Lionel 11221Union Pacific Challenger 4-6-6-4 Steam Engine

VISION Challenger During World War II, as the Pacific front intensified, rail traffic congestion threatened to cripple western railroads like the Union Pacific. Railroads placed urgent requests for more motive power to the War Production Board. The UP knew of no better candidate for a fast freight hauler than the 4-6-6-4 simple articulated Challenger-type that they had developed with the American Locomotive Company in the 1930s. These earliest Challengers, some 60 in total, proved their worth on the steep grades of the Wasatch Mountains, showing clearly that the big brute 4-6-6-4 engines had more power and speed than their predecessors. In 1943, twenty five additional ALCO Challengers arrived at the Union Pacific Railroad. These locomotives were initially designed as coal burners thanks to plentiful Wyoming coalfields. In 1944, however, some “Greyhound” Challengers of U.P. were converted to burn oil for Los Angeles passenger service, where they often exceeded 80 miles per hour spe