Union Pacific Corporate History
Compiled by Don Strack
This page was last updated on November 11, 2008.
Notes on the corporate organization of Union Pacific Railroad and its predecessors, including an alphabetical list of companies.
Merger Timeline
Alphabetic List of UP's Predecessor Railroads
Corporate History Timeline
(incomplete, research continues)
Historic Era (1862-1935)
Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad (UP) operated all UP lines in Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming, and into Ogden in northern Utah. UP was incorporated in July 1897 as a reorganization of Union Pacific Railway, which was in receivership since 1893. Union Pacific Railway had been incorporated in January 1880 as a consolidation of the original Union Pacific Railway (chartered-in-1862), the Kansas Pacific Railway, and the Denver Pacific Railway & Telegraph Co. UP Railway connected with Central Pacific in May 1869 at Promontory, Utah. UP lines in Kansas and Colorado were purchased from predecessor companies.
Oregon Short Line
Oregon Short Line Railroad (OSL) operated all UP lines in Idaho, Montana, and northern Utah. OSL was incorporated in February 1897 as a reorganization of Oregon Short Line & Utah Northern Railway, in receivership since October 1893. Oregon Short Line & Utah Northern Railway had been incorporated on August 19, 1889 as a consolidation of the original 1881 Oregon Short Line Railway and six other railroads operating in Utah and Idaho. The original OSL Railway began construction in May 1881 at a connection with UP at Granger, Wyo., and was completed across southern Idaho to Huntington, Ore. by November 1884. All OSL lines in Utah were purchased from predecessor companies. OSL (and later OSL&UN) operated the ORy&N under lease between January 1887 until from October 1893.
Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation
Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Co. (O-WRR&N) operated all UP lines in Oregon and Washington. Many UP employees used a simplified OWR&N designation, or an even simpler "OW" or "Oregon".
(click here for a timeline of ORy&N, ORR&N, and OWR&N)
Throughout the 1880s, control of railroads and railroading in the Pacific Northwest was a much contested issue. Henry Villard had assembled the original Oregon Railway & Navigation in 1880 from several small railroad and steam ship navigation companies that were providing freight and passenger services along the Columbia River. In late 1883, his dreams of greatness came crashing down due to astounding levels of debt, causing him to flee to Europe. He left behind 219 miles of ORy&N rail line along the south bank of the Columbia River between Portland, Ore., and Wallula, Wash., where it connected with Northern Pacific's line south from Spokane.
Through a parent company called Oregon & Transcontinental that controlled both ORy&N and NP, Villard had also been president of Northern Pacific. NP completed its transcontinental line from St. Paul to a connection with ORy&N at Wallula, Oregon in early September 1883, giving NP access to the Portland trade via its ORy&N connection along the south bank of the Columbia River.
Union Pacific completed its Oregon Short Line across Idaho to Huntington, Ore., in early November 1884, and by the end of the month, ORy&N had completed its own line across the Blue Mountains to Huntington, driving the last spike on November 25, 1884. Through service for UP between Omaha and Portland officially began on December 1, 1884. Immediately, UP sought access to Portland using ORy&N and negotiations soon commenced.
After Villard gave up his control of both ORy&N and NP in 1883, NP continued building its route, and in July 1887, in accordance with its land grant charter, completed its line across Washington to Tacoma, on Puget Sound. This gave NP direct access to Pacific ports in the Seattle/Tacoma area in direct competition to UP's access to Portland via ORy&N.
Oregon Short Line was controlled by Union Pacific, and OSL's lease of ORy&N gave UP a direct line to Portland. The lease took effect on January 1, 1887. UP through its OSL subsidiary bought O&T's 50 percent interest in ORy&N in September 1889, giving UP control of this important link to the Pacific ports.
ORy&N operated its own road from March 1880 to April 1887. From April 1887 to July 1889, ORy&N was leased to OSL. In July 1889 OSL merged with Utah & Northern, forming OSL&UN, which continued OSL's lease of ORy&N. With OSL's purchase of ORy&N stock, in November 1889, ORy&N became the Pacific Division of Union Pacific, and in 1890 ORy&N's locomotives were renumbered into the 1885 UP numbering scheme.
OSL&UN continued the lease of ORy&N until October 1893 when UP and OSL&UN both entered receivership. ORy&N was assigned its own reciever in July 1894, at which time ORy&N regained control of its operations. This explains the 1894 renumbering of ORy&N equipment.
The Oregon Railroad & Navigation Co. was incorporated on July 16, 1896 as a reorganization of Oregon Railway & Navigation Co., which had been in receivership since 1893. ORR&N took possession of ORy&N on August 17, 1896. (OWRR&N Corporate History, for ICC, June 30, 1916)
In August 1896 ORy&N was reoganized as ORR&N with majority of stock still owned by the Oregon Short Line & Utah Northern Railway, itself reorganized as the Oregon Short Line Railroad (OSL) in 1897. ORR&N was equally controlled by GN, NP and UP so that none of the three roads controlled access to Portland. By July 1899, UP had gained full control of ORR&N through its newly reorganized OSL subsidiary.
By late 1899, E. H. Harriman's control of UP (and its OSL subsidiary) was in place, and OSL control of ORR&N broought OR&N back under UP control.
O-WRR&N was incorporated in November 1910 as a consolidation of Oregon Railroad & Navigation Co. and 14 other companies in the states of Oregon and Washington.
Los Angeles & Salt Lake
Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad (LA&SL) operated all UP lines south and west of Salt Lake City, Utah. LA&SL was a name change in August 1916 from the original 1901 San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad. The SP, LA&SL (and the later LA&SL) were controlled by William Clark until 1903, then jointly controlled by Clark and OSL until April 1921, when UP bought Clark's half interest, making LA&SL jointly owned by UP and OSL, which itself was fully controlled by UP. The connection between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Los Angeles, Calif., was completed on May 26, 1905 at Erie, Nev.
