Non-Union Pacific Cars (painted UP yellow and gray)
Index For This Page
This page was last updated on November 8, 2011.
(Return to Union Pacific Passenger Cars main index)
Overview
A total of 92 passenger cars of other railroads are known to have been painted in Union Pacific's yellow and gray paint scheme. These cars include:
- 47 Chicago and North Western Cars
- 11 Milwaukee Road Cars
- 3 New York Central Cars
- 6 Pennsylvania Cars
- 19 Southern Pacific Cars
- 6 Wabash Cars
As additional research identifies more cars, their information will be added.
Chicago and North Western Cars
(See also "Western" series sleepers)
(See also "Imperial" series sleepers)
(See also "American" series sleepers)
Coach — 6 cars
ACF, 1953
Lightweight
Coach — 23 cars
ACF, 1937
Lightweight
Diner — 4 cars
ACF, 1949
Lightweight
Cafe Lounge — 3 cars
ACF, 1949
Lightweight
Lounge — 3 cars
ACF, 1949
Lightweight
RPO Postal Storage — 2 cars
ACF, 1949
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Notes and Disposition | |
| C&NW 8225 | to Great Northern, June 1, 1964 | |
| C&NW 8226 | to Great Northern, June 1, 1964 | |
RPO Postal Storage — 1 car
ACF, 1949
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Notes and Disposition | |
| C&NW 8227 | to UP (number unknown) | |
RPO Postal Storage — 2 cars
ACF, 1953
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Notes and Disposition |
| C&NW 8900 | to C&NW MW X-300795 |
| C&NW 8901 | to C&NW MW X-251031 |
Baggage Dormitory — 3 cars
ACF, 1949
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Notes and Disposition |
| C&NW 9300 | to C&NW MW X-251032 |
| C&NW 9301 | to Northern Pacific, April 13, 1962 |
| C&NW 9302 | to C&NW MW X-300796 |
Milwaukee Road Cars
Milwaukee Road began operating UP's City trains between Omaha and Chicago on October 30, 1955.
Based on available information, a preliminary list of MILW cars assigned to UP service (and therefore painted UP yellow and gray) includes:
- MILW 50-series Super Domes (2 cars)
- MILW 121-126, Diner (6 cars)
- MILW 163, 166, Tap Car (2 cars)
- MILW 170, 171, Diner Lounge (2 cars)
- MILW 173, Tap Car (1 car)
- MILW 515-534, Leg Rest Coach (20 cars)
- MILW 552-554, Leg Rest Coach (3 cars)
- MILW 623, 627, Coach (2 cars)
- MILW 1208, Mail and Express Car (1 car)
- MILW 1311, 1317, 1321, 1326, 1336, Express Car (5 cars)
- MILW 2175, Railway Post Office (1 car)
I know for sure that the 170-171 were immediately painted UP colors on the Milwaukee's UP Day. Since the Midwest Hiawatha only consisted of two coaches on the rear of the Challenger with the change they went west. I also recall talking to Henry Castro, the previous owner of the 170 before it went to Kansas City and recall his records showing it going out to the west coast; either LA or SF. In addition to the two diner-Taps, Twin Cities diners 121 and 126 were also painted and assigned. A complete list of the Milwaukee's initial contribution to UP service is at the end of the chapter for the Midwest Hiawatha (page 12) in Morning Sun Milwaukee Road book Volume 4. I derived the list of cars from consist sheets, photos and the 1956 Milwaukee passenger car roster, which denoted cars equipped with 8-foot Nystrom trucks. All four food service cars had the Waukesha self-contained A/C system, which I am sure the UP preferred. (The UP also apparently required the longer wheelbase trucks.) (Bill Strauss, July 22, 2007)
"...All Milwaukee Road equipment assigned to the UP "Cities" service MIDWEST HIAWATHA service was equipped with the 8' Nystrom-design trucks [ vis a vis the more older, original, and more common, but otherwise identical 7' versions- somewhat of a mystery ]. Milwaukee equipment originally assigned to UP service included M&E 1208, Leg Rest coaches 515-34 and 552-554, diner-lounges 170-171, and diners 124 and 126. These cars were among the first to be repainted in UP colors and were assigned to the CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO. Additional cars assigned included Tap cars 163, 166, and 173; express cars 1311, 1317, 1321, 1326, 1336, and RPO 2175." (quoted from Morning Sun Milwaukee Road, Volume 4, page 12)
The following is from Kratville's "The Union Pacific Streamliners" page 153:
In January 1958 two full length Milw Super domes of the 50 series became idle because of the discontinuing of two trains by that road. All decked out in Streamliner colors, they caused a sensation among those patrons and employees who had never seen such big cars. The Burlington had nothing on their Denver Zephyrs to compare with them!
