Western Pacific Railroad

c. 1914 Map of the Western Pacific and Denver and Rio Grande Western systems
An EMD FP7 leads the California Zephyr east through Altamont Pass in 1970
Overview
HeadquartersOakland, California
FoundersGeorge Jay Gould
Reporting markWP
LocaleWestern United States
Dates of operation1903–1982; 42 years ago (1982)
SuccessorUnion Pacific Railroad
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Western Pacific Railroad (reporting mark WP) was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California. WP's Feather River Route directly competed with SP's portion of the Overland Route for rail traffic between Salt Lake City/Ogden, Utah, and Oakland, California, for nearly 80 years. The Western Pacific was one of the original operators of the California Zephyr passenger line.

In 1982, the Western Pacific was acquired by the Union Pacific Corporation and it was soon merged into the Union Pacific Railroad.[1]

  1. ^ Holsendolph, Ernest (September 14, 1982). "3 Railroads Given Approval by I.C.C. to Merge in West". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2017.