Union Pacific Railroad's Legendary Steam Locomotive to Be On Display during the Men's College Baseball Championship
Display Location Across the Street From TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
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FOLLOW NO. 844
NO. 844
Omaha, Neb., May 30, 2013 – Union Pacific Railroad's legendary steam locomotive No. 844, along with one of the largest and most powerful diesel-electric locomotives ever built - Centennial No. 6936 - will be on public display from June 14 to June 25 across the street from TD Ameritrade Park during the men's college baseball championship games.
"College baseball and Union Pacific Railroad have such strong historical ties to Omaha. We wanted to help welcome the thousands of baseball fans to our community and what better way to do this than to display two of our historic locomotives," said Jack Koraleski, Union Pacific chief executive officer.
The display area, called Union Pacific's Home Plate, is just blocks from where rail workers broke ground to begin the expansion westward of the nation's first transcontinental railroad that was the result of Abraham Lincoln's signing of the Pacific Railroad Act in 1862 – more than 150 years ago.
Home Plate, at 12th and Cuming Sts., will be open between noon and 7 p.m. CDT from June 14 to June 25.
About No. 844
No. 844, also known as Union Pacific's "Living Legend," was returned to service in 2005 after one of the most extensive steam locomotive overhauls in the United States since the 1950s. The overhaul began in 2000, and included extensive work on its running gear, pumps, piping, valves and springs, along with replacement of its firebox and extensive boiler work. Even the cab interior has been refurbished. This was the last steam locomotive built for Union Pacific Railroad. A high-speed passenger engine, it was delivered in 1944, and pulled such widely known trains as the Overland Limited, Los Angeles Limited, Portland Rose and Challenger.
When diesels took over all passenger train duties in the mid-1950s, 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.
No. 844 has run hundreds of thousands of miles for UP's Heritage program. It has made appearances at Expo '74 in Spokane, the 1981 opening of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, the 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans and the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Los Angeles Union Station in 1989. During the 1990s, No. 844 pulled several of the Denver Post Cheyenne Frontier Days specials and visited several Oklahoma cities during the Oklahoma Centennial in 2007. In 2010, No. 844 traveled to Harlingen, Texas, and Milliken, Colo., to be a part of those community's heritage celebrations and pulled a special train celebrating the 50th anniversary when No. 844 was moved from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Cheyenne, Wyo., and placed in special train service.
The locomotive traveled 2,500-miles pulling the Little Rock Express Tour special as well as being on public display during the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., in 2011. No. 844 traveled more than 13,000 miles through 15 states during 2012 as part of the UP 150 Express tour celebrating Union Pacific's 150th Anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln signing the Pacific Railway Act and establishing the Union Pacific Railroad Company on July 1, 1862.
About Centennial Locomotive No. 6936
Union Pacific Railroad's "Centennial" locomotives are the largest and most powerful diesel-electric locomotives ever built. They stretch more than 98 feet, pack 6,600 horsepower, weigh 278 tons and run as fast as 90 miles per hour.
They were built exclusively for Union Pacific. The name "Centennial" was selected to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike on May 10, 1869. The locomotives were numbered in the 6900 series to mark the '69 date.
The first Centennial, No. 6900, was delivered in time to participate in the Golden Spike Centennial celebrations in May 1969. No. 6936 was built in January 1971.
There were 47 Centennials built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors Corporation at a cost of more than $500,000 each. The last one, No. 6946, was delivered in September 1971.
The Centennials, designed for high-speed freight service, featured many new engineering advances. They represented a new generation of motive power that could travel farther, with less maintenance than older locomotives.
No. 6936 is the only operating Centennial locomotive remaining, with ten of the locomotives on display. The display locations are: Omaha, Neb.; Pocatello, Idaho; Frisco, Texas; Pomona, Calif.: North Platte, Neb.; Shawnee Mission, Kan.; North Little Rock, Ark.; St. Louis, Mo.; Portola, Calif., and Mexico City, Mexico.
About Union Pacific
Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP). One of America's most recognized companies, Union Pacific Railroad links 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail, providing a critical link in the global supply chain. From 2007-2012, Union Pacific invested $18 billion in its network and operations to support America's transportation infrastructure, including a record $3.7 billion in 2012. The railroad's diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Coal, Industrial Products and Intermodal. Union Pacific serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers, operates from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways, connects with Canada's rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major Mexico gateways. Union Pacific provides value to its roughly 10,000 customers by delivering products in a safe, reliable, fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible manner.
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