A press release from the Union Pacific Railroad;October 27, 2017:
The design of Union Pacific’s heritage locomotive goes back to the 1940s, but its inspiration came about a year ago.
Nearing the end of more than a decade of service as a Union Pacific Corporation board member, Gen. Charles C. Krulak, who served as the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps, attended a farewell luncheon hosted in his honor by UPVETS, a Union Pacific employee group that supports veterans of the armed forces.
Krulak was presented with a red, white and blue HO scale model of a veterans-themed Union Pacific locomotive painted by a local high school student. Pleased with the idea of a locomotive dedicated to honoring veterans, Krulak asked Union Pacific Chairman, President and CEO Lance Fritz to make it a reality.
Just over a year later, on Oct. 19, 2017, locomotive No. 1943, The Spirit, was unveiled to the public at San Antonio’s Sunset Station.
Click here to read the full press release and see photographs.