Union Pacific No. 844

[hoosierone]

My grandfather was a machinist at the B&O RR. He passed away in 1948. My grandmother had a lifetime pass. In the fifties she took my brother and I on a trip to Ohio. Sure wish we could travel like that today.

I can only imagine the maintenance that had to be done on those steam locomotives.

Great aunt, grandfather's sister told me in the early 1900's the railroads were one of the few places Irish could get work because it was hard and dirty.

 

[les.b]

For Muley Gil and crazyphil!!!

Not trying to hijack this marvelous thread, and apologies to Faulkner. Just found the original version of "Old 97" that Muley mentioned, and wanted to share with all of you Railroad Buffs out there:

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5b8fUJT_ZNA[/ame]

And here is another version which has some additional photos that I have never seen before:

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TRW_gxz4cuY[/ame]


Best Regards, Les

 

[shouldazagged]

Faulkner, is my memory correct--is the Big Boy a 4-8-8-4 configuration?

I know it's a freaking monster.

 

[Old TexMex]

Just rode in from work on this one....

 

[TAROMAN]

Faulkner, is my memory correct--is the Big Boy a 4-8-8-4 configuration?

I know it's a freaking monster.

Correct, it is a 4-8-8-4 with a fourteen wheel "centipede" tender.
#4014 is presently in restoration at Cheyenne for a return to service.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

It came thru the Tulsa area today. Forgot it was coming but as it turned out it was pouring rain when it came thru anyway.

On the local news they said it (the locomotive/tender) weighed almost one million pounds! (907,890 lb according to Wikipedia)

That's a lot of steel!

.

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

It came thru the Tulsa area today. Forgot it was coming but as it turned out it was pouring rain when it came thru anyway.

On the local news they said it (the locomotive) weighed almost one million pounds! That's a lot of steel!

.

Anyone know where its headed? Is it pulling freight or passenger cars? If it makes it to Arizona I would sure like to see it.

Found some info, destination is Cheyenne, Wyo.;

UP: No. 844's "Trek to Tennessee" Schedule

UP: Locomotive No. 844 Makes First Return Journey

 

[pawngal]

I rode the UP Challenger & the Los Angeles Limited several times in the early 50's but not sure now whether they were pulled by steam or diesel.
Maybe a chance I was transported by this great machine!
If not, I do remember seeing steam engines in the UP station in Omaha in the same time frame. An awesome sight to see for sure.

 

[cowboy4evr]

I talked to the engineer on the steam locomotive that the Southern Pacific had in the 80's . He told me that there was 2 problems in rebuilding a steamer .
1. of course , the cost
2. Tools ? The tools to maintain them had long ago been disposed of . They had to make almost all new tools from scratch .
Rebuilding is a slow process .

 

[vrichard]

On the handle ( STLIM&TFC.)# 46 stamp on the bell.
Dick

 

[pmanton]

Here's my contribution. My wife took the picture.

 

[medic15al]

Medic15, what you are referring to as "shields" along the side of the locomotive are actually smoke deflectors. They were designed to draw the smoke up and away from the body of the locomotive so the engineer wasn't constantly blinded by the smoke coming from the front.

Thanks! This was always a question as I saw these beautiful machines.

 

[darmtn1917]

I've always wondered how they got water in the N. Nv desert. On one of the train sites they described how 844 made a non stop run of 400miles from Wy to ND -with a tender and aux water tender it carried more than 53,000 gal - now i'm really confused, where in northern NV. you'd find that amount?

 

[BUFF]

844's brother, 833 was donated by the Union Pacific and was displayed in a downtown park for years. Bums, er, ah, transients/serially unemployed/free lance scrap metal salvagers/thieves would remove and sell any pieces they could, so the city surrounded it with a fence. Finally, the city donated it to the railroad museum in Ogden, UT and it was largely restored and is on display there, in the same facility that houses the John Browning museum.

 

[rwsmith]

In California....

Admiring, and riding behind nostalgic steam locomotives is known to cause unspecified illnesses in the State of California.

...they put warning labels on tap water. We got a cell phone charger the other day that had a warning that it contained materials that were known to cause cancer in the State of California.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

...they put warning labels on tap water. We got a cell phone charger the other day that had a warning that it contained materials that were known to cause cancer in the State of California.

No doubt about it -
California is one dangerous place.
I don't go there very often.

 

[rwsmith]

DANG!!!!

Correct, it is a 4-8-8-4 with a fourteen wheel "centipede" tender.
#4014 is presently in restoration at Cheyenne for a return to service.

Just DANG! I mean DANG!!!