Union Pacific Steel Passenger Cars
Index For This Page
This page was last updated on February 7, 2016.
(Return To UP Passenger Cars Index Page)
Source Material
Official Railway Equipment Register (ORER)
Data for September 1920 to October 1941 extracted in spreadsheet form by Larry Hochhalter.
Copies of numerous individual issues of the ORER from as early as 1902 and as late as 1937 have been graciously furnished to me by others.
(View a list of the ORER issues, and who shared them)
Digital copies of ORER on CD of UP (including OSL, OWRR&N, and LA&SL) pages for October 1919, December 1930, and July 1935 purchased from Westerfield.
Official Register of Passenger Train Equipment (ORPTE)
Data for March 1943 to March 1971 extracted in spreadsheet form by Larry Hochhalter.
Copies of individual issues for almost every issue from March 1943 to March 1971 were furnished by Dick Harley, with September 1948 coming from Chris Lane.
Union Pacific Form 70
Union Pacific Railroad Company, Including Its Leased Lines, List of Agencies, Stations, Equipment, Etc., Form 70, No. 61, January 1, 1931, copies from Bob Probst
Union Pacific Railroad Company, Including Its Leased Lines, List of Agencies, Stations, Equipment, Etc., Form 70, No. 62, January 1, 1942, copies from Bob Probst
Union Pacific Railroad Company, Including Its Leased Lines, List of Agencies, Stations, Equipment, Etc., Form 70, No. 63, January 1, 1943
Union Pacific Railroad Company, Including Its Leased Lines, List of Agencies, Stations, Equipment, Etc., Form 70, No. 64, January 1, 1946, reprinted by Intermountain Chapter, NRHS, April 1991
Union Pacific Railroad Company, Including Its Leased Lines, List of Agencies, Stations, Equipment, Etc., Form 70, No. 65, January 1, 1951.
(Read more about the Union Pacific Form 70 accounting books)
UPRR Web Pages
Union Pacific Railroad Company, Historical Equipment Still in Use (as of August 2015)
Folio Diagram Books
Union Pacific Railroad Company, Passenger Car Diagrams, digital copy of 73-page pre-1939 diagram book furnished by Larry Hochhalter.
Union Pacific Equipment Record
Three rolls of microfilm with 5,200 images of the railroad's equipment record book; furnished by Union Pacific Historical Museum in 1995.
(Read more about the Union Pacific Equipment Record)
Other Works Consulted
Books
Barger, Ralph L. A Century of Pullman Cars, Volume 1, Alphabetical List. Greenburg Publishing Co., 1988.
Barger, Ralph L. A Century of Pullman Cars, Volume 2, The Palace Cars. Greenburg Publishing Co., 1990.
Barger, Ralph L. Union Pacific Business Cars, 1870-1991. Greenburg Publishing Co., 1992.
Davies, G. B. Union Pacific Railroad Passenger Cars, Volume 1, 1950-1964. G. B. Davies & Associates, 1976.
Davies, G. B. Union Pacific Railroad Passenger Cars, Volume 2, 1940-1949. G. B. Davies & Associates, 1977.
Dubin, Arthur D. Some Classic Trains. Kalmbach Publishing Co., 1964.
Dubin, Arthur D. More Classic Trains. Interurban Press, 1974.
Frailey, Fred. Zephyrs, Chiefs and Orphans, The First Five Years of Amtrak. RPC Publications, 1977.
Kratville, William W. Passenger Car Catalog, Pullman Operated Equipment, 1912-1949. Kratville Publications, 1968.
Lee, Thomas R. Union Pacific's M-10000 and the Early Streamliner Era, 1934-1941. Union Pacific Historical Society, 2012, ISBN 978-1-932704-31-0
Randall, W. David. The Passenger Car Library, Volume 7, Southwestern Railroads. RPC Publications, 2003.
Randall, W. David and William G. Anderson. The Official Pullman-Standard Library, Volume 13, Union Pacific 1933-1937. RPC Publications, 1993.
Randall, W. David and William G. Anderson. The Official Pullman-Standard Library, Volume 14, Union Pacific 1937-1958. RPC Publications, 1993.
Randall, W. David. Railway Passenger Car Annual, Volume 1, 1973-1974. RPC Publications, 1974.
Randall, W. David. Railway Passenger Car Annual, Volume 2, 1975. RPC Publications, 1975.
Randall, W. David. Railway Passenger Car Annual, Volume 3, 1976. RPC Publications, 1976.
Randall, W. David. Railway Passenger Car Annual, Volume 4, 1978-1979. RPC Publications, 1978.
Randall, W. David. Railway Passenger Car Annual, Volume 5, 1980-1981. RPC Publications, 1980.
Randall, W. David. Railway Passenger Car Annual, Volume 6, 1984. RPC Publications, 1984.
