Canadian Pacific #2816: Race to Shreveport 5-21/22-2024

Steven Saine Railfan Productions
Steven Saine Railfan Productions
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Published 2024-05-26
Canadian Pacific #2816: Race to Shreveport 5-21/22-2024.

It's late May of 2024, and we make our way to the great state of Missouri to see a possible once in a lifetime opportunity. The newly formed Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railroad is celebrating one year of their merger. And what better way to celebrate it than with a nearly 4000 mile run between Calgary AB. Canada and Mexico City via St. Paul, Chicago, Davenport, Kansas City, Shreveport, and Houston. All that milage, powered by steam the entire way. We were fortunate enough to chase the train between Kansas City MO. and Shreveport LA. a distance of roughly 550-600 miles. The motive power for this historic train would be Canadian Pacific H-1B 4-6-4 #2816 "The Empress."

2816 was built in 1930 by the Montreal Locomotive Works as an H-1B 4-6-4 Hudson type locomotive for the Canadian Pacific Railroad. The "H" signifying it is a Hudson type locomotive, the "1" is the design number, and the "B" meaning the second batch of these locomotives built. She would haul passenger trains between Winnipeg and Fort William Onterio. After the introduction of the semi-streamlined Hudson locomotives on the CP, 2816 was reassigned to smaller duties. She was retired in 1960 after accumulating over two million miles on the CP. In 1963, she was bought by F. Nelson Blount and moved to Bellows Falls Vermont for his Steamtown Locomotive collection. She would be moved with the rest of the collection to Scranton Pennsylvania in the 1980's. In the 1990's, Canadian Pacific had been operating steam excursions with Royal Hudson #2860 over their road and BC Rail, and the crew were looking for replacement parts. Instead of buying parts from 2816, Steamtown offered the railroad the entire locomotive instead. Canadian Pacific bought the 2816 from the now National Park Service, and was moved to the BC Rail steam shops in North Vancouver British Columbia for restoration. In 2001, after two million dollars and tons of labor and contracting, 2816 moved under her own power for the first time in 41 years. Over the next eleven years, 2816 would power many major excursions. Including trips for the Kamloops Heritage Railway, CSX, Canadian Pacific's mainline, and a trip with Milwaukee Road #261. She was put in storage once again in 2012 after the new CEO had no interest in running steam. In November of 2020, the 2816 was fired up once again for the filming of a holiday video and as a test of it's mechanical condition. The following year, Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern announced they would merge and announced they would celebrate by running the 2816 all the way down to Mexico and return. The first time any steam locomotive has ever done that. After another overhaul to meet with FRA standards, 2816 was fired up once again in 2023 for testing. In April of 2024, she departed on her nearly 8000 mile roundtrip from Calgary to Mexico City and return. At the time of this production, she is still on her way to Mexico City.

Fun facts:
-2816 has two whistles. A five chime from a CP Selkirk 2-10-4 locomotive (the valve is air actuated), and a replica of her original 6 chime (the one she still had from Steamtown).
-2816 is called the Empress because that was the title of all the CP passenger trains ("Empress of Australia," "Empress of Russia," etc.). Also, that was the call sign of CP Air Lines.
-2816 is the only steam locomotive to have a PTC system that makes her independent to run without the assistance of a diesel (the two f units on the train were added in case a problem occurred with the 2816).

*We did not know the train would be going the speed it was and the roads were so inconsistent. They were going track speed the entire way.

We hope you enjoy our look of Canadian Pacific Kansas City's Final Spike Tour with CP #2816s race to Shreveport!

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