Union Pacific's Two-Tone Gray 4-6-2 Pacifics
This page was last updated on March 30, 2008.
Union Pacific operated a fleet of 209 P-class 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotives. By the time that two-tone gray began being applied to the passenger locomotive fleet, there were 125 locomotives remaining in the class, which included both Light Pacifics and Heavy Pacifics. The extreme operations during World War II had forced UP to continue using many of its obsolete and out-of-date locomotives, with the last Pacific retirements prior to 1946 taking place in May 1940. By the time retirements resumed in July 1946, there were enough modern passenger locomotives in the 4-8-4 Northern FEF class, along with new diesel locomotives, that only fourteen (maybe one or two more) Pacifics received two-tone gray. All Pacifics that received two-tone gray were what UP called Heavy Pacifics.
The 4-6-2 Pacific fleet can be broken down as follows:
- Light Pacifics (118 locomotives)
- UP 2800-2859, 60 locomotives
- OSL 3100-3113, 14 locomotives
- LA&SL 3150-3175, 26 locomotives
- OWR&N 3200-3217, 18 locomotives
- Heavy Pacifics (91 locomotives)
- UP 2860-2909, 50 locomotives
- UP 2910, 2911, 2 locomotives, ex OSL 3124 and 3130
- OSL 3114-3138, 25 locomotives
- LA&SL 3176-3181, 6 locomotives
- OWR&N 3218-3227, 10 locomotives
Research by Bob Darwin and Jim Ehernberger found that at least fourteen UP Pacifics were painted two-tone gray: UP 2906, 3114, 3119, 3121, 3131, 3134, 3135, 3136, 3137, 3138, 3179, 3219, 3221 and 3222.
| Road Number | Date Retired | Photo Date |
Reference (see below) |
Location/Train |
| UP 2906 | Jul 1951 | 27 Nov 1947 | (4) p. 117 | Omaha |
| OSL 3114 | Jul 1950 | 23 May 1947 | (3) p. 43 | Idaho Falls, Idaho/Train 34 |
| OSL 3114 | Jul 1950 | 26 Sep 1948 | (7) p. 67 | Pocatello, Idaho (dead line) |
| OSL 3119 | Jul 1950 | Aug 1947 | (7) p. 68 | Ogden, Utah/Train 31, Butte Express |
| OSL 3121 | Jul 1950 | |||
| OSL 3131 | Jan 1955 | |||
| OSL 3134 | Sep 1954 | |||
| OSL 3135 | Jan 1955 | (1) p. 205 | Trute, Idaho/Park Special, Train 35 | |
| OSL 3136 | Jan 1955 | |||
| OSL 3137 | Mar 1955 | 1951 | (3) p. 47 | Victor, Idaho/Train 47 (Teton Valley Branch) |
| OSL 3138 | Jan 1955 | |||
| LA&SL 3179 | Nov 1947 | |||
| OWR&N 3219 | Mar 1955 | 2 Sep 1950 | (3) p. 104 | Wallace, Idaho/Train 67 (local) |
| OWR&N 3219 | 31 May 1951 | (6) p. 32 | Tekoa, Wash./Train 68 | |
| OWR&N 3219 | 1 Jun 1951 | (5) p. 267 | Palouse, Wash./Train 68 | |
| OWR&N 3221 | Dec 1954 | 1947 | (4) p. 116 | Albina, Ore. |
| OWR&N 3222 | Dec 1954 | Spring 1949 | (5) p. 255 | Juniper, Ore./Train 151 |
| OWR&N 3222 | 7 May 1950 | (2) p. 181 | Kansas City |
Photo sources:
| 1. | Kratville, Wm. Golden Rails (Kratville Publications, 1965) |
| 2. | Ehernberger, James L. and Francis G. Gschwind. Union Pacific Steam, Eastern District (E&G Publications, 1975) |
| 3. | Ehernberger, James L. and Francis G. Gschwind. Union Pacific Steam, Northwestern District (E&G Publications, 1977) |
| 4. | Kratville, William. Motive Power of the Union Pacific (Barnhart Press, 1977) |
| 5. | Asay, Jeff. Union Pacific Northwest (Pacific Fast Mail, 1991) |
| 6. | Schumacher, David. The "Overland" Union Pacific Overland, Service Cars and Their Paint Schemes". Prototype Modeler, Volume 4, Number 1, August 1980, page 24. |
| 7. | Watson, James. Union Pacific Small Steam Power (Motive Power Services, 1985) |
Sources without Two-Tone Gray Pacific photos:
- Drury, George. Union Pacific Across Sherman Hill (Kalmbach, 2000)
- Ehernberger, James L. and Francis G. Gschwind. Sherman Hill (E&G Publications, 1973)
- Grenard, Ross B. "Greyhounds of the Overland Trail" Railfan & Railroad, January 1988, Volume 7, Number 1, pages 48-53
- Grenard, Ross, and John Krause. The Overland Route (Carstens Publications, no date)
- Olmstead, Robert. The Big Guys (Robert P. Olmstead, 1998)
- Pfeifer, Jack. West From Omaha (Pacific Fast Mail, 1990)
- Schmitz, Lou. UP Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment, Volume 2 (Morning Sun, 1996)
- Schmitz, Lou. Union Pacific Trackside with Lou Schmitz (Morning Sun, 1998)
- Stagner, Lloyd, and Robert Yanosey. UP Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment (Morning Sun, 1993)
