Canadian Pacific 2816

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Canadian Pacific 2816
CPR No. 2816 Empress leading an excursion on May 10, 2008
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerHenry B. Bowen
BuilderMontreal Locomotive Works
Serial number68535
Build dateDecember 1930
Rebuild date1999–2001
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-6-4
 • UIC2′C2′
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia.75 in (1.9 m)
Wheelbase80.52 ft (24.54 m) ​
 • Engine39.50 ft (12.04 m)
 • Drivers13.17 ft (4.01 m)
Length91 ft 1 in (27.76 m)
Adhesive weight194,000 lb (88 t)
Loco weight351,200 lb (159.3 t)
Tender weight291,000 lb (132 t)
Total weight643,100 lb (291.7 t)
Fuel typeCoal (converted to burn oil during restoration)
Fuel capacity17 short tons (15 t)
Water cap.12,000 imp gal (55,000 L; 14,000 US gal)
Firebox:​
 • Grate area80.80 sq ft (7.507 m2)
Boiler pressure275 psi (1.90 MPa)
Heating surface:​
 • Firebox352 sq ft (32.7 m2)
 • Tubes62 - 2.25 in (57 mm)
 • Flues171 - 35 in (890 mm)
 • Tubes and flues18.25 ft (5.56 m)
 • Total surface5,475 sq ft (508.6 m2)
Superheater:
​
 • Heating area1,640 sq ft (152 m2)
CylindersTwo
Cylinder size22 in × 30 in (559 mm × 762 mm)
Valve gearWalschaerts
Performance figures
Maximum speed100 mph (160 km/h) (average)
Power output4,700 hp (3,500 kW)
Tractive effort45,254 lbf (201.30 kN)
Career
Operators
ClassH-1b
NumbersCP 2816
Official nameEmpress
RetiredMay 26, 1960
PreservedJanuary 1964
RestoredAugust 16, 2001
Current ownerCanadian Pacific Kansas City
DispositionOperational
References:[1][2]

Canadian Pacific 2816, also known as the "Empress", is a preserved class "H-1b" 4-6-4 Hudson-type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in December 1930 for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). It is the only non-streamlined H1 Hudson to have survived into preservation.

The locomotive was primarily used in pulling passenger trains in revenue service for thirty years, before it was retired in the 1960s where it was sold to F. Nelson Blount, who added it to his Steamtown, U.S.A. collection in Bellows Falls, Vermont. After becoming surplus in the collection by the National Park Service, No. 2816 was reacquired by the CP in 1998, and crews from BC Rail were hired to extensively restore it to operating condition.

In 2001, the Empress returned to service, and it was used by the CP in occasional excursion service as part of their steam program. In 2012, the steam program was discontinued, and No. 2816 remained stored at the CP's headquarters in Calgary, Alberta. With the CP merging with Kansas City Southern (KCS) to become the new Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) in 2023, No. 2816 returned to service in spring of 2024.

History[edit]

Revenue service[edit]

No. 2816 was one of ten H-1b-class (Nos. 2810-2819) (the "H" meant the 4-6-4 wheel configuration, the "1" was the design number and the "b" meant it was the second production run) 4-6-4 Hudson-types built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in December 1930, at a cost of $116,555 each.[1][2] It was first assigned to premier passenger service between Winnipeg and Fort William, Ontario.[2]

Following the introduction of semi-streamlined Royal Hudson locomotives in 1937, No. 2816 was reassigned to secondary passenger service between Windsor, Ontario, and Quebec City, and during the 1950s, it pulled commuter trains between Montreal and Rigaud, Quebec.[1][2] In 1957, No. 2816 received a minor overhaul, with its tender being replaced with one from Royal Hudson No. 2822.[3][4] The locomotive was retired from revenue service on May 26, 1960, after accumulating 2,046,000 miles (3,293,000 kilometres).[5][6][7] It was subsequently used briefly as a stationary boiler at the St. Luc yards in Montreal.[1]

Steamtown ownership[edit]

In the early 1960s, F. Nelson Blount wanted to expand his Steamtown, U.S.A. collection, and one of the locomotives he initially wanted to preserve was a 4-6-4 from the New York Central Railroad (NYC). Since all NYC 4-6-4s were scrapped by that time, Blount improvised by purchasing No. 2816 from the CP in December 1963.[1] The locomotive was removed from the scrap lines of Angus, Ontario, and it was put on static display at Steamtown's first location in Bellows Falls, Vermont.[1]

