Building UP 844 In 7.5" Gauge

Background

I’ve been involved in the live steam and backyard railroad hobby since 1995 when my father and I first visited the Illinois Live Steamers. That experience kindled a love for the hobby that has persisted to this day. For years, I was interested in building a live steam locomotive of my own. Finally, I decided to take the plunge. Over the Winter of 2017, I began researching the prospect of producing a build series for The Steam Channel which would cover the process of constructing a live steam locomotive. I began researching vendors, locomotives, tooling, and many other elements that would be relevant to the series. 

Selecting The ALCO Northern

My research continued throughout the summer of 2017, until I attended the Buckeye Limited Convention held at the Mill Creek Central Railroad in Ohio. While at the convention, I had the privilege of seeing two Little Engines ALCO Northerns under steam. These were impressive locomotives that immediately caught my eye as I’m a fan of northern class locomotives. With my attention captured, I reached out to Mike Venezia, then owner of Little Engines, and discussed the prospect of a building series. Mike embraced the idea and we got the ball rolling on this project. 

With the Little Engines ALCO Northern selected, one question was still outstanding…which northern locomotive should be modeled. My choice was between three prototypes: the 844, the SP GS-4 Daylight, and the CB&Q O-5 Northern. While I liked the O-5, I did not like the design enough to invest the resources required to model it in 7.5" gauge. The decision was between the 844 and the SP 4449; ultimately, the 844 was selected for its sleek, simple design. 

Latest Project Updates

844

As of Fall of 2024, the chassis for the Union Pacific 844 is currently being completed by Andrew Pullen of Liam Locomotive Works. Andrew is making great progress on the northern. We expect to have a public update on the locomotive project in 2025.

AUX Tender

Work on the 844's auxiliary tender began in January of 2023. Unfortunately, after missing several delivery dates over a year and a half - the contactor suddenly breached our contract for this project and dropped the tender project. We pulled the aux tender project from his shop in July of 2024, and have been working to purchase the remaining detail parts and components to finish the aux tender. 

As of November of 2024, we have nearly all the detail parts on-hand for the aux tender and her propane tanks. A friend of ours has graciously agreed to finish the machining work on the tender's trucks which should be delivered in the spring of 2025. 

Another friend of ours is fabricating all the custom detail parts for the tender including: the end ladders, brake wheel assembly, tool boxes, fill hatches, and tender light brackets.  

Once the truck machining is completed, we will perform some cosmetic weldment work on the side frames so they will more accurately resemble UP’s commonwealth style trucks. They will not be 100% replicas…but they will look good under the tender and serve their function. 

Once the trucks are delivered, work will begin in our shop toward constructing the coupler pockets for the aux tender, getting the trucks mounted on the tender body, final detail work, and finishing work. 

Primary Tender

In the summer of 2024, we started collecting quotes for the design and kit production of the 844’s primary tender. This data packet will continue to be compiled into the summer of 2025, and we should have more to announce on this tender by September of 2025.