Omaha Exploration

Kenefick Park opened in 1988 after Union Pacific Railroad announced it was donating two of its biggest locomotives for display:

• Big Boy, the world’s largest steam locomotive. Created during World War II, it weighs 1.2 million pounds and is 132 feet long. 
• Centennial, the largest diesel locomotive ever built. Introduced for the railroad’s 1969 centennial celebration, it weighs 540,000 pounds and is 98 feet long. 

The parks original location on 6th Street and Abbott Drive next to U.P.’s shops ensured that visitors arriving at Eppley Airfield and headed downtown would see them.

The park was named in honor of John Kenefick who was born in New York before arriving in Omaha in 1947. First hired as a draftsman, he left that role to become a brakeman to gain a better understanding of how the railroad operated. He moved up the ranks until becoming its CEO and retiring in 1986.

In 2002, the trains were moved to Union Station (present day Durham Museum) after the city started its latest attempt to return to the river. Shortly thereafter the CenturyLink Center (present day CHI Health Center), Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, National Park Service, Gallup, Miller’s Landing and Rick’s Boatyard Cafe were constructed.

In order to retain its presence downtown, a new U.P. monument consisting of a series of glass panels were installed near 10th and Cuming Street.

After a long search for suitable sites, U.P. the new location for the park in 2004. Located atop hill on the southwest corner of Lauritzen Gardens, the goal was to show travellers how the city and the railroad have grown together.

This time U.P. hired Infinite Scale Design Group, the designers behind the award-winning look of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. U.P. paid the entire cost of the new park which opened in 2005.

Today Kenefick Park can be accessed from the Lauritzen Gardens parking lot. On the way up, you encounter a stone “canyon” with historical photos, interpretive signs and photographs.They display the history of U.P. from its origins in Council Bluffs to the western terminus in Sacramento.

Once you reach the top, you’ll find Big Boy and Centennial looking over Interstate 80 below. You have the opportunity to get up close and personal and walk the entire length of the trains and even see inside the cab of Big Boy.

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