Newspaper Items
Union Pacific
This page was last updated on March 21, 2004
27 April 1877
A. A. Egbert, lately assistant superintendent of the A. T. & S. F., has
been appointed superintendent of the Union Pacific's Western Division. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Herald, 27 April 1877)
16 May 1880
Another letter from Ogden, about half of which relates to the Union Pacific and
the Utah & Northern: "The Union Pacific Railroad Company is now
engaged in renumbering the cars used by the different roads belonging to the
company. All cars on the main line are to be numbered with even numbers, and
such letters as U., T., C., etc., to designate the particular road they belong
to." (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily
Tribune, 16 May 1880)
13 July 1881
George E. Stevens is Master Car Builder at Omaha, Union Pacific. (Pitchard, Ogden Herald, 13 July 1881)
8 April 1882
The big truss bridge at Devil's Gate, on the U.P., is still a wooden bridge,
and is becoming weak. Plans are to replace it with an iron structure sometime
this spring. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily
Tribune, 8 April 1882)
31 October 1882
The Union Pacific is putting up a new car shop at Evanston. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 31 October 1882)
3 November 1882
Robert Blickensderfer is division superintendent of U&N and OSL, and in
charge of construct ion for past two years. W. B. Doddridge is General Supt of
Utah and Idaho Divisions. E. Dickenson just made superintendent of Wyoming
Division, account Robert Law has resigned. The Wyoming Division includes the
Echo & Park City line. (Pitchard, The
New North West, Deer Lodge, 3 November 1882)
9 January 1883
"Fatal Railway Accident" on Sunday, 7th, as the tea train which left
Ogden eastbound at 8:15 p.m. neared Evanston ran into a cut of runaway cars;
engineer and fireman killed, and 'a total wreck' made of Eng. 68. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Evening Chronicle, 9 January 1883)
28 January 1883
UP has received at Omaha two engines from Taunton, No's 263 and 264. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 28 January 1883)
20 May 1883
Half a column on T. E. Sickles - has been with UP since 1868. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 20 May
1883)
25 December 1883
New timetable on the Idaho Division, Union Pacific, will go into effect
12:05am, Saturday, 29 December 1883. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 25 December 1883)
27 April 1884
On the 1st of May, Standard Time will be adopted by the Union Pacific and its
associated lines, the Utah & Northern, Utah Central and so forth. In Salt
Lake, it meant a change of 28 minutes 'backwards,' as it were, noon on the
clock occurring 28 minutes before solar noon. The Utah Central will have a new
timetable, effective 1 May 1884, using of course the new time. The Salt Lake
City Council voted, a day or two later (i. e., about April 29th), to adopt the
new time system as well, also effective on 1 May 1884. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Herald, 27 April 1884)
1 May 1884
The Utah & Nevada and the Salt Lake & Western roads also have new
timetables this date, as a result of the new time adopted by the U. P. The City
of Salt Lake publishes a notice, dated 29 April, of its official adoption of
the new time, which is 28 minutes ahead of solar time, to take effect 1 May
1884. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Herald,
1 May 1884)
2 May 1885
J. P. Pringle, chief storekeeper for Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado Divisions of
the Union Pacific, has his office in Denver. (Pitchard, The Utah Journal, Logan, 2 May 1885)
20 January 1887
A 'mammoth' rotary snow plow is at the Omaha shops, the only one in the
country, sent out from Paterson for trial. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 20 January 1887)
18 June 1887
Depot at Wasatch, in Echo Canyon, burned Tuesday, 14th. (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 18 June 1887)
9 July 1887
Depot from Wanship has been moved to Wasatch, agent Brigham Bowman. (Pitchard, Park Record, Park City, 9 July
1887)
17 July 1887
Wyoming Wisps. "A couple of massive new Grant locomotives, Nos. 750 and
753, reached Laramie on the 13th, in charge of Engineer Charles Sweezy and Mr.
Andrews, of Omaha. They left Omaha at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday and arrived in Laramie
at six o'clock the next evening, having made no stops en route except for coal
and water. The engines are what are known as 'dust burners' and will be used on
the passenger runs out of Green River, for which place they started at 8
o'clock this morning." (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 17 July 1887)
19 August 1887
"Local Railway Notes." "The Union Pacific is having three rotary
snow plows built, and will thus have four such plows to fight snow with next
winter. The one used last winter is at Cheyenne." (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 19 August 1887)
13 October 1887
"Local Railway Notes." "The Union Pacific's master mechanic has
decided to give up the straight stack for the old 'diamond' style on the road's
locomotives, on the ground that the straight stack destroys fire boxes, which the
'diamond' does not. The many other roads that have adopted the straight stack
do not agree with the Union Pacific."
(Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 13 October 1887)
4 April 1889
The U.P. has just received engines 626 and 627 from Schenectady. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 4 April
1889)
9 May 1890
Union Pacific has placed orders for 131 locomotives, including 16 narrow gauge
2-8-0 types. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily
Tribune, 9 May 1890)
15 May 1890
U.P. 988's pilot, being low, picked a rail at a crossing, doubled under the
engine, and made a fine mess. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 15 May 1890)
18 November 1890
New Union Pacific depots being painted Indian Red with dark olive trim. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 18 November 1890)
16 December 1890
Union Pacific engine No. 319 is getting an extended front end and a straight
stack; and mogul 973 is in shops for general overhaul. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 16 December 1890)
17 January 1891
Effective February 1, 1891, Joseph H. McConnell will be Superintendent of
Motive Power and Machinery, at Omaha, replacing Harvey Middleton. Up to this
time, McConnell has been the Master Mechanic at the North Platte shops. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Herald, 17 January 1891)
11 February 1891
The second 'turtleback' switcher, U.P. No. 1104, has been received and is now
in service. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily
Tribune, 11 February 1891)
17 September 1891
In the U. P. shops at Salt Lake City at present, engines 487 and 562 have just
been painted, and engine 1029 is in for repairs as a result of a wreck at
Beck's Hot Springs last Friday. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Herald, 17 September 1891)
7 August 1894
Union Pacific engine 1027 is being rebuilt -- will get new cylinders, firebox,
and so forth. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily
Tribune, 7 August 1894)
10 August 1894
U. P. Engine 1107 in for heavy repairs, is a camelback switcher, one of two
assigned to the Utah Division in February 1891 -- this is first major overhaul
for the 1107; 1104 is the other of the pair, and both are assigned switchers in
SLC yards. (see 11 February 1891 for when 1104 arrived). U. P. Engines 486, 487
and 491 ordered back to Omaha from SLC. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 10 August 1894)
15 August 1894
Sup't. J. H. Young, of the U. P. has gone off to Soda Springs and other points
in his car, the 022. (Pitchard, Salt Lake
Daily Tribune, 15 August 1894)
27 August 1894
U. P. Auditor Erastus Young in SLC on special car 09. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 27 August 1894)
1 October 1894
U. P. 1107 is out of the shops after overhaul. (see 10 August) (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 1 October 1894)
10 November 1894
U. P. Engine 955 in to replace 986, which is to be scrapped. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 10 November 1894)
12 November 1894
U. P. switch engine 1104 out of shops yesterday after overhaul, and today 1029
comes out. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily
Tribune, 12 November 1894)
13 November 1894
Receivers of U P going over the line in a special train of one baggage car and
four special cars; one of the cars,012, is for train and engine crew; another
of the cars, U P number not given, is S. H. H. Clark's car, and is former
Missouri Pacific car 100; Clark had been a V.P. on the MoPac before coming to
the U P, and he apparently brought the car with him. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 13 November 1894)
16 December 1894
Union Pacific Timetable #21 in effect 12:05am this date; and a reference made
to engines 588, 591 and 1030. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 16 December 1894)
17 January 1895
Weber station, on U. P. mainline east of Ogden, has been renamed to Morgan. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 17 January 1895)
26 March 1895
U. P. engines 1027 and 1028, ten-wheelers, in the shops for repair; engines
1400 and 1416 likely to be used on line to Eureka. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 26 March 1895)
30 March 1895
U. P. engine 1740 received here yesterday, another ten wheeler, and also slated
for use on the line to Eureka. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 30 March 1895)
4 September 1895
The U. P. is now lettering freight engines with aluminum leaf; the passenger
engines remain in gold leaf. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 4 September 1895)
17 December 1895
A new rotary went west over the U. P. on the 15th, one built by Cooke. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 17 December 1895)
10 July 1899
U.P. 931, at Denver, has been given a straight stack; all motive power to be so
equipped soon. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily
Tribune, 10 July 1899)
2 June 1900
"Death of S. H. H. Clark" at Asheville, North Carolina, on June 1,
1900. He was in his 68th year, and had been ailing for several years. Began
with the Union Pacific in 1867, and retired in 1898; was the president thereof,
1890 - 1898. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily
Tribune, 2 June 1900)
25 June 1900
J. H. McConnell, Union Pacific's Superintendent of Motive Power and Machinery,
retired this past week. (Pitchard, Salt
Lake Daily Tribune, 25 June 1900)
16 September 1900
The famous 1,000 mile tree in Weber canyon has died, and been cut down. (Pitchard, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 16 September 1900)
