1 August 2001
Debut of an Empress
Steaming out of the past comes locomotive 2816. Dubbed
"Empress", the resurrected iron horse re-enters active
service as a roving ambassador for the railway's safety, service, and productivity
goals. And few human inventions capture the imagination like the steam locomotive.
Canadian Pacific Railway owned and operated 3,257 steam locomotives from 1881 to
1960, 1,056 of them built in its own shops in Montreal.
At the helm of CPR's mechanical department for the golden years of steam, chief of
motive power Henry Blaine Bowen introduced the classic locomotive designs that
marked the apex of steam power. Before the great depression set in, he ordered 51
non-streamlined steam locomotives. Of these, 2816 is the only
survivor. And locomotive 2816 is one of only a handful of the 48 preserved CPR
steam locomotives in North America where the flames still burn in its firebox.
When the steam era ended and diesel-electric locomotives ushered in
the modern age of railroading, those who had fussed with and tended to the
mechanical beasts mourned the passing of old friends who - though they were
temperamental and difficult to deal with at times - were loved for those very
qualities, which led railroaders to regard them as living, breathing creatures.
To the traveling public and train watchers of every stripe, they were an endless
source of fascination: huffing, puffing, snorting, creatures, each with its own
quirks and idiosyncrasies.
A Regal Pedigree
CPR's 2816 is a class H1b Hudson-type locomotive with a 4-6-4 wheel
arrangement. The railway acquired 20 non-streamlined Hudsons in 1929
and 1930, adding 45 more of the semi-streamlined version between 1937
and 1940. Those in the latter group came to be known as Royal Hudsons after two
achieved fame during the 1939 royal visit to Canada of Their Majesties King George
VI and Queen Elizabeth.
Montreal Locomotive Works built 2816 in December, 1930, at a cost of $116,555 Cdn.
Initially, it ran with its "class mates" out of Winnipeg, westward to
Calgary, and eastward to Fort William, Ontario (now part of Thunder Bay), before
being displaced by the semi-streamlined Hudsons which steamed onto
the scene between 1937 and 1940.
Locomotive 2816 moved into service on the Windsor-to-Quebec City
corridor, with occasional forays into Northern Ontario, and the odd excursion into
the nation's capital, Ottawa. Its last assignment was at the head end of a
Montreal-Rigaud commuter train, making its final revenue run on 2 May
1960. While built primarily for passenger service, the plucky work horse had spent
a little more than half its 30-year operating career hauling fast
freights.
Having logged more than two million miles in active service, 2816's fires were
extinguished. Sold to US interests, in December, 1963, the once proud locomotive
spent the next 35 years sitting idle in Bellow Falls, Vt., and then Scranton, Pa.,
before being transferred back to Canadian Pacific Railway in 1998.
Locomotive 2816 underwent an extensive three-year overhaul,
including a fuel conversion from coal to oil, making it cleaner and easier to
operate. The locomotive rolls out mainly in its 1950s appearance, with some
accessories from the '30s and '40s.
CPR is thrilled with 2816's re-emergence on its system.
We hope you will be, too.
VITAL STATISTICS:
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Locomotive number:
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2816
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Class:
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H1b
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Builder:
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Montreal Locomotive Works
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Date built:
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December 1930
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Type:
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Hudson
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Wheel arrangement:
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4-6-4
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Tractive effort:
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20,548 kg (45,300 lb.)
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Driving wheel diameter:
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190.5 cm (75 in.)
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Total operating weight (incl. tender):
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291,665 kg (643,000 lb.)
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Extreme length (incl. tender):
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27.8 metres (91 ft. 2 in.)
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Extreme height:
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4.6 metres (15 ft. 3 in.)
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Original cost:
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$116,555 Cdn
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