Union Pacific Locomotive Roster
Highlights for 2000
As of December 31, 2000, the UP motive power fleet consisted of 6,945 locomotives, including UP's Heritage Fleet (but not its yard slugs and road slugs). Included in the fleet were 68 remaining former SP units that were not assigned UP numbers (of 297 units at merger), and just one unit (the F9B) remaining from the former D&RGW units that were not assigned UP numbers (of 31 units at merger). All of the former C&NW units that were not assigned UP numbers (of 144 units at merger) had been retired by UP.
New Deliveries (484 units)
| 120 | C44AC | UP 6430-6549 |
| 26 | C60AC | UP 7511 (2nd), 7555-7579 |
| 1 | GP38-2 | UP 347 (leased from Helm) |
| 10 | SD38-2 | UPY 848-857 (rebuilt from former MP SD40-2s) |
| 285 | SD70M | UP 4000-4284 |
| 42 | SD90AC | UP 8500, 8514, 8522-8561 |
Changes to the renumber plan
The renumbering of UP's motive power began in December 1999, less than a month after the railroad's news release on the subject. Because Union Pacific has so many locomotives that need to be renumbered (the effort is the largest locomotive renumbering program in American railroad history), there have been several variations from the published renumbering plan. These variations prove that even the best laid plans are subject to change, and include numerous locomotives that have been renumbered out of sequence with the published plans. These out-of-sequence renumberings are the result of the intended number slot still being occupied by a locomotive that itself has not yet been renumbered. Examples include SP B30-7 8010 to UP 1815, instead of its intended 1810 number, because UP GP38-2 1810 had not yet been renumbered to UP 310.
In March, April and May, C&NW 8504, 8513, and 8514 became UP 9035, 9034 and 9026, respectively, instead of their planned sequential numbers of 9026, 9034, and 9035. This was because at the time of C&NW 8514's renumbering, its intended 9035 number was still occupied by a former MP C36-7.
Former SP GP60s 9791 and 9793 were renumbered to UP 2091 and 2093, instead of their planned UP 2090 and 2092. Note that the last two digits of the former SP numbers and the new UP numbers are the same. Likely due to a misreading of the renumber plan, UP SD60 6124 was renumbered to UP 2472 instead of UP 2279. It is not known if this renumbering will be corrected.
As originally adopted on December 10, 1999, the renumber plan had 3,743 UP units and 632 UPY units being renumbered. Almost immediately, unnecessary renumberings and conflicts became apparent, and changes have had to be made. The first change saw the 112 former C&NW, D&RGW, and MP SD50s remaining in their original UP 5000-5111 series, instead of being renumbered to the UP 9880-9991 series. Next, the previously unassigned 67 former MP SD40-2s were added to the UP 9883-9950 series. The previously unassigned 16 former MKT GP40s, 19 former C&NW GP40s, and a single former D&RGW GP40, were added to the UP 9951-9986 series. Also, the six GP40Xs were changed from the UP 9873-9879 series to the new UP 9994-9999 series.
The 100 former SP/SSW B40-8s were changed to remain in their originally assigned 5600 series, rather than being renumbered to the 1800 series, which is currently occupied by leased GP38-2s, which will themselves be renumbered at a later date to the UP 300 series. Two of the B40-8s units were completed as UP 1800s: UP 1815 and UP 1829, because these two numbers were blank and not used in the 1800-series GP38-2s.
UP began a refurbishment program in January 1997 for former SP, SSW, and D&RGW SD40T-2s that ended in December 1999 (see Highlights, below). In August 2000, the 84 completed units were assigned to a new 2866-2949 number group.
SD70M Deliveries
Deliveries of new SD70Ms from EMD began on May 14, 2000, and by year's end, 285 units had been received. Union Pacific had originally negotiated with EMD to deliver 275 new SD70Ms during 2000. By August, EMD was 31 units ahead of schedule, including an additional 19 units delivered during that month. By year's end, 285 units had been delivered. By September 2000, there was a planned total of 361 units to be delivered during 2001, almost 100 more than were delivered during 2000.
GP38-2 Life Extension Program
GP38-2s have been on UP right from the beginning of production in 1972. With a total fleet of over 600 units, UP's GP38-2s have proven to be a very versatile locomotive. Beginning in January 2000, UP began its Life Extension program on as many GP38-2s as possible. This Life Extension program is similar to the program that was in place for the SD40-2s. Included features are: rebuilt engine; rebuilt alternator; rebuilt air compressor; and rebuilt trucks (including rebuilt traction motors). The units are receiving several electrical upgrades, including radios, and on units not already equipped, end-of-train devices. In the cab, there are new floors, seats, and air-conditioners as well as the Smart Start modification.
