Union Pacific No. 844 (Diesel)

For the disambiguation, see Union Pacific No. 844 (disambiguation).This is an article about an EMD GP30, for the steam era version, go to Union Pacific No. 844 (Steam).
Union Pacific No. 844 is an EMD GP30 that was built in 1962 by the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) for the Union Pacific Railroad.
== History ==
Throughout the late 1950s into the 1960s, dieselization was nearly complete among American Railroads, and now diesel locomotive manufacturers were competing more than ever to outdo the other and sell their locomotives to the most customers. Some of the major competitors at the time were the American Locomotive Company (ALCO), General Electric (GE) and the Electro-Motive Division (EMD).
Each railroad needed different diesel locomotives for different purposes such as mainline express, local freight and switchers. One of the largest and best performing Class I Railroads of the time was Union Pacific, who dieselized their lines in the late 1930s. However, their quest for new motive power was far from over, as one of their recent diesel locomotives was the GE U25B, which was starting to become common among numerous Class I Railroads with its 2,500 hp.
In response to this, the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) had introduced the EMD GP30. Union Pacific No. 844 was constructed by the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) for the Union Pacific. No. 844 and the rest of the GP30s continued to work with the Union Pacific Railroad as they entered service almost immediately after their introduction on the railroad's important trains. They ranged system wide in regions ranging from Omaha and Kansas City to Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles.
No. 844 was retired in January 1989 after recently working in the North Little Rock, Arkansas region and donated to the Nevada State Railroad Museum at Boulder City, Nevada in March 1989 where it currently resides to this day.
== Trivia ==
* When Union Pacific GP30 No. 844 was in service, Union Pacific FEF-3 No. 844 was renumbered to 8444 to avoid conflict with Union Pacific's GP30 No. 844. After the GP30's retirement, the FEF-3 was renumbered back to it's original number. Ironically, there's a EMD SD70ACe on the UP roster with the number 8444.
== Gallery ==
File:'Nevada Southern Railroad Museum' 41.jpg
UP 844 GP30.jpg
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844dieselinearlydays.jpeg
Category:B-B locomotives
Category:Union Pacific locomotives
Category:Preserved diesel locomotives
Category:Union Pacific
Category:Diesel locomotives
Category:EMD GP30
Category:Preserved locomotives
Category:Standard gauge locomotives of the United States
Category:EMD locomotives
Category:United States
Category:American diesel locomotives
Category:American locomotives
Category:4 foot 8 1⁄2 inch gauge
Category:Nevada State Railroad Museum
Category:Standard gauge locomotives
Category:Diesel-electric locomotives
Category:Operational Locomotives
Category:Nevada State Railroad Museum Locomotives
Category:Built in 1962
Category:Four-axled diesel locomotives