Union Pacific Omaha Christmas tree: 50 years at Durham

Union Pacific Omaha Christmas tree tradition has once again brought Omaha’s official Christmas tree to the Durham Museum, marking the 50th year of this holiday custom. This season’s tree is a nearly 40-foot blue spruce that now stands inside the museum as the centerpiece of the celebrations.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Union Pacific Omaha Christmas tree journey from La Vista

Before the Union Pacific Omaha Christmas tree ever reaches the museum, its story starts in a residential neighborhood. This year, Union Pacific Engineering employees harvested a nearly 40-foot blue spruce donated by Stephen and CJ Carr of La Vista, Nebraska.

Don’t miss…Melbourne Metro Tunnel CBTC transforms Alstom signalling

Drawing on their railroad expertise, they used chainsaws, two trucks and a lowboy trailer to safely extract the massive tree from the neighborhood and prepare it for the trip downtown.

On Nov. 17, Union Pacific Engineering crews moved Omaha’s official Christmas tree into downtown Omaha and set it inside the Durham Museum, where it now serves as the centerpiece of the season, as reported by Union Pacific News. The seven-person team, led by Union Pacific Bridge Foreperson Keegan Smutz and Manager-Bridge Maintenance Travis Cook, oversaw the careful removal, hauling and installation of the 5,500-pound tree.

“This is my 11th tree,” Smutz said, noting how meaningful the work has become for him. “I’m proud that we get to be a part of something that honors Omaha’s history.”

Durham Museum, Union Station and a long-standing tradition

For decades, Union Pacific crews have been bringing holiday magic to the Durham Museum and its Christmas at Union Station events, a history the railroad also highlights in a community feature on the tree tradition. In 1973, after Amtrak was created by an act of Congress and passenger operations at the station ended, Union Pacific donated the former Union Station building in Omaha to the city. Since then, the railroad’s employees have looked forward to setting up Omaha’s official Christmas tree there each year.

“We take pride in making it a safe, successful day at the Durham,” Cook said. “It’s a long-standing tradition. Our crews look forward to it every year.”

For more information about Christmas at Union Station events and the Union Pacific Omaha Christmas tree at the Durham Museum, visitors can go to the Durham Museum’s website.

News on railway transport, industry, and railway technologies from Railway Supply that you might have missed:

Find the latest news of the railway industry in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and the rest of the world on our page on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, read Railway Supply magazine online.

Place your ads on webportal and in Railway Supply magazine. Detailed information is in Railway Supply media kit