HomeMy WebLinkAboutRR-Right3Union Pacific Railroad Honors President Bush 41 With Custom-Painted Locomotive, 2005
On Nov. 7, 2005, near the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum on Texas A&M University campus in College Station, Texas, Union Pacific honored
President George Herbert Walker Bush with a custom-painted locomotive. The gift served as a prelude to the grand opening of “Trains: Tracks of the Iron Horse,”
a Bush Library and Museum exhibit on the history of the railroad industry. Incorporating colors and elements of the Air Force One aircraft used during President
Bush’s term as 41st president of the United States, the special Union Pacific locomotive bears the number 4141.
“When we set out to design the Bush Library and Museum, I did not want it to be about just one person - rather, we wanted to touch a broader cross-section
of American life, encompassing an eventful period of our history,” President Bush said. “The ‘Tracks of the Iron Horse’ and the unveiling of UP 4141 is the latest
example of our commitment to attracting the most unique, educational, and entertaining exhibits we can - and I am deeply grateful to Dick Davidson and Union
Pacific for their friendship and support. If we had the UP 4141 back when I was still in Office, I might have left Air Force One behind more often!”
UP 4141 marks only the sixth time that Union Pacific has painted a locomotive in colors other than the traditional UP “Armour Yellow” paint. The design team
carefully studied photos of President Bush’s Air Force One, with the goal of recreating the scheme for UP 4141. Elements from Air Force One’s wings and tail,
including an American flag, were placed on No. 4141’s rear panel, with the sweeping lines of forward motion representing progress.
“The railroads have played a tremendous role in the growth of Texas and across our great country, and weíre thrilled that President Bush has chosen to showcase
this wonderful history for the thousands of visitors to the Bush Library and Museum,” said Union Pacific Chairman and CEO Dick Davidson. “Union Pacific felt this
was such an historic and important exhibit that creating UP 4141 was an appropriate way to recognize President Bush and his life-long service to our country.”
The SD70ACe locomotive measures 15 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 420,000 pounds with a full tank of diesel fuel. Its 4300 horsepower engine operates at 950
rpm maximum speed.
Photos and text from Union Pacific news release, Oct. 18, 2005; Union Pacific website (http://UP.com)