Built by General Electric, this model U28C freight locomotive has a 16 cylinder, 4 cycle turbo charged engine and produces 2,800 horsepower.  This engine is 67 feet 3 inches long, weighs 360,000 pounds and has a 2,900 gallows capacity fuel tank.  Union Pacific removed its protective hoods and partly cut-away the engine so it could be used as a mechanical training locomotive.

A diesel-electric locomotive uses a diesel engine to turn an electrical generator.  This produces direct current electricity which runs electric traction motors.  The traction motors, located in the wheel assemblies, use gears on the axles to turn the wheels and pull the train.  While steam locomotive used numbers to describe wheel arrangements diesel locomotives are described using letters for the powered axles in a group.  For example "A" equals 1 powered axle, B=2, C=3, D=4, etc.  Also any unpowered or "idler" axles are identified by numbers.  This C-C locomotive, number 2804 was donated to the museum in 1995 by the Union Pacific Railroad.