During No. 2816's time on static display, the locomotive deteriorated from the outdoor elements, and it worsened its condition for several years.[1][8] In the winter of 1983-1984, it was moved along with the rest of the collection to Scranton, Pennsylvania, where Steamtown was later reorganized as Steamtown National Historic Site under the ownership of the National Park Service.[2] Following the reorganization, No. 2816 was deemed surplus in the collection, and Steamtown wanted to dispose of it.[1]

Restoration[edit]

During the mid-late 1990s, the Canadian Pacific Railway's then-president and CEO, Robert Ritchie, reorganized the company and established the "Royal Canadian Pacific" excursion train to honor the railway's history, and he sought for CP to operate their own steam excursion program.[9]

In September 1998, the CP purchased No. 2816 after hearing of its availability via phone calls from BC Rail, who had been operating CP Royal Hudson No. 2860 as part of their own excursion program.[10][11][12] The No. 2860 crews had been looking for replacement parts for the Royal Hudson and were offered to buy the entire locomotive by Steamtown.[11] No. 2816 was coupled in a special consist led by CP GP38-2 No. 3069, FP7 No. 1400, and St. Lawrence and Hudson GP9u No. 8216, and it was ferried from Scranton to Montreal via Binghamton and Albany, New York, before traveling cross-country to the BC Rail steam workshop in North Vancouver, British Columbia.[11][12]

CP contracted the BC Rail steam shop crew, led by Al Broadfoot, to disassemble No. 2816 and evaluate its condition; if it were salvageable, then they would restore it to operating condition, but if it were deteriorated beyond salvaging, then they would give it a cosmetic restoration for static display purposes.[10][13] When No. 2816 was disassembled, it was revealed that it was mechanically worn out, but Bob Ritchie decided to approve a complete rebuild of the locomotive, regardless.[10]

Broadfoot and his team were able to obtain multiple plans and vital information about CP H1b class locomotives, including a complete set of over 800 technical drawings provided by the Canada Science and Technology Museum, and they used them as references for the project.[13][14] Hundreds of replacement parts had to be fabricated by contractors in Vancouver, such as the cab, the running boards, the rod brasses, the superheater manifold, among other things.[13][14] Contractors in the United States were hired to overhaul other major parts of No. 2816; the driving wheels were shipped to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the boiler was shipped to Doyle McCormack and his crews in Portland, Oregon.[4][11]

No. 2816's firebox was converted from coal to oil firing, and the tender received dual water intakes with Canadian and American threads.[10][14] CP gained so much faith in the project that on April 19, 2000, the railway announced that No. 2816 would become an ambassador for their new steam program, and the locomotive was scheduled to return to service in September, but the deadline was pushed back, due to further challenges encountered in the restoration process.[3][4] The project took over two years and cost over $2 million to complete, making it one of the most expensive steam locomotive restoration projects in Canada.

First excursion service and temporary hiatus[edit]

On August 15, 2001, No. 2816 passed its federal boiler inspection, and the following day, the locomotive was fired up for the first time in forty years, performing a series of test runs over three days on CP's Cascade Subdivision between Coquitlam and Mission.[6][7][15] From September 19 to 23, No. 2816 pulled its first official inaugural excursion out of Port Moody, toured some of the CP mainlines for 672 miles (1,081 kilometres) over five days, and then it stopped at CP’s headquarters in Calgary, Alberta.[6][9] The locomotive began pulling additional public relations excursions for the Canadian Pacific Railway, and it quickly received the name "The Empress".[9]

On May 16, 2002, the locomotive pulled two excursions for the West Coast Express. Between May 24 and July 8, 2003, No. 2816 toured the CP between Alberta and Ontario, and the purpose of the tour was to spread further public awareness of CP and to raise money for the children's "Breakfast for Learning" program.[16] On September 27, No. 2816 visited the Kamloops Heritage Railway and took part in a doubleheader excursion with Canadian National 2-8-0 No. 2141. In May 2004, No. 2816 pulled the Royal Canadian Pacific consist while performing a 3,000-mile (4,800 km) tour across the CP between Vancouver and Montreal, and it marked the first time in fifty years that a single steam locomotive pulled a cross-country passenger train in Canada, but it was assisted by three CP heritage diesels.[17]

In early June, the Empress was ferried behind a Soo Line SD60 over the CSX mainline between Buffalo, New York and Chicago, Illinois, and then it traveled to the Twin Cities area in Minnesota to participate in the "Grand Excursion 2004" event, which celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad's celebration train of 1854.[17][18] No. 2816 pulled multiple public excursions for the event between the Twin Cities and the Quad Cities area in Iowa, using passenger coaches owned by Freinds of the 261, and the last train took place on July 3; a doubleheader with Milwaukee Road 261 from St. Paul to La Crescent and return.[17][18] No. 2816 returned from Minnesota to Calgary with a charity train later that same month.[17]

In August 2007, No. 2816 toured the CP from Calgary to Chicago, and then it pulled some public excursions within Illinois and Wisconsin, including another doubleheader with No. 261 on September 15 between Minneapolis and La Crosse, Wisconsin.[19] The Empress returned to Calgary by the end of September. At the end of the 2008 operating season, the Canadian Pacific Railway put the steam program on hold—while still operating previously promised engagement runs—due to financial challenges created by the Great Recession. No. 2816 did not operate at all in 2009, but crews opted to take advantage of the down time to perform some extensive maintenance work on the Empress and its passenger car fleet.

