A piece of history may soon be rolling through Sumner.

Through Jan. 3, Union Pacific is hosting a contest called Union Pacific’s Great Excursion Adventure, which will reward the winning towns with a visit from one of its steam locomotives.

Sumner City Administrator Diane Supler said the railroad company contacted her about the contest and she thought it would be a fun activity for the city to participate in. There is a link to the contest website on the city’s homepage at ci.sumner.wa.us.

In the first round of the three-part competition, Union Pacific’s Steam Team collected online votes for towns. This information helps the Steam Team determine a number of potential routes for the steam engine to travel.

“They’ll chart the route but it would be through a whole bunch of communities,” Sumner Communications Director Carmen Palmer said.

In the final round, people vote for their favorite of the eligible routes.

“They’re selecting the route to run the train on,” Palmer said.

Palmer said it’s great if people are voting for Sumner, but it’s great if people are voting for Auburn or other locations on the same route because this may help the route’s chances of being selected.

Union Pacific maintains its historic steam engines called the Challenger No. 3985 and No. 844. The railroad company uses the engines as ambassadors of goodwill and the locomotives have logged many miles in their roles.

Challenger No. 3985 is the only engine of its kind in use today. Designed by Union Pacific and built in 1943 by the American Locomotive Company, it’s the largest and most powerful steam engine in the world, according to Union Pacific.

Union Pacific’s Great Excursion Adventure coincides with the 50th anniversary of special train service for No. 844. Often called Union Pacific’s Living Legend, the engine is the last steam locomotive built for Union Pacific Railroad. It was delivered in 1944. After diesel trains became the norm for passenger travel, No. 844 started freight service in Nebraska in the last few years of the 50s. The train almost became scrap in 1960, but became part of the company’s historical preservation.

To vote for the route, visit upexcursion.com. People can earn points by sharing the link on Facebook and Twitter and the top five recipients win a trip on the train for a leg of the excursion. Tickets can be won through a random giveaway and prizes can be won through giveaways to people using social media to keep in touch with Union Pacific. Union Pacific can be followed on Twitter at @up_steam.

With enough votes, an old-fashioned steam engine may chug through Sumner.

“All we can do is try,” Supler said.