OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific Railroad legendary steam locomotive No. 844 will pull a special train for Cheyenne Frontier Days, as well as a fundraising special for the Cheyenne Depot Museum between Cheyenne, Wyo., and Denver, Colo. The excursions will celebrate railroad heritage on Union Pacific.
In order to get in position to pull this year’s Frontier Days special train, No. 844 will move to Denver’s Union Station from its base in Cheyenne, Wyo., on Thursday, July 16. On Friday, July 17, the locomotive will be on public display at Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop St.,from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The “Denver Post Frontier Days Special” will make a round trip on Saturday, July 18, between Denver and Cheyenne. This is the 18th annual operation of this special train in as many years. Special trains have carried passengers to Frontier Days’ activities as far back as 1908. The trains operated each year for invited guests only until 1970, with a time out for WWII. In 1992, the Frontier Days special train was resumed, though as a public event. The 22-car passenger train is sold out for this year’s trip.
“We are proud to continue to be a part the Frontier Days celebration by pulling such an historic passenger special with such a legendary steam locomotive No, 844 along the northern Colorado Front range,” said Dick Hartman, Union Pacific’s director – public affairs in Colorado and Wyoming.
A special train sponsored by the Cheyenne Depot Museum also will be pulled by No. 844 on Sunday, July 19 from Denver to Cheyenne. Tickets still are available for this fundraising public excursion. For ticket information, contact the Cheyenne Depot Museum at 307-632-3905 or www.cheyennedepotmuseum.org.
No. 844, also known as Union Pacific’s “Living Legend,” was returned to service in 2006 after one of the most extensive steam locomotive overhauls in the United States since the 1950s. The overhaul began in 1992, and included extensive overhauls of its running gear, pumps, piping, valves and springs, along with replacement of its firebox and extensive boiler work. Even the cab interior has been refurbished. This was the last steam locomotive built for Union Pacific Railroad. It was delivered in 1944. 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 passenger train duties in the mid-1950s, 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.
No. 844 has run hundreds of thousands of miles for UP’s Heritage program. It has made appearances at Expo ’74 in Spokane, the 1981 opening of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans and the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Los Angeles Union Station in 1989.
A Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) transmitter was installed on one of the rail cars that will travel with No. 844. The GPS system has been integrated with a map on UP’s Web site at www.up.com. Enter the word “Steam” in the search box on the homepage for a shortcut to the map.
Web site visitors will be able to access route maps with varying amounts of detail. The GPS system will update the map every five minutes showing No. 844’s location.
Twitter users will be able “follow” the 844 at twitter.com/up_steam. Tweets will include the 844’s latest GPS location as well as brief reports from along the route.
