov 1966 | 3451-10 | Dec 1980 | 6 |
General Notes:
| a. | All ten units were purchased through an equipment trust jointly held by Railcar Leasing and Union Pacific; upon the CRI&P shut-down on 31 March 1980, CRI&P 415-419 were returned to Railcar Leasing and CRI&P 420-424 were returned to UP; UP retired all five units in December 1980. |
| b. | ALCO order number 3451. |
Notes:
| 1. | CRI&P 415-419 were returned to owner/lessor, Railcar Leasing Corp., in April 1980; no further disposition known (not counted in quantity returned to UP). |
| 2. | CRI&P 420 was scrapped by UP. |
| 3. | CRI&P 421 was sold to Brandon Corporation, 23 June 1981; used for parts, stored at Omaha, Neb., scrapped after February 1990. |
| 4. | CRI&P 422 was sold to Brandon Corporation, 23 June 1981; used for parts, stored at Omaha, Neb., scrapped after February 1990. |
| 5. | CRI&P 423 was sold to Brandon Corporation, 23 June 1981; renumbered to Brandon 423, painted in Brandon's sapphire blue in August 1981, stored at Manhattan, Kansas, April 1982; painted gray and lettered for Rail Car America by August 1987; later repainted blue and lettered for Brandon Rail; sold to Buffalo Southern (BSOR), Hamburg, N.Y., by late 1999 (seen en route at Council Bluffs in October 1999); still in service during early February 2006. (1999 date from Mike Vana) |
| 6. | CRI&P 424 was sold to Brandon Corporation, 23 June 1981; renumbered to Brandon 424, painted in Brandon's sapphire blue in August 1981; sold to PLM Railcar Maintenance Co., used at Miles City, Mont. (as PLMX 421); then to Pauline, Kansas; stored at Topeka, Kansas, by June 1992; stored at Morris, Kansas, by June 1996, still numbered as 421; seen in transit in Kansas City, Kansas, early 2003; supposed sale not completed and unit stored at Holliday, Kansas (14 miles southwest of Kansas City); still there as of May 2009 (2009 update from Mike Vana, via email from Tim Vana). |
Other Information:
On 3 May 1980 UP received 37 units from the Rock Island in special movement, powered by a six unit consist (CRI&P 4705, 4710, 262, 358, 347, and 363). The train was made up of: (7) 200 class U28Bs: 262, 263, 266, 267, 271 (cab damage), 273, 275; (17) 300 class GP40s: 341, 342, 345, 347, 349, 352, 353, 357, 358, 359, 362, 363, 365, 366, 367, 369, 373; (3) 400 class C-415s: 420, 421, 422; and (10) 4700 class GP40s: 4700, 4702, 4703, 4705, 4707, 4710, 4711, 4713, 4718, 4719 (no prime mover). (The Mixed Train, May 1980, page 1)
Former CRI&P C-415s 420-424 were returned to UP in April 1980. CRI&P 421-424 were sold to Brandon Corp. in July 1981 to operate former CRI&P trackage. CRI&P 420 was scrapped by UP. (Extra 2200 South, Issue 74, March 1982, page 33)
Former CRI&P C-415s 421-424 were sold to Brandon Corp. formerly the South Omaha Terminal Railroad. Brandon was to begin the operation of the 68 mile ex CRI&P line between Manhattan and Clifton, Kansas, in July 1981, using the ex CRI&P C-415s as power. (The Mixed Train, August 1981, page 5)
Additional information from ICC Service Order 1473, dated January 6, 1982: Brandon Corporation (BRAN) to operate former CRI&P trackage from Bellville, Kansas (milepost 22.61) to Manhattan, Kansas (milepost 143.0), approximately 83 miles. (information from Norm Metcalf, February 5, 2006)
Brandon Railway was an 11-mile terminal railroad in the Omaha area. Sale of the C-415s was on 23 June 1981. (Pacific News, Issue 231, November 1981, page 14)
Former CRI&P C-415s 423 and 424 were repainted to Brandon's saffire blue colors by Railcar Nebraska in mid August 1981. CRI&P 421 and 422 were to be cannibalized for parts. (The Mixed Train, September 1982, page 10)
Former CRI&P C-415 423 was being used by Rail Car America in mid August 1987. (The Mixed train, August 1987, page 11)
Former CRI&P C-415s 421 and 422 were heavily cannibalized by Brandon, still at Omaha in late 1985. (Extra 2200 South, Issue 83, December 1985, page 24)