Randall, W. David. Streamliner Cars, Volume 1, Pullman-Standard. RPC Publications, 1981.
Randall, W. David. Streamliner Cars, Volume 2, The Budd Company. RPC Publications, 1981.
Randall, W. David. Streamliner Cars, Volume 3, ACF and Other Builders. RPC Publications, 1982.
Randall, W. David, and Alan R. Lind. From Zephyr to Amtrak. Prototype Publications, 1972.
Ranks, Harold E., and William W. Kratville. The Union Pacific Streamliners. Kratville Publications, 1974.
Seidel, David. Union Pacific Passenger Equipment, Wooden to Present Day (Harbor Mist Publications, Omaha, Nebraska.) First printing, 1985; fourth printing May 2004 (revised), with updates for September 12, 2004. (Read more about David Seidel's Book)
Warner, David C., and Elbert Simon, Amtrak By the Numbers, White River Productions, 2011.
Wayner, Robert J. Amtrak Car Spotter, Revised Second Edition. Wayner Publications, 1973.
Wayner, Robert J. Car Names, Numbers and Consists. Wayner Publications, 1972.
Wayner, Robert J. Complete Roster of Heavyweight Pullman Cars. Wayner Publications, 1985.
Southern Pacific Series
This series of books cover the passenger cars of the Southern Pacific. Because of the common designs, they are a tremendous resource for UP passenger cars of the Harriman era, 1898-1913, and of the early Streamliner era, 1934-1948. They also contain much information about later Union Pacific cars because of the on-going joint operations of UP and SP, until the start of Amtrak in 1971.
Southern Pacific Passenger Cars, Volume 1: Coaches and Chair Cars. 456 pages. Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society, 2003.
Southern Pacific Passenger Cars, Volume 2: Sleepers & Baggage-Dorms. 588 pages. Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society, 2005.
Southern Pacific Passenger Cars, Volume 3: Head End Equipment. 464 pages. Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society, 2007.
Southern Pacific Passenger Cars, Volume 4: Dining Service Cars. 576 pages. Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society, 2010.
Southern Pacific Passenger Cars, Volume 5: Lounge, Dome & Parlor Cars. By Jeffery Alan Cauthen and Donald M. Munger. 588 pages. Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society, 2012.
Magazine Articles
"Heavyweight Dining Cars" by Terry Metcalfe, The Streamliner, Volume 1, Number 3, July 1985, pages 26-35
"Union Pacific's Pacific Series Sleepers" by Robert Darwin The Streamliner, Volume 4, Number 4, pages 4-17
Passenger Car Equipment, The Streamliner, Volume 1, Number 4, pages 18-19; an April 1927 (updated through May 1929) listing of Union Pacific passenger cars (does not include OSL, OWRR&N or LA&SL cars).
"Western Series Passenger Cars" by Thornton Waite, The Streamliner, Volume 7, Number 2 (published February 1992), pages 17-31
Letter To The Editor, "Western Series Update", The Streamliner, Volume 7, Number 4, pages 35-36
"The Challenger" by John Carroll, The Streamliner, Volume 9, Number 4, Fall 1994, pages 4-31
"The Challenger, Part II: The Equipment" by John Carroll, The Streamliner, Volume 10, Number 1, Winter 1994-1995, pages 26-44
"From Passenger Car to Dining Car..." by Thornton Waite, The Streamliner, Volume 10, Number 4, pages 10-15
"The Railway Post Office on the Union Pacific Railroad" by Kenton H. Forrest, The Streamliner, Volume 12, Number 2, pages 23-38.
"Omaha's Union Stations" by Lou Schmitz, The Streamliner, Volume 13, Number 4, Fall 1999, pages 8-23, 38.
"The City of St. Louis" by John R. Signor and Art Riordon, The Streamliner, Volume 13, Number 4, Fall 1999, pages 24-37.
"Pintsch Gas Lighting of Union Pacific Passenger Cars", by Clive Carter, The Streamliner, Volume 14, Number 1, Winter 2000, pages 11-13.
"Union Pacific's Horse Baggage Automobile Cars" by The Streamliner Staff, The Streamliner, Volume 14, No. 1, Winter 2000, pages 28-35.
"Union Station Memories, A view From Trackside During World War II" by Lou Schmitz, The Streamliner, Volume 14, No. 3, Summer 2000, pages 26-32.
"Modeling HO Scale Streamliners On A Budget" by Steve Orth, The Streamliner, Volume 15, Number 1, Winter 2001, pages 17-27.
"Union Pacific Hub And Spoke Train Operations in Eastern Washington" by Thornton Waite and the Streamliner Staff, The Streamliner, Volume 15, Number 1, Winter 2001, pages 28-35.
