Canadian Pacific 2816 - A Continental Steam Celebration

2024 was an unprecedented year in the railroading world. Perhaps the biggest news story of the year, however, was the newly incorporated Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s one-year anniversary celebration. For a company that indirectly represents change at the macro level, it’s only fitting that the main attraction of their party comes from a time when life seemed a little bit slower. Coming out of the shadows from its longtime slumber, Canadian Pacific 2816, affectionately named the “Empress”, was given a new lease on life to embark on one of the most historic mainline steam excursions of the modern era. Beginning the “Final Spike Steam Tour” on April 24th, the elegant locomotive rocketed up and back through three countries, three Canadian provinces, and ten states to connect the world to trains once again.

Come along as we follow this 20th-century icon across the United States portion of the Final Spike Steam Tour, have a chat with some of 2816’s fabled crew members, and learn the long and storied history of this locomotive. In addition to the in-depth tales of the Empress’s rise to stardom, there’s plenty of action to be enjoyed as we watch the locomotive navigate the plains and busy cities of the Midwest, the scenic rock faces of the Mississippi River, and the humid bayous of the deep south. This is Canadian Pacific 2816’s Continental Steam Celebration!

0:00 – INTRO
3:05 – CHAPTER 1
10:32 – CHAPTER 2
23:03 – CHAPTER 3
36:19 – CHAPTER 4
51:34 – CHAPTER 5
1:00:41 – CHAPTER 6
1:11:57 – END