UP's Steam Engine Is Pulling Into Dexter

By Annabeth Miiler,
ShowMe Times Editor

The day we have all been waiting for has finally arrived.

Back in the spring folks voiced their opinion through an online voting process and encouraged family and friends to vote. And the route was set. And now the ig steam engine is coming to Dexter.

The community that was founded in 1873 by the railroad and can credit its early history to the importance of railroads is going to host - for a short time - the last steam engine built for Union Pacific Railroad.

Union Pacific's Engine 844 will arrive in Dexter at 10:10 a.m. Monday at the intersection of County Road 517A and County Road 527. The train will be stopped for one hour, before leaving headed west to Poplar Bluff.

The 844 will leave Cape Girardeau at 8 a.m. for Dexter. The train is spending the night in Cape Girardeau before continuing its southward trek.

The Little Rock Express route won in voting conducted via a special contest website. In addition, individuals who garnered the most "points" via Facebook and Twitter earned two tickets each for a special leg of the tour.

"The contest connected this legendary piece of railroad history to people of all ages through today's technology. It is our privilege to bring No. 844 to help the Little Rock Express voters celebrate their social media networking success," said Robert Turner, Union Pacific senior vice president - Corporate Relations.

A Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) transmitter was installed on one of the rail cars that will travel with No. 844. The GPS system has been integrated with a map at www.upsteam.com. Website visitors will be able to access a detailed schedule, route maps and other information. The GPS system will update the map every five minutes showing No. 844's location. GPS updates are also available at http://twitter.com/UP_Steam.