Published July 17, 2026 | Updated July 17, 2026

Kenefick Park not only displays two of the largest locomotives ever built but it also symbolizes the relationship between the City of Omaha and Union Pacific Railroad. The two grew up together with the city being founded in 1854, and the railroad in 1862. 

UP was established after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act which instructed it and the Central Pacific to establish the first transcontinental railroad connecting the east and west coasts. While the groundbreaking occurred in Omaha in 1863, the first rails weren’t laid until two years later due to labor shortages and financing issues caused by the Civil War. It was completed with the driving of the golden spike at Promontory Summit, Utah, on May 10, 1869.

It was only fitting then that UP donated two of its biggest locomotives for display in a new park named after its former chief executive John Kenefick in 1988. Born in Buffalo, New York, Kenefick grew up dreaming of trains. After graduating from Princeton with a degree in mechanical engineering, he served three years in the Navy during World War II.

Kenefick began his railroad career as an apprentice for the New York Central Railroad, where he first worked in the mechanical department. Just six months later, at 26 years old, he relocated to Omaha where he joined UP as a locomotive draftsman. He left five years after that, working for the Denver & Rio Grande Western and New York Central again to learn how a railroad truly operates. He returned to Omaha and rejoined UP in 1968 as vice president of operations, rising to president within two years. Following the mergers of Missouri Pacific and Western Pacific Railroads, he was named chairman and CEO in 1983. The mergers doubled UP’s size, making it the third largest railroad in the country. 

Kenefick retired in 1986 and just two years later, his namesake park opened at 6th Street and Abbott Drive next to the railroad’s shops. The location was strategic as it ensured that visitors arriving at Eppley Airfield and headed downtown would see two of the largest steam and diesel-electric locomotives ever built:

• Big Boy No. 4023, one of 25 built for heavy eastbound freight between Utah and Wyoming, ran from 1941 to 1959. It was the heaviest, longest, and most powerful steam locomotive ever built: 1.2 million pounds, 132 feet long, 70 mph top speed. The locomotive was retired in 1962 and reached Omaha in 1975.
• Centennial No. 6900, introduced for the railroad’s 1969 centennial celebrating the Golden Spike, was the first of 47 diesel-electric locomotives built to run UP’s main lines until 1984. It was the largest diesel locomotive ever built as a single unit: 540,000 pounds, 98 feet long, 85 mph top speed. It returned to Omaha upon retirement.

The Omaha World-Herald reported on October 31, 1986, that no other display in the world would match the park’s combination of locomotive power. The railroad’s public relations director Joe McCartney said at the time that it would do for Omaha what the arch did for St. Louis.

The display remained on Abbott Drive until 2002, when the city’s push to return to the river cleared the site. The locomotives moved to Union Station (present-day Durham Museum), making way for the CenturyLink Center (present-day CHI Health Center), the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, and other riverfront development. UP later marked the spot at 10th and Cuming Streets with a glass-panel monument depicting the trains.

UP found a new location on a hill at the southwest corner of Lauritzen Gardens following a lengthy search. Sitting high above the interstate below, the site was chosen to showcase how the city and railroad grew together. UP hired Infinite Scale Design Group, which designed the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics’ look.

Kenefick was thrilled about its new location according to a July 16, 2011 Omaha World-Herald article. In regards to the park being named after him, his stepson, John Ryan, quoted him as saying, “It’s good for the railroad, the railroad is good for Omaha, so I’ll put up with it.” UP paid the entire cost of the new park, which opened in 2005.

Moving Big Boy to its new location was quite a feat that required the use of a special wheeled cradle. Once loaded, the locomotive was slowly moved along the streets of Omaha until it was perched upon the hill that overlooked the interstate. At the time, it was said to be the only Big Boy to travel by highway rather than rail.

Kenefick Park is 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 UP from its origins in Council Bluffs to the western terminus in Sacramento. Once you reach the top, you have the opportunity to get up close and personal. You can walk the entire length of the trains and even see inside the cab of Big Boy.

The man whom the park honored not only saw it open but also witnessed its move to its current home before passing in 2011 at 89 years old. He was described by the National Railroad Hall of Fame as being the “linchpin for the post-1969 period in Union Pacific’s history” while his influence extended to the overall railroad industry. 

To this day, the locomotives sitting above a “Welcome to Omaha” sign continue to greet travelers entering from Council Bluffs. While the massive display at Kenefick’s park is a stunning sight, it also serves as a reminder of the man whose railroad and adopted home grew together.

For more information, check out its website at https://www.lauritzengardens.org/kenefick-park/.

Omaha Exploration, 2026. All rights reserved. Excerpts and links are welcome with full credit given to Omaha Exploration and a link back to the original content.