17 August 2010

Empress Chugs Through the Rockies

The 2816 Empress Steam Train made its way from Calgary to Revelstoke recently,
delighting onlookers and lucky riders along the way.

Golden British Columbia - Canadian Pacific shared the legacy of the Last Spike with a special journey of the 2816 Empress Steam Train.
 
Canadian Pacific (CP) marks a significant milestone this year as it celebrates the 125th Anniversary of the driving of the Last Spike, which signalled the completion of Canada's first transcontinental railroad. The actual Last Spike that marked the completion of the transcontinental railway on 7 Nov 1885 will be on display in the museum car for public viewing. It is generously on loan from the Canada Science & Technology Museum.
 
In celebration of 125 years of service, CP's iconic 2816 Empress steam train embarked on a tour, celebrating their shared history with various Canadian communities, including Golden. The Empress brought its heritage fleet which included CP's museum car, a vintage baggage car from the 1950s refurbished and transformed, to provide people an interactive view of CP's history.
 
Mike LoVecchio, senior manager, media relations for CP, spoke candidly about the exciting trip.
 
"We had the spike with us on a specially prepared museum car," he said. "The spike itself is on loan from the Canadian Museum of Science & Technology in Ottawa."
 
The museum car houses artifacts that are very special to CP. The focus is on the last spike ceremony when Donald Smith drove the final spike into the railroad at Craigellachie. On loan from the Canadian Science & Technology Museum, the original spike was displayed in the car. Also included was the 33 inches of Krupp Steel rail. Dating back to 1883 the German Foundry, Krupp, supplied the steel rail for the completion of the railway. The final piece rounding out the collection is a painting commissioned by Geoffrey Grier in 1945 celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Last Spike.
 
LoVecchio explained that about a decade ago, CP brought the 2816 Empress steam engine out of mothballs and completely rebuilt her. The Empress now serves and is completely original. It is completely licensed to travel anywhere on CP tracks and has all the modern communication devices necessary to operate on a modern freight railroad.
 
"The reaction we get from this train, I'll tell you, it's the closest thing you can have to being a rock star," said LoVecchio. "People line the tracks to take her picture. It's a real thrill to be able to move her around the network and engage the communities that we serve directly. It's a real thrill for our employees to see that reaction from people."
 
The trip started out of Calgary, where it's based. CP did an event (on 13 Aug 2010), with Parks Canada in Lake Louise. That morning the train departed Lake Louise, came through Golden, and then on to Revelstoke. On Sunday, the train travelled back through Rogers Pass, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the most deadly avalanche in Canadian history. "The avalanche came down in 1910 in Rogers Pass and 58 Canadian Pacific employees were killed," said LoVecchio. "That included a number of Japanese labourers and there was a commemoration ceremony on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Pass where CP joined with Parks Canada and with descendants of some of those Japanese families to mark the 100th anniversary of that tragedy."
 
LoVecchio explained that CP partnered with the Children's Wish Foundation to donate funds raised from tickets that people purchased to ride on the Empress through the Rockies.
 
"Our relationship with Children's Wish goes back over a decade when some of our employees decided to recycle their water bottles to the benefit of Children's Wish. In the last decade we've raised over a quarter of a million dollars entirely through an employee initiative for Children's Wish. With the rides that we're giving this summer [on the steam train] as part of our promotion for the 125th anniversary of the Last Spike, we hope to raise about $50,000 for Children's Wish Foundation."
 
The story of the Last Spike began with the incorporation of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company on 16 Feb 1881. The company's original charter provided that the main rail line would cross the Rocky Mountains by way of the Yellowhead Pass, the route now used by Canadian National. However, the company's founders believed that a more direct route should be found further to the south, through the Rocky and Selkirk mountain ranges. Today the Last Spike is housed in the Canada Science & Technology Museum of Ottawa.
 
Carrie White.