The Little Rock Express will depart May 31 from Kansas City and conclude June 9 in Little Rock, Ark., as part of Union Pacific's Great Excursion Adventure - You Route the Steam contest.
More than 175,000 votes were cast for four different routes, with the Little Rock Express defeating the Tuscola Turn, Baton Rouge Rambler and Boise Express.
As a result, Union Pacific's legendary No. 3985 Challenger steam locomotive will make a goodwill tour starting in Kansas City, heading east through Jefferson City and St. Louis before turning south en route to Little Rock. Details regarding the numerous steam locomotive stops will be announced soon.
Five individual winners and their guests will ride on the train for a leg of the tour. The individual winners were determined based on the number of points they earned by gathering referrals via Facebook or Twitter. The winners are: Shad Pulley from West Jordan, Utah; Skip Waters from Dallas; James O'Connor from Willowbrook, Ill.; Nick Benson from Eagan, Minn.; and Kevin Mucha from Villa Park, Ill.
Pulley, the grand prize winner, earned the title "Honorary Engineer" and will ride in the steam locomotive cab.
Contest participants who voted for the Little Rock Express will be entered into a drawing for the opportunity to ride a brief segment of the tour. No tickets will be sold and general public train rides will not be available as part of the tour.
Fans can keep up with the latest Little Rock Express information via Facebook at www.facebook.com/unionpacific or Twitter at www.twitter.com/unionpacific.