This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
2/18/2025
Union Pacific Railroad (UP) yesterday announced a commemorative locomotive honoring President Abraham Lincoln, who signed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862.
The Lincoln locomotive will be unveiled at a celebration in spring. It is being painted by UP employees, and the design is a nod to locomotive No. 119, one of the two locomotives present at Promontory Summit, Utah, at the completion of the first transcontinental railroad.
The locomotive, engine No. 1616, is the second presidential locomotive in UP’s heritage fleet, joining No. 4141, which was created to honor President George H.W. Bush and led his funeral train procession. The UP heritage fleet consists of modern, specially painted commemorative locomotives, such as No. 1616 and No. 4141, old UP locomotives built for the streamliner and domeliner passenger trains, and original UP steam locomotives.
“President Lincoln wanted to unite the nation, and through his actions, railroads were a catalyst for national growth, representing major advances in innovation and technology,” UP CEO Jim Vena said in a press release. “We’re proud to be part of an industry that is still a major part of the central nervous system of the North American economy and continues to provide innovative solutions that unleash economic innovation.”