27 August 2007
CPR Empress Brings History Back to Rails
Whitewood Saskatchewan - In a plume of black smoke, white
steam and to the sound that could only be described as a "chug... chug... chug...," a piece of Canadian history rolled into
town just over a week ago, stopping people in their tracks.
The CPR steam engine number 2816, resurrected and renamed the Empress, made a stop in Whitewood on 19 Aug 2007, and had
people and vehicles lining the tracks, streets, and highways to catch a glimpse of the authentic locomotive, which is now a roving
ambassador for Canadian Pacific Railway.
"Now that is something you don't see everyday," said one onlooker as they watched the train pull out of town. "That is
so cool."
The CPR Empress locomotive 2816 is a H1b Hudson-type locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in December 1930.
It is now the only surviving H1b Hudson and is one of only a handful of preserved and operating CPR steam locomotives in North America.
Named after the Hudson River, the Canadian Pacific Hudson-type locomotives were first built by Montreal Locomotive Works
in 1929. They came with larger fire boxes than earlier locomotives and produced more steam at higher pressure than their predecessors.
The 2816 was built as a high-powered, fast passenger locomotive but it spent a little more than half of its
30-year career operating in fast freight service.
The locomotive began its career running westward out of Winnipeg to Calgary, which would have included stops at the former CPR station
in Whitewood, as well as eastward to Fort William, Ontario, (now part of Thunder Bay). Locomotive 2816 then moved into service on the
Windsor-to-Quebec City corridor. Its last assignment was at the front of a Montreal-Rigaud commuter train,
making its final revenue run on 26 May 1960. Throughout its 30 years of service, locomotive 2816 logged more than two
million miles.
According to CPR steam table calculations, the 2816 was good for 4,700 horsepower at 55 miles per hour. The 2816 regularly operated at
speeds in excess of 70 miles an hour. Today about 75 miles an hour is as fast as anything will go for CPR.
After a complete three-year rebuild, the 2816 was restored to the original specifications with external details from the
1940/50s and was dubbed CPR Empress. It re-entered active service in 2001 as a roving ambassador for the railway's safety,
service, and productivity goals.
The stop in Whitewood was part of a month long steam tour of Western Canada and the United States Midwest that began in Calgary on
17 Aug 2007. After reaching Winnipeg, it will steam its way south into the USA where part of its tour will include teaming
up with the Milwaukee Road #261 steam locomotive for a double-headed round trip along the Mississippi River to La Crosse,
Wisconsin.
Throughout the locomotive's tour, the public were able to see the train and even take a ride on it. All trips include coach, first
class, and premium class services.
The locomotive will return back to Calgary via Winnipeg between 16-22 Sep 2007 with a scheduled stop in Broadview on
20 Sep 2007 at around twelve noon.
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