Sunday, April 19, 2009

UP No. 844 rolling in to Roseville yard

Keith Berry and I drove over to Roseville to view the Union Pacific No. 844 roll into town for the weekend.

The large Northern-type was the last steam locomotive built and delivered to the UP. With a 4-8-4 wheel arrangement and massive 80-inch drivers, the locomotive was used in fast passenger train service from 1944 to 1957. It then spent its last days in active service pulling freight trains.

The Union Pacific saved the engine from the scrapper's torch in 1960. It now tours the country as a living legacy to the days of steam.

The 844 is one of 45 Northerns built by the American Locomotive Company for the UP. Of the four reamining Northers, the 844 is the only one that steams under its own power.

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