This regular assignment of these big cars lasted only about a year, however, because on January 11, 1959 the City of Denver and the City of Portland Streamliners were consolidated and operated via Denver as No. 105-106.
According to Milw records, their Super Domes also ran on No. 103-104 for the Holiday Season from December 11, 1963 to January 5, 1964 and on No. 111-112 from May 13-18, 1964 during the shopping of the Union Pacific dome cars.
An accompanying photo is dated August 1969, in Chicago.
Also in Kratville, page 582 is what appears to be a UP publicity photo, without a date or location. The caption says:
No. 112 with a Milw Super Dome and Milw trailing unit. Super Domes were assigned for short period in 1958 to COD and again in the winter of 1963-64.
On page 118 of Joe Welsh's "Union Pacific Streamliners" there is a Kindig photo at Dale, Wyoming dated July 22, 1961 that shows a Milw Super Dome on the second section of Train 104, the eastbound all-coach Challenger.
(Click here to go to a web page about the Milwaukee Road's Super Domes.)
Diner — 6 cars
MILW, 1948
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Date Retired |
Disposition |
| MILW 121 | 1971 | |
| MILW 122 | 1971 | |
| MILW 123 | 1971 | |
| MILW 124 | 1971 | |
| MILW 125 | 1971 | |
| MILW 126 | 1971 |
Description:
| Length, Over Buffers: |
| Length, Over Coupler Pulling Faces: |
| Length, Over End Sills: |
| Length, Inside: |
| Truck Centers: |
| Truck Style: 4-wheel (Pullman 41-BMD-11) |
General Notes:
Diner-Lounge — 2 cars
MILW, 1947
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Date Retired |
Disposition |
| MILW 163 | 1971 | to baggage-dormitory 1355, 1959 |
| MILW 166 | 1971 | to baggage-dormitory 1356, 1959 |
Description:
| Length, Over Buffers: |
| Length, Over Coupler Pulling Faces: |
| Length, Over End Sills: |
| Length, Inside: |
| Truck Centers: |
| Truck Style: 4-wheel (Pullman 41-BMD-11) |
General Notes:
Coffee Shop Lounge — 2 cars
MILW, 1948
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Disposition |
| MILW 170 | retired, 1971 |
| MILW 171 | retired, 1970 |
Description:
| Length, Over Buffers: |
| Length, Over Coupler Pulling Faces: |
| Length, Over End Sills: |
| Length, Inside: |
| Truck Centers: |
| Truck Style: 4-wheel (Pullman 41-BMD-11) |
General Notes:
Diner-Lounge — 1 car
MILW, 1948
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Notes |
| MILW 173 | 1 |
Description:
| Length, Over Buffers: |
| Length, Over Coupler Pulling Faces: |
| Length, Over End Sills: |
| Length, Inside: |
| Truck Centers: |
| Truck Style: 4-wheel (Pullman 41-BMD-11) |
General Notes:
| a. | Built by Milwaukee Road in May 1948. |
| b. | Equipped with 44 seats (18 seats in diner and 26 seats in bar-lounge). |
| c. | Equipped with Waukesha self-contained air conditioning. |
| d. | Painted UP yellow and gray upon startup of UP/MILW joint operation on November 1, 1955 (Milwaukee's "UP day"). |
| e. | Source: Jeff Cauthen |
Notes:
| 1. | MILW diner-lounge 173 went to the Oregon Pacific & Eastern Railroad after being retired in 1971 and was purchased from OP&E in 1975 by Los Angeles County (along with sister car MILW 172, five IC coaches and dome-sleeper-observation "Silver Planet" from WP’s contribution to the California Zephyr). The cars were rebuilt in 1976 and assigned to a single Los Angeles-San Diego round trip as the El Camino starting on February 14, 1978 and ran in the service for about six months. They were then stored but held on the roster in 1980. Under LA County ownership, number 173 carried the name Montebello. The entire set was sold to the Copper Canyon Express Company in Mexico, which operated them in early 1987 between Chihuahua and Los Mochis. Later in 1987, the set was sold to the Chihuahua-Pacific Railway. The former Milw 173 was renumbered and renamed 107-Canon De Urique, although it’s unclear under whose ownership in Mexico this occurred. (update from Randall Davidson, based on information in Wayner's “The Cars That Went to Mexico”) |
New York Central Cars
Sleeper — 3 cars
