Union Pacific Locomotive Fleet Changes
May and June 1996
During May and June, Union Pacific received a 78-unit batch of new General Electric C44AC, 4,390 horsepower road locomotives. In May, 40 units, numbers 6758 through 6798, were delivered to the railroad between May 12 and May 31. Thirty-eight new GE C44ACs were received in June 1996. Road numbers 6799-6837 were delivered between June 3 and June 30.
EMD delivered eight SD90/43Ms (numbers 8025, 8026, 8030, 8032, 8034, 8036, 8038, and 8040) between June 18th and June 30th.
Other additions include formal purchase of three ex-MKT GP38s upon the expiration of their capital lease. UP 1979, 1980, and 1981 were purchased on May 1, for the grand sum of $1.00 each, along with other considerations.
The new lease vendor, Locomotive Lease Partnership (LLPX), furnished the three ex-EMD GP60 demonstrators, as LLPX 6001-6003, all accepted by UP on May 4, 1996.
The SD40-2 Life Extension program continues, with the completion of four more units. UP 3338, 3384, 3393, and 3409 were returned to service on May 3rd, 2nd, 30th, and 23rd, respectively, with the new model designation of SD40-2R. UP 3312 was completed on June 27, 1996.
Ex-C&NW SD50 7022 was rebuilt from 3,600 horsepower to 3,500 horsepower and redesignated as an SD50M on May 24th, and renumbered to UP 5082. UP SD50 5039 (ex-MP 5039) was completed in the same program on June 4.
C44-9W 9738 was re-instated to the roster on June 28, 1996, after being retired on October 23rd. UP 9738 was wrecked on 15 May 1995 at Flomaton, Alabama, while in service on CSXT. It had sustained $500,000 damage.
Ex-MKT GP38s 1975-1978 were returned to their owner June 20, 1996, after expiration of their lease to UP. These four units were formerly MKT 300-303.
During May 1996, 46 ex-C&NW units were retired. Eleven SD45s were retired on May 14, 1996, including 903, 950, 6481, 6482, 6500, 6523, 6537, 6539, 6544, 6567, and 6584. Also retired on May 14th were SDCAT 6000 and five SD18s, numbers 6631, 6633, 6643, 6644, and 6647. The first group of expected formal retirements of the large fleet of ex-C&NW GP7s and GP9s also started in May. On the same May 14th date, 24 GP7s and five GP9s were retired. The GP7s were numbers 4105, 4106, 4109, 4117, 4123, 4134, 4137, 4153, 4154, 4162, 4175, 4176, 4179, 4181, 4183, 4184, 4187, 4193, 4202, 4207, 4208, 4322, 4333, and 4344. The GP9s include 4527, 4550, 4556, 4557, and 4558. C&NW F7B 410 was retired on June 20th, and C&NW GP7 4149 was retired on June 24th.
Five UP SW10s that had been held out of service for some time at Salt Lake City were retired on May 14, 1996. Included were UP 1203, 1208, 1227, 1258, and 1264.
Many of the lease units that got UP over its motive power shortage this past winter left the railroad in May. The 12 LMS C40-8Ws in the 700-714 series were returned. Eleven units were returned to Helm, including four SD40-3s (HLCX 6051, 6052, 6054, and 6055), along with seven SD45-2s (HATX 930, 931, 932, 934, 935, 936, and 937). Forty-two Norfolk Southern B-B units were returned during May. Included were 13 GE B30-7As in the 3500 series, two B36-7s (3816 and 3817), ten U23Bs in the 3900 series and 17 B23-7s in the 3900 and 4000 series.
The remaining 20 Norfolk Southern leased B-B units were returned during June 1996, including five B30-7As in the 3500 series, three U23Bs in the 3900 series, 11 B23-7s in the 3900 and 4000 series, and a single B36-7, NS 3820.
In a revision of the original C&NW to UP renumbering plan, in June, the 50 ex-C&NW GP50s (C&NW 5050-5099), first assigned to the UP 900 series, were re-assigned to the UP 5500 series, after 15 units had already received 900 series numbers. C&NW 5050 was the first to be directly renumbered to the 5500 series, becoming UP 5510 on June 25, 1996. UP 933, ex-C&NW 5056, was the first UP 900 series unit to be renumbered to the 5500 series, renumbered to UP 5542 on June 26th.
Renumbers include (in order of new UP number):
| New Number |
Old Number |
Model | Date | Notes |
| UP 637 | C&NW 5506 | GP40 | 5/9/96 | |
| UP 648 | C&NW 5524 | GP40 | 5/7/96 | |
| UP 905 | C&NW 5058 | GP50 | 5/7/96 | |
| UP 916 | C&NW 5072 | GP50 | 5/23/96 | |
| UP 921 | C&NW 5079 | GP50 | 6/11/96 | |
| UP 2609 | UP 9009 | C36-7 | 5/31/96 | (ex-MP 9009) |
| UP 2630 | UP 9030 | C36-7 | 6/5/96 | (ex-MP 9030) |
| UP 2643 | UP 9043 | C36-7 | 5/6/96 | (ex-MP 9043) |
| UP 2655 | UP 9055 | C36-7 | 5/7/96 | |
| UP 2954 | C&NW 6805 | SD40-2 | 6/10/96 | |
| UP 3069 | C&NW 6904 | SD40-2 | 5/23/96 | |
| UP 3083 | C&NW 6920 | SD40-2 | 6/20/96 | |
| UP 5082 | C&NW 7022 | SD50 | 5/24/96 | |
| UP 5510 | C&NW 5050 | GP50 | 6/25/96 | |
| UP 5542 | UP 933 | GP50 | 6/26/96 | (ex-C&NW 5056) |
| UP 5952 | C&NW 8015 | SD60 | 6/5/96 | |
| UP 5961 | C&NW 8031 | SD60 | 6/27/96 | |
| UP 5991 | C&NW 8039 | SD60 | 5/14/96 | |
| UP 9040 | C&NW 8518 | C40-8A | 5/7/96 | |
| UP 9055 | C&NW 8533 | C40-8B | 5/29/96 | |
| UP 9064 | C&NW 8542 | C40-8B | 5/3/96 |
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