No. 2816 returned to service again on June 6, 2010, when it pulled excursions to raise money for the Children's Wish Foundation.[20] The locomotive was also filmed with IMAX cameras for the Rocky Mountain Express, a 2011 film that observes the Empress on a journey from Vancouver to Montreal while explaining the CPR's history. Beginning on June 11, 2011, the No. 2816 lead an excursion tour that promoted the Children’s Wish Foundation.[20][21] The locomotive was scheduled to complete the tour on August 5 at Calgary, but as it was midway through the tour, No. 2816 suffered a mechanical problem, and it had to return to Calgary early for repairs.[20][21]

In late 2012, Canadian Pacific CEO Fred Green—Bob Ritchie's successor—stepped down from the company, and E. Hunter Harrison succeeded him.[21] Harrison was not interested in steam locomotive operations, and he wanted the CP to focus on improving their finances and operation tactics.[21] As a result, the steam program was discontinued, forcing No. 2816's excursion operations to be halted, and the locomotive was kept in storage in Calgary.[21] Despite Harrison's resignation from the railway in early 2017, with Keith Creel succeeding him, the locomotive still remained in storage afterward.[22]

Second excursion service[edit]

On November 13, 2020, No. 2816 was fired up for a steam test and moved around the Calgary Yard with a railroad representative stating the test was to assess the locomotive's mechanical condition with "no plans to operate the engine on the main lines." It was subsequently announced that the locomotive would make a run as part of filming of a Holiday Train video.[23][24]

In 2021, Creel announced that if the United States Surface Transportation Board approves the CP's merger with the Kansas City Southern Railway, the railway would celebrate it by bringing No. 2816 back under steam to lead a tour from Calgary to Mexico City, making No. 2816 the first steam locomotive to run through Canada, the United States, and Mexico. However, the locomotive was in need of an overhaul, which was completed in June 2023. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) plans to begin No. 2816's tour in spring 2024.[25][26][27]

During June 2023, the locomotive underwent some testing,[28] and on July 11, the Empress made a run from Calgary to Carseland and back as part of her shakedown runs. Further shakedown runs and tests were performed in August, from Calgary to Coalhurst and back. In October of 2023, two back-to-back test runs from Calgary to Edmonton and back to Calgary then from Calgary to Medicine Hat and back to Calgary concluded testing for 2816 in 2023.[29]

On April 24, 2024, No. 2816 began its Final Spike Steam Tour, running from Calgary, Alberta to Mexico City, with the stops in Moose Jaw on April 28; Minot, North Dakota on April 30; Saint Paul, Minnesota on May 3; Franklin Park, Illinois on May 8; Davenport, Iowa on May 10; Kansas City, Missouri on May 18; Shreveport, Louisiana on May 24; Laredo, Texas on May 28; and Monterrey, Mexico on May 31.[30][31]

Preservation and other remaining H1 Hudsons[edit]

Of the five surviving Canadian Pacific Hudsons out of the original 65 built between 1929 and 1940, No. 2816 is the only survivor of the non-streamlined H1a and H1b classes built in 1929 and 1930.[2] The four other remaining sister engines to 2816 are the semi-streamlined Royal Hudsons (Nos. 2820–2864). The remaining four Royal Hudsons are Nos. 2839 (H1c), 2850 and 2858 (both H1d) and the 2860 (H1e). As of 2024, No. 2816 is the only operating 4-6-4 Hudson in North America; no American 4-6-4 Hudsons are operational.