Pullman-Standard, 1948
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Date Built | Date To UP Colors |
Date Retired |
Notes |
| Clinton River (NYC) | Dec 1948 | 19 Jan 1954 | 1 Jul 1958 | 1 |
| Chicopee River (10200) (NYC) | Dec 1948 | 7 Jun 1954 | 1 Jul 1958 | 2 |
| Connecticut River (NYC) | Dec 1948 | 30 Apr 1954 | 1 Jul 1958 | 3 |
Description:
| Length, Over Buffers: |
| Length, Over Coupler Pulling Faces: |
| Length, Over End Sills: |
| Length, Inside: |
| Truck Centers: |
| Truck Style: 4-wheel (Pullman 41-C-11) |
General Notes:
| a. | 10 Roomette 6 Bedroom |
| b. | Pullman Lot 6790; Pullman Plan 4123 |
| c. | Repainted from NYC two-tone gray to UP yellow and gray on the dates shown above. (Note: Correction from Jeff Cauthen states that these three cars were not painted UP yellow and gray.) |
| d. | Source: Pullman Project CCR card spreadsheet compiled by Tom Madden |
Notes:
| 1. | NYC "Clinton River" had number 10200 added in 1952 and was equipped with electric braking for assignment to the 20th Century Limited; retired in 1965; sold in September 1966 to NdeM as 529-Corea. (update from Randall Davidson, based on information in Wayner's “The Cars That Went to Mexico”) |
| 2. | NYC "Chicopee River" was sold to CN 2086 "Pembina River" |
| 3. | NYC "Connecticut River" was sold in August 1965 (to Mexico?) |
Pennsylvania Cars
Sleeper — 1 car
AC&F, 1950
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Date Built |
Date To UP Colors |
Date Retired |
Notes and Disposition |
| Buffalo Rapids (8443) (PRR) | Oct 1950 | 6 May 1955 | 1 Jul 1968 | to D. J. Joseph Co., July 1971 |
Description:
| Length, Over Buffers: |
| Length, Over Coupler Pulling Faces: |
| Length, Over End Sills: |
| Length, Inside: |
| Truck Centers: |
| Truck Style: |
General Notes:
Observation — 1 car
(builder?), ca. 1938
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Date Built |
Date To UP Colors |
Notes and Disposition |
| Samuel Vaughn Merrick | 25 Nov 1953 | Leased (by Pullman?) to UP in April 1952 for service on City of Los Angeles; "Pennsylvania" lettering changed to "Pullman" on 25 November 1952; painted UP yellow and gray on 25 November 1953; lease ended in March 1955; repainted to GN on 6 June 1955 (for service on Empire Builder?); repainted to CRI&P for service on Quad Cities Rocket (dates?) |
Description:
| Length, Over Buffers: |
| Length, Over Coupler Pulling Faces: |
| Length, Over End Sills: |
| Length, Inside: |
| Truck Centers: |
| Truck Style: |
General Notes:
Sleeper — 2 cars
Pullman-Standard, 1949
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Date Built |
Date To UP Colors |
Date Retired |
Notes and Disposition |
| Stoney Rapids (8324) (PRR) | Dec 1948 | 9 Jun 1955 | 1 Jul 1968 | to Luntz Corp, May 1970 |
| Tippecanoe Rapids (8327) (PRR) | Dec 1948 | 29 Apr 1955 | 1 Jul 1968 | to PC 4337 |
Description:
| Length, Over Buffers: |
| Length, Over Coupler Pulling Faces: |
| Length, Over End Sills: |
| Length, Inside: |
| Truck Centers: |
| Truck Style: |
General Notes:
Sleeper — 2 cars
Budd, 1949
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Date Built |
Date To UP Colors |
Notes and Disposition |
| Bedford Inn (PRR) | Feb 1949 | 28 Sep 1956 | Repainted to PRR colors on 26 April 1957 |
| Coatsville Inn (PRR) | Mar 1949 | 28 Sep 1956 | Reapinted to PRR colors on 19 April 1957 |
Description:
| Length, Over Buffers: |
| Length, Over Coupler Pulling Faces: |
| Length, Over End Sills: |
| Length, Inside: |
| Truck Centers: |
| Truck Style: |
General Notes:
| a. | These two cars were also assigned a modified floor plan by Pullman during the period. There were sold as a economy accommodation between Chicago and Denver in competition with the Slumbercoaches on CB&Q's Denver Zephyr. (information from Brian Norden via email on August 19, 2009) |
Southern Pacific Cars
(See also "American" series sleepers)
Coach — 2 cars
Budd, 1954
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Notes and Disposition |
| SP 2362 | Sold to Amtrak |
| SP 2363 | Sold to Amtrak |
