Steam & Excursion > a couple of 844 siblings in action

Last August I was on a railfan swing through Nebraska, Wyoming & Colorado shooting a bazillion pics and visiting a few friends I’ve made here on TO. I found this photo in a 2nd hand shop in (I think) Bushnell, NE. It looks like someone took an old calendar page and framed it up in a cheap frame to hang on the wall. One $5 investment later it was in my car, heading eventually home.

I scanned it a few months ago and tossed the scan into my bulging maybe later file. With this month’s long-awaited return of UP 844 to service after years of (ahem) “repairs” it seems like the perfect time to post this image of 2 of her siblings back in the old days. Before anyone asks: it’s not easy to see in this image, but the framed print does indeed show a Mars light up front on the 820…

1. UP 820 & 831 double-heading on train #27 leaving Cheyenne, WY on February 19, 1956.
(Neal R. Miller photo)

Thanks for looking way back!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/16 09:45 by santafe199.

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Lance, I just looked in "The Mighty 800" Kratvilles Bible on FEF's and there are pictures in 1945 with Mars lights on the front. It only says they were added at the request of the safety dept. for emergency brake applications.
Steve

Thanks, Lance, for that great photo.  That was quite a find.
There isn no such thing as too many photos of UP 800s!

UP's Train 27 wAs the westbound "San Francisco Overland",
according to a 1949 copy of "The Official Guide of the Railways".



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/16 17:52 by Margaret_SP_fan.

That Lance is truly an example of the power UP assigned to their westbound trains. 27 was a hot train with all that head end mail. Even when I was out there running between Cheyenne and North Platte, the railroad would assign enough head end horsepower to maintain the "Z" trains at a minimum of 55 mph over the system, which incorporated the crew change times as well. That was the reason for the two 6900's with a high speed SD40 sandwiched in.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

thanks,,awesome  day in  history