28 September 2006
Royal Hudson Steaming Again
Royal Hudson, ex-CPR number 2860, steams again at
Squamish - 28 Sep 2006 Gordon Hall
Squamish British Columbia - Royal Hudson number 2860 made
her triumphant return to steam today to the thrills of a crowd of more than 1,500 people at the West Coast Railway Heritage park in
Squamish.
On hand to give the signal for the locomotive to steam into the station was the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, the Honourable
Iona Campagnolo, British Columbia's Minister of Transportation the Honourable Kevin Falcon, and his worship the Mayor of Squamish, Ian
Sutherland.
Today was the culmination of more than a year of work to bring the 2860 back to life, and the sound of the whistle and all the live
steam ambiance thrilled the crowd. The 2860 was christened with champagne for the start of her third career, which will see the
locomotive back on the tracks in 2007, but in a slightly different role as she attends major events and hauls public excursions on a
more occasional basis than in the past.
Those that worked hard to see the locomotive preserved for operation once again were applauded for a job well done. All at WCRA can be
proud of the work accomplished and for returning the prospect of mainline steam to the region.
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