General Notes:
| a. | SP Class 83-C-4. |
| b. | Built in March 1954. |
| c. | Source: Jeff Cauthen. |
Coach — 2 cars
Pullman-Standard, 1949
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Notes and Disposition |
| SP 2379 | held for service |
| SP 2380 | held for service |
General Notes:
| a. | SP Class 83-C-2. |
| b. | Equipped with 44 seats. |
| c. | Source: Jeff Cauthen. |
Lounge — 1 car
Pullman-Standard, 1949
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Date Built |
Notes and Disposition |
| SP 2986 | Dec 1949 | To SP 206 in 1971; to SP 216 in 1975; to SP 289 |
General Notes:
Baggage Dormitory — 1 car
Pullman-Standard, 1949
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Notes and Disposition |
| SP 3101 | |
RPO Postal Storage — 2 cars
Pullman-Standard, 1949
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Notes and Disposition |
| SP 5003 | |
| SP 5004 | |
Sleeper — 5 cars
Pullman-Standard, 1950
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Notes |
| SP 9040 | |
| SP 9041 | |
| SP 9042 | |
| SP 9043 | 1 |
| SP 9044 |
General Notes:
| a. | 10 Roomette 6 Bedroom |
| b. | Rear end operation |
Notes:
Sleeper — 1 car
Pullman-Standard, 1950
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Notes and Disposition |
| SP 9045 |
General Notes:
| a. | 10 Roomette 6 Bedroom |
Diner — 5 cars
Pullman-Standard, 1949
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Date Built |
Notes and Disposition |
| SP 10202 | Oct 1949 | Retired by SP; leased to Amtrak in 1971; renumbered to Amtrak 8504 in 1974; retired by Amtrak in 1976 and sold. |
| SP 10203 | Oct 1949 | Retired by SP in 1968, to SPMW |
| SP 10204 | Oct 1949 | Retired by SP, leased to Amtrak in 1971; renumbered to Amtrak 8500 in 1974; retired by Amtrak in 1977 and sold. |
| SP 10205 | Oct 1949 | Retired by SP in 1968; to SPMW service. |
| SP 10206 | Dec 1949 | (see note below) |
| SP 10209 | Oct 1949 | Retired by SP; leased to Amtrak in 1971; retired by Amtrak. |
General Notes:
| a. | SP 10202-10205 were built for San Francisco Overland service; painted two-tone gray, then painted UP yellow and gray; SP 10202 only, painted to simulate stainless steel. |
| b. | SP 10209 was built for City of San Francisco service; painted UP yellow and gray. |
| c. | SP Class 83-D-1 |
| d. | Pullman-Standard Lot 6806; Plan 7579-A |
| e. | David Seidel shows SP 10205 as being rebuilt to Coffee Shop Lounge. |
| f. | David Seidel shows SP 10206 as being part of the SP-UP yellow and gray Overland pool; Jeff Cauthen shows that SP 10206 (SP Class 83-D-2, Pullman-Standard Lot 6806, Plan 7561, built Dec 1949) was built for SP's Golden State service. |
Wabash Cars
(See also "Western" series sleepers)
(See also "National" series sleepers)
Dome Coach — 1 car
Pullman-Standard, 1958
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Notes and Disposition |
| WAB 203 | to Norfolk & Western 1613, to Southern 1613, to Quebec North Shore & Labrador |
Wabash 203 was built in November 1958 at the same time as UP 7011-7015, which were themselves the last dome cars built for Union Pacific. Wabash 203, and UP 7011-7015, were initially assigned to City of St. Louis service, with Wabash 203 being in full UP yellow and gray colors, but with its Wabash name spelled out in UP's distinctive red lettering.
Wabash was leased to N&W in 1964, and the car became N&W 1613 in March 1966. The car remained in UP colors, with Norfolk & Western spelled out, until it was repainted to N&W's Blue and Aluminum colors upon the cancellation of the City of St. Louis pool in (?). Sold to Central of Georgia 1613 in 1970, to Southern 1613 in 1971 after Amtrak brought an end to Central of Georgia's passenger service. Car sold during 1979 to Quebec North Shore & Labrador; repainted boxcar brown as QNS&L 13510; repainted in 1993 into a new silver and red scheme.
Coach — 4 cars
ACF, 1950
Lightweight
Coach — 1 car
Pullman-Standard, 1950
Lightweight
| Car Number |
Notes and Disposition |
| WAB 1431 | ex Union Pacific 5400 to NW 1939 to NW 900 (staff car) |
***
