wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (01/24/85)
The following is transcribed from Union Pacific System's FRIDAY A.M., a biweekly employee publication; this issue Jan 18, 1985. (A copy of this was giwven to me by a co-worker -- I don't normally ever see this publication.) 8444 Begins Return Trip From New Orleans Jan 23 Union Pacific System will run its famous steam locomotive 8444 on a nine-day tour this month through Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. Nearly one million people viewed the locomotive when it was on display last year at the World's Fair in New Orleans. The trip to the fair was the first time 8444 operated in the South. This trip will be its first appearance in Texas and Oklahoma. Much of the route hasn't seen steam power in nearly 30 years. The tour will begin January 23 near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and end at Omaha, Nebraska, on January 31. Travelling on UP Ssytem's Missouri Pacific Railroad, the locomotive will make overnight stops at Longview, Houston, and Fort Worth in Texas; Muskogee, Oklahoma; Osawatomie, Kansas; and Kansas City, Missouri. It will complete its trip to Nebraska travelling ovr Union Pacific Railroad via Topeka, Kansas, and Lincoln, Nebraska. ... The train will travel during daylight hours so as many people as possible can see it. ... The engine will be on public display for a full day at Houston and Fort Worth and for most of a day at Kansas City. One of the unique features of the tour will be an on-board amateur "ham" radio station. The station, with worldwide capabilities, will be manned by Ed Askew and Hugh Tinley of the Ak-Sar-Ben Radio Club of Omaha. Radio amateurs will be able to contact the train on most amateur frequencies. The call sign for the station will be K0GHK. Locomotive 8444 was the last steam locomotive built for Union Pacific Railraod. It was constructed in 1944 and operated in regular service until 1960 when it was saved for special excursion use. ... The engine will spend the rest of the winter in Omaha at Union Pacific's maintenance shops where it is scheduled for major overhaul work. The locomotive is stored in Cheyenne, Wyoming, when not in use. ***End of article*** Hope this is of interest and it gets to you in time to be of value. Will