Uncle Pete Is 150!!!

No, not my Uncle Pete.

"Uncle Pete" is a nickname coined by railfans for the Union Pacific railroad, which celebrated its' 150th birthday on May 10.  Chartered {along with the Central Pacific} by none other than Abraham Lincoln in 1862, it is one of the longest-surviving American businesses still in existence under its' original name, and still conducting the same business it was created for.


The UP and the CP {which later became the Southern Pacific railroad, and still later merged into the UP} were the original "transcontinental railroad," and as such literally opened up the western 2/3's of the United States for settling and development.  Once completed, it was possible to ship goods from the East coast all the way to California in just under two weeks - rocket-like speed, in 1869!  Over the course of its' first fifty years, Uncle Pete grew from a humble single-tracked wilderness road into a robust, multi-tracked transportation path, and also "tamed" an awful lot of Western real estate.


By the 1930's, Uncle Pete came to symbolize the American Spirit itself; there was no mountain tall enough, or river deep enough, or challenge difficult enough to thwart its' forward progress.  The UP had the three largest classes of railroad locomotives ever manufactured; the famous Big Boy steamers, the 8500 horsepower "Big Blow" gas-turbines, and the 6600 horsepower Centennial diesels.  Each could move trains of enormous size fast, and each did much to contribute to the UP's excellent bottom line during their service lives.


Uncle Pete pioneered the concept of streamlined passenger trains with the M10000 {pictured above} in 1934, and concurrently, the use of diesel locomotives in high-speed, mainline service.  It was an early advocate of automation, as well as constantly improving its' basic services.  But most of all, the UP was {and still is} a firm believer of the notion that railroads are THE ultimate freight transport-mode.  True, today's UP is a diversified holding company, but the railroad remains its' central component, and largest money-making endeavor.


No other American transport company can boast of a lineage that spans a timeline from Civil War origins to the Space Shuttle and beyond; and no other American transport company was so instrumental in opening up - often even creating - opportunities for commerce.  Any kind of bonanza you could imagine, from gold to wheat, to oil and lumber, and just about everything in between - Uncle Pete was always there to ensure swift and efficient transport.  In the latter half of the 20th century, UP continued growing into the colossus it is today, outlasting each and every one of its' competitors, and accommodating new competition.  It continued to open up and create commerce opportunities, this time on an international scale, what with the freight-container revolution of the 1980's and '90's.


Like any business, Uncle Pete has had his share of corporate shenanigans; everything from anti-trust and rail-baron lawsuits, to a couple World Wars, to destructive sabotage and cruel bouts with Mother Nature.  Through it all though, the trains kept a-rollin', and the profits kept a-flowin'.  Is it any wonder that the red-white-and-blue Shield is as familiar an American icon as the Golden Arches, the Coca-Cola script, or the IBM logo?  


But the best fact of all is that Uncle Pete became a success story with virtually NO assistance from the Federal Government, save for its' original charter.  No bailouts.  No tax-breaks.  Not one bloody dime of Federal money - 100% private funds built the UP, and 100% private funds continue to run it to this day, unlike both the Interstate highway system, and every airport large or small which are heavily if not totally Government-subsidized.  In short, the Union Pacific - like any other railroad in the US - is THE great American Success Story.  There will be nothing else like it in my lifetime, but I'd dearly like to see the beginnings of other true American Success Stories before I go; there's been way too much emphasis on big-business scandal and failure in the last 25 years, IMHO.


For now though, I'll quietly rejoice every time I see the good old Armour Yellow, and Harbor Mist Gray {and of course that lovely tri-color Shield}.  Uncle Pete still puts on a magnificent transport-show, and our nation is the better for it.  Long may the UP endure!!!!