In 1905, the Omaha Union Pacific Shops built the first gasoline rail motor car.  Mr. E. H. Harriman assigned the project to William R. McKeen, the Mechanical Superintendent of the railroad, to build a gasoline powered vehicle to replace steam trains and equipment on many U.P. branch lines to cut costs. 

 A steam locomotive required fourteen tons of fuel and 7,000 gallons of water, while the motor car could run the same distance and required only fifty gallons of gasoline.   

 The original (prototype) car was 31 feet in length and could handle 25 passengers.  They were known as McKeen Cars, and the motor was positioned providing a chain drive to the leading axle.  Subsequent cars were made available at 55 feet or 70 feet in length, and were modified based on what service was required with baggage, express, mail and passenger compartments, and traveled over nearly every state the Union Pacific operated in.   Their pointed nose and round windows became the unique features of the 160 cars that were constructed and sold to numerous railroads in America, Australia and Cuba.

 The final McKeen Car in Colorado operated from Denver to Boulder, making its last run on October 31, 1941.  For a short duration in 1952, a more modern gas-electric car was used between Denver and Cheyenne, but the passenger cars attached to it created a problem maintaining the schedule, and steam power returned on that run.

 On December 31, 1955, the final motor car trip within Nebraska was made, between Kearney and Stapleton, on the Kearney branch, signifying over 50 years of motor car service dating back to August 21, 1905.

 The final motor car operation on the entire Union Pacific was on the Plainville (Kansas) branch line ending on May 31, 1958.

 Two images above from the collection of James L. Ehernberger.