Does anyone have the exact date UP got it's hands on the WP? In my notes, I show December 22, 1982. Is this correct? I had an e-mail earlier today stating it was 1980. But that does not sound right in my memory. Boxcab E50 [ 29. August 2003, 23:22: Message edited by: BoxcabE50 ]
According to "Western Pacific Trackside with Bob Larson" gives the date as being December, 1982. This is a fabulous book and I highly recomend it. Mr. Larson worked in engine service for the WP from 1956 through the merger with the UP retiring in 1997. He carried a camera with him every day.
I wonder where that fellow got the 1980 date? I believe that may have been when the application was originally filed. But such a date is not the same as when any actual merger occured by court or ICC approval. Thanks for the confirmations! Boxcab E50
Frisco lost its independence in 1980- November 21, to be exact (despite the best efforts of MKT to derail the merger with BN). And of course, the Rock Island ceased operations altogether in March 1980. I have the book "Western Pacific Diesel Power", and except for the hi-nose GP20s, the models are available in HO scale to do a diesel-era "Wobbly".
Also in 1980, at 0001 hours on March 1, Milwaukee Road executives stupidly embargoed, then abandoned the most profitable portion of the railroad. Lines West. Thereby committing financial suicide. Instead of a planned for "core" system of about 6500 miles, they had to chop so much, they were left with about 3400 miles. What brilliance on public display! Oh well, at least the stockholders got rich. RR Enron was perfected. Boxcab E50
1980 – The Union Pacific, Missouri Pacific and Western Pacific railroads file merger applications with the Interstate Commerce Commission. Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific ceases operations. In the following years, many of its lines are sold to other railroads, including MP, SSW and MKT. SSW acquires the Rock Island "Tucumcari" line and gains access to Kansas City. The MKT subsidiary Oklahoma, Kansas & Texas is created by purchasing Herington, KS to Dallas, TX from CRI&P. 1982 – The UP-MP-WP merger is approved by ICC. As conditions of the merger, D&RGW gains trackage rights from Pueblo to Kansas City and SP gains trackage rights from Kansas City to St. Louis via MP. To UP, 22 Dec 1982.
And in August 1988 UP, through its subsidiary MP (still existed on paper at the time), absorbed the Katy. This was the last merger UP did that wasn't a major mess-up, IMHO (refer to CNW and SP mergers and subsequent traffic meltdowns)
Are you sure it’s gone? Just last week I saw a Western Pacific boxcar with WP reporting marks at Norfolk Southern’s Abrams Yard in King of Prussia, PA. As a matter of fact over the last month or so I have seen a Union Pacific boxcar with MP reporting marks, a Missouri Pacific gondola, and a bunch or Southern and Norfolk Southern boxcars with SOU reporting marks.
Tom, For a while, WP was a paper railroad. My pay check continued to say WP on it for three years or so after the merger. Yes you see the fallen flag railroads still out there, and even a few cars changing reporting marks. UP does this to help keep the books straight and for retirements of sorts. Also, UP wants to keep their copy rights to the railroads alive and in their domain, so you will see a few cars with the old emblems and new paint. UP didn't do like BN and BNSF, which was renumber everything and paint out the old RR's reporting marks. Greg Elems
Here is the last and final date. June 17, 1987: Western Pacific Railroad was formally merged into Union Pacific (On June 15, 1987, Western Pacific’s two subsidiaries, Tidewater Southern and Sacramento Northern , were merged into WP).
Thanks Jim. At that time, there was a not only a merger of the railroads, but the SN union members finally were added to our seniority roster. On old SN jobs, they retained their prior rights, but on the old WP they fell in behind everyone with a 1987 date. The TS had merged into the WP a long time before I even hired out in 1979. IIRC, it was the merger of SN and WP that allowed the UP to finish the merger and at that time my pay checks had UP on them. The SN people had fought against the merger since the day the UTU was formed and a few gave up their SN rights to become WP employees in about 1980. The SN had some real interesting political issues which caused some hard feelings among the SN employees. Greg Elems
