Union Pacific 844
| Union Pacific 844 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 UP 844 at Del Rio, Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Union Pacific 844 is a 4-8-4 steam locomotive owned by Union Pacific Railroad. It was the last steam locomotive delivered (in 1944) to Union Pacific and is unique in that it is the only steam locomotive never retired by a North American Class I railroad. It was designed as a passenger engine and pulled such trains as the Overland Flyer, Los Angeles Limited, Portland Rose and Challenger. It was reassigned to freight service when diesel-electric locomotives took over passenger service and operated from 1957 to 1959 in Nebraska. It was saved from being scrapped in 1960 and is now used on company and public excursion trains, along with revenue freight during ferry moves.
From 1962-1989, this locomotive was numbered UP 8444 due to a conflict with the railroad's numbering plan for the EMD GP30 locomotives that UP owned at the time. After the conflicting GP30 was retired from service in June 1989, 8444 was renumbered back to 844. Interestingly, the GP30 is preserved and operablem and there is now an EMD SD70ACe in UP's roster numbered 8444.[1]
A second 4-8-4, UP 838, is kept in the shops at Cheyenne, Wyoming so that spare parts for 844 can be cannibalized from it.
External links
- UP Steam Locomotive No. 844 - official website maintained by Union Pacific Railroad
- UP historical locomotives
- The Otto C. Perry Collecton of UP 844
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