It was on July 1, 1862 that Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act, creating the original Union Pacific Railway Company. Today Union Pacific Railroad is part of a corporation, linking 23 states in the western 2/3 of the country with cars carrying freight including automobiles and fruits and vegetables.
To mark the 150 year celebration, Union Pacific is traveling a steam engine throughout the country. The next stop is Ogden, Utah, for a day-long display and train-town presentation.
"It's the sounds that it makes and the smell," says Roberta Bearverly, train lover and executive director of the Union Station Foundation in Ogden. "Every one gets excited about these visits. I think it's because of the uniqueness of the steam mechanism. How in the world can hot water be used to power such a huge piece of equipment? Just an example of human ingenuity. It's amazing."
The station which serves as a historic museum is hosting the steam locomotive.
Number 844 was the last steam locomotive built for Union Pacific Railroad. You can tour this black beauty, along with the railroad's traveling museum, this Saturday, September 22, in Ogden during the day-long Harvest Moon Celebration.