I originally posted this on my old website as part of the PORTLAND PLACES: Portland Union Station page on May 21, 2008.
Union Pacific #3985 at Albina Yard on September 26, 1995
Union Pacific's articulated 4-6-6-4 Challenger steam locomotive #3985 came to Portland, Oregon, on September 26, 1995. Its cars were left at Union Station while it was serviced and displayed across the river at Albina Yard. Many of these cars would have visited Union Station many times while in regular passenger service with the Union Pacific prior to Amtrak's creation in 1971.
Union Pacific #5486, City of Salina, at Portland Union Station
Union Pacific 44-Seat Coach #5486, City of Salina, was built by American Car & Foundry in 1954. It has remained in Union Pacific service ever since. It was given the name Challenger in 1989, after Union Pacific's all-coach Challenger train that ran between Omaha, Nebraska and Los Angeles, California from May 1936 to April 1971, and was renamed City of Salina in 1992, after Union Pacific's first streamliner and America's first high-speed, internal-combustion passenger train, which operated between Kansas City, Topeka and Salina, Kansas from January 1935 to December 1941.
Union Pacific #5468, Katy Flyer, at Portland Union Station
Union Pacific 44-Seat Coach #5468, Katy Flyer, was built by American Car & Foundry in 1954. It has remained in Union Pacific service ever since. It was given the name Columbine in 1989 after the Union Pacific train that ran between Omaha, Nebraska and Denver, Colorado from 1929 to 1950, then renamed City of San Francisco in 1992 after the jointly operated Union Pacific/Southern Pacific/Chicago & North Western streamliner that ran between Chicago and Oakland, California from June 1936 to April 1971. In 1993 it was renamed Katy Flyer, after the Missouri-Kansas-Texas train that ran between St. Louis, Missouri and Galveston, Texas from 1896 to 1961.
Union Pacific #7011, Missouri River Eagle, at Union Station
Union Pacific Dome Dining Car #7011, Missouri River Eagle, was originally built by Pullman-Standard in November 1958 as Dome Coach #7012. It was part of Pullman-Standard's last group of dome cars: five for Union Pacific's City of St. Louis (including #7015 shown below) and one of the same design for the Wabash railroad. In June 1972, the car was sold to AutoTrain for use between Virginia and Florida, becoming AutoTrain #708. After AutoTrain shut down in April 1981, the car was sold to the James E. Strates Shows circus in December 1981, later to Kasten Rail Car in 1984 and eventually to the Hartwell Lowe Corporation of Yucca Valley, California as HLCX #1898, Marion Mattison. In 1988, the car was sold to Scenic Rail Tours and was rebuilt by Northern Rail Car into Dome Dining Car #7011, Mountain View, in 1989. Scenic Rail Tours was bought out by Transcisco Tours in October 1990, and the car was renamed Emerald Bay. Transcisco Tours went bankrupt and the car was returned to Northern Rail Car in August 1991, who immediately leased it to the Kalamazoo, Lake Shore & Chicago for Michigan Wine Country Dinner Train service. In May 1993, Northern Rail Car sold the car to Union Pacific and it became #7011 and was named Missouri River Eagle after the Missouri Pacific Railroad's first, and last operating, diesel-powered streamliner, which operated from St. Louis to Omaha from March 1940 to September 1965, when the route was cut back from Omaha to Kansas City. Service on the shorter route continued until April 1971.
Union Pacific did originally own a Dome Coach of this design with the number 7011. That car is currently in Mexico. This car was originally #7012.
Union Pacific #208 at Portland Union Station
Union Pacific Power Car #208 was originally built by American Car & Foundry in 1949 as Baggage-Dormitory #6006. In 1962, it was one of five such cars Union Pacific remodeled into Boiler-Dormitory-Baggage cars to provide additional heating capabilities in extremely long passenger trains and renumbered to #303. In 1987 it was assigned to the steam program as #209. In 1991, the car was equipped with a diesel generator to supply Hotel Electric Power (HEP) to other cars. This car has the unusual configuration of a four-axle truck on one end and a six-axle truck on the other.