"Union Pacific Rolling Stock Data Sheet, Chair Sleeper Cars 2781, 2783" The Streamliner, Volume 15, Number 1, Winter 2001, page 36.
"Names of Heavyweight Pullman cars Assigned or Operating in Union Pacific Trains in the 1930s" Data by John Carroll, The Streamliner, Volume 15, Number 2, Summer 2001, pages 26-30.
"The Portland Rose" by Larry Hochhalter, The Streamliner, Volume 15, Number 3, Summer 2001, pages 5-32.
"Kitbashing Union Pacific 40-Foot Express cars in HO Scale" by Gary E. Binder and Steve Orth, The Streamliner, Volume 15, Number 3, Summer 2001, pages 33-37. Additional information presented in RPO letter to the editor, The Streamliner, Volume 15, Number 4, Fall 2001, pages 6-7.
Photo: Last car from Omaha Coach Shop (UP Business Car "Lone Star", remodeled from Business Car "Pocatello"), The Streamliner, Volume 16, Number 1, Winter 2002, page 7
Product Review: Walthers Pacific Series Sleeper, The Streamliner, Volume 16, Number 1, Winter 2002, page 39
"General Motors Aerotrain" by Bill Kratville and The Streamliner staff, The Streamliner, Volume 17, Number 1, Winter 2003, pages 9-13
"The Train of Tomorrow" by Bill Kratville and The Streamliner staff, The Streamliner, Volume 17, Number 2, Spring 2003, pages 30-38
"Combination Baggage-Passenger Cars" by Clive S. Carter, The Streamliner, Volume 17, Number 4, Fall 2003, pages 12-23. Includes information about both wooden cars and steel cars.
"A Brief History of Fox Park", by David Seidel, The Streamliner, Volume 18, Number 1, Winter 2004, pages 32-38
"Union Pacific Boiler Cars B-1 and B-2", The Streamliner, Volume 18, Number 3, Summer 2004, pages 33-36
"The Forty Niner" by David Seidel", The Streamliner, Volume 18, Number 4, Fall 2004, pages 7-20
"Union Pacific Mainline Passenger Services, 1921-1971" by David Seidel, The Streamliner, Volume 22, Number 3, pages 20-21 (centerspread)
"Pacific Limited - The Long Distance Local", by Michael Borkon and Arthur B. Riordon, The Streamliner, Volume 23, Number 1, Winter 2009, pages 14-24, 38
Acknowledgements
This work started in September 2004, and the basic listings were completed by early December. (I had just completed this basic listing when in late December 2004, the Union Pacific Historical Society approved the second edition of my Ogden Rails book. That project took up all my time through May 2005. Then with the book at the printer, I returned to the work of compiling a complete roster of Union Pacific passenger cars.)
The major portion of this roster is based on the work of Dick Harley and David Seidel. Dick Harley has compiled several spreadsheets based on his research into UP's passenger car folio sheet diagram books, and readily shared those files with me.
David Seidel has for the past 20 years been deeply involved in Union Pacific passenger car research, publishing his research first in The Mixed Train, a publication of The Camerail Club of Omaha, Nebraska. He later published his research as a self-published softbound book which itself has been through several reprints and revisions. The most recent edition is dated April 2004, and it was this edition from which almost all dispositions in these listings have been taken. With his permission, I was able to scan the entire book, and manipulate the data as Excel spreadsheets. The roster pages were reformatted from those spreadsheets. Additional information has been based on his February 2006 update.
(Read more about David Seidel's book)
Additional research was furnished by Larry Hochhalter, who extracted the contents of almost all available copies of both the Official Railway Equipment Register (ORER) and the Official Register of Passenger Train Equipment (ORPTE), and compiled the data as an Excel spreadsheet.
Ed Workman furnished copies of early Official Railway Equipment Registers, and Bob Probst furnished copies of Union Pacific's Form 70s.
Ralph Barger completed a summary of Harriman Common Standard Heavyweight Passenger Cars, which he distributed as a handout during his clinic given at the 12th Annual Prototype Modelers Seminar, October 27-30, 2005 at Naperville, Illinios. This copyrighted summary covers all of the known arch roof Harriman-style cars (over 3,000 cars) built by all builders for all railroads. Only the UP portion was extracted for the purposes of this roster here at UtahRails, with the major use being his compilation of the Pullman lot and plan numbers.
In April 2005, Jeff Cauthen began proofing the various listings as he compiled applicable data for the Southern Pacific Technical and Historical Society's series of SP passenger car books. Jeff has been kind enough to offer several suggestions and corrections. His close attention to detail has proven to be truly invaluable.
Starting in 2010, numerous published works by W. David Randall, Robert J. Wayner and William W. Kratville became available. These various works have all been digitally scanned, which has greatly helped in compiling accurate information from previous works. Keyword searches in digital files has found numerous additional bits of infomation and details.
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