During the twentieth century, the
Union Pacific Railroad gained worldwide renown for the development and
operation of high output locomotives powered by steam, gas-electric, and
the internal combustion engine. What is less commonly known is that the
railroad embraced the internal combustion engine shortly after the turn
of the century—just 36 years after the driving of the Golden Spike—in
the form of the gasoline-powered passenger motor car. Although
overshadowed by later advancements, the passenger motor car, of which
many design elements would later be adapted to the railroad’s famous
Streamliners, were the inaugural application of internal combustion
technology on the Union Pacific.
The culmination of decades of research, this
liberally-illustrated volume seeks to tell the definitive story of these
unique entries to Union Pacific’s nationwide fleet.