On January 1, 1936 the UP leased the Oregon Short Line, Oregon Washington Railway & Navigation, and Los Angeles and Salt Lake and holds purchase options on the director's shares of the OWR & N. At the same time, they leased the St. Joseph & Grand Island. As of January 1986, they owned all but 546.8 shares of StJ&GI. (The Streamliner, Volume 2, Number 1, January 1986, page 37, Q&A 4)
Classic Era (1936-1982)
Union Pacific controlled OSL from 1899; OWR&N's predecessor OR&N from 1899; and LA&SL from 1921. OSL, OWR&N, and LA&SL were leased for operation by UP in November 1935, and all four railroads were consolidated for single-line operation as the Union Pacific System on January 1, 1936.
When UP applied for control of the StJ&GI, the Pacific & Idaho Northern, and Laramie, North Park & Western intervened; the UP bought the P&IN and the LNP&W. The UP purchased 99.7 percent (24,946.4 of the 25,000 common shares) of the LNP&W and the OSL bought 100 percent of the shares of the P&IN. (The Streamliner, Volume 2, Number 1, January 1986, page 37, Q&A 4)
Purchase and operation of Laramie, North Park & Western Railroad by UP was approved and authorized by the federal Interstate Commerce Commission on September 26, 1951 (Finance docket No. 17331). Operated by the UP as its Coalmont Branch effective on December 1, 1951. (email to UP YahooGroup, December 22, 2007)
The Saratoga & Encampment Valley Railroad was built and operated by the Saratoga & Encampment Railroad in 1908 and 1928. It was built to ship copper that was mined in the nearby Sierra Madre Mountains, hauled out on an aerial tramway and smelted at Encampment. Union Pacific leased the line from November 1921 until October 1926. The company was then reorganized as the Saratoga & Encampment Valley in May 1928, and remained under UP control until July 31, 1951. The line was merged with UP on August 1, 1951, becoming UP's Encampment Branch. (Union Pacific sold the Encampment Branch to Wyoming & Colorado Railroad in November 1987 and short line service started on December 19, 1987. In 2003, the Louisana Pacific sawmill at Saratoga closed and Wyoming & Colorado abandoned the line; salvage began in June 2007.)
In 1958 control of the Spokane International was acquired and the UP has 99.94% of the stock. As of December 3, 1978 the SI leased 10 locos, owned 9 covered hoppers, 71 flat cars, 1 derrick and 4 cabooses.(The Streamliner, Volume 2, Number 1, January 1986, page 37, Q&A 4)
UP-Rock Island Merger
May 13, 1963 — Union Pacific Railroad announced a propsed merger with Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. (New York Times, May 14, 1963)
June 27, 1963 — The Board of Directors of Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railrpoad voted unanimous approval to accept a proposed merger with Union Pacific Railroad proposed a merger with Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. (New York Times, June 28, 1963)
July 6, 1963 — Chicago & North Western Railway applied to the ICC for its own merger with CRI&P. (New York Times, July 7, 1963)
Over the following 18-24 months, several suits and countersuits, and shareholder proxy fights kept the Rock Island in the financial news. By early 1965, the ICC began its hearings. The C&NW proposed that C&NW, CRI&P (Rock Island) and CMStP&P (Milwaukee Road) merge to form an Upper Midwest system of railroads, selling any lines south of Kansas City to AT&SF.
UP's proposal would have given the road direct access to Chicago. All of the western roads soon entered the case, asking the federal ICC for some form of consideration, in what would be the longest and most complex railroad merger case heard by the ICC. The case continued for a full 10 years. The ICC finally approved the case on November 8, 1974, but with numerous conditions that UP was unwilling to accept, and UP decided to withdraw its merger application. The ICC dismissed the case on July 10, 1976. (The Historical Guide to American Railroads, 5th printing, 1991, page 91)
June 27, 1966 — C&NW let its bid expire on June 27, 1966, and withdrew its bid to merge with Rock Island. (New York Times, June 28, 1966) Instead, C&NW and almost every railroad in the nation jumped into the UP/Rock Island merger and sought various considerations to the ICC's approval of the merger.
November 8, 1974 —The federal ICC approved the UP-CRI&P merger.
March 17, 1975 — CRI&P declared bankruptcy.
August 4, 1975 — UP withdrew its appliction to merge CRI&P due to the financial condition of the company. The federal ICC approved the UP-CRI&P merger on November 8, 1974, but due to conditions imposed by the ICC to satisfy the objections of D&RGW and SP, UP withdrew its application.
July 10, 1976 — The ICC dismissed the proposed UP-CRI&P merger after UP withdrew its application.
