Historic steam locomotive stops in Sidney

Michael Fleming and his father were on motorcycles around lunchtime Monday when a distinct sound almost drowned out the rumble of their machines.

"I heard the whistle and told dad 'that's a steam engine,'" Fleming said.

A day later than originally scheduled, Union Pacific's 844 pulled into Sidney yesterday for routine maintenance, on its way to the College World Series in Omaha.

Fleming and his father rode over to 9th Ave. and Grant St., with more than a dozen enthusiasts in their wake. Apparently there is little as compelling as the piercing call of a historic steam train.

"I love the size and the sound," agreed young Beau Hanks, a sixth grader who trailed the 844 from Kimball on Highway 30, with his mother at the wheel. "It shakes your stomach in a way that's awesome."

Union Pacific took delivery of the 844 in 1944. It pulled passenger express lines like the Overland Limited and the Challenger before diesel locomotives nudged it into less romantic freight service. The 844 was the last new steam engine delivered to the company. It was refurbished in 2005 and now makes regular--and popular--special event runs.

Even Union Pacific rail workers, accustomed to the rhythm of modern engines, stopped to snap photographs as the hissing locomotive rested in Sidney.

"That's my first steam engine," admitted Lawrence Nez, a Union Pacific ground crew member. "It's amazing--the whistle went off and my camera shook."

The engine stopped in town for a half hour late Monday morning. It will be on display in Omaha June 12-26 before returning to its stable in Cheyenne.

Union Pacific anticipates a 15-minute break in Sidney on the return trip, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on June 29.

Steam Locomotive No. 844 is the last steam locomotive built for Union Pacific Railroad. It was delivered in 1944. A high-speed passenger engine, it pulled such widely known trains as the Overland Limited, Los Angeles Limited, Portland Rose and Challenger.

Many people know the engine as the No. 8444, since an extra '4' was added to its number in 1962 to distinguish it from a diesel numbered in the 800 series. The steam engine regained its rightful number in June 1989, after the diesel was retired.

When diesels took over all of the passenger train duties, 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 heads to Omaha in early June, for its annual visit to Home Plate during the College Baseball Championships. We'll be on display at our usual spot on Cuming Street, just north of the ball park.