05-02-2012
The details are still unclear, and Union Pacific officials are only using the term ‘mechanical issues,’ but somehow UP 844 ended up with flat spots on its drivers on the road between Texarkana, AR and Hearne, TX on Sunday.
The steam crew apparently made efforts to mitigate the flat spots by grinding them during an extended stop in Mount Pleasant, TX, and the train continued south Monday at reduced speed, tying up at Corsicana. (Interestingly, UP1982, the Missouri Pacific heritage unit in 844’s consist, has been removed from the train.)

06-09-2014
If you consider a proper boiler wash to be a series of "kill the fire, let the pressure drop to zero, pull the mudring washout plugs and let it drain, refill it, and fire it up again" to be proper, then this is also what you have to look forward to, especially if you try to stretch the boiler wash intervals by "creative accounting" for service days.

2015-scott-as-steam-shop-director

2018/07/22-up-no-844-involved-in-pedestrian-fatality-locomotive-will-not-run-on-scheduled-sunday-trip

February 13, 2020
The statement released to UP Steam Club members on February 10 also reiterates a January announcement by steam program manager Ed Dickens that famed Alco 4-6-6-4 UP 3985 has been officially retired. A permanent display location for the Challenger remains to be determined.
No specific mention was made regarding the future of the railroad’s E9 set or EMD DDA40X “Centennial” UP 3639.
In his comments about 3985, Dickens noted that UP has been maintaining and operating two steam engines during the past three decades, and that this will continue to be the case with UP 844 and 4014.