As of December 31, 1967, UP owned 50% of Portland Railway and Terminal Division jointly with the Southern Pacific. (The Streamliner, Volume 2, Number 1, January 1986, page 37, Q&A 4)
In 1968, the UP purchased the Mount Hood Railway. (The Streamliner, Volume 2, Number 1, January 1986, page 37, Q&A 4)
During the 1960s and 1970s, UP controlled the following:
| Camas Prairie RR | 50.0% (with Burlington Northern) |
| Denver Union Terminal | 16.67% |
| Des Chutes RR | 100.0% |
| Kansas City Terminal | 8.33% |
| Los Angeles and Salt Lake RR | 50.0% (50% OSL) |
| Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal | 23.0% |
| Longview Switching Co. | 33.3% |
| Mt. Hood RR | 100.0% |
| Ogden Union Ry & Depot | 50.0% (with SP) |
| Oregon Short Line RR | 100.0% |
| Oregon Washington Railway and Navigation | 100.0% (through OSL director's shares) |
| Portland Ry & Terminal Div. | 50.0% |
| Portland Terminal RR | 40.0% |
| Pullman Company | 6.0% |
| Spokane International RR | 99.94% |
| St. Joseph and Grand Island RR | 100.0% (less 546.8 shares) |
| St. Joseph Terminal | 50.0% (with MP) |
| Trailer Train Co. | 2.44% |
| Union Pacific Fruit Express | 100.0% |
| Yakima Valley Transportation Co. | 100.0% |
Merger Era (1983-2000)
Union Pacific acquired control of Missouri Pacific Railroad and Western Pacific Railway on December 22, 1982. Missouri Pacific was merged into Union Pacific on January 1, 1997. The delay in full merger came from MP's long term corporate bonds using MP's property as collateral. To renegotiate those bonds, UP would have had to pay a much higher interest rate, so they just left the bonds as they were, and instead controlled MP 15 years until they were all paid off.
January 8, 1980:
UP announced its intended merger with Missouri Pacific Railroad and Western Pacific
Railway. (Extra 2200 South, Issue 70, October-November-December 1979,
page 20; Issue 71, January-February-March 1980, page
18)
September 12, 1980:
The formal application
for UP to control MP and WP was filed with the ICC on September 12, 1980.
September 13, 1982:
UP was given ICC approval to control Missouri Pacific Railroad and Western Pacific
Railway.
December 22, 1982:
UP-MP-WP control and merger was approved by courts, following a suit by SP to block the merger. SP was given trackage rights between Kansas City and St. Louis over Missouri Pacific. D&RGW was given trackage rights between Pueblo, Colo. and Kansas City over Missouri Pacific.
January 1, 1983:
UP-MP-WP control and merger took effect.
November 14, 1986:
UP and MKT file with the ICC their intention to merge.
June 17, 1987:
Western Pacific Railroad was formally merged into Union Pacific.
December 1987:
OSL, OWR&N, and LA&SL were formally
merged with Union Pacific. Previous to this, these roads had been either wholly-owned,
controlled, or leased by UP. (part from Union Pacific Law Department records;
part from Railroad Retirement
Board Employer Determination)
The following roads were merged into OSL on December 29, 1987:
- Oregon-Washington Railway & Navigation Co.
- Des Chutes Railroad
- Yakima Valley Transportation Co. (Wikipedia entry)
The following roads were merged into Union Pacific on December 30, 1987:
- Oregon Short Line Railroad
The following roads were merged into Union Pacific on December 31, 1987:
- Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad
- Spokane International Railroad
- Mount Hood Railway
May 16, 1988:
UP's control of MKT was approved by ICC. (Pacific RailNews, Issue 296,
July 1988, page 7)
August 12, 1988:
Union Pacific's control of MKT took effect.
January 19, 1990:
Union Pacific (through its Union Pacific Realty subsidiary) exchanged its 23%
ownership of Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal to Santa Fe Pacific Realty
(a subsidiary of Santa Fe Pacific Corp., the merged parent companies of AT&SF
and Southern Pacific), in exchange for property previously owned by LAUPT. (Railroad
Retirement Board Employer Determination)
February 21 , 1995:
ICC approved UP's purchase of C&NW, under ICC Financial Docket 32133. (Railroad
Retirement Employer Determination)
April 25, 1995:
Union Pacific Corporation completed the purchase of 71.6 percent of Chicago & Northwestern
Transportation Co. stock, giving it a total of 99.5 percent of all CNWT stock. (SEC,
Union Pacific Form 10-Q, dated August 14, 1995)
May 1, 1995:
UP purchase and control of C&NW became effective. (SEC, Union Pacific
Form 10-Q, dated August 14, 1995)
July 25, 1995:
UP's board of directors approved the merger deal with SP. (Pacific RailNews,
Issue 388, March 1996, page 62)
August 3, 1995:
UP and SP announced that the two railroads had signed an agreement to merge. (Pacific
RailNews, Issue 388, March 1996, page 62)
September 26, 1995:
UP, SP, and BNSF sign a trackage rights agreement that, following the completion of the merger of UP and SP, would give BNSF access to shippers in Provo, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, Utah. BNSF would operate over both UP's "Feather River" route and SP's Donner Pass line. BNSF would purchase UP's former WP "Inside Gateway" route in Northern California between Keddie and Bieber, linking its Oregon lines with its California network. BNSF would also serve the Oakland-San Jose area via UP trackage rights.
October 1, 1995:
UP formally merged with Chicago & Northwestern Transportation Co. On September
30, 1995, C&NW ceased to exist and ceased compensating C&NW employees. (Railroad
Retirement Employer Determination)
November 30, 1995:
UP filed with the ICC its application to merge and control the Southern Pacific.
The ICC was terminated as a federal agency on January 1, 1996, and the application
was transferred to the new Surface Transportation Board. (Federal Register,
Volume 60, Number 204, October 23, 1995, pages 54384-54387; Volume
61, Number 72, April 12, 1996, pages 16282-16284)
January 17, 1996:
UP's acquisition of SP was approved at a special meeting of the shareholders
of Southern Pacific Rail Corporation. The vote was by
85 percent (or 132.5 million shares) of SP's outstanding share. (Pacific
RailNews, Issue388, March 1996, page 20)
August 6, 1996:
UP control of SP, including D&RGW and SSW, approved by STB. (STB Docket 32760)
September 11, 1996:
Union Pacific Corporation was granted control of Southern Pacific Rail
Corporation (formerly Rio Grande Industries) on September 11, 1996, with
an effective date of October 1, 1996. Southern Pacific Rail Corporation controlled
Southern Pacific Transportation Co., Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad
(D&RGW),
St. Louis Southwestern Railway (SSW, Cotton Belt), and the SPCSL Corp.
