Western Pacific Railroad
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standard gauge |
The Western Pacific Railroad (
In 1982, the Western Pacific was acquired by the Union Pacific Corporation and it was soon merged into the Union Pacific Railroad.[1]
History
The original Western Pacific Railroad (1862–1870) was established in 1862 to build the westernmost portion of the first transcontinental railroad, between Sacramento and San Jose, California (later to Oakland). After completing the last link from Sacramento to Oakland, this company was absorbed into the Central Pacific Railroad in 1870.
The second company to use the "western pacific" appellation was the Western Pacific Railway Company, founded in 1903. Under the direction of
The original line used
In 1931 Western Pacific opened a main line north from the
Western Pacific (WP) operated the California Zephyr
After the Union Pacific Corporation purchased the Western Pacific in 1982, the WP became part of a combined Union Pacific rail system: the Union Pacific Railroad, the
Passenger operations
The California Zephyr was the famous Western Pacific passenger train but the railroad had a few others:
- Exposition Flyer (Chicago to Oakland in conjunction with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, 1939 to 1949; named after the Golden Gate International Exposition of 1939 and 1940)
- Royal Gorge (between Oakland and Denver via Pueblo)
- Scenic Limited (between Oakland and Denver via Pueblo)
- Zephyrette (between Oakland and Salt Lake City)
Many special charter passenger trains have used parts of the WP route:
- Feather River Express (between Oakland and Portola, California), a special charter train for Portola Railroad Days
- Northern California Explorer (Emeryville, Oroville, Keddie, Westwood, Klamath Falls, Black Butte, Chico, Sacramento, Emeryville)
Executives
There were twelve presidents of the railroad:[5]
- Walter J. Bartnett (March 3, 1903 to June 23, 1905)
- Edward T. Jeffery (June 23, 1905 to November 6, 1913)
- Benjamin F. Bush (November 6, 1913 to March 4, 1915)
- Charles M. Levey (July 14, 1916 to March 30, 1927)
- Harry M. Adams (March 30, 1927 to December 31, 1931)
- Charles Elsey (January 1, 1932 to December 31, 1948)
- Harry A. Mitchell (January 1, 1949 to July 1, 1949)
- Frederic B. Whitman (July 1, 1949 to June 30, 1965)
- Myron M. Christy (June 30, 1965 to November 30, 1970)
- Alfred E. Perlman (December 1, 1970 to December 31, 1972)
- Robert G. "Mike" Flannery (January 1, 1973 to June 9, 1982)
- Robert C. Marquis (June 9, 1982 to January 11, 1983)
Gallery
-
Western Pacific map of California in 1931
-
Western Pacific map of Nevada in 1931
-
Western Pacific map of Utah in 1931
See also
- Hercules – A steam-powered tugboat previously owned by the Western Pacific
- Western Pacific Railroad Museum
- Western Refrigerator Line – Subsidiary of the Western Pacific
References
- ^ a b Holsendolph, Ernest (September 14, 1982). "3 Railroads Given Approval by I.C.C. to Merge in West". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ^ "Rehabilitating a Railroad to Meet Present-day conditions". Railway Age. 109: 309. August 31, 1940. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ DeNevi, Don (1978). The Western Pacific. Superior Publishing. p. 76.
- ^ "No. 1983 - Western Pacific Heritage Locomotive". Union Pacific Railroad. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ^ "Presidents of Western Pacific" (PDF). Mileposts. Western Pacific Railway and Railroad. March 1983. p. 10. Retrieved August 4, 2023.