Union Pacific Railroad Paint Information
Reference / Historic Railroad Paint Color Index / Union Pacific Railroad Paint Information
Locomotives
1891
General Master Mechanic Middleton issued "stringent orders" forbidding engine stacks from being painted red. Red stacks were not a railroad standard but were a very popular practice among engineers, so it is not known which Union Pacific locomotives had red stacks and for how long.
Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 23 January 1891
Freight Cars
1883
Union Pacific specifies a light green color (Pantone 617C) for refrigerator cars of all types and patents with a darker green fascia (Pantone 392) and mineral red (Pantone 483C) roofs, underframe and trucks. Lettering in black. This paint scheme would have applied to all of Union Pacific's subsidiary railroads, including the Denver South Park & Pacific.
Sherwin-Williams Union Pacific Paint Catalog, collection of Randy Hees
See also C&SNG Discussion Forum
1893
Rawlins Red paint is the standard freight car color.
Alliance-Independent (Lincoln, Nebraska), 13 July 1893.
1896
Iron and other metal parts on rolling stock painted with Hanion Brothers & Co. "Antoxide" paint (black).
Railroad Car Journal August 1896
Cabooses
1887
A majority of the Union Pacific cabooses have donned a bright yellow coat. The remainder will be given a similar coat as soon as possible.
Cheyenne Daily Leader, September 24, 1887.
1901
The work of painting cabooses the standard color of red is progressing rapidly and many cabooses are now seen on the road of this color
Cheyenne Daily Leader Wednesday, October 30, 1901.
Passenger Equipment
1868
First and Second Class passenger cars and the paymaster's car are painted a wine color.
The Gold Hill Daily News (Gold Hill, NV), 22 January 1868.
1870
Passenger cars painted "Quaker Drab."
Railroad Gazette, 22 October 1870, pg. 73.
1894
Passenger coaches painted light yellow.
1895
Passenger cars repainted to Van Dyke Brown.
The Kansas City Journal (Kansas City, MO), 28 October 1895
"First Car Finished," The Salt Lake Tribune, 5 May 1899"
Buildings
1881
The Ogden Utah depot (shared with the Central Pacific) introduced time boards to be placed on the platforms next to each train indicating when it would depart. These were painted red with yellow lettering.
Ogden Herald, 14 July 1881
The recently completed Union Pacific (Echo & Park City Railway) depot in Park City Utah was painted Lead color.
Salt Lake Herald-Republican, 3 March 1881
1889
Western Union Company replaced the two pole lines on Union Pacific right-of-way between Omaha and Ogden with a single pole line. The poles were painted white.
Salt Lake Herald-Republican, 19 March 1883.
1891
The interior of the Logan, Utah depot was finished in oiled natural wood. The roof was painted mineral brown.
Salt Lake Herald-Republican, 13 March 1891
Reference / Historic Railroad Paint Color Index / Union Pacific Railroad Paint Information