3 October 2001
Canadian Pacific Putting 2816 to Bed for the Season
Calgary Alberta - Canadian Pacific 4-6-4
Hudson No. 2816, which made a triumphant maiden voyage from Vancouver, B.C., to Calgary, Alberta, last month, won't make another
operating appearance this year.
The railway is working on an operating plan for next season, which will cover May through October 2002, said Jonathan Hanna, CP's
corporate historian.
The inaugural run went well, with the train running on or ahead of schedule. Based on letters and feedback, CP says the trip was a
smashing public relations success.
"The letters to ( CPR president and CEO ) Rob Ritchie, to others on the team, confirm we have a powerful and effective community
relations vehicle on our hands", wrote Paul Clark, CP's vice president for communications public affairs. "Employees all
along the route, including the crews assigned to pilot the train, those at locations where we stopped, and those at work at locations
where we did not stop, were taking as many photographs as anyone as well as waving with pride at this new locomotive. We did not see
anyone without a huge grin on their face, who did anything but praise CPR for making the effort to restore the locomotive, and who did
not wish they could get on the train or stay on the train if they had managed to be invited.
"If those who missed the return trip had seen the locomotive's arrival in Calgary, or had been to Lake Louise / Banff / Canmore /
Cochrane and watched the response on the locomotive's arrival", he wrote, "then they would have soon realized that this was a
huge success - even more so when we did not do any paid communications regarding its journey".
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