January 1, 1997:
Missouri Pacific Railroad was formally merged with Union Pacific Railroad. (Railroad
Retirement Employer Status Determination)
June 30, 1997:
D&RGW was formally merged with Union Pacific Railroad. (Railroad
Retirement Employer Status Determination)
June 30 1997:
SPCSL (Southern Pacific Chicago Saint Louis) Corporation was formally merged
with Union Pacific Railroad. (Railroad
Retirement Employer Status Determination)
September 30, 1997:
St. Louis Southwestern Railway (SSW) was formally merged with Union Pacific Railroad. (Railroad
Retirement Employer Status Determination)
February 1, 1998:
Southern Pacific Transportation Company and Union Pacific Railroad were formally
merged; UPRR was merged into SPTCo., and the name
was changed to Union Pacific Railroad. (Railroad
Retirement Employer Status Determination)
Alphabetic List UP's Predecessor Roads
Camas Prairie Railroad
- Owned jointly by OWR&N and Northern Pacific Railway.
Chicago & North Western Railway
- Union Pacific was granted control of Chicago & North Western on March 9, 1995 (other sources show April 12, 1995 as the date of control).
- UP bought majority control of C&NW on April 25, 1995. The effective date of the approval for control was May 1, 1995. UP had purchased minority control of C&NW on December 13, 1994.
- On August 1, 1995, UP merged with the former C&NW subsidiary Western Railroad Properties (WPRI) which C&NW had organized to build into the Wyoming Powder River Basin.
- On October 1, 1995 C&NW was formally merged with UP.
May 3, 1994 — C&NW's parent company's stockholders approved changing the company's name from Chicago and North Western Holdings Corp. to Chicago and North Western Transportation Company, effective May 6, 1994. The company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was re-named Chicago and North Western Railway Company. During February of 1994, the Company's intermediate holding company subsidiaries, Chicago and North Western Acquisition Corp. and CNW Corporation, were eliminated by merger. (SEC, C&NW Form 10-Q, dated May 13, 1994)
March 7, 1995 — The federal ICC approved Union Pacific control of C&NW. The decision became effective on April 6, 1995.
March 9, 1995 — Chicago and North Western Transportation Company agreed to be acquired by UP Rail, Inc., a subsidiary of Union Pacific Corporation, in a transaction in which UP Rail would acquire 100% of Chicago and North Western Transportation Company outstanding shares of common stock not already owned by Union Pacific Corporation. (SEC, C&NW Form 10-Q, dated May 16, 1995)
March 16, 1995 — The respective boards of directors of Chicago and North Western Transportation Company and Union Pacific Corporation unanimously approved and executed a definitive merger agreement. (SEC, C&NW Form 10-Q, dated May 16, 1995)
March 23, 1995 — UP Rail initiated an offer to acquire the entire equity interest in Chicago and North Western Transportation Company. (SEC, C&NW Form 10-Q, dated May 16, 1995)
April 25, 1995 — The sale of C&NW to UP was finalized, which resulted in Union Pacific owning approximately 99.5% of the shares. Trading of Chicago and North Western Transportation Company's common stock on the New York Stock Exchange was suspended on the same date. (SEC, C&NW Form 10-Q, dated May 16, 1995)
Total purchase price of control was shown as $1,103,544,610.00 for a total of 31,529,846 shares, which together with another 12,835,304 shares that UP Corp., already owned, gave UP a full 99.47 percent of outstanding C&NW stock. (SEC, C&NW Form 8-K, dated April 26, 1996)
CNW (formerly the nation's eighth largest railroad) is located in the central transcontinental corridor, consists of more than 5,300 road miles, employs more than 6,100 people and is a major transporter of coal, grain and intermodal freight. For the year ended December 31, 1994, CNW had operating revenues of $1.13 billion, net income of $84 million and assets of $2.22 billion. (SEC, Union Pacific Form 10-Q, dated August 14, 1995)
May 1, 1995 — CNW's financial results were consolidated into Union Pacific Corporation effective May 1, 1995. C&NW employees started answering the phone as UP, and the cutover of C&NW lading and billing information to UP's TCS was started. (part from SEC, Union Pacific Form 10-Q, dated August 14, 1995)
The first C&NW locomotive was renumbered to its new UP number on June 16, 1995, when C&NW 8699, a GE C44-9W, was renumbered to UP 9668. Others followed soon after on June 23 and June 24, 1995. (Union Pacific, Mechanical Department records)
August 1, 1995 — UP merged with Western Railroad Properties (WRPI), a C&NW subsidiary organized to build its line into the Wyoming Powder River Basin. (Union Pacific, Law Department records)
October 1, 1995 — C&NW was formally merged into UP. (Railroad Retirement Employer Status Determination) (another, unrecorded source showed June 23, 1995 as the formal merger date; more research is needed)
(click here for a separate page about C&NW's Western Railroad Properties, Inc. (WRPI), a subsidiary line into the coal fields of Wyoming's Powder River Basin.
Colorado Central Rail Road
- Incorporated on 9 February 1865 as Colorado & Clear Creek Railroad
- Name changed to Colorado Central & Pacific Railroad on 20 January 1866
- Name changed to Colorado Central Rail Road on 14 January 1868
- Operated by UP under lease from February 20, 1879 to March 1890
- Completed Julesburg to LaSalle, Colo. in January 1882
- Included as part of Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf Railway, incorporated on March 18, 1890
- UPD&G was controlled by UP until it was reorganized as the Colorado & Southern Railroad in 1899
- The portion of former UPD&G between LaSalle and Julesburg sold to UP on 6 February 1899.
Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (see also D&RGW History page)
- Three-foot narrow gauge from 1870 to 1890.
- Incorporated in 1870; construction in Colorado began in 1871.
- Construction started toward Utah in 1880.
- Denver to Salt Lake City line completed in March 1883, completed to Ogden in May 1883.
- Converted to standard gauge in 1890.
- Publicly-held corporation until November 1984 when parent company Rio Grande Industries was sold to Anschutz interests.
- Rio Grande Industries (D&RGW parent company) bought controlling interest of Southern Pacific in 1988.
- In 1993, RGI changed its name to Southern Pacific Rail Corp.
All of the D&RGW locomotive fleet, including 135 freight units and six switch units, was combined with Union Pacific's locomotive fleet on May 1, 1997. (Union Pacific, Mechanical Department records)
(See also: entry for Southern Pacific, below)
Denver Pacific Railway & Telegraph Co.
- Incorporated on November 19, 1867
- Associated with Union Pacific Eastern Division by act of Congress on March 3, 1869 to build that road's portion of its own line between Cheyenne and Denver
- Construction started at Cheyenne on January 1, 1870
- Construction completed at Denver on June 23, 1870
- Independent until receivership on April 2, 1878, with Jay Gould as principle bondholder
- Operated by Kansas Pacific (which was also controlled by Jay Gould) beginning on September 27, 1879
- Merged with Union Pacific Rail Road and Kansas Pacific Railway to form Union Pacific Railway on January 24, 1880.
- Source: ICC corporate history, page 125
Ilwaco Railway & Navigation Co.
- Three-foot narrow gauge
- Incorporated in (?)
- Completed in 1888
- Controlled by OR&N from 1900
- Changed to Ilwaco Railroad in 1907
- Merged with others to form OWR&N in 1910, route became Ilwaco Branch, abandoned in 1930
Kansas Pacific Railway
- Organized as Leavenworth, Pawnee & Western on February 1, 1855; chartered by Act of Congress on July 1, 1862 (no construction completed)
- Name changed to Union Pacific Railway, Eastern Division on June 6, 1863
- Groundbreaking ceremony in Wyandotte (Kansas City), Kansas, is September 7, 1863
- Original charter was to build to 100th Meridan and a connection with Union Pacific
- Charter changed on July 3, 1866 by an amendment to the original Congressional charter of 1862, to change destination from 100th Meridan, to build its route westward along 39th Parallel from Fort Riley to Denver, via Smoky Hill River; then north to a connection with Union Pacific at Cheyenne
- Westward construction completed to Sheridan, Kansas (later Lisbon) on August 22, 1868 (construction stalled until early 1870)
- Eastward construction started on (date?) at a connection with Denver Pacific
- Name changed to Kansas Pacific Railway on March 3, 1869
- Westward construction and eastward construction met at Comanche Crossing, Kansas, Territory, on August 15, 1870; formal operation between (Kansas City) and (Denver) began on September 1, 1870
- Completed to Denver on October 3, 1870
- Merged with Union Pacific Rail Road and Denver Pacific Railway to form the new Union Pacific Railway on January 24, 1880.
- Source: ICC corporate history, page 122
- Source: Colorado Railroads, by Tiv Wilkins, via Norm Metcalf
- Source: Crofutt's New Overland Tourist and Pacific Coast Guide, 1882, via Jim Hill
Laramie, North Park & Western Railroad
- Organized in 1914 as Laramie, Hahn's Peak & Pacific Railway
- Re-organized in 1924 as Colorado, Wyoming & Eastern Railway
- Sold to UP in 1951
Leavenworth, Kansas & Western
- Organized in (?) as Kansas Central (narrow gauge)
- Converted to standard gauge in 1892
- Re-organized as Leavenworth, Kansas & Western in September 1897
- Sold to UP in May 1908
Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad
- Owned jointly by UP & OSL.
- Incorporated on 20 March 1901 as the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad.
- Opened on 1 May 1905.
- Purchased portions of OSL in Utah on 7 July 1903, in return 50 percent interest in SP,LA&SL sold to OSL.
- Name changed to LA&SL on 16 August 1916.
- UP purchased the Clark half-interest on 27 April 1921.
- Included as part of UP System on 1 January 1922.
- Leased to UP on January 1, 1936
- Formally merged with UP on December 30, 1987
Marysville & Blue Valley Railroad
- Incorporated in July 1879 to build agricultural branches for UP
- Construction began, July 1879
- Operated without lease or agreement by UP, from January 1880 to January 1887
- Marysville to Kan/Neb line (connection with O&RV, 12.8 mi.), completed January 1880
- Merged with Omaha & Republican Valley Railway, 1 January 1887
Missouri Pacific Railroad
- Union Pacific was granted control of Missouri Pacific on December 22, 1982. The merger application was filed on September 15, 1980, and approved by the ICC on October 20, 1982, and cleared by the courts on December 22, 1982. The control of MP by UP took effect on January 1, 1983.
- Missouri Kansas Texas was merged with MP on December 1, 1989.
- Missouri Pacific was merged into UP on January 1, 1997.
January 8, 1980 — UP announced its intended merger with Missouri Pacific Railroad and Western Pacific Railway. (Extra 2200 South, Issue 70, October-November-December 1979, page 20; Extra 2200 South, Issue 71, January-February-March 1980, page 18)
September 12, 1980 — The formal application for UP to control MP and WP was filed with the ICC.
