2017 Archive
Safety 12052017
How America's Top Railroad Learns to Fly
We've all seen them – those miniature helicopters flying over back yards, ball parks and playgrounds. For most people, drones are little more than a high-tech toy waiting to be unwrapped under the Christmas tree.
Innovation 11212017
New Rail Shuttle Facility Helps Feed a Nation
Missouri grain farmers know as well as anyone that time is money; and now thanks to a new facility near Hamilton, Missouri, those farmers are saving plenty of both.
Heritage 10272017
Locomotive Honors, Remembers Those Who Served
The design of Union Pacific's heritage locomotive goes back to the 1940s, but its inspiration came about a year ago.
Innovation 09292017
Wind Rides on the Back of Union Pacific Trains
Drive down an interstate in Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma, California or Kansas, and you’re bound to spot them – giant wind turbines lined up like soldiers in perfect rows.
Community 09202017
Railroader Breaks Glass Ceiling, Balances Career and Family
It’s the first day at a new job, and the unisex bathroom door doesn’t properly shut. Tami Johnsen did what any good leader would do: she drove to a nearby hardware store, bought a new locking door knob and fixed the problem. Two decades later, Johnsen, Union Pacific’s general superintendent of the Harriman Dispatching Center, still tackles new challenges head on.
Community 09052017
Technology, Teamwork Shine During Deval Diamond Project
The replacement of the aging five-track Deval diamond, located in Chicago's northwest suburbs, is improving commuter and freight transit times.
Heritage 08252017
Steam Update: Refurbishing an Articulated Locomotive Requires Plenty of Flexibility
With the 2017 steam season now completed, the UP Steam Team, which operated No. 844 during three week-long trips this summer, can now give its full attention to the restoration of the Big Boy No. 4014.
Safety 08172017
Cross or Don't Cross: The Decision Could Save Your Life
About every three hours, a person or vehicle is hit by a train, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Last year, more than 2,000 people chose not to wait for a train, and about 265 paid the ultimate price – their lives. Still, every day, motorists choose to take risks at railroad crossings.
Innovation 07262017
New Shipper Gives Trans-Pacific Intermodal Market, West Coast Ports a Boost
A new international ocean carrier recently entered the trans-Pacific trade, a mature industry filled with veteran shippers.
Safety 06282017
Heavy Metal No Match for New Tech Harnessing Steel Vibrations
What do rock ‘n’ roll and bridge inspectors have in common? Just as the strings’ vibrations tell a guitarist his instrument is properly tuned and ready to jam, the same kind of vibration or movement can give an engineer insight into a bridge’s durability. It’s called “smart monitoring” and it has the potential to revolutionize how the nation’s more than 614,000 bridges are inspected.
Community 06212017
Skilled Labor a Critical Option for Millennial Workforce
When Nick Peterson talks about welding, his eyes light up. "A lot of people see welding as just fusing metal together," he said. "I don't. You have to have that little touch to make it look great. It brings out my creative side."
Innovation 06072017
From Napkin to Prototype: 3-D Printing Revolutionizes Railroading
While NASA is finding ways to use 3-D printing to provide necessities for colonizing Mars, Union Pacific is applying the same technology to make locomotive operations safer and more efficient.
Heritage 05312017
Steam Update: Forging Ahead with Big Boy's Restoration
Some exciting news about the Big Boy No. 4014 restoration: the UP Steam Team recently received several 1,000-pound forgings.
Heritage 05052017
Move Over, Sir: Women Working on the Railroad
Google “female trailblazers” and dozens of names come up: Marie Currie, Harriet Tubman, Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, Sandra Day O’Connor and the list goes on. But two names are noticeably absent – Bonnie Leake and Edwina Justus – women who stepped into a man’s world to become Union Pacific’s first female and first black female locomotive engineer, respectively.
Innovation 04282017
All You Can Eat Shrimp, But Don’t Forget to Tip Your Locomotive Engineer
Americans love shrimp. The fascination with prawn even extends to pop culture – think Bubba’s long list of shrimp options in "Forrest Gump" or Jim Carrey’s famous "Dumb and Dumber" line, “Put another shrimp on the barbie.” But to enjoy these delicacies on dinner tables nationwide, shrimp producers need a logistics plan. For decades, shrimp arrived at ports and was trucked to destination; however, an experiment with frozen shrimp in the middle of the desert is providing a new opportunity.
Community 04112017
CAREEROCKIT Launches Next Generation of Innovators
How do we get children excited about entering the workforce? The answer isn’t in a textbook, and it’s not often in a classroom. It’s with hands-on activities and opportunities to experience a taste of what their future may hold. With that in mind, the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce recently held CAREEROCKIT, a weeklong program aimed at providing 10,000 student experiences, half tech-related, to launch future careers.
Innovation 04042017
Business Over the Border: NAFTA's Role in Balancing Economies
As a new administration ponders changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), one important fact cannot be overlooked: millions of American jobs depend on trade occurring along the U.S./Mexican border – the fourth largest economy in the world.
Heritage 03162017
Steam Update: No. 844 Readies for 2017 Excursions
The scream of its whistle and the vibrations felt as it chugs down the tracks are unmistakable. This year, Union Pacific’s “Living Legend” steam locomotive No. 844 will return to the rails for three excursions.
Heritage 02012017
Steam Update: With Disassembly Complete, Big Boy Fabrication Underway
Work on restoring Union Pacific's Big Boy, locomotive No. 4014, has been progressing at a fast and furious pace. The Union Pacific Steam Team began stripping the locomotive in early November, completing the disassembly process in January. Once additional parts are fabricated, No. 4014 will be ready for reassembly.
Community 01112017
Chicago: Balancing Freight and Commuters at the World's Busiest Terminal
In the pre-dawn drizzle of an early fall day, commuters in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb just north of Chicago, watch an inbound Metra train pull into the station at precisely 6:13 a.m. They line up where they know doors will most likely open and sort themselves out, some heading to the upper deck for the tree-top view.