Union Pacific Bridges and Buildings

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This page was last updated on April 18, 2017.

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Buildings Paint Schemes

1880s-1910s

Buildings during the period between the 1880s and the 1910s were painted rustic red with medium green dark green trim. The green trim color was called Rockwood Dark Olive. Some railroad records show depots painted in this color scheme as "rustic depots."

1910s-1946

In 1909 or 1910, Union Pacific adopted a new color scheme for buildings that included brownish-yellow (C.S. 201, Colonial Yellow), brown trim (C.S. 202, Light brown), and black window sashes. Bridges were to be painted using the same light brown color. This color change might be related to Robert Lovett becoming Union Pacific president in October 1909, after E. H. Harriman's death in August 1909.

1946-1956

Soon after the end of World War II, Union Pacific adopted a two-tone gray scheme, with white trim. This was at about the same time (April 1946) that two-tone gray was adopted for non-Streamliner passenger cars and locomotives. George Ashby became UP president in February 1946, and the change in colors might have been related to the change to a new president.

1956-late 1960s

In 1956, Union Pacific adopted a color scheme for its buildings that was green on the lower exterior walls and window trim, and white on the upper parts of the exterior walls.

After late 1960s

UP began painting the few remaining wooden depots all-white, with black window trim, beginning in the late 1960s. This was at about the same time John Kenefick became vice president-operations in April 1968. It was as early as December 1968 that UP began using what is popularly known as "Kenefick Green" on its Roadway (maintenance of way) equipment.

Station Sign Lettering

Q -- What font Union Pacific used for its station signs?

A -- There was not a "font" for the station signs. Each letter was drawn geometrically to fill a box 10 inches square, with a stroke of 2 inches and a distance between letters of 2 inches. The length of each station sign varied according to the length of the station name.

The "Elevation" and numerals were changed in 1942, from vermilion to plain black.

(View the applicable Union Pacific Common Standard specification sheet.)

Bridges

With many exceptions, Union Pacific's standard colors for bridges appear to be:

It also appears that the paint applied to signal equipment followed this same general pattern.

Beginning in the 1970s, for its bridges, Union Pacific used a similar color called "Green Finish Coat Bridge Paint" with the color control card dated September 1970. Comparing the Roadway green freight car paint with the bridge paint is difficult because they have different sheens, similar to flat vs. glossy.

Sources

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