UP 1995 the CNW Heritage Unit on UP's Chester Subdivision

Back in April of 2008, I was able to photograph Union Pacific's (UP) heritage locomotive, UP 1995. UP 1995 was leading train MNLAS-22, a manifest train from North Little Rock, Arkansas, to the Alton & Southern's Gateway Yard, in East St. Louis, Illinois. The train originated at North Little Rock on April 22, 2008, and arrived at Gateway Yard on April 23, 2008.

UP 1995 and UP 9419 lead train MNLAS-22, north of Fults, IL.

I first caught train MNLAS-22 just to the north of Fults, Illinois, as it rolled north on UP's Chester Subdivision. At the location of the photographs above and below the train was about halfway between Fults and Chalfin Bridge, Illinois. The Chester Subdivision runs from Dexter, Missouri, to East St. Louis, Illinois. In Illinois, the line runs across the flat farmland that lies to the east of the Mississippi River. In the photographs taken north of Fults, Illinois, the distance between the spot the photographs were taken to the river bluffs in the background, which are along the Mississippi River in Missouri, is about four to four and a half miles.

MNLAS-22 rolls north with the Buzzi Unicem plant at Fetus, MO., in the background. 

UP 1995 features a paint scheme that commemorates the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW). UP created six heritage locomotives. One for each of the railroads that UP acquired. The other five heritage locomotives are UP 1982 (Missouri Pacific), UP 1983 (Western Pacific), UP 1988 (The Katy), UP 1989 (Denver and Rio Grande), and UP 1996 (Southern Pacific). Each of the heritage locomotives' numbers represents the year the railroad became part of UP.

MNLAS-22 crosses Moredock Lake at Valmeyer, IL. The train is about 21 miles from its destination.

The C&NW was a sprawling midwestern railroad made up of a few main lines and lots of branch lines. It was considered a granger railroad, one that made a large amount of its income from hauling farm commodities, such as corn and wheat. It also served a large number of coal mines in Illinois and iron ore mines in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. And ran a commuter service in the Chicago, Illinois, area. The commuter lines are now run by Metra.

MNLAS-22 rolls north at BB Road at Columbia, IL., a few miles south of UP's Dupo Yard.

According to UP's website about its heritage fleet, the C&NW was the first railroad to connect with UP at Council Bluffs, Iowa. The C&NW provided a vital ink for UP to connect with Chicago from the west. The UP and C&NW also partnered to connect to the Power River Coal Basin in Wyoming. These two factors made C&NW a prime acquisition opportunity to UP.

UP 1995 and MNLAS-22 round the curve on the north end of UP's Dupo Yard, at Dupo, IL.

In 1995, UP gained control of C&NW, formally merging the railroad into itself. The merger gave UP full control of its route from Chicago to the West Coast, as well as full control of its share of access to the Power River Coal Basin (PRCB), where it competed against the Burlington Northern, and then later the BNSF Railway.

UP 1995 heading north on UP's Chester Subdivision at Dupo, IL.

Below, UP 1995 and train MNLAS-22 are nearing the end of their approximately 370-mile journey from North Little Rock, Arkansas, to the Alton & Southern's Gateway Yard. The train's journey took it through Central and Northeastern Arkansas, into Southeastern Missouri, and through Southern Illinois. From here, Gateway Yard is about two miles north at Valley Junction in East St. Louis, Illinois. There the train's rail cars will be reclassified into other trains before continuing on their journey.

UP 1995 and MNLAS-22 rolls through the Mildred Ave. crossing at Cahokia, IL.

Photographs taken on April 23, 2008.