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7/3/2025
Union Pacific Railroad marked its 163rd birthday July 1 in Springfield, Illinois, the hometown of President Abraham Lincoln, who played a role in the Class I's founding.
UP conducted a celebration with the help of numerous dignitaries and its newest commemorative locomotive— the Lincoln Locomotive — that honors Lincoln’s role in laying the foundation for America’s freight-rail system. Lincoln signed the historic Pacific Railway Act on July 1, 1862, which authorized construction of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad network.
The Lincoln Locomotive, which serves as a traveling ambassador for UP, debuted April 30 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. It's color scheme is unique to Lincoln’s era and serves as a nod to another famed locomotive — No. 119 — that was one of two locomotives present at the 1869 Golden Spike ceremony in Promontory Summit, Utah, which marked the completion of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.
“Union Pacific is incredibly proud of our heritage, and we are honored to share this special locomotive in the hometown of the man who brought our railroad to life and unleashed economic prosperity,” said Liisa Stark, UP's vice president of public affairs, in a press release.