Union Pacific Heritage Fleet

Index For This Page

This page was last updated on September 16, 2023.

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Overview

A roster listing of Union Pacific's steel passenger cars after 1971, including the excursion fleet used with the steam locomotives and other special operations, and other cars operated after the startup of Amtrak in May 1971.

Other than officer cars, Union Pacific did not use a tool car, or other cars dedicated to the steam program until 1981, when they started making longer trips and needed to carry more supplies. This includes cars used for the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days train. That first car in 1981 was a 6300-series baggage car with virtually no external changes from its regular-service days. The same car (UPP 6334, "Art Lockman") is still in use today.

The following index and roster listing of Union Pacific's steel business and executive cars, includes cars owned by subsidiary roads OSL, OWRR&N and LA&SL, and former C&NW, MKT, MP, and SP cars.

Unless noted, all cars are lightweight construction.

Current Heritage Fleet

The UPP reporting mark was first used in April 1986, when Business Car 100 was renumbered to Business car UPP 119, and Arden had its first number applied, as UPP 100. Other early uses were in July 1987 on much of the steam program equipment. The UPP reporting mark was officially registered with AAR in January 1994.

Car Name To Car Number Cross Reference -- Cross reference of Business car and Heritage fleet car names to car numbers.

UPP Number Roster -- A listing of the current Heritage Fleet

The following index should be used by locating the car name/number within the range of names/numbers in the two left-hand columns, then clicking on the file name in the far right-hand column.

Starting Group	Ending Group	File
Business "Arden"	Business UPP 115	heritage-fleet-1
Business 116	Sleeper 1610	heritage-fleet-2
Exhibit 1869	Tool Car 904304 "Art Lockman"	heritage-fleet-3
Former C&NW, MKT, MP, and SP cars	Coach ATAX 4623 Canada Discovery Train Mexico Sale Miscellaneous Consists	heritage-fleet-misc
Water Cars		water-cars

1988-1989 Upgrade

Beginning in July 1988 and continuing in 90-day completion cycles for each car through the end of November 1989, 12 cars in the Heritage Fleet were put through an upgrade program in the Omaha car shop. Originally, each car was to be renumbered upon completion, but this was not the case. Upon completion, each car received the new UPP reporting mark, but retained its original number. The planned but unused UPP number is shown in italics. Included were: "Cabarton" UP 202, Mechanical Staff Car; UP 5468, Coach (UPP 304); UP 5473, Coach (UPP 305); UP 5480, Coach (UPP 306); UP 5483, Coach (UPP 307); UP 5486, Coach (UPP 308); UP 6203, Lounge (UPP 303); UP 4808, Diner (UPP 300); UP 4810, Diner (UPP 301); UP 9005, Diner (UPP 9005); UP 5714, Baggage (UPP 310); UP 5779, Baggage (UPP 311); UP 210, Mobile Lab car (UPP 204). Cars that did not already have electric heat, had the feature installed. (from an internal Union Pacific document)

Dome Cars in October 1990

Union Pacific purchased three dome cars lettered and numbered as KCS 21, 22 and 19. These are the former UP 7001, UP 7015, and UP 8008. All three had been sold to Auto Train in 1972, becoming AT 701, 709, and 807, respectively. They were sold in 1981 to the leasing and credit subsidiary of Kansas City Southern Industries, and were renumbered as KCS numbers. This equipment remained in Auto Train's white red-maroon scheme after purchase from Auto Train and remained parked in Kansas City, Missouri, near the Mid America Car shops. After purchase by Union Pacific, Mid America Car readied the cars for movement and interchange to Council Bluffs, Iowa, on October 21, 1990. They are currently [October 1990] at Omaha car shops being stripped and readied for sheet metal and corrosion control. Once body work is completed, cars will be refurbished and returned to UP service. Estimate is for UP 8008 being finished in 1991 and UP 7001 and 7015 being finished in 1992. (Car Notes, George R. Cockle, October 25, 1990)

Kitchen Stoves

David Seidel wrote in August 2023:

In the last number of years, the kitchen stoves in Union Pacific passenger equipment has been going through an upgrading being converted to all electrical stoves; the electrical cabinets have to be upgraded with bigger back generators and transformers.

A short history on the stove fuel used in Union Pacific passenger equipment: Up to around 1980 the pressed (sawdust) wood logs were still used; after the pressed wood logs were becoming unavailable, the stoves were switched to propane. When the head end power conversation began in 1991, the propane stoves were retained.

At the present time the remaining propane fueled stoves in diner "City of Portland" has not been replaced. The kitchen in this car is used mainly for refrigeration and food set up with no need for cooking as it is used (for additional table space) in conjunction with a regular diner.

Electrical conversation has been done in diners "City of Los Angeles", "City of Denver" and "Overland"; crew car "Willie James"; rear end inspection cars "Fox River" and "Idaho"; and the business car "Lincoln".

In the rest of the business cars cooking with the stoves are rare (as they are used in consists with a regular upgraded diner) with only the refrigeration used; however, the propane connections are still in use on the business cars "Cheyenne", "Feather River" and "St Louis".

Donation to RRHMA, 2022

On April 28, 2022 Union Pacific and Railroading Heritage of Midwest America made a joint announcement that several pieces of equipment would be donated to RRHMA, and moved to the RRHMA site in Silvis, Illinois, in late summer 2022.

Magazine Article

Union Pacific Business Cars, The Lightweight Era 1952-1990, By David A. Seidel. The Streamliner, Volume 25, Number 1, Winter 2011 (23 pages, with photos and equipment diagrams)

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