September 13, 1982 — UP was given ICC approval to control Missouri Pacific Railroad and Western Pacific Railway.
December 22, 1982 — UP-MP-WP control and merger was approved by courts, following a suit by SP to block the merger. SP was given trackage rights between Kansas City and St. Louis over Missouri Pacific. D&RGW was given trackage rights between Pueblo, Colo. and Kansas City over Missouri Pacific.
January 1, 1983 — UP control of Missouri Pacific Railroad took effect.
January 1, 1997 — Missouri Pacific Railroad was formally merged into Union Pacific Railroad. (SEC, Union Pacific Form 10-K, dated March 18, 1998; Railroad Retirement Employer Status Determination) (see also http://www.rrb.gov/pdf/bcd/bcd97-75.pdf)
Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad
May 22, 1985 — Union Pacific Corporation, through its Missouri Pacific subsidiary, announced that they had offered $108 million in cash and securities to purchase control of the Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad, known as the Katy. (Pacific News, August 1985, page 4; CTC Board, December 1985, page 18; CTC Board, June 1986, page 3; CTC Board, August 1986, page 8)
Before UP could either control, or merge with MKT, MKT's parent company Katy Industries was to purchase and retire 60 percent of 667,005 $110 income certificates, issued in 1958. These certificates had a total face value of over $73.3 million and had to be retired before MKT, or any successor, could pay dividends on its stock. Upon announcement of the proposed merger, a group of investors purchased, through brokerage houses, nearly half of the long forgotten certificates for $24, hoping to sell them back to Katy at their face value of $110. Katy Industries' first offer for $25 was unsuccessful and UP called off the merger talks in October 1985. Katy raised their bid to $33.50, with a deadline of November 20, 1985, which was extended to January 10, 1986.
Katy was unable to buy back its certificates and UP again withdrew their offer, after the final deadline of January 10, 1986. During summer 1986, UP made another offer, and Katy again made an offer to the certificate holders, raising the price from $33.50 to $39.50. They raised the offer to $39.75 for each $110 certificate on 9 July 1986, and apparently the offer was accepted.
November 14, 1986 — UP and MKT applied for merger to the Interstate Commerce Commission. Katy Industries owned and controlled both the MKT and the Oklahoma Kansas Texas (which Katy Industries had organized to purchase former CRI&P lines in Oklahoma and Texas). Both roads would be merged with Katy Industries as part of the UP-MKT merger. Final filing for the UP-MKT merger was on July 13, 1987, with hearings to begin on August 3, 1987. (Pacific RailNews, February 1987, page 5; CTC Board, August 1987, page 32)
The Katy Railroad Employees Association began making plans in January 1986 to purchase the MKT Railroad from Katy Industries if the UP-MKT merger failed. The Employees Association was opposed to the proposed UP-MKT merger but was unable to obtain financing. The Association was dissolved on 30 July 1987, because of both financing problems, and problems with the actual employee ownership plan.
May 16, 1988 — UP's control of MKT was approved by the ICC. Other railroads were given 60 days to file any appeals to the merger. Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad would be leased to the Missouri Pacific Railroad until all operations were combined, then MKT would be sold to MP. (The Mixed Train, April 1988, page 10; CTC Board, June 1988, page 12; The Mixed Train, June 1988, page 16; Pacific Rail News, August 1988, page 5; The Mixed Train, August 1988, page 4)
August 12, 1988 — Union Pacific was granted control of Missouri Kansas Texas. The final announced price was $110 million, to bring the 3,100-mile MKT system into UP's 21,500-mile system. (The Mixed Train, December 1988, page 9)
MKT was leased to UP-controlled Missouri Pacific until all of MKT's legal matters could be settled.
January 1, 1989 — All MKT and OKT employees were subject to UP rules. (Pacific Rail News, April 1989, page 10; The Mixed Train, July 1989, page 12)
November 30, 1989 — MKT subsidiaries, San Antonio Belt & Terminal, and the Oklahoma, Kansas, & Texas were merged with MKT. (MKT had organized the OK&T to purchase former CRI&P lines in Oklahoma and Texas.)
December 1, 1989 — MKT was merged into Missouri Pacific.
