31 July 2007
Restored Steam Locomotive to Make Trip to Wisconsin
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CP 2816 boiler and superheater pressure
gauges.
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Franklin Park Illinois USA - Today, in the vast majority
of locomotives, either diesel-guzzling engines, or electric generators power the wheels.
But in decades past, trains depended on the simple elements of fire and water. Steam was king.
Picture something like a giant teakettle. When created in large amounts, the vapor was powerful enough to stir cylinders, turn pistons,
ultimately cause thousands of tons of steel to thunder down a track.
Most of these trains have been out of commission since the mid-20th century. But come September, one of the few fully
restored steam-powered locomotives in North America will chug into the Chicago area.
And once it's gone, it might be gone for a while.
"Events like this are few and far between because of the logistics and the expense," said Bill Moran of Wheaton. "We'd
be lucky if it happens again in the next seven or eight years. There's really a window of opportunity here for those who want a unique
experience."
Moran is the treasurer of the Chicago chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. He recalled 2002 as the last time a steam
locomotive came to the suburbs.
"It was a pretty major event," he said. "It was the first time a locomotive of that size and class came to this
area."
The NRHS has been working with Canadian Pacific Railroad (Editor: RAILWAY !) to ensure Chicago is one of the stops for CPR's
Empress, an H1b Hudson-model locomotive built in Montreal in 1930. CPR will offer three, daylong excursions on the Empress
from Saturday to Monday, 1-3 Sep 2007.
The train will depart from Franklin Park and travel to Sturtevant, Wisconsin. Upon arrival, passengers may exit for lunch and to watch
the train being serviced and rotated for the return trip. The train will feature up to 15 vintage 1950s-era cars, capable
of transporting several hundred passengers.
The locomotive initially ran westward out of Winnipeg to Calgary and eastward to Fort William, Ontario (now part of Thunder Bay). Its
final assignment was powering a Montreal-Rigaud commuter train 26 May 1960. In all, the engine logged more
than 2 million miles during those three decades.
In 1998, CPR began a three-year project to restore the engine to its original specifications. In 2001, it
re-entered active service as CPR's roving ambassador and became a significant part of the company's community outreach
program, said Breanne Feigel, spokeswoman for CPR.
"CPR actually has a pretty extensive community connect program and this is the cornerstone of that," Feigel said. "(The
Empress) reflects the business and its goals for the 900 communities we serve."
CPR also sells trips on the locomotive to benefit charities like the Children's Wish Foundation, Canada's version of the Make a Wish
Foundation.
Tickets for the Labor Day weekend excursion to Wisconsin are not cheap. But Moran suspects enough people will turn out to fill up the
train on all three days.
"This will be of interest to people who are either train buffs or have children who are train buffs," he said. "We get a
lot of people, like seniors, for whom it's more of a romantic or nostalgic type thing. It's a really captivating thing. As you stand in
the open door with the steam and the whistle and the bell and the "chug chug", it's a good feeling. You don't get to
experience that today."
A portion of the tickets sold will benefit the Chicago chapter of the NRHS, he said. The organization is a volunteer nonprofit
organization dedicated to the preservation of railroad history. Since 1982, its focus has been on planning and operating mainline steam
excursions for public enjoyment in and around Chicago. With more than 100 members, it's among the largest chapters of the
NRHS.
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