For sale is an original 1948 UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD CALENDAR COVER PAGE. The side of the 1948 calendar which displays the 12-months features a print of “BIG BOY” the world’s largest Steam Locomotive. Big Boy hauled heavy freight trains at great speed over mountain grades. The reverse side of the calendar page features a printed photograph of Mount Hood and Lost Lake, Oregon. This calendar paper has yellowed with age and has some minor edge damage. This was the cover page portion of the 1948 calendar. The calendar page measures 23 inches by 12 inches when unfolded. An interested collectible for any train enthusiast.
The Union Pacific Rail Road (UPRR) was created and funded by the federal government by Pacific Railroad Acts of 1862 and 1864. The laws were passed as war measures to forge closer ties with California and Oregon, which otherwise took six months to reach. Construction on the UPRR main line was delayed until the American Civil War ended in 1865. Some 300 miles of main line track were built in 1865–66 over the flat prairies. The Rocky Mountains posed a much more dramatic challenge. The two lines were joined in Utah on May 10, 1869, hence creating the first transcontinental railroad in North America.
