Railroads in Omaha, Nebraska, have been integral to the growth and development of the city, the state of Nebraska, the Western United States and the entire United States. The convergence of many railroad forces upon the city was by happenstance and synergy, as none of the Omaha leaders had a comprehensive strategy for bringing railroads to the city.Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) The Gate City: A history of Omaha. University of Nebraska Press. p 64.

History Omaha was not supposed to be the center of the First transcontinental railroad; its neighbor across the Missouri River, Council Bluffs, Iowa was. In July 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act into law, which chartered a new organization called the Union Pacific Railroad. It was authorized to build a single line west from an "initial point" at the 100-degree meridian (near present-day Lexington, Nebraska).Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) p 23. While the legislation seemed to favor Omaha, in 1863 Lincoln issued an executive order designating the terminal at Council Bluffs. Thomas C. Durant, the first head of the Union Pacific, arbitrarily decided the railroad should start at Omaha.Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) p 25.

First Transcontinental Railroad

In 1863 ground was broken near Miller's Landing on the Missouri River for the First Transcontinental Railroad. Along with local financier Edward Creighton,Mullens, P.A. (1901) Biographical Sketches of Edward Creighton and John A. Creighton. Creighton University. p 24. George Francis Train was the promoter who was chiefly responsible for the city's landing the railroad. He was made rich by its location convenient to the land which he owned near Deer Park. Landing the railroad made the value of his property for development skyrocket.Bristow, D.L. (2002) A dirty, wicked town: Tales of 19th century Omaha. Caxton Press. p 66. The Union Pacific Railroad has been headquartered in Omaha since its inception in 1867, starting with its fifty-year occupancy of the Herndon House in downtown. In 1872 Union Pacific opened the first bridge across the Missouri to Omaha.Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) The Gate City: A history of Omaha. University of Nebraska Press. p 65. The historic Overland Route continues to run through the city.

Omaha Stockyards

The South Omaha Terminal Railway, a subsidiary of the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha, was a spur line established to serve the Omaha Stockyards, which opened in the 1880s. It was transformed into the South Omaha Terminal Railway in the 1920s. Because of the Stockyards, by the 1880s Omaha was served by every major railroad in the country. Other railroads in the city included the Omaha Road, Omaha, Lincoln and Beatrice Railway, Omaha Southern Railroad, Kansas, Nebraska and Omaha Railway, Omaha and Republican Valley Railway, Omaha and South Western Railroad and Omaha, Abilene and Wichita Railway.

Making use of the constellation of railroads, the US Army built the Omaha Quartermaster Depot in Omaha in 1881. It supplied many military institutions in Nebraska and throughout the Western United States.

By 1955, Omaha had surpassed Chicago as the largest stockyards and packing center in the world. It processed thousands of animals per week. The packing plants received animals from 22 states, with most of the stock transported by railroad.

Omaha Belt Line

The Omaha Belt Line was a long railroad that circumnavigated the city starting in 1885. Carrying passengers and cargo, the rail was operated by the Missouri Pacific Railroad. The railroad also had branches into Lincoln, Wahoo and Nebraska City.Klein, M. (1986) The Life and Legend of Jay Gould. Johns Hopkins University Press. p 343. The line was discontinued in the early 1960s.Kratville, W. (2002) Railroads of Omaha and Council Bluffs. Arcadia Publishing. p 75.

Defunct railroads from Omaha

There were several railroads that went from Omaha throughout the state of Nebraska and beyond. The Kansas, Nebraska and Omaha Railway ran from Omaha to southwestern Kansas, specifically to provide access from the cattle regions of present-day Oklahoma and Texas.(1888) "Omaha Railroads", Omaha Illustrated: A history of the pioneer period and the Omaha of today. Omaha: D.C. Dunbar & Co. p. 111. Retrieved September 17, 2008.

General service

In 1867 Ezra Millard, Andrew J. Hanscom, and Augustus Kountze formed the Omaha Horse Railway, the first horsecar in the city. The Omaha Cable Tramway Company was the city's only cable car. It started in 1884 and ended in 1895 after consolidating with the Horse Railway as the Omaha Street Railway Company. In 1896 the new company disbanded as competitors moved in."Omaha Timeline." Douglas County Historical Society. Retrieved 9/23/07. An electric car was built between Omaha and Benson specifically to promote that suburb's development during these years.

By 1901 Gurdon Wattles consolidated several of the older companies to organize the Omaha and Council Bluffs Streetcar Company. After receiving a 30-year franchise from the City of Omaha, the company established a mass transit system that covered the entire city, including commuter trains and interurbans.Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) The Gate City: A history of Omaha. University of Nebraska Press. p 107. Streetcar lines operated in Omaha until 1955.

