End Of Union Pacific Steam Locomotives

By the end of 1958, UP steam ownership had declined to 126 locomotives, diesel ownership had decreased from 1,181 to 1,169, and four of the Super Turbines had been delivered, increasing turbine ownership to 29 engines.

Orders were placed for 75 of the new EMD 2,400 h.p. freight units of the SD-24 model in February 1959. These were planned to replace the expensive to maintain Alco freight units, and to provide some unit reduction due to the higher horsepower rating. However, Stoddard made a trip to Cheyenne in April to announce that 50 men would be called back to make the 4000s ready for the 1959 traffic peak.

Class 3 repairs to the 4017 and Class 4 to the 4019 ended heavy steam repair work and an era at Cheyenne. In June, six 3700s were worked on freight trains from Ogden to Cheyenne. These engines, plus the 3701 and 3707, were put into service between Cheyenne and North Platte starting on July 2. Six 4000s were put to work between Cheyenne and Laramie on July 6. The only 4-8-4 used in 1959, the 838, made three round trips between Council Bluffs and Grand Island.

Unfortunately, the steel industry workers went on strike July 15. That, coupled with the delivery of the new SD-24s, soon had steam power laid aside. The 4015 made the last trip of a 4-8-8-4 into Cheyenne at 4:10 p.m., July 21. During the last 15 days that the "Big Boys" were in service, a total of 90 trains were handled, 45 in each direction.

The eight 3700s were utilized a bit more, handling five or six trains each day in each direction for North Platte-Cheyenne. However, their reign ended when the 3713 arrived at Cheyenne and the 3703 arrived at North Platte on the evening of July 22.

Delivery of vast orders of diesels and gas turbines reduced the operating mileage of the Big Boys during the period 1957-58. 1959 bore certain implications of increased use and a number of 4000s were prepared for the rush season at Cheyenne in the Spring of that year. However, no sooner had operations begun than a massive steel strike caused an immediate decline in traffic. It was left to 4015 to bring down the curtain on the distinguished career of the Big Boys, arriving in Cheyenne during the evening of July 21 , 1959. As late as 1960 two were still listed as Stored Serviceable.

It was the modern power, such as the Challengers, which kept the Union Pacific from dieselizing earlier. After all, the U.P. owned its own fuel source in Wyoming coal mines and that was one good reason why dieselization did not take place earlier. The very last type Union Pacific locomotive operating in regular freight service were the Challengers. The end came on July 22, 1959, when the 3713 arrived at Cheyenne, Wyoming and the 3703 arrived at North Platte, Nebraska and their fires were shut down forever. Only the 3710, equipped for the snow melter at North Platte, saw service for a few years prior to its being placed on exhibit at North Platte, Nebraska.

Illinois Central ran ten engines from late October 1959 into April 1960; Grand Trunk ran into early April 1960; DM&IR ran steam from early April 1960 into early July 1960; Lake Superior & Ishpeming ran two engines into September 1962; Colorado & Southern ran a 2-8-0 on its Leadville branch into October 1962.

The Status Of Steam -- For a few all-too-brief weeks on the eve of the steel strike last summer the durable steam locomotive appeared to be making what has become an annual renaissance. Smoke hung over Sherman Hill as Union Pacific 4-6-6-4's and 4-8-8-4's were withdrawn from storage and set to work pending the delivery of more 2400 h.p. SD24's from Electro-Motive (UP has ordered 75 of the turbocharged hood units).

Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range, working almost feverishly to move as much iron ore as possible before the strike, not only had Yellowstone M-3's and M-4's on the mainline but elderly 2-10-2's alive in the yards.

And in the East. Nickel Plate had been obliged to fire up 0-8-0's for Conneaut, O., yard duty and there was talk the big Berkshires would be back on the line.

Then Big Steel and the U.S.W. failed to agree, the mills shut down, and the steam engines were stored as rapidly as they had been steamed up.

For steam the hour is late indeed. At the end of 1958 class 1 roads listed 1350 steam locomotives on their rosters vs. 32,014 at the end of 1948.

Norfolk & Western publicly anticipates total dieselization by the end of the year. The only active power left is confined to the Pocahontas Division where a small stud of Y6 compound 2-8-8-2's is still working out of such terminals as Iaeger, Williamson, and Bluefield, W. Va., on mid-week mine runs. A few Mallets should be working into December and their number could temporarily inflate in late fall should a steel strike settlement boost mine output.