Famous Union Pacific locomotive to steam through Lawrence this weekend

The last steam locomotive built for Union Pacific Railroad will be chugging through the area Sunday.

The 66-year-old No. 844 engine will be expected to steam past the Union Pacific Depot in North Lawrence about 11 a.m.; the locomotive is not scheduled to stop.

The engine will be at The Great Overland Station, 701 N. Kansas Ave. in Topeka, from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., then head east for a 1 p.m. arrival at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo., where the engine is to be on display through 8 p.m. Monday.

“We are always amazed at the number of people who come out to watch it go by — anywhere, in urban areas or in rural areas,” said Mark Davis, a Union Pacific spokesman. “It’s like seeing a dinosaur in a zoo. The steam locomotive represents an age when people traveled by train. … It’s nostalgia that attracts all ages.”

For more information, including a GPS train tracker, visit UP.com.