Union Pacific Model Trains

As the most acquisitive railroad of the 20th century, the Union Pacific gobbled up fallen flag after fallen flag, from the Southern Pacific to the Western Pacific to the MKT, known to railroadiana buffs as the Katy. Yet modelers do not consider those roads part of Union Pacific any more than their former employees do.

What model-train enthusiasts do go for are authentic UP locomotives and cars. For example, in the 1930s, Marx made tin train sets featuring a streamlined M-10000 series locomotive up front and a Squaw Bonnet caboose in the back. In the same decade, Lionel made its own O-gauge version of this signature prewar train, featuring the UP’s trademark Armour Yellow on the sides and Leaf Brown up top.

Other popular UP locomotives include ones with gas-turbine and diesel engines introduced after World War II. By then, brown had been replaced by gray, so the model trains made by Lionel, Kato, American Flyer, and others reflected the new color scheme. Brass trains of this vintage and earlier have also been produced, imported by companies such as Key, Overland, and Precision Scale.

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