UP 1988 - The Katy Heritage locomotive at St. Louis

UP 1988 leads a manifest train east on the Jefferson City Subdivision at Chouteau Avenue
UP 1988 leads a manifest train east on the Jefferson City Subdivision at Chouteau Avenue.

  Union Pacific (UP) 1988 is one of six heritage locomotives painted to commemorate the railroads that UP acquired over the years to create its present-day railroad. UP 1988 commemorates the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad (MKT), nicknamed The Katy. The Katy heritage locomotive's number, 1988, represents the year The Katy merged with the UP railroad.

Another shot of UP 1988 passing under Chouteau Avenue in St. Louis, MO.
Another shot of UP 1988 passing under Chouteau Avenue in St. Louis, MO.

 Per UP's website, The Katy Railroad served six states and had 3,377 miles of track. The railroad was formed in 1865 and was a major connection between the Midwest and Texas. 

UP 1988 sits west of Spring Ave. and Grand Interlocking, as a crewmember does a roll by inspection
UP 1988 sits west of Grand Interlocking at Spring Ave., as a crewmember does a roll by inspection.

  According to the Katy Railroad Historical Society, there were four eras of diesel locomotive paint schemes. The two middle era paint schemes used two distinct shades of red, which UP 1988's scheme blends together. The brighter red was known as Barriger red, and the darker red was known as Deramus red.

UP 1988 stopped west of Grand Interlocking on the Jefferson City Subdivision
UP 1988 stopped west of Grand Interlocking on the Jefferson City Subdivision.

  According to a history of the MKT on American-Rails.com, the Katy earned its nickname when it was controlled by Jay Gould. Gould, who owned the Missouri Pacific (MP) Railroad, made it a division of the MP. Under the MP it was known as the MK&T Division, later shortened to K&T Division. K&T lead to the nickname, The Katy. Eventually, Gould was forced to give up control of The Katy. However, both the MP and The Katy eventually became part of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1982 and 1988, respectively.

UP 1988 rolls by the cantilever signal bridge at Thereasa Ave, east of Grand Interlocking
UP 1988 rolls by the cantilever signal bridge at Thereasa Ave, east of Grand Interlocking.

  The Katy reached St. Louis, Missouri, from Sedalia, Missouri, following closely across the state along the Missouri River. Today, almost all of this part of The Katy is the Katy Trail, from Sedalia to St. Charles, Missouri.

Photographs taken on July 11, 2006, at St. Louis, Missouri.

Comments

  1. Love the paint scheme! I have a bit of a connection to the Katy as it used to run through part of our area and there is an old Katy bridge that is still used as a road bridge. The 3 letters of my car's license plate are MKT too. That part is easy to remember, I always forget the numbers. LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I never saw The Katy operate on their own tracks in the St. Louis area that I can remember. I do remember going out with my dad and seeing Katy trains run on the Union Pacific (UP). Before UP gained control of The Katy, The Katy gained trackage rights into St. Louis on the UP between Sedalia, MO., and St. Louis.

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