Previous UP-owned or UP-leased units are being done under the Life Extension program. Twenty-two former C&NW units (C&NW 4600-4611, and 4626-4634) were put through the same program at the Jenks shop in North Little Rock, after dynamic braking added by VMV Enterprises, but since they are being done under contract by UP for their owner, Locomotive Leasing Partners (LLP), these units are in what is called the LLP Overhaul program. The other 13 former C&NW GP38-2 units, C&NW 4612-4625, were retired by UP in late January 2000 and returned to their owner/lessor CitiCorp, and were last known to be in storage at National Railway Equipment's facility at Silvis, Illinois
Work Performed By NS Juniata Shop
Although not part of the GP38-2 Life Extension program, there have been 28 GP38-2 units reconditioned and renumbered by Norfolk Southern's Juniata shop in Altoona, Pa. The program includes the units' three-year mechanical inspection, and renumbering into the new renumber plan. Along with the GP38-2s, other units completed by the Juniata forces include 38 former SP C44-9Ws and 13 former MP GP15-1s. These units also received a full reconditioning and renumbering into their new numbers. The program was announced in March 2000 and was to include as many as 150 units (79 units were completed during 2000).
Refurbished SD40T-2s
Beginning in January 1997, UP initiated a program to refurbish former SP/SSW and D&RGW SD40T-2s to bring them up to UP's standard of reliability. The work was completed at UP's Jenks shops at North Little Rock, Arkansas, and by late December 1999 when the program ended, 84 units had been completed.
The first unit to be completed (SP 8268) entered service in late January 1997. The next three units (SP 8351, 8365, and D&RGW 5342) were completed by late March and early April 1997, and all four units were returned to service with their former road numbers.
By mid April 1997, an early version of the SP to UP renumber plan placed the former SP units in the UP 4369-4599 group and the former D&RGW units in the UP 4000-4068 group. Units completed after 15 April 1997 entered service with their new UP 4000 series and 4369 series numbers (UP 4555, ex SP 8291, and UP 4462, ex SP 8330, were both completed on 15 April). This was until the December 1999 renumber plan, which placed the former D&RGW units in the 8570-8638 group, and the former SP/SSW units in the UP 8639-8869 group. The two former D&RGW units completed on 2 December 1999 (D&RGW 5363 and 5403, completed as UP 8620 and 8595) were the first of all UP's units to be renumbered under the new fleet-wide renumbering scheme. The SD40T-2 refurbishment program existed at the same time as the routine maintenance and renumber program, so not all renumbered former SP and D&RGW units during the same time frame were refurbished. With the planned delivery of new SD70Ms in April 2000, meant to replace UP's SD40-2 fleet, funding for the SD40T-2 refurbishment program ended at the end of 1999, with the last unit completed as UP 8656 (ex SP 8527) on 4 January 2000.
To keep this group of recently refurbished SD40T-2s (which UP calls SD40-2TRs) numbered together, in August 2000, these 84 units were assigned into the new UP 2866-2949 number series, numbered just ahead of the former C&NW SD40-2s. Because these units have been recently refurbished, they will likely remain in service on UP for several years to come.
UP 2412 and UP 2508 (GP38-3) Heritage
The 18 GP38-3s in the 2400 class (UP 2400-2417) were rebuilt by Boise Locomotive Co., from former GP38 units, and the 27 GP38-3s in the 2500 class (UP 2500-2526) were rebuilt from former GP40s. The core components (frames, cab, and nose) of GP38 and GP40 locomotives are literally identical, except for minor details that are apparent only to the most studied locomotive historian. During the rebuild process, which took place during 1996 and 1997, the frame number of each GP38 or GP40 core locomotive was recorded as it entered the rebuild program, and the core components were assigned a new UP number. Upon completion, all 45 GP38-3 locomotives entered normal service across UP's system.
For UP 2412, although it is equipped with a modified GP38 carbody, a subsequent check of its barely legible, stamped frame number and draft gear number has revealed that its core frame came from former CSX GP40 6809 (ex L&N 3013) rather than former CSX GP38 2027 (ex B&O 3827), as recorded. UP 2508 has proven to be elusive in its normal assignments and has not yet been checked to reveal if an inadvertent swap of core frames took place.
Due to missing a frame check on UP 2508, the roster in this book shows each locomotive's history according to written records from UP, Helm Financial, and Boise Locomotive.
WP Reporting Mark Revived
In order for any particular locomotive to be renumbered to its assigned number in the December 1999 renumber plan, in some cases, a cascade of renumbering must first take place. Unfortunately, the economics of railroad operations does not allow a locomotive to be removed from service merely to renumber it so that another locomotive can be given its number.
To make the effort a bit easier, during 2000, Union Pacific began using the WP reporting mark from the former Western Pacific Railroad. The WP mark has been used on six locomotives, all of them previously retired, thus clearing their road numbers for use by an in-service, renumbered locomotive.
C30-7s 502 and 2459 were renumbered to WP 502 and WP 2459 to clear their UP numbers for use by renumbered GP38-2 2002 and SD60M 6304. GP40 652 (ex C&NW 5532, and assigned to UP 713) was renumbered to WP 652 to clear the UP 652 number for use by renumbered GP38-2 2152. The lease on GP39-2s 2367 and 2377 had expired, and the units were returned to their owner, but they were still on UP property, so they were renumbered to WP 2367 and 2377 to clear their UP numbers for use by renumbered SD60Ms 6212 and 6222. SD40-2 4161 (assigned UP 9909) was retired but was still on property and was renumbered to WP 4161 to clear the UP 4161 number for use by new SD70M 4161.
