2017 April 18: Union Pacific Steam Engine 844 Stopped at Hanna, Wyoming
Images, video and notes by Bob Leathers
Union Pacific Railroad Engine No. 844 in Hanna. (Image by Bob Leathers)
No. 844 is the last steam locomotive built for the Union Pacific Railroad. It was delivered in 1944. A high-speed passenger engine, it pulled such well-known trains as the Overland Limited, Los Angeles Limited, Portland Rose and Challenger trains. When diesel locomotives took over pulling passenger trains, 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. This engine has run hundreds of thousands of miles as Union Pacific's ambassador of goodwill. It has made appearances at Expo '74 in Spokane, the 1981 opening of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, the 1984 World Fair in New Orleans and the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Los Angeles Union Station in 1989. Many people know this engine as No. 8444, since an extra '4' was added to its number in 1962 to distinguish it from a diesel locomotive numbered in the 800 series. The steam engine regained its rightful number in June 1989, after the diesel was retired. Hailed as Union Pacific's "Living Legend," the engine is widely known among railroad enthusiasts for its exclusion runs, especially over Union Pacific's fabled crossing at Sherman Hill between Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming. (Union Pacific Railroad Publication, No. 844)
Union Pacific Locomotive No. 844 Speciifications (Union Pacific Railroad Publication, No. 8444)
Watch the "Living Legend" Union Pacific Railroad Engine 844 steam into Hanna
on Tuesday April 18, 2017. The train stopped in Hanna to drop off a monetary donation to
the Hanna Basin Museum from the Union Pacific Railroad Foundation.
Images and Video by Bob Leathers
Click on the image for a larger view.
RawlinsTimes.com
Steam engine makes stops in Carbon County
by Thorn Compton and Iain Woessner
CARBON COUNTY — A piece of living history made its way through Carbon County on Tuesday, as the “Living Legend” No. 844 steam engine of the Union Pacific Railroad made stops in Hanna and Rawlins to the delight of residents in attendance. In Hanna specifically, though the train had passed through the old mining town before, it had never made an official stop. Hanna Basin Museum Curator Nancy Anderson said she was thrilled to see the train in action. “It was just breathtaking, I don’t think there is anything more wonderful than a steam engine,” she said while people posed for pictures with the train. “Of course we are on Front Street at the Museum, so trains go right by us regularly. When we have children visiting, especially those who aren’t used to seeing trains, we always make it a point to have them run out on the porch and wave and cheer the trains as they roll by.” Kids from all the Hanna schools made the trip down to the tracks, and though there was a bit of a delay due to some transport engines making their way along the tracks, everyone in the end got to experience something special as the steam engine made its stop. (Rawlins Daily Times)
The 844 stopping in Hanna was especially memorable for those that lived in Hanna when the engine regularly steamed through the town leaving a trail of smoke and sparks in its wake.