Union Pacific Steam Engine Rolls Across Eastern Oklahoma

NewsOn6.com

UNDATED -- One of Union Pacific Railroad's historic steam locomotives, No. 844, stopped in Muskogee and McAlester Thursday before moving on to Texas.

3/23/2010 Related story: Historic Union Pacific Steam Locomotive Returning To Oklahoma

The Muskogee stop happened late Thursday morning.  From there it will travel to McAlester.

Union Pacific says the engine will stay in McAlester overnight and leave April 9th at 8 a.m.

It will return to Oklahoma on April 24th and this time it will be leaving Van Buren, Arkansas for Wagoner, where it will stop at the old depot at 302 South Main from 11 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

No. 844 was the last steam locomotive built for Union Pacific Railroad and was delivered in 1944. A passenger locomotive, it pulled such trains as the Overland Limited, Los Angeles Limited, Portland Rose and Challenger.

Union Pacific says a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) transmitter was installed on No. 844. The GPS system has been integrated with a map on UP's web site. Where train enthusiasts can follow the steam engine's travels.