Omaha, Niobrara & Black Hills Railroad
- Incorporated in September 1879 to built agricultural branches for UP
- Construction began, 1879
- Operated by UP without lease or agreement, from Dec 1879 to June 1886
- Columbus to Norfolk (Norfolk Branch, 50.1 mi.), completed 1881 and 1886
- Oconee to Albion (Albion Branch, 33.7 mi.), completed July 1880
- Genoa to Cedar Rapids (part of Cedar Rapids Branch, 30.3 mi.), completed November 1884
- Merged with Omaha & Republican Valley Railway, 26 June 1886
Omaha & Republican Valley Railroad (later Railway)
- Incorporated in August 1876 to build agricultural branches for UP
- Construction began October 1877
- Operated by UP without lease or agreement, from January 1877 to October 1898
- Valley to Rising (part of Stromberg Branch), October 1877
- Rising to Stromberg (part of Stromberg Branch), December 1879
- Valpariso to Neb/Kan line (connection with M&BV), January 1880, April 1880, and January 1884
- Beatrice to Neb/Kan line (25.3 mi., connection with M&BV), January 1880
- Valpariso to Lincoln (21.2 mi.), April 1880
- Lincoln to Beatrice (38.2 mi.), January 1884
- Grand Island to St. Paul (part of Ord Branch, 22 mi.), May 1880
- St. Paul to North Loup (part of Ord Branch, 27 mi.), completed October 1882
- St. Paul to Loup City (Loup City Branch, 39 mi.), completed May 1886
- Final construction completed in May 1886
- Consolidated with Omaha, Niobrara & Black Hills Railroad in June 1886
- Consolidated with Marysville & Blue Valley Railroad in January 1887
- Sold to Union Pacific Railroad on 4 October 1898
Oregon Short Line Railroad
- Oregon Short Line Railroad (OSL) owned by Union Pacific Railroad as reorganization of Oregon Short Line & Utah Northern Railway
- Incorporated on 9 February 1897
- Montana Union sold to Northern Pacific in October 1898
- Took title to the following companies on 31 October 1910:
- Boise City Railway & Terminal Company
- Malad Valley Railroad
- Minidoka & Southwestern Railroad
- St. Anthony Railroad
- Salmon River Railroad
- Wyoming Western Railroad
- Yellowstone Park Railroad
- Acquired Idaho Northern Railway, January 1913
- Acquired the following railroads, August 1914:
- Central Idaho Railroad
- Salt Lake & Idaho Railroad
- Payette Valley Railroad
- Payette Valley Extension Railroad
The OSL Ry was incorporated under the general laws of the Territory of Wyoming on April 14, 1881, and by Act of Congress on August 2, 1882, it was made a railway corporation in the territories of Utah, Idaho, and Oregon. On July 11, 1881, construction of the OSL began with a ceremony at Granger, Wyoming. The last spike was driven at Huntington, Oregon, on November 25, 1884. (Stephen Dale, email, March 12, 2001)
Oregon Short Line & Utah Northern Railway
- Incorporated in July 1889 as a consolidation of:
- Oregon Short Line Railway
- Utah & Northern Railway
- Utah Central Railway
- Salt Lake & Western Railway
- Utah & Nevada Railway
- Ogden & Syracuse Railway
- Idaho Central Railway
- Nevada Pacific Railway
- Receiver appointed on October 13, 1893 (same as UP; additional receivers appointed for OSL&UN by other courts in other suits foreclosing on several separate mortgages, on November 3, 1893, November 22, 1893, and on September 4, 1894). Some sources show that a separate receiver was assigned to OSL&UN in either spring or summer 1895, but this is not correct. The ICC corporate histories do not support this; the financial fortunes of UP and OSL&UN were always very closely tied together.
- Re-organized as Oregon Short Line Railroad on February 23, 1897
Oregon Railway & Navigation Co.
- Organized in 1879 as a consolidation of several Oregon railroads and steam ship companies
- Connected with NP at Wallula, Wash., in September 1883
- Connected with OSL at Huntington, Ore., in November 1884
- Leased to UP in April 1887
- Joint lease of OR&N by UP and NP under negotiation from October 1887 to November 1889
- Half interest in OR&N sold to UP in November 1889 (other half owned by Henry Villard)
- Bankruptcy and receivership during 1890s, along with UP and NP
- Reorganized as Oregon Railroad & Navigation Co. in 1897
Oregon Railroad & Navigation Co.
- Organized in 1897 to take over bankrupt Oregon Railway & Navigation Co.
- Operated independently, but in joint interest of UP, NP, and GN
- Controlled by OSL from July 1899
- Portland to Seattle opened January 1910
- Reorganized as Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Co. in 1910
Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Co.
- Owned by OSL
- Organized in December 1910 as a consolidation of the following railroads
(incorporated in November 1910):
- Central Railroad of Oregon
- Columbia River & Oregon Central Railroad
- Columbia Southern Railway
- Idaho Northern Railroad
- Ilwaco Railroad (narrow gauge)
- Lake Creek & Coeur d'Alene Railroad
- Malhauer Valley Railway
- North Coast Railroad
- Northwestern Railroad
- Oregon & Washington Railroad (narrow gauge)
- Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company
- Oregon-Washington & Idaho Railroad
- Snake River Valley Railroad
- Spokane Union Depot
- Umatilla Central Railroad
Pacific Fruit Express Company
- Incorporated on 7 December 1906, owned jointly by UP and Southern Pacific Company.
Saratoga & Encampment Valley Railroad
- Incorporated in May 1928, owned by UP
- Absorbed by Union Pacific in 1951
St. Joseph & Grand Island Railway
- St. Joseph Terminal Railroad owned jointly with AT&SF.
- Owned 10 percent of St. Joseph Union Depot.
- St. Joseph & Denver City, incorporated in 1877
- St. Joseph & Western, incorporated in 1884
- St. Joseph & Grand Island Railroad, incorporated in 1897
- St. Joseph & Grand Island Railway owned by UP, incorporated on 23 February 1923, as successor to St. Joseph & Grand Island Railroad.
- Controlled by lease to UP, January 1936.
According to the Eastern District Condensed Profile dated January 1, 1981, from Marysville (mile post 148.07 on the Kansas Division mainline) to Hastings (mile post 261.84 on the Kansas Division mainline) was built in 1872 by St. Joseph & Denver City Railroad.
Endicott (mile post 180.56) to the CRI&P crossing at KC&O Jct (mile post 186.00) was completed also in 1872 by StJ&D.
St. Joseph & Denver City RR became St. Joseph & Western in 1884, then St. Joseph & Grand Island Railroad in 1897. StJ&GI RR became StJ&GI Ry in 1923, and UP controlled it by lease from 1936.
Completed to Fairbury, Neb., on March 15, 1872 and completed to Hastings in October. (from "First Steam West of The Big Muddy")
The St. Joseph & Grand Island Railway was the 107 mile line across northeastern Kansas, from St. Joseph, Mo., to Upland, Kan., near Marysville. After the January 1936 system consolidation, the line was operated by UP as the St. Joseph Branch, after UP gained control in 1897. (See Ehernberger and Gschwind's "Union Pacific Steam, Eastern District", p. 143.)
