Union Pacific Railroad — Corporate Overview

Union Pacific Railroad Company (founded 1862, headquartered Omaha NE) is the largest Class I freight railroad in the United States, tracing its origins to the Pacific Railway Acts of 1862 and 1864 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad at Promontory Summit UT in 1869. Union Pacific’s modern system spans 23 western states through a series of 20th-century mergers, including Missouri Pacific (1982), Western Pacific (1982), Missouri-Kansas-Texas / Katy (1988), Chicago & North Western (1995), and Southern Pacific (1996).

Through the asbestos era, Union Pacific operated large mechanical shop complexes, roundhouses, diesel-service facilities, and freight yards at Omaha NE, North Platte NE (Bailey Yard, the world’s largest classification yard), Cheyenne WY, Ogden UT, Pocatello ID, Salt Lake City UT, Roseville CA, Los Angeles CA, Fort Worth TX, Kansas City MO, and dozens of intermediate roundhouse and locomotive-service points.

Documented ACM Footprint

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) that Union Pacific Railroad — and its predecessor and merged carriers — exposed the railroad workforce to asbestos through the following documented pathways:

  • Steam locomotive era: allegedly asbestos block boiler lagging, asbestos-cement smokebox insulation, and asbestos rope firebox packing (through 1950s dieselization)
  • Diesel-electric locomotive era: allegedly asbestos-fabric traction motor winding insulation, asbestos arc chute plates in traction control cabinets, and asbestos exhaust manifold gaskets (Alco 251, EMD 645, GE turbocharger)
  • Passenger car: allegedly asbestos-cement body insulation panels, asbestos-fabric heating duct lagging, and Vapor Clarkson steam generators (City of Los Angeles, City of Portland, City of San Francisco streamliners)
  • Freight car: allegedly asbestos brake shoe friction with WABCO / New York Air Brake / Symington-Gould brake components
  • Roundhouse / shop: allegedly asbestos pipe covering on shop steam mains, asbestos-fabric arc chute plates in shop switchgear, and asbestos-block bay lagging in Omaha, North Platte, Cheyenne, and Pocatello shop complexes
  • FELA note: Railroad workers may pursue Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) claims for occupational asbestos exposure — a broader remedy than state workers’ compensation.

Workers Allegedly Exposed

  • Locomotive machinists, boilermakers, pipefitters, and electricians at Omaha, North Platte Bailey Yard, Cheyenne, Pocatello, and Roseville shops
  • Diesel-service and roundhouse workers servicing EMD, GE, and Alco locomotives
  • Railroad car repairmen (carmen) replacing asbestos brake shoes at UP freight yards
  • Locomotive engineers, firemen, conductors, brakemen, and yard switchmen on Union Pacific trains
  • Shop electricians (IBEW) working on asbestos arc chutes in traction control cabinets and yard switchgear
  • Insulators (HFIAW) applying and stripping asbestos pipe covering on shop steam distribution

If You Worked for Union Pacific Railroad

If you or a family member worked for the Union Pacific Railroad — or any of its predecessor or merged carriers (Missouri Pacific, Western Pacific, Katy, Chicago & North Western, Southern Pacific) — at any yard, shop, roundhouse, or locomotive-service facility during the asbestos era and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have legal rights under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) — a broader remedy for railroad workers than state workers’ compensation.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

Plants by State

Union Pacific Railroad operated shops, yards, roundhouses, and locomotive-service facilities across multiple U.S. states. Detailed premises information is available on the following state jobsite pages: