Western Railroad Discussion > UP 9026 - commemorates USAF 70th Anniversary

I'm gonna solve the puzzle, Pat.

UP 9026 will be a commemorative unit for USAF's 70th anniversary.

Celebrations are undergoing in SA starting this weekend. San Antonio makes sense because it's
always been a key location for the USAF / USAAF. Multiple bases, no city has had more installations.
For some years now, everybody joining USAF starts at San Antonio.

Robert Pierce
Sugar Land, TX
SWRails.com

Any date yet?

does the number mean anything?

HOORAY!

Tim Colbert K3HX

USAF 66-70
OH ANG 71-72

I rode the train all the way from New York City to Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas for USAF bootcamp in February 1957. Quite an adventure. As soon as I got there they had the biggest storm that they had had in 40 years and I caught pneumonia.
Bill Pyper
Salem, OR

A good guess but the number 1943 is not relavent....Air Force became a separate service in 1947

Posted from Android

Marty Harrison
Knob Noster, MO

The tail number of that b-17 was 42-30826. I can't imagine that is a coincindence.

I've never really cared to get get pics of me and a train. But I think I'd like to have a shot of me in uniform with this one. Still active duty. Think I started with trainorders about 2 years into my USAF career.

TexBob Wrote:
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> I'm gonna solve the puzzle, Pat.
>
> UP 9026 will be a commemorative unit for USAF's
> 70th anniversary.
>
> Celebrations are undergoing in SA starting this
> weekend. San Antonio makes sense because it's
> always been a key location for the USAF / USAAF.
> Multiple bases, no city has had more
> installations.
> For some years now, everybody joining USAF starts
> at San Antonio.

And will be renumbered from UP9026 to UP1943

KB5WK Wrote:
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> And will be renumbered from UP9026 to UP1943


It already has been in the computer.

Pump

Where will the official celebration be held? Sunset Station?

NormSchultze Wrote:
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> Where will the official celebration be held?
> Sunset Station?

San Antonio Internodal Terminal (SAIT), supposedly this Thursday (10/19).

Schon Norris
Salt Lake City, UT
Railroad Roll-By Podcast

Maybe they will run it to Colorado Springs and hide it inside to keep the taggers away afterwards 👍

dan Wrote:
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> does the number mean anything?

The 'Spirit of Union Pacific' B-17 was built in 1943. The only connection I can think of for the number.

SD45X Wrote:
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> Maybe they will run it to Colorado Springs and
> hide it inside to keep the taggers away
> afterwards 👍

Who knows-----maybe this time they let the graffiti artists design the paint scheme??

BoostedFridge Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> dan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > does the number mean anything?
>
> The 'Spirit of Union Pacific' B-17 was built in
> 1943. The only connection I can think of for the
> number.

Did the plane survive the war or was it another of the many victims of the war?? My father was there when the Japs destroyed the 12 B-17s he worked on at Hickham Field.

Rob

All you need to know about the "Spirit of the Union Pacific"...

http://utahrails.net/up/up-b-17.php

OregonOldGuy Wrote:
--------------------------------

> Did the plane survive the war or was it another of
> the many victims of the war??

Shot down over Germany in October of 1943, on its fifth mission.

Posted from Android

More info passed along to me:

Come see what's under the tarp!
October 19, 2017 - 1:15 pm
Sunset Station, San Antonio, TX

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

Milw_E70 Wrote:
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> All you need to know about the "Spirit of the
> Union Pacific"...
>
> http://utahrails.net/up/up-b-17.php

This is a great read - thanks for the link.  5 missions was below average for a B17 - I think it was something like 15-17.  Still, given that it had 4 successful missions, it's "track record" was better than that of UP's investment in the Alco C855's!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/17 10:37 by NYSWSD70M.