70mm | 1/250s | f/8 | ISO 100

I had just happened to spot a news story about this restored steam locomotive that was going to depart Calgary on a grand adventure to Mexico. The special journey has been created by Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) to celebrate the combination of the two railroads which created the first and only railroad network connecting North America.

18mm | 1/320s | f/10 | ISO 100

The Final Spike Steam Tour kicked off in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on April 24, 2024. I was able to make it to the event and see the beautiful restoration of this impressive steam locomotive. The photos here are ones I took at this event. A second post will show more photos of it in action as I ‘train chased’ it.

I’m not a train buff but do enjoy learning and seeing these old marvels of historic technology. I’ve tried to pull a bit of information together to learn a bit more about this historic event and the locomotive at the center of it.

37mm | 1/160s | f/8 | ISO 100

33mm | 1/60s | f/8 | ISO 100

About the Locomotive:
The Empress 2816 is a 4-6-4 Hudson-type steam locomotive built in 1930 by Montreal Locomotive Works for the Canadian Pacific Railway. It is the only non-streamlined H1 Hudson locomotive that has been restored and returned to service.

145mm | 1/160s | f/8 | ISO 100

History:
Originally intended for fast freight and passengers service, the locomotive traveled the tracks primarily in Eastern Canada until retiring on May 26,1960.

In retirement, it was sold to a collector and was a static display in the USA until 1998. Canadian Pacific purchased it back and worked at restoring it in 2000-2001. 2001 to 2012 one could see the Empress 2816 traveling around Canada and USA as a steam-powered ambassador for Canadian Pacific.

Then in 2012 it was put into storage in Calgary, Alberta. In 2020 the locomotive was fired up for a steam test and moved around the Calgary Railyard. Then with the merger of Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern Railway in 2021, the celebration tour was created. This would be a historic journey that would have the Empress 2816 being the first steam locomotive to run through Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

24mm | 1/40s | f/8 | ISO 100

200mm | 1/200s | f/8 | ISO 180

Locomotive Specifications:
The Empress 2816 was one of ten H-1b-class locomotives. The “H”, or Hudson, meant the 4-6-4 wheel arrangement of four leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels and four trailing wheels. The “1” was the design number and the “b” meant it was the second production run. The original cost to build this locomotive was $116,555 Cdn.

200mm | 1/250s | f/8 | ISO 100

3 image pano: 24mm | 1/40s | f/8 | ISO 100

200mm | 1/200s | f/8 | ISO 250

The Hudson-1b #2816 empty weigh is 159.3 tons, and fully loaded with fuel and water sits at 291.7 tons. It originally used coal to fuel its boiler but was converted to burn oil during the 2000 restoration. For this trip, it is now using biodiesel.

The original spec maximum speed is 160km/h with 4700 horsepower. Nowadays they state the locomotive will travel 80 to 100km/h due to the age of some of the equipment the locomotive pulls. I can attest they had it up to speed on the first leg of the journey as it was a challenge to keep ahead of it to get photos. More on that in the train chasing post.

70mm | 1/80s | f/8 | ISO 280

110mm | 1/125s | f/8 | ISO 360

The Empress 2816 got some modern-day technology added to it, in order to allow it to operate on the rail lines. The Positive Train Control (PTC) is designed to prevent train to train collisions, over-speed derailments, and more safety features. With this installed, the steam locomotive can now travel the North American railways. The 2816 is the only steam locomotive capable of operating on a PTC main line without the assistance of a diesel locomotive (previous steam locomotives had a trailing diesel locomotive with the controls).

44mm | 1/50s | f/8 | ISO 100

120mm | 1/200s | f/8 | ISO 100

55mm | 1/60s | f/8 | ISO 160

Interesting facts:

• 2816 was used in Rocky Mountain Express, a 2011 IMAX film which follows the locomotive on a journey from Vancouver to Montreal while telling the CPR’s history.
• The Empress 2816 was previously equipped with smoke deflectors, but they are no longer used.
• The restoration of 2816 took over two years and cost over $2,000,000, making it one of the most costly locomotive restorations in Canada.
• In 2011, 2816 was assigned to lead a special Excursion called the “Royal Canadian Pacific”.
• In early May 2023, Southern Pacific No. 4449’s auxiliary water tender was moved to Canada where it will be temporarily repainted into Canadian Pacific livery to be used as a second auxiliary water tender for 2816 excursion from Calgary, Alberta to Mexico City, Mexico and back to celebrate the completion of the proposed Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern merger. Once this continental excursion is complete, 4449’s auxiliary water tender will be repainted back into the Southern Pacific Daylight livery and moved back to Portland, Oregon.
• More information here: https://www.cpkcr.com/en/community/final-spike-steam-train

70mm | 1/160s | f/8 | ISO 100

28mm | 1/80s | f/8 | ISO 100

Check out the next photo blog post for more photos of the Empress 2816 as it starts it’s journey from Calgary to Mexico City.