A former Union Pacific SD40-2 that was painted in the 1990s to honor military members who served during Operation Desert Storm against Iraq has been donated to the American Heartland Railroad Society in Sioux City, Iowa.

UP 3593, built as No. 8084 in August 1979, was painted in a camouflage-like livery in February 1991. It included a panel with the names of 66 UP employees who served during the conflict. The engine was later sold to the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern and then the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern, becoming that road’s No. 3422. RC&E is donating the locomotive to the nonprofit society. The locomotive is currently in Huron, S.D., but it is expected to be moved to Iowa in the coming months. American Heartland Railroad Society officials said they hope to have the locomotive painted in its “Desert Victory” livery by Veterans Day in November.

American Heartland Railroad Society has been involved with a number of preservation efforts, most notably the ongoing restoration of Great Northern Railway 4-6-2 1355.

—Justin Franz 

The former UP SD40-2 as it appears today on the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern. Photo by Ross Heeren.