Union Pacific 844 - Over The Donner Pass 2012 

844 has control of the MU'd units in power only. We coordinated with another engineer in the lead diesel for dynamics.

I don't think 4014 would need any diesels at all to get up the pass, eh?

Thank you for the great comments. I do find it disheartening that they used the diesel pushers/helpers. I do understand though. The UP 844 and SP 4449 did a double header through my little town of Tacoma WA. After that the SP 4449 did a lunch run here. Got some great pics of that. It was rumored that it ran out of water after climbing the hill behind my house. After that they used a diesel helper. I do not believe the rumors. I would put money on wheel spin. Great vid and thank you.

Most of the big Northern's like 844 and 4449 were somewhat slippery. SP installed boosters to help them start a heavy train but UP didn't believe in them. They were built to run fast and hot over flat (relatively speaking) ground. They were not mountain engines. Both of them were capable of 100 mph +. SP maintained speed restrictions over they're entire system well below that. However, there was a brief period when they lost the Sunset route due to washouts that forced them to reroute passenger trains over the Santa Fe across the desert. The Santa Fe engineers ran the GS class at over 100 mph and absolutely loved them.

I've seen on tv a video about 844 & in that video it was pulling a 5,000+ ton freight, but that was on archer hill which is no where near as steep as donner pass though I don't think.

+Mostafa Kishk Thank you. I was there in Greeley CO. I rode the CFD train last year. It was not UP844 but still great to see E9s running.

+rjolly87 Thank you.

+Diana Stuart Thank you!

Thanks for the comment!

haha funny

UP 844 has never retired since she was built in 1944

+MrSageflyfisher Thank you for watching!

Thanks!

***** Sure thing

Thanks!

+David doc Thanks man.

+iusetano Thanks!

+TREFan570 Yea. lol Thank you.

David H Bingham 👍

No.. I think you might be talking about Railfest 1999.

+SK Facilites Thank you for watching.

+Jon Blakeney Thanks!

They providing the power to coaches behind. When all railroads made the switch over to diesel-electric engines, they took off the steam generators on the coaches that were supplied with steam from the engine.. So the diesels are just their to heat the water, light the lights and heat the kitchen stoves used to supply the fabulous meals to the executives and crew traveling onboard.

Charles Damery 3 diesels just for HEP? those are not even passenger locomotives the diesels are there in case their is a problem with the 844. if it broke down, repairs would not be easy or quick. it would bog down the railroad until they could tow it away

Don't have to be, all diesel electric locomotives are just electrical generators anyway. There is no mechanical connection between the locomotive's engine and the drive train of the engine, unlike a steam engine.

One of the diesel is being used to power the coaches, the others are just in transit to the west coast.

Watch other RU-vid videos on steam.

+Parkes RailwayTV Thank you. I'm not sure what the gradient like. This was my very first time fanning there.

+Steve W Not until next year as I heard. :(

Actually they are saying she will be back by July of this year.

844 was placed in operation prior to Frontier Days Special excursions..

Yes, there are always test runs.

Steve W hv

Only other place that has tracks for it to run on is the uk, as the track gauge is the same.

christ you foamers are stupid

Thanks!

Your welcome!

+darbz2k It's been a while since you've asked, but in essence, the diesels aren't "needed". UP-844 could handle the load up and down the Donner Pass. She's done it in the past. However, the Donner pass is still a mainline railroad and therefore, Railroad companies can't afford to have incidents happen that would block the pass for paying rail traffic. Even though 844 is still part of the UP's fleet, it is still technically a "guest" on their railway. The diesels are the that safeguard against that happening. There might be official regulations for it, I'm not sure. Oh and the diesels also provide electrical power to the passenger cars for lighting and air conditioning.

+darbz2k Thank you.

+1993Warbirds I just wish UP could do what NS is doing with 611.

