Partly cloudy skies greeted 844's arrival in Tucumcari.

Union Pacific Railroad Special Agents talk with visitors to 844 at Tucumcari.

Union Pacific Railroad Special Agents would accompany 844 in this SUV down the Golden State Route.

View from the west end of the beautiful and historic Tucumcari Depot. The depot is currently unoccupied and one can only hope that it will one day be restored to its original splendor.

View from the east end of the Tucumcari Depot. The rear observation car with the large rear window is not a bad way to travel.

One of the most interesting railroad depots in the West.

Beautiful Route 66 mural on the side of a Lowe's grocery (not home improvement) store in Tucumcari.

844 picks up steam and is moving fast westbound out of Tucumcari across a bridge over a tributary of Pajarito Creek. The bridge piers to the left belong to the former Route 66.

Between Tucumcari and Santa Rosa the crew of 844 opened her up and was cruising at 70 mph as stunned onlookers watched from the parallel Interstate 40. It was hard to keep up with the armada of railfans giving chase and major construction on I-40 making it just two lanes for many miles.

844 bears down along I-40/Route 66 bound for Santa Rosa.

Members of the UP steam crew enjoy a blast of spring morning New Mexico air at 70 miles per hour along I-40/Route 66.

I-40/Route 66 may be headed toward Gallup, but the Golden State Route and 844 will turn at Santa Rosa and head to Alamogordo and eventually El Paso along US 54.

A nice crowd of railfans and locals greeted 844 at Santa Rosa. 844 refueled here taking on more oil from the tanker truck.

Members of the Santa Rosa Police Department photographing and enjoying 844's visit to their city.

Members of Union Pacific's steam crew lubricate some of 844's moving parts at Santa Rosa.

844 steams out of Santa Rosa crossing the Pecos River on the west end of town.

Union Pacific's steam crew out of Cheyenne also had an SUV following 844 on this trip. Here they are heading out on US 54 to follow 844 toward the next stop in Vaughn.

More cattle than people on this desolate stretch of US 54 between Santa Rosa and Vaughn.

An officer with the New Mexico State Police watches 844 steam toward Vaughn from a grade crossing off of US 54.

A crowd greets 844's arrival at the small Union Pacific yard in Vaughn.

Father and son team of Caleb (left) and Steve (right) Emerson, friends from Albuquerque, were among the throng also giving chase to 844 that day.

The day's steady driver, Mrs. K, allowed me to hang out of the window at high speeds and bang away with my Canon 20D all day. Thank you!!!!

Behind the Emersons & Crew in the red Explorer chasing 844 along US 54 near Coyote, New Mexico, enroute to the next stop in Carrizozo.

Part of the railfan throng that showed up at Ancho. Ancho is a New Mexico ghost town several miles off of US 54. Any chance of getting a people-free shot of 844 when it rolls through normally dead Ancho? We'll see.

Beautiful Ancho, New Mexico.

Try as I might, I couldn't shoot 844 in Ancho without at least one goober soiling the shot.

844 screams across the high New Mexico desert toward Carrizozo under the watchful eye of the Jicarilla Mountains in the backgroud.

Biggest crowd of the day greets 844 in desolate, windswept and sun-scorched Carrizozo. You've got to love the stylish animal print outfit and parasol in Carrizozo.

Union Pacific Special Agents watch over the visitors to see 844 in Carrizozo.

844 serviced at Carrizozo before heading to Alamogordo for an overnight stay. It was here that we said goodbye to 844 after a stupendous day of fun across New Mexico. They don't call it "The Land of Enchantment" for nothin'!

As we headed west from Carrizozo on US 380 across the dry Tularosa Valley , we encountered a large Dust Devil in the distance to the south bidding us a fond farewell. The cattle are undisturbed.