"Union Pacific 3977" |
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| Union Pacific 3977, a 4-6-6-4 Challenger locomotive (specifications), was delivered to the railroad in mid-1943 from the American Locomotive Company, New York. The 3977, order number S-1879, was part of a total of twenty-five locomotives approved by the War Production Board for the Union Pacific (3975-3999), plus six more Challengers designated for the Rio Grande Railroad. In 1944, with a great number of troops being sent to the Pacific theatre, locomotives 3975-3980 were converted from coal to oil burners and sent to the northwest to assist in passenger train service. |
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| Click on engine for background info. |
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| Original Illustration 10" x 8" - India Ink on Mylar |
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| In 1945 these five locomotives received new smoke deflectors for the purpose of keeping smoke from coming in to the cab, particularly when drifting. The engines were painted in the two-tone passenger paint scheme, however, the fancy colors were eventually phased out, and the locomotives returned to the glossy black and graphite paint. The 3977, along with the 3985, were spared the cutter’s torch, with the 3977 on display at Cody Park in North Platte, Nebraska. |
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| The Challenger is featured in the lithograph "Thunder in Weber Canyon" |