Gallery[edit]

  • CP No. 2816 on static display at Steamtown, U.S.A. in Bellows Falls, Vermont in 1978
    CP No. 2816 on static display at Steamtown, U.S.A. in Bellows Falls, Vermont in 1978
  • The engineer's side of No. 2816's control cab
    The engineer's side of No. 2816's control cab
  • No. 2816 double heading with Milwaukee Road 261 while traveling on the CP's River Subdivision at Maple Springs, Minnesota, on September 15, 2007
    No. 2816 double heading with Milwaukee Road 261 while traveling on the CP's River Subdivision at Maple Springs, Minnesota, on September 15, 2007
  • No. 2816 pulling the ''Spirit of 150'' train at Spences Bridge, British Columbia, on June 21, 2008
    No. 2816 pulling the ''Spirit of 150'' train at Spences Bridge, British Columbia, on June 21, 2008
  • CP No. 2816 passing through Millet, Alberta on October 17, 2023
    CP No. 2816 passing through Millet, Alberta on October 17, 2023

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Pride of the fleet once again". Trains. Vol. 62, no. 2. Kalmbach Publishing. February 2002. p. 54. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Canadian Pacific Railway No. 2816". National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Stephens, Bill (July 2000). "Railroad News - CP 4-6-4 2816 to head program". Trains. Vol. 60, no. 7. Kalmbach Publishing. p. 20. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Stephens, Bill (November 2000). "Railroad News - CP 2816 overhaul to go into 2001". Trains. Vol. 60, no. 11. Kalmbach Publishing. pp. 26–28. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  5. ^ "CP Fires up Steam Locomotive for First Time in Eight Years". 14 November 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "CPR 2816 Back in Steam After 40 Years" (PDF). Canadian Rail. Canadian Railroad Historical Association. January–February 2002. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 31, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Cordova Bay Station - 2816 on the Internet".
  8. ^ "Canadian Pacific 2816 The Empress steam locomotive profile". Trains. 2022-02-08. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  9. ^ a b c McDonnell (2002), p. 52
  10. ^ a b c d McDonnell (2002), p. 53
  11. ^ a b c d Smith, Ian (October 2001). "CPR 2816 Reborn for 21st-Century Service" (PDF). Branchline. Bytown Railway Society. pp. 8–9. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  12. ^ a b "CP sponsors unique trek". Trains. Vol. 58, no. 12. Kalmbach Publishing. December 1998. p. 21. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c "Rebirth of a mechanical Wonder". CPR News (2). 2001.
  14. ^ a b c McDonnell (2002), p. 54
  15. ^ "Railroad News - CPR 4-6-4 2816 passes test, to head east". Trains. Vol. 61, no. 11. Kalmbach Publishing. November 2001. p. 20. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  16. ^ Gruber, John (September 2003). "Preservation - Canadian Pacific's Empress hits the road". Trains. Vol. 63, no. 9. Kalmbach Publishing. p. 66. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c d Ingles, J. David (September 2004). "Railroad News & Photos - In the upper Midwest, it's a steamy summer". Trains. Vol. 64, no. 9. Kalmbach Publishing. pp. 8–9. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Railroad News & Photos - NRHS convention boasts variety". Trains. Vol. 64, no. 10. Kalmbach Publishing. October 2004. p. 22. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  19. ^ Wrinn, Jim (July 2007). "News & Photos - A big summer for big steam". Trains. Vol. 67, no. 7. Kalmbach Publishing. p. 16. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  20. ^ a b c "2816 Empress steam train launches tour benefiting the Children's Wish Foundation of Canada". May 24, 2011. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  21. ^ a b c d e Gunnoe, Chase (November 19, 2015). "CP or NS: which has a soul for preservation?". Trains. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  22. ^ "Canadian Pacific Railway says CEO Hunter Harrison stepping down immediately". CBC News. January 18, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  23. ^ Franz, Justin (November 14, 2020). "Update: CP Fires Up Steam Locomotive For First Time in Eight Years". Railfan & Railroad Magazine.
  24. ^ Glischinski, Steve (November 14, 2020). "Canadian Pacific No. 2816 to steam again for Holiday Train video (corrected)". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Media. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  25. ^ "2022 Railroaders of the Year: Keith Creel and Pat Ottensmeyer, 'Transnational Team'". Railway Age. 2022-01-13. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
  26. ^ Franz, Justin (2023-06-01). "CPKC Says Steam Locomotive 2816 to Run 'This Summer'". Railfan & Railroad Magazine. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  27. ^ "CP 4-6-4 No. 2816 to embark on Canada-U.S.-Mexico tour in 2024". Trains. 2023-07-18. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  28. ^ "Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816 undergoes stationary steam test". Trains. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  29. ^ Franz, Justin (October 23, 2023). "CP 2816 Finishes Season of Testing With Run on Transcontinental Main Line". Railfan & Railroad Magazine. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  30. ^ Franz, Justin (January 31, 2024). "CPKC Announces Schedule For 2816 'Final Spike' Tour". Railfan & Railroad. White River Productions. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  31. ^ "CP 2816 begins Final Spike tour". Trains. Kalmbach Media. April 26, 2024. Archived from the original on April 27, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.

Bibliography[edit]

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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