(The following story by Stacie Hamel appeared on the Omaha World-Herald website on July 28.)
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific Railroad’s steam locomotive No. 844 will be on display in Council Bluffs and Omaha during the company’s Employee Club annual convention next month.
The No. 844, also known as Union Pacific’s “Living Legend,” was restored in one of the most extensive steam locomotive overhauls in the United States since the 1950s.
The last steam locomotive built for U.P., the 844 was delivered in 1944 as a high-speed passenger engine before being placed in freight service in Nebraska between 1957 and 1959.
A miniature train on rubber tires will provide free rides while the No. 844 is on display.
The Union Pacific Railroad Employee Club was established in 1924 in Cheyenne, Wyo., and has grown to 54 clubs with 9,000 members across the railroad’s 23-state system. Club members include current and retired employees who volunteer in their communities.
The 844’s schedule across Nebraska on its way to the metro area:
Aug. 3:
11-11:30 a.m.: Service stop, downtown Lodgepole.
4 p.m.: Overnight stop, Front Street between Chestnut and Poplar Streets, North Platte.
Aug. 4:
8 a.m.: Depart North Platte
11-11:30 a.m.: Service stop, 601 Front St., Grand Island
1 p.m.: Ten-minute whistle-stop, 10 S. Main St., Fremont
2-2:30 p.m.: Service stop, North 12th Street crossing, Blair
2:40 p.m.: Ten-minute whistle-stop, Kirlin Street crossing, Missouri Valley, Iowa
4:30 p.m.: Arrive Golden Spike Park, Council Bluffs
Aug. 5-7
8 a.m.- 6 p.m.: Public display; free rides on miniature train. Golden Spike Park, Ninth Avenue and South 21st St., Council Bluffs
Aug. 8-10
8 a.m.-6 p.m.: Public display; free rides on miniature train. Durham Western Heritage Museum, 801 S. 10th St., Omaha.
Aug. 11
8 a.m.: Depart Western Heritage Museum
11-11:30 a.m.: Service stop, Grand Island
4 p.m.: Overnight stop, North Platte
Aug. 12
9 a.m.: Depart North Platte
11-11:30 a.m.: Service stop, Ninth and Grant Streets, Sidney