Sold by UP to Northeast Kansas & Missouri Railroad (NEKM), a subsidiary of Railtex. NEKM operations began on 26 February 1990. Sold back to UP in late 1998 to help relieve congestion on the Marysville Subdivision.
St. Louis Southwestern (SSW)
(See Southern Pacific)
Southern Pacific Transportation Co.
St. Louis Southwestern (SSW, Cotton Belt)
Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad
For information about Southern Pacific and D&RGW before they were controlled by UP in 1996, see the SP In Utah Chronology.
For general notes about SP's corporate history, see Notes on Southern Pacific Corporate History.
Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf Railway
UPD&G was under UP control between March 18, 1890, and October 13, 1893, when the UP went into receivership. A separate receiver was appointed for the UPD&G on December 18, 1893.
Controlled by UP from March 18, 1890 to October 13, 1893
Consolidation in March 1890 of 11 Colorado and Wyoming railroads:
- Canon de Agua Railroad
- Cheyenne and Northern Railway
- Chicosa Canon Railway
- Colorado Central Rail Road
- Colorado Central Rail Road (Wyoming)
- Denver and Middle Park Railroad
- Denver, Marshall and Boulder Railway
- Denver, Texas and Fort Worth Railroad
- Denver, Texas and Gulf Railroad
- Fort Worth & Denver City Railway
- Georgetown, Breckenridge and Leadville Railway
- Greeley, Salt Lake and Pacific Railway
- Road Canon Railroad
Sold under foreclosure on November 25, 1893.
Reorganized as Colorado and Southern on January 11, 1899. The Colorado and Southern Railway Company was chartered in Colorado on December 19, 1898. The C&S company became active on January 11, 1899, when the C&S acquired the Union Pacific, Denver and Gulf Railway Company and the Denver, Leadville and Gunnison Railway Company.
UP and the Texas Roads
Union Pacific Railway also controlled, as part of its control of UPD&G, what has been generically called "the Texas roads," meaning the railroads from Colorado and New Mexico south into Texas.
This control by UP was only between 1890 and 1893 and was never really formalized by a common operation plan, so are not covered here.
These roads, because they were subject to Texas corporation laws, had their own receiver from 1893 on, and were controlled by Colorado & Southern after its organization in 1898. C&S continued to control what would later be a consolidated Fort Worth & Denver Railway even after C&S itself was controlled by CB&Q (in 1908) and later BN (in 1970). In 1981 BN merged with C&S, and in 1982, BN merged with FW&D. The line of ownership between C&S and FW&D was at the New Mexico/Texas state line, at Sixela, N.M., and Texline, Texas.
(A great source for general corporate information is George Drury's "The Historical Guide to North American Railroads" published by Kalmbach.)
Union Pacific Rail Road
- Chartered by act of Congress in 1862
- Completed construction across Nebraska, Wyoming, and part of Utah in May 1869, connecting with Central Pacific Railway at Promontory, Utah
- Consolidated with Kansas Pacific Railway and Denver Pacific Railway & Telegraph Co., in January 1880 to form Union Pacific Railway.
The act of July 1, 1862, incorporating the Union Pacific Railroad Company, was formally accepted by the directors September 2, 1862, and acceptance filed in the Department of the Interior June 26, 1863. (Annual Report of the Commissioner of Railroads, For The Year Ending June 30, 1883)
By a joint resolution of April 10, 1869 (16 Stat., 56), it was provided that the common terminus of the Union and Central Pacific Railroads should be at or near Ogden, Utah, and that the Union Pacific Railroad Company should build, and the Central Pacific Company pay for and own, the road from Promontory Summit, 53 miles west from Ogden, from which place said roads should form one continuous line. (Annual Report of the Commissioner of Railroads, For The Year Ending June 30, 1883)
Union Pacific Railroad
- Incorporated on 1 July 1897.
- Successor to Union Pacific Railway.
- Topeka & Northwestern Railroad was absorbed on 24 May 1908.
- South Omaha & Western Railroad (the Lane Cutoff) was merged into UP on 30 June 1909.
- Union Pacific Railroad was forced to sell its Southern Pacific stock on 30 June 1913.
- Acquired control by lease of the following railroads on 1 January 1936:
- Oregon Short Line Railroad
- Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Co.
- Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad
Union Pacific Railway
- Consolidation on 24 January 1880 of:
- Union Pacific Railroad
- Kansas Pacific Railway
- Denver Pacific Railway & Telegraph Company
Utah Eastern Railroad
- Absorbed by UP in 1881.
Utah Parks Company
- Owned by LA&SL
Western Pacific Railway
Between January and March 1980, UP purchased 87 percent of the stock of Western Pacific Railway. Upon ICC approval of UP control of WP in October 1982, the remainder of WP's stock was sold to UP.
The board of directors for both Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific approved the prospective merger of the two roads in late April 1980.
September 15, 1980 — UP and WP applied to the ICC for control of WP by UP, and later merger with UP. (UP applied to control and merge MP on the same day.)
October 20, 1982 — The ICC approved UP's control and merger of WP.
December 22, 1982 — UP control and merger of WP was cleared by federal courts.
January 1, 1983 — UP control of Western Pacific Railway took effect.
June 15, 1987 — Western Pacific's two subsidiaries, Tidewater Southern and Sacramento Northern, were merged into WP.
June 17, 1987 — Western Pacific Railway was formally merged with Union Pacific Railroad.
Western Railroad Properties, Inc. (WRPI) — A separate page about C&NW's line into the coal fields of Wyoming's Powder River Basin.
Yakima Valley Transportation Company
- Owned by OSL
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