By Brian Hamlin/ BHamlin@TheReporter.com
Posted: 04/19/2009
The Union Pacific's No. 844 steam locomotive is slated to roll through Solano County on Monday. (Courtesy)
A smoke-shrouded ghost from days gone by will roll through Solano County Monday as part of a four-state living history tour.
The steam locomotive, Union Pacific's No. 844, will be leaving Roseville -- where it recently starred in the community's centennial celebration -- at 8 a.m. Monday en route to Oakland. It's likely to pass through Solano County and the communities of Dixon, Elmira, Fairfield and Suisun City sometime after 9 a.m., with an estimated 11 a.m. arrival in Oakland.
Part of Union Pacific's Western Heritage Tour, the 844 was the last steam-powered locomotive built for Union Pacific and delivered in 1944. It pulled such well-known passenger trains as the Overland Limited, Los Angeles Limited and Portland Rose. The venerable engine was placed in freight service in Nebraska between 1957 and 1959 after newer electric-diesel locomotives began pulling passenger trains.
Saved from salvage in 1960, the 844 was completely refurbished and eventually returned to the rails in 2005 as a staple of the Union Pacific's heritage program.
The locomotive is a hit wherever it goes, said Union Pacific spokeswoman Zoe Richmond.
"So far people have been really enjoying it," she said. "We have a lot of rail fans out there and we also have a lot of families with children who love trains and want to catch a glimpse."
The current Western Heritage Tour began April 11 in Cheyenne, Wyo., and will end there on May 12, after traveling more than 3,000 miles through three states. In addition to the Roseville Centennial, the old engine will be an honored guest at the Western Pacific Centenennial celebration in Portola on May 1 and during the 140th anniversary of the driving of the transcontinental railroad's golden spike in Ogden, Utah, May 8 to 11.
The 1,000-foot train, which last passed through Solano County in 1992, can travel up to 79 mph, but usually slows down for communities or crossings where people have gathered to observe it rumble by.
"Obviously, this is a train that's easy to spot. You can always see a little plume of smoke overhead," Richmond said.
It's also easy to hear. Stream engines sound nothing like the diesel-electric locomotives usually encountered today.
The 243-ton engine is pulling a tender, dome lounger, dining car and a business car as well as several old baggage cars that have been converted to "shop cars" for on-the-tracks repair as needed.
"If something has to be fixed, it has to be fixed right there," explained Richmond.
Those who wish to follow the daily progress of Union Pacific's old No. 844 can do so by accessing twitter.com/up_steam for regular GPS updates.
