Union Pacific Railroad

Visitors to the Folklife Festival could visit Engine #8444, the last steam locomotive ever manufactured for Union Pacific. The engine was built in 1944 and worked in active service until 1959. In 1960, it became part of Union Pacific’s heritage fleet. It continues to tour to special events today.

From Expo ‘74 World’s Fair Spokane, p. 109-111.

Another long term participant [of the Folklife Festival] was an irresistible object which met a very movable force… Union Pacific Engine #8444. Regardless of the day of the week, the scene was always the same when men, women and children were drawn to the last steam locomotive operated by Union Pacific.

Father and children clambered aboard the engine while mother aimed the camera. Father then took his turn at the brownie while his children posed enthusiastically on #8444’s smoke deflectors, headlights and pilot. At exposure number five the movable forces managed to wend their way back to the caboose for a complete inventory. And so the adventure of railroading continued from generation to generation. Abetting the lore were two railroad engineers who chanted out statistics that Father ate up faster than homemade biscuits.

According to Union Pacific’s website, “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.” The engine would later visit the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans.