The 844 Runs Again!

Contributed by: Captain Wally Lindemann

Cheyenne Star Tribune, Cheyenne, Wyoming, June 10, 2005 -- Union Pacific Railroad's "Living Legend" is back in business and in as good of shape as ever, according to the Star Tribune.

Steam Locomotive No. 844 is returning to service, performing excursion runs, after a six-year massive overhaul, the likes of which hasn't been performed since the 1950s, according to Steve Lee of UP Railroad. "Basically, we jacked up the whistle and ran a whole new locomotive underneath it," Lee told dozens of spectators during a press conference Thursday near the railroad tracks in downtown Cheyenne.

Although the nation switched over to diesel locomotives beginning around World War II, Lee said it is important to preserve some steam locomotives, because they are part of the nation's heritage. As part of that heritage, and to acknowledge Cheyenne's relationship with UP, the city is celebrating the inaugural Depot Days, which will be recognized every June, said Bob Bradshaw, the city's projects director.

Lee said Cheyenne was the last place in the nation to run only steam engines, as they were gradually replaced with diesel locomotives starting at the East and West coasts. No. 844 Steam Engine, the last steam locomotive built for UP Railroad, was one of two that were based in Cheyenne, and it remained in constant operation from its delivery in 1944 until its overhaul beginning in 1999. The engine is widely known among railroad enthusiasts for its excursion runs, pulling trains such as the Overland Limited, Los Angeles Limited, Portland Rose and Challenger.

No. 844 is scheduled to resume those runs July 23, as it takes passengers from Denver to Cheyenne and back for the annual Denver Post Cheyenne Frontier Days Train. Being one of the last ones ever built, No. 844 is state-of-the-art as far as steam engines go, Lee said.

The engine has never been retired, and "as far as I'm concerned, it never will be, at least, not until I'm gone," he said. He explained that someone who watched a steam engine in operation could probably understand why they require such extensive care. "As it goes down the road, it's trying to dismantle itself," he said. "They require a huge amount of maintenance."

The UP Foundation donated $10,000 to the Cheyenne Depot Museum, which plans to use the money for a ceramic tile floor mural in the depot depicting UP trains. Meanwhile, Bradshaw said the city expects that Depot Days will grow over the years into a larger festival that emphasizes the city's relationship with the railroad.

Christie Depoorter, development director for the Cheyenne Depot Museum, said future plans for Depot Days include excursion trains using steam locomotives. She said the museum fields many calls from people who want to know where they can go to ride a train. "People still want to have the opportunity to do that," she said. "All over the country, Cheyenne is recognized as a railroad hub."

Posted: 06/10/05