Nostalgia & History > Union Pacific 712 (4-4-0)

Picture 1, “Call Number: Z-15929.  Title: Union Pacific 712 (4-4-0).  Creator(s): High, H. E. (Harvey E.).  Summary: View of Union Pacific steam locomotive 712 (4-4-0) at Ellsworth (Ellsworth County), Kansas.  Penciled on negative envelope: ‘5-F3.’  Title derived from information typed on original negative envelope.  Typed on original negative envelope: ‘U.P. 712, 4-4-0, at Ellsworth, Kansas, in March 16, 1912.’  Physical Description: 1 glass negative; 13 x 18 cm. (5 x 7 in.).  Is Part Of C Photo Collection 293. H. E. High collection.  Source: gift; Richard Kindig.” 
 

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Picture 2, portion of picture 1 enlarged. 
 

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Picture 3, portion of picture 1 enlarged. 
 

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Picture 4, portion of picture 1 enlarged.  

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Picture 5, “Call Number: Z-15928.  Title: Union Pacific 712 (4-4-0).  Creator(s): High, H. E. (Harvey E.).  Summary: View of Union Pacific steam locomotive 712 (4-4-0) with a wedge plow at Ellsworth (Ellsworth County), Kansas.  Penciled on negative envelope: ‘4 1/2-F2.’  Title derived from information typed on original negative envelope.  Typed on original negative envelope: ‘U.P. 712, 4-4-0, equipped with wedge type snowplow at Ellsworth, Kansas, in March 16, 1912.’  Physical Description: 1 glass negative; 13 x 18 cm. (5 x 7 in.).  Is Part Of C Photo Collection 293. H. E. High collection.  Source: gift; Richard Kindig.” 
 

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Picture 6, portion of picture 5 enlarged.

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Picture 7, portion of picture 5 enlarged.

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flynn,
Yes, those are at Ellsworth. Those engines are sitting on the house track that ran around on the North  side of the depot. In the last pic. that is a cafe that sat on the SE corner of that block. Right straight across, from the cafe, the big brick building, is the White House Hotel. That is the location of the present  day bowling alley, Coach & Four, in towm with the  Gambino's Pizza's. One other pic. you can see the words White House to the rightof the engine. This is all West of the UP Depot that is in one pic. upkpfan

It's nice to see a dated photo of UP 712. In this case, March 16, 1912. Very soon, UP 712 was renumbered to make way for new UP 2-8-2, also numbered as 712, delivered in August 1912.

As the photo shows, UP 712 was one of UP's most modern (and large) 4-4-0s. Built as UPRy 712 in May 1886; renumbered to UP 712 in 1898; renumbered to UP 782 (2nd) in 1912; renumbered to UP 694 (2nd) in 1913; renumbered to UP 925 in 1915; vacated in October 1918.

UP 712 was one of 89 built in 1886-1888. Their numbers were UP 711-725 (15 locos), Utah & Northern 726-735 (10 locos), UP 736-745 (10 locos), OSL 746-750 (5 locos), U&N 751-760 (10 locos), UP 761-770 (10 locos; Wootten fire boxes and camelback cabs), UP 771-799 (29 locos). The 74 engines for UP may have been enough to essentially run the entire railroad in Nebraska, Kansas and Wyoming; at least the most important trains. The 25 engines for OSL and U&N would have been enough to operate the lines in Utah and Idaho.

After these 89 new 4-4-0s, UP embarked on a rebuild program to upgrade many of its older 4-4-0s. The program appears to have ended when UP went into receivership in late 1893. These older 4-4-0s were numbered into the 800 series as they were completed. This included the 10 Wootten locos when they were rebuilt with standard fire boxes in 1891-1892 and numbered as UP 831-840. The entire series was UP 800-851, and 888-891. Photos of these rebuilt 800s were very, very rare, so it is hard to determine the extent of their rebuilding, which may have included new boilers and/or new running gear.

Don Strack