Abraham Lincoln Train takes inaugural trip to Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act, which led to the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, slicing travel time across the continent from several months to one week.

Saturday, which was National Train Day, Union

Pacific Railroad’s Locomotive 1616 — honoring the 16th president — rolled into Portland at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center for one day only.

“This is the first time we’ve brought the Abraham Lincoln train out to the West Coast. We brought it to Portland first,” said Aaron Hunt with Union Pacific. “We brought it just for Train Day.”

Hunt said their “mechanical team went to work on it and refurbished the locomotive. Of course they gave it a new paint scheme. The colors are reminiscent of colors that were very popular in Abraham Lincoln’s time, and there’s also a touch of a suggestion of one of the locomotives that was at Promontory Summit when the Transcontinental Railroad was completed.”

Lincoln created Union Pacific when he signed the Pacific Railway Act, Hunt said.

The railroad has been a longtime partner with the Oregon Rail Heritage Center.

“We love their organization. They teach a lot of people about the importance of rail to the economy and how critical rail is in moving goods and passengers around the country,” Hunt said. “It’s a great place and a great place to educate people about the need for rail moving into the future.”