Union Pacific Railroad Omaha Shops Facility
Encyclopedia
The Union Pacific Railroad Omaha Shops Facility was a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) shop for the train
s of the Union Pacific located at North 9th and Webster in Downtown Omaha
. With the first locomotive
s arriving in 1865, it took until the 1950s for the facility to become the major overhaul and maintenance facility for the railroad. This lasted until 1988 when UP moved most of the operations out-of-state. Demolition began soon afterwards.
in 1865. The Great Flood of 1881
covered the entire facility with dirt, and later sand pumped from the Missouri River
bed. In 1903 William R. McKeen, Jr.
invented the track motorcar there, later forming the McKeen Motor Car Company
on the site at the insistence of UP head E. H. Harriman
.
asked the Union Pacific and several other properties on the Omaha Riverfront about voluntarily cleaning up their properties, as part of a greater riverfront revitalization effort. The Environmental Protection Agency
issued an
Administrative Order on Consent to the UP in 2000, which required the railroad to investigate and
clean up releases of hazardous wastes on the site. The Union Pacific facility then entered the Nebraska Voluntary Cleanup Program, effectively closing the facility forever.
Today the site is the location of Qwest Center Omaha
.
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
s of the Union Pacific located at North 9th and Webster in Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The boundaries are 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline...
. With the first locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s arriving in 1865, it took until the 1950s for the facility to become the major overhaul and maintenance facility for the railroad. This lasted until 1988 when UP moved most of the operations out-of-state. Demolition began soon afterwards.
About
The shops were equipped for the complete overhaul and repair of all railroad equipment. The General Sherman, also known as Engine Number 1, arrived from St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in 1865. The Great Flood of 1881
Great Flood of 1881
The Great Flood of 1881 refers to flooding events on the Missouri River during the spring of 1881. The flood struck Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa between April 1, 1881 and April 27, 1881...
covered the entire facility with dirt, and later sand pumped from the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
bed. In 1903 William R. McKeen, Jr.
William R. McKeen, Jr.
William R. McKeen, Jr. was the inventor of the track motorcar. While serving as the superintendent of motive power and machinery for the Union Pacific he developed the McKeen railmotor, later launching the McKeen Motor Car Company at the insistence of UP head E.H. Harriman. His company was located...
invented the track motorcar there, later forming the McKeen Motor Car Company
McKeen Motor Car Company
The McKeen Motor Car Company of Omaha, Nebraska was a builder of internal combustion-engined railroad motor cars , constructing 152 between 1905–1917....
on the site at the insistence of UP head E. H. Harriman
E. H. Harriman
Edward Henry Harriman was an American railroad executive.-Early years:Harriman was born in Hempstead, New York, the son of Orlando Harriman, an Episcopal clergyman, and Cornelia Neilson...
.
Closure
In 1994 the City of OmahaGovernment of Omaha
The government of the City of Omaha, Nebraska consists of the Mayor of Omaha, the Omaha City Council and various departments of the City of Omaha, which in located in Douglas County, Nebraska. The city of Omaha was founded in 1854 and incorporated in 1857....
asked the Union Pacific and several other properties on the Omaha Riverfront about voluntarily cleaning up their properties, as part of a greater riverfront revitalization effort. The Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
issued an
Administrative Order on Consent to the UP in 2000, which required the railroad to investigate and
clean up releases of hazardous wastes on the site. The Union Pacific facility then entered the Nebraska Voluntary Cleanup Program, effectively closing the facility forever.
Today the site is the location of Qwest Center Omaha
Qwest Center Omaha
CenturyLink Center is an arena and convention center facility in the North Downtown neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. The 1.1 million ft² facility has an 18,300-seat arena, a 194,000-ft² exhibition hall and 62,000 ft² of meeting space....
.