Las Vegas Whistle Stop for Steam Engine 844 – November 22, 2011 : Las Vegas 360

On November 22, 2011, in downtown Las Vegas, the Union Pacific Steam Locomotive No. 844 made a brief stop in Las Vegas on its return trip home back to Cheyenne, Wyoming as visiting Arizona and New Mexico to help both states celebrate their centennials.

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.

Union Pacific Steam Engine 844 makes a Whistle Stop in Las Vegas in front of the old Union Plaza Hotel

Las Vegas has a long history with the railroad. In 1890 railroad developers had determined the water-rich Las Vegas Valley would be a prime location for a stop facility and town. More than a quarter century earlier, Nevada, known as the Battle Born State, had been admitted to the Union in 1864 during the Civil War.

Work on the first railroad grade into Las Vegas began the summer of 1904. The tent town called Las Vegas sprouted saloons, stores and boarding houses. Rails were connected with the eastern segment of track in October 1904. The San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, later absorbed by its parent the Union Pacific, made its inaugural run from California to points east on Jan. 20, 1905.

Steam driven locomotives like No. 844 have been crossing the desert for over a hundred years stopping in Las Vegas. The power of the steam engine still impressed folks with its brief stop in downtown Las Vegas. Stopping in front of the original train depot, the Union Plaza now know as the “Plaza”. It remained idle for about 10 minutes pulsing steam. When it roared to life with the awesome power of steal and steam. The engine was alive with power, blaring its distinct whistle, it sounded just like the Mark Twain Steamboat at Disneyland, and sprinted down the tracks effortlessly on it way home in Cheyenne.