Train stations By the opening of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in 1898 the city boasted two important train stations. The Union Station was served by the Chicago and North Western Railroad, Wabash Railroad, Missouri Pacific Railroad, Chicago Great Western Railway, Rock Island Railroad, Milwaukee Road and the Union Pacific Railroad.

It also served as the Union Pacific headquarters, which needed to expand in the 20th century. Architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood remarked on his 1931 design of Union Station, "We have tried to express the distinctive character of the railroad: strength, power, masculinity." Union Station was the first Art Deco station in the country.Potter, J. G. (1996) Great American Railroad Stations. John Wiley and Sons. p. 377.

The Burlington Station was served by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, and later the Amtrak. Other stations in the city included the Webster Street Station, Gibson Station, Ralston Station, Florence Depot and the North 34 Street Station.

Defunct stations There have been many railroad stations downtown and smaller depots throughout Omaha since the inception of the Union Pacific in the city.

Name Location Opened Closed Notes Burlington Station 925 South 10th Street 1898 19742015 home of KETV 7 Briggs Station 5300 Sargent St (demolished) "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. DeBolt Station 7000 North 60th Street "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. Druid Hill Depot North 32nd and John Creighton Boulevard 1888 Unknown Former station on the Omaha Belt Line."A History of the Belt Line Railway in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. Florence Depot 9000 North 30th Street 1887 1966 Open and operated as a historical museum. Gibson Station Northwestern Miller. (1916) Miller's Almanac and Year Book. p. 190. Lake Street Station North 40th and Lake Streets 1887 Still standing "A History of the Belt Line Railway in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. Missouri Pacific Freight Depot North 14th and Webster Street "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. Nicholas Street Depot North 43rd and Nicholas Street 1887 "A History of the Belt Line Railway in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. Nicholas Street Freight Depot North 15th and Nicholas Street 1887 "A History of the Belt Line Railway in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. Oak Chatham Depot 4351 North 22nd Street 1887 "A History of the Belt Line Railway in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. Ralston Station Union Station 801 South 10th Street 1938 1971 Current home of the Durham Western Heritage Museum. Union Stockyards Depot South 28th and L Streets The station for the South Omaha Terminal Railway. Walnut Hill Depot Military Avenue and Hamilton Street 1887 Webster Street Station Webster and Saddle Creek Road 1887 West Lawn Station Aksarben Drive and Mercy Road Former station on Chicago and North Western Railroad.(1978) Nebraska History. Volume 59. p. 178. Walnut Hill Station 34th and Nicholas Street. South 28th and B Streets

Bridges

Railroad bridges There have been many railroad bridges, trestles and other structures to carry railroads over structures in Omaha.

Name Location Opened Closed Notes Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge Across the Missouri River East Omaha Bridge Across the Missouri River 1893 / 1903 1980 Built by the Illinois Central Railroad."A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. O Street Viaduct O Street 1885 / 2001 Cuming Street Trestle 4448 Cuming St 1887 Built for the Belt Line Railway, owned by the Missouri Pacific, demolished."A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. North 30th Street Trestle 4900 N. 30th Owned by the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, demolished."A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. OPPD Trestle 41°19’39.1″N 95°56’25.6″W Built to serve the Omaha Public Power District Coal Plant on J.J. Pershing Drive, demolished."A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. Omaha Road Trestle 41°19’37.2″N 95°56’58.4″W Built by the Omaha Road to straddle Sharon Drive."A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. North 16th Street Trestle 4140 N. 16th Street 1887 Built for the Belt Line Railway, owned by the Missouri Pacific, demolished."A History of the Belt Line Railway in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. Union Pacific Carter Lake Bridge 4405 Carter Lake Shore Dr. West Demolished."A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. Missouri Pacific Carter Lake Bridge 35 Carter Lake Shore Drive Demolished."A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge Across the Missouri River 1893 / 1903 "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023. Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge Across the Missouri River 1893 / 1903 "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.

Because of agreements and lawsuits between the City of Omaha and railroad companies with trackage in Omaha, the companies were responsible for building and maintaining several overpasses for wagons, cars, pedestrians, and streetcars to travel over tracks. These included the Locust Street viaduct and the Nicholas Street viaduct."A History of the Nicholas Street Viaduct" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.

20th century In 1939 Union Pacific, a major Hollywood film, was premiered in Omaha to celebrate the city's railroad heritage. The McKeen railroad motor car was a specialized self-propelled passenger car manufactured in Omaha.