Steam & Excursion > UP 8444 - November 1977

While reading through a thread about UP 844 and 3985, I was reminded of an 8444 trip I happened to photograph in November 1977 (link to thread on 844 and 3985 - http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,3826858)

Well, I got to wondering where I might have misplaced (filed) those long ago photos and was rewarded with minimal looking.
The date was November 26, 1977 and the occasion was a Rocky Mountain Railroad Club Fan Trip according to my notes on the back of the photo.
I had heard, probably via the Denver Post, of the trip and went over to Greeley and asked the Greeley Amtrak agent about the possible time for the train to come through. I decided to go up along Route 85 and stake out about a mile south of Eaton, CO and wait for him. While waiting a UP local with a GP-9 came past after having done some work at the Lucerne feed mill.

Then came 8444 with flags flying and a motorcade chasing along the highway.

Reiterating from the post of yesterday I made in the above link: - and thanks to Bob Krieger who posted that the mechanical crew at Cheyenne operated the locomotive at that time with an assigned roadforeman and that my perception of the diesel and steam headlights was correct and the reasons why.

Back in November 1977 I was living in Colorado and 8444 was making a run between Cheyenne and Denver for some reason. I have forgotten those details. I photogrpahed it northbound near Eaton (pictures lost in some forgotten envelope file now) and went home to dinner. The Greeley Amtrak agent (I recall his name was Walker and he lived in Fort Collins) told me to come back that evening to see them come south.

I don't know the exact time, but it was dark. Amtrak #6 was about due and in the distance to the north the steam whistle sounded and the 8444 pulled in just short of the depot and stopped. Since I was standing under the cab I conversed with the engineer (no idea who it was, an older gentleman and certainly far older than Steve Lee would have been at the time). I asked why they put him out in front of #6, and his reply was something like "hell if I know why they do what they do, that guy running six usually tears along like hell coming down the hill, and I ran like hell to be sure to keep in front of him."

Pretty quick #6 came in with the usual SDP40F's and made the Greeley stop and got out of town. The 8444 was watered (by a fire truck I think) and then under the station platform lights with the steam and smoke back lit started out of town on 6's marker .... there was almost no one there but me and for a hundred feet or so I paced by foot along the drivers as he moved out. Pretty cool memory and I have always wondered just how fast they ran that night in advance of 6.

Maybe someone on trainorders was on the crew or on-board or there too. I do recall some pretty fast runs on #6 with the SDP's blasting down the hill.

The other thing I recall with the SDP's and 8444 side by side at night it appeared the headlight on the diesel was whiter and brighter than the steam engine headlight which was a liitle less bright and more golden. Illusion or not, I can't say.

 

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Nice pics and nice experience, I know if it was a daytime shot that would've looked cool with 8444 and No. 6's lead unit!

And nobody hanging out of the cab window.  

Wonder how they managed to run the thing withut that.

Thank you very very much for the classic and precious photo and story from
this very classic era in real Union Pacific Steam PR.
This trip you saw was run on 26 Nov 1977.
Their was an earlier trip Denver to Laramie on 1 OCT 1977 run for
the local NRHS chapter - Intermountain Chapter NRHS Denver, CO
By the way, Frank Acord was the older gentleman in charge of
that classic Union Pacific Steam Program (Mechanical department).

We first rode the UP 8444 in August 1978 Denver CO to Laramie WY.
My 12 Aug 1978 trip was run very well by the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club.
That was a veyr SUPERB Awesome and classic trip in 1978.
I remember who was in charge of UP steam in 1978 AUgust.
This is why it is a virtual certainty that you saw Frank Acord in late 1977.
Thank you so very very much for brining back very GOOD memories of a classic era for me !!!

BTW the excellent book "Fifty Years of Union Pacific Steam Excursions" by
LLoyd E Stagner & James J Reisdorff shows the 1978
trip Denver to Laramie happened on 8-12-78.
Here is the publisher linkfor this excellent historic reference book :
http://www.southplattepress.com/current/excursion.html

GOOD CLASSIC days on hte UPRR and the west with
a bunch of UP E units still active as well as the
Rio Grande Zephyr and WY Amtrak San Francisco Zephyr with
slingle-level conventional streamliner equipment + a few
streamliner Amtrak short dome cars.

---- Daniel



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/15 14:19 by daniel3197.

Realist Wrote:
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> And nobody hanging out of the cab window.  
>
> Wonder how they managed to run the thing withut
> that.
Because they had the whitewalls, the pilot trim, and all the silver paint, how else.

Posted from Android

And they had an engineer who wasn't a showboat like Ed!

Frank Accord was the Chief Mechanical Officer for Union Pacific at the time. During his tenure the large double diesels were phased out in favor of SD-40s. He also chose to run the steam engine. After his time the steam program went to the transportation department.