On Wednesday, the railroad yard in Sparks had a special visitor arrive: Union Pacific Engine 844 pulling a train of passenger cars arrived around 3:45 p.m.

According to a crew member, the locomotive was built in 1944 and is the last steam engine purchased by the Union Pacific before the company switched to diesel power.

The locomotive weighs in at 954,000 pounds and consumes 100 gallons of water per mile. The yellow tender in back of the engine holds 60,000 gallons of water.

At the controls when the locomotive pulled in was Steve Lee, a 37-year veteran engineer, who manages UP’s steam program.

“It’s a high-speed passenger engine,” he said. “It rides rough and you’ve got to hang out to see where you are going so it’s old school.”

On Saturday, Lee and his crew will take #844 to Roseville, Calif. for that city’s centennial then to other cities for various celebrations, including Portola, Calif. then on to Ogden, Utah for the 140th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike.

The engine is on public display today from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the railroad yard. Access is from Nugget Avenue just east of where Pyramid Highway ends.