A Union Pacific Tweet - December 1, 2016 / Railroad History
The No. 844 being delivered to Union Pacific from the American Locomotive Company. The train indicator boards and the headlamp are covered with wood to protect the glass during transit. Image from the W.A. Fleischer Archives.
December 1944 UP RECEIVES ITS LAST NEW STEAM LOCOMOTIVE
Steam Locomotive No. 844 was the last steam locomotive built for Union Pacific. A high-speed passenger engine, it pulled such widely known trains as the Overland Limited, Los Angeles Limited, Portland Rose and Challenger. When diesels took over all of the passenger train duties, No. 844 was placed in freight service in Nebraska between 1957 and 1959. It was saved from being scrapped in 1960 and held for special service. Hailed as UP’s “Living Legend,” the engine is known for its excursion runs, especially over Sherman Hill between Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyo.
No. 844, shown in Council Bluffs, Iowa, was the last steam locomotive built for Union Pacific. Never retired, it remains in special service today as part of the railroad’s heritage program.
Gary - Railfan