Retirements of SD40-2s Begin
At the fleet's peak numbers, Union Pacific operated as many as 1,040 standard SD40-2s. This total includes all of the 686 SD40-2s that UP itself received between 1972 and 1980, plus 306 from MP, 38 from MKT, and 132 from C&NW. The total does not include the 133 units from SP, or the 43 units received later, that were rebuilt from SD39s, SD40s and SD45s, or the 40 units that have been rebuilt from SD45T-2s which UP now calls SD40-2s.
The arrival of new SD70Ms beginning in May 2000 was the signal that retirement of standard SD40-2s would begin, and starting in July, 40 units were retired. All of these units selected for retirement had not been through the refurbishment program at Jenks shop in North Little Rock, Arkansas.
As of 1 January 2001, of its original 686 SD40-2s, UP had retired a total of 63 units (40 during 2000), and still had 623 units in operation. In a program that lasted from December 1990 to December 1999, UP refurbished 423 units. These refurbished units will likely remain in service for several more years, with the units not refurbished being early candidates for retirement. Of the 306 former MP units, 140 had been retired (35 rebuilt by UP to SD38-2s) and 166 remained in service. Of the 38 former MKT units, 30 were still in operation. All of the 132 former C&NW units were still in service.
Units Repainted to UP
UP's merger with C&NW in 1995 brought C&NW's 776 locomotives to UP's fleet. Of those 776 units, 144 were not assigned UP numbers. None of those unassigned units remain on UP's current roster. Of the other 625 units that need to be repainted/renumbered, 185 have been retired by UP (31 during 2000). Although 113 former C&NW units were renumbered to UP during 2000, it is difficult to show a total number of units repainted to UP yellow and gray because of the program to renumber units by using a cab-side yellow patch.
The 1996 merger between UP and SP, along with SP's D&RGW and Cotton Belt subsidiaries, brought the combined SP and SSW 2,196-unit fleet, along with D&RGW's 184-unit fleet into the UP roster. Of the SP/SSW units, 297 were not assigned UP numbers; and 59 of those were still on UP. Of the other 1,899 other units that need to be repainted and renumbered, 577 have been retired by UP (72 during 2000). As with the former C&NW units mentioned above, 176 former SP/SSW units were renumbered to UP during 2000, but it is difficult to show a total number of units repainted to UP because of the program to renumber units by using a cab-side yellow patch.
Of the 184 D&RGW units, 31 were not assigned UP numbers, and all of those except the F9B have been retired by UP. Of the other 153 former D&RGW units that need to be repainted and renumbered (including 26 units previously repainted to SP), 92 have been retired by UP (11 during 2000). Again, as with the former C&NW and former SP/SSW units, five former D&RGW units were renumbered to UP during 2000, but it is difficult to show a total number of units repainted to UP because of the program to renumber units by using a cab-side yellow patch.
New "Wings" Image
The 285 new SD70Ms were the first units on UP to receive the new image of UP's traditional nose medallion (also known as the winged shield, or just "Wings"). New General Electric locomotives with the new image were delivered during January 2001.
UP 9826 (ex C&NW 8722) was repainted to full UP colors on 13 December 2000, becoming the first GE locomotive to enter regular service with the new Wings image; UP 7555, a new C60AC, was completed in the new image at the GE factory in Erie, Pa., at about the same time, but did not enter service until January 2001.
Other News From 2000
UP received GP38-2s 347, rebuilt from D&RGW 3081, and UP 348, ex-FNM 9401. These replaced leased GP39-2s 2749 and 2750, which were to have become UP 1249 and 1250.
More than 275 of the UP's "winged" SD70Ms had arrived by the end of November, 2000.
UP C60AC 7511, extensively damaged by fire in June, was repainted as GECX 6002 and was used by GE at their Erie plant as a test bed during November.
UP C44-9W 9826 (ex CNW 8722) was the first of its series to get the "wings" nose logo on December 18. This trend was to continue as Union Pacific received 25 additional C60ACs in early 2001 (7555-7579).
Five prototype "Tier I" SD70M's (4635-4639) were sighted at GMD's London facility in December, featuring SD80MAC-style flared radiators.
Retirements of older SP and UP EMD's continued unabated (SD40R, SD45R, SD45T-2, SD40T-2 and SD40-2 models), and the active number of C30-7s was reduced to a handful.
Renumbering and repainting of middle-aged units also continued, with the Union Pacific using the inactive "WP" reporting mark to free up roster space from units in storage. For example, UP C30-7 502 was changed to WP 502 so GP38-2 2002 could become the new 502, and UP C30-7 2459 became WP 2459 to clear space for the renumbering of UP SD60M 6304.
UP SD40M 2702 (ex-SP 8626) returned to the rails in September with an all-gray covering. This unit (originally Chicago Great Western 403) was extensively damaged in a June 21 derailment at Lufkin, Texas.
UP assigned GP15-1's 1728 and 1729 to Metra switching duty at the CNW Station in Chicago to replace the GP7s.
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