Union Pacific #7015, Challenger, at Portland Union Station
Union Pacific Dome Coach #7015, Challenger, was built by Pullman-Standard in November 1958 as part of Pullman-Standard's last group of dome cars: five for Union Pacific's City of St. Louis and one of the same design for the Wabash railroad. This was the last of the Union Pacific cars, and was originally assigned to service on the City of St. Louis, a train operated jointly with the Wabash (the one car built for Wabash was also assigned to this service). In June 1972, the car was sold to AutoTrain for use between Virginia and Florida, becoming AutoTrain #702. (It is rumored that before being sold to AutoTrain, it was accidentally shipped to Alaska with a group of cars that had been purchased by the Alaska Railroad, and had to be sent back, but this has not been verified) After AutoTrain shut down in April 1981, the car was sold to A. J. Daniels of Tulsa, Oklahoma in December 1981, and was subsequently sold to Kansas City Southern via Mid-America Car Company in 1982. The car was assigned KCS #22 and was intended for use on a revived Southern Belle passenger train that was aborted. The car remained in storage in AutoTrain paint at Mid-America Car Co. in Kansas City until being re-purchased by Union Pacific via Northern Rail Car in October 1990. After being refurbished, the car was given the name Challenger, after Union Pacific's all-coach Challenger train that ran between Omaha, Nebraska and Los Angeles, California from May 1936 to April 1971.
Union Pacific #8008, City of Portland, at Portland Union Station
Union Pacific Dome Dining Car #8008, City of Portland, was built by American Car & Foundry in May 1955 for use on the City of Portland. In June 1972, the car was sold to AutoTrain for use between Virginia and Florida, becoming AutoTrain #807. After AutoTrain shut down in April 1981, the car was sold to A. J. Daniels of Tulsa, Oklahoma in December 1981, and was subsequently sold to Kansas City Southern via Mid-America Car Company in 1982. The car was assigned KCS #19 and was intended for use on a revived Southern Belle passenger train that was aborted. The car remained in storage in AutoTrain paint at Mid-America Car Co. in Kansas City until being re-purchased by Union Pacific via Northern Rail Car in October 1990. After being refurbished, the car was given the name City of Portland, after the jointly operated Union Pacific/Chicago & North Western streamliner that ran between Chicago and Portland, Oregon from June 1935 to April 1971.
Chicago & North Western #421, Powder River, at Union Station
Chicago& North Western Full Dome #421, Powder River, was built by Pullman-Standard in 1952 as Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific #53. It was sold to Canadian National in 1965, becoming #2401, Athabasca, and was later transferred to VIA Rail, remaining in service in Canada until 1982 as #2701. After going through a series of owners, it was purchased by the C&NW in 1985. Union Pacific acquired the car when it absorbed the C&NW in 1995. This was one of the few excursions it was used on before UP sold it to the North Carolina Department of Transportation in 1996. The Friends of the 261 purchased the car from NCDOT in 2005 and restored it to Milwaukee Road colors.
Union Pacific #9009, City of San Francisco, at Union Station
Union Pacific Dome Lounge Observation #9009, City of San Francisco, was built by American Car & Foundry in April 1955 for use on the City of Portland. The car was sold to AutoTrain in May, 1972 for use between Virginia and Florida, becoming AutoTrain #908. After AutoTrain shut down in April 1981, the car was sold in December but was never paid for. It moved through several owners seeing little use until becoming Scenic Rail Dining's Rivers Edge in 1987 and being used in dinner train service. It became Transcisco Tours' Zephyr Cove in 1991 and was used on the Kalamazoo, Lake Shore & Chicago's Wine County Dinner Train. Union Pacific re-purchased the car in May of 1993. After being refurbished, the car was given the name City of San Francisco, after the jointly operated Union Pacific/Southern Pacific/Chicago& North Western streamliner that ran between Chicago and Oakland, California from June 1936 to April 1971. Incidentally, due to clearances on the Southern Pacific portion, Union Pacific's dome cars were not used on the City of San Francisco.
Chicago & North Western #420, Fox River, at Union Station
Chicago& North Western Inspection Car #420, Fox River, was built by Pullman-Standard in 1954 as Canadian National Sleeper-Lounge Car #1087, Cape Breton. It was later transferred to VIA Rail and remained in service in Canada until 1983, when it was sold to Rail Travel Associates. It was sold to Milwaukee Rail Car in 1984, and was rebuilt into C&NW Inspection Car Fox River in 1985.
Chicago & North Western #420, Fox River, at Union Station
Union Pacific acquired the car when it absorbed the C&NW in 1995. Union Pacific had the car remodeled in 1997 and painted in UP colors and still uses it today.
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