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Hundreds of people from the Ames area turned out on August 24, 1996, to see the Union Pacific 844, the oldest steam locomotive in continuous operation, as it passed by the south side of the old Chicago & North Western Depot in Ames. The 550-passenger train, which left Council Bluffs, Iowa, passed through Ames around 1:30 p.m. The steam locomotive's trip through Iowa to Chicago, Illinois, was undertaken as part of Iowa's 150th birthday celebration (Iowa became a state in 1846.)