8 September 2007
Royal Hudson to Steam 29 Sep 2007
Ex-Canadian Pacific Railway Royal Hudson number
2860 - Date unknown WCRA.
Squamish British Columbia - The world famous Royal Hudson
steam locomotive number 2860 will operate under full steam at a gala public event on Saturday, 29 Sep 2007, to celebrate
the first anniversary of her return to steam. The site will be the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in Squamish, BC. Admission will be
free to allow access to this unique opportunity to see the beautiful steam locomotive in action.
A number of special activities are planned, including:
- The Royal Hudson will exchange whistle salutes with the Whistler Mountaineer train as it passes the Heritage Park site at 10:00
a.m. and 4:15 p.m.;
- Climb aboard for a short ride on the steam train, regular departures from 11:00 a.m. through 3:00 p.m. (fare $5);
- Photograph the steam train as it passes selected photo spots;
- Visit the engineer in the cab and blow the whistle ($5 fee which will be donated to the locomotive's continued preservation);
- Ceremony and free cake at 12:00 noon;
- Live steam operating on the Heritage Park's miniature railway all day;
- Access to all of the Heritage Park's regular exhibits.
Royal Hudson 2860 carried tourists between North Vancouver and Squamish from 1974 until 1999, becoming one of the Vancouver area's top
attractions. She was pulled from service in winter 1999 and set aside for needed boiler work, but then put up for disposition by the
Province in 2002. A joint proposal from the West Coast Railway Association and the District of Squamish was made and accepted, and
2860 moved to the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in that year. Fundraising got underway and the repairs were completed by 2006, with
the Grand Steam Up held 28 Sep 2006.
The West Coast Railway Heritage Park is a project of the West Coast Railway Association, a private not-for-profit
charitable organization. The WCRA presents Western Canada's largest collection of heritage railway equipment, and is "Home of the
Royal Hudson". The Heritage Park is open daily, year round, and hosts 40,000 guests from all over the world each year.
More information is available at wcra.org, or call Don Evans, Executive Director at
604-681-4403 (office).
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