The diesels are mainly there for 1) dynamic braking - 844 is plenty powerful but it can't be guaranteed to stop inside the length of a modern signal block, and 2) head end power for the passenger cars. In steam days passenger cars had electrical generators, and were heated by steam from the locomotive, but these systems were obsolete long ago. That's why you hear one of them running when they go by. They could take over if they had to, but 844 is pretty reliable.

ZeldaTheSwordsman Only 2 turntable's are capable of turning Big Boy's & both are in same yard in Cheyenne..!

David H Bingham That is only tangentially relevant to what I said, I was talking about building *new* turntables throughout the UP's territory to replace the ones ripped up post-dieselization, so that 844 at the least can just uncouple and go turn around on a table and then back down on the other end of the train.

Then what are you going to do with sharp turns, as that is what the problem is, due to the design of the serpentine trucks on the tenders used on 844, 3985 and 4014..? Guess one could redesign the truck's, if you could find a way to replace them on a historic piece of equipment designed 100 years ago..

+Kurt Sorrels Its the Diesel engines idling on standby

844 solos

Moving them

+Ted Cartwright Steam boiler and in some cases, a wheel driven generator and batteries.

tell you the truth, this is the first time I have even heard of that light, the just out of curiousty, looked it up and this is what I found about it----Mars Lights used a variety of means to cause the light to oscillate vertically, horizontally, or both, to catch the attention of motorists and pedestrians

+Andrew Silva They don't use it as a purpose anymore. I have see it once or twice when they check all headlights before the departure.

+Snuffy's Cat Productions I think 844 looked better with the Mars light. Now that it doesn't have the Mars light, I think they should remove the elephant ears so it looks like 844 when it was first delivered in 1944. I just really don't like 844 without the Mars light. 😕

+Andrew Silva The red Mars light would come on when the engine applied it's emergency brakes.

+Nick Stewart They said the mars light will be back.

UP is using recycled diesel engine oil with additives, which burns cleaner than #5 oil used in the past.

David H Bingham thanks, a bit sad that it is not coal fired, but accepted :-)

Well, the Union Pacific's bituminous coal proved to just be too much of a fire hazard. That's why 3985 was converted to oil.

844 was converted to an oil burner a _long_ time ago. As in, back during her revenue passenger train career.

ZeldaTheSwordsman The reason why 3985 was converted into an oil burner, was due to coal ashes setting fires in row..

+Trainboy70 Memorial train?

That's UP 844... What made you think it's 4449????

+Amtrak and AWVR Fan Clearly you can't read. He was just informing us 4449 is back. Does it say anywhere that he said that 844 was 4449?

+Amtrak and AWVR Fan he means 4449 is in service as well as 844

It would be cool to see 4449 doublehead with 844 again

RedstoneJohn You're mistaken. There is a generator car on the train. Two of the diesels were being used for dynamic braking while one was dead in tow.

+Prince Noah because reasons..... they jsut seem to jump track when ever the hell they want. last year around glasgow montana on the "hi line" their were around 12 derailments..... this year, not a damn one

Prince Noah because the centipede tenders have a rigid wheelbase and don't like tight turns.

You'll enjoy it.

+up4014 steam train fan Why do u have to upload my video on your Channel? Just watch my video through my Channel!

+up4014 steam train fan Is there even a point in using someone else's video on your channel? No... Your videos aren't even getting many views because they were already viewed by the original authors' channels. Do you think those videos will make you getting more views and subs if you had those videos? What a joke! Start making your own videos and get a life.

@@UP4014SteamTrainFan Do You Know Union Pacific 5511 Being Restored? Because It Has An Awesome Whistle

@@willberestartingthischanne9984 I Heard Nothing about it

These 3 are all deadheads Theyre all idling and they do nothing What makes you rhink otherwise?

Braking power

+david levine Can tell you flunked English, what with the way you spell and use no punctuation.

actually it's for dynamic brake, the driver controls it. These diesels are just a scam, they don't do anything there