CP 2816 "Empress" on The Final Spike Tour Through MN/WI

In March of 2023, the FRA approved of the merger between Class One railroads Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. One month later, the new railroad had officially began, creating the first ever single railroad to connect Canada, the US, and Mexico. To celebrate this achievement, CPKC restored CP 2816 and planned to have it tour from Calgary, Alberta to Mexico City. I was lucky enough to have off of work the days this train ran through my area.

2816, dubbed "Empress," is a 4-6-4 Hudson H1-b class steam locomotive built in December of 1930 by the Montreal Locomotive Works. 2816 was primarily used for hauling revenue passenger trains, being reassigned to secondary passenger trains after the introduction of the semi-streamlined Royal Hudson's in 1937. It would then spend the last years of its operating life hauling commuter trains in the 1950s between Montreal and Riguad, Quebec. 2816 was officially retired May 26, 1960, where it was sold to F. Nelson Blount, who added it to his Steamtown collection in Vermont.

The locomotive would spend about 20 years on static display when it was moved with the rest of the collection to Scranton, PA. 2816 was deemed a surplus in the collection and was no longer wanted. In 1998, Canadian Pacific purchased the locomotive from Steamtown and planned for it to be restored for the newly established "Royal Canadian Pacific" excursion train. Crews from BC Rail were hired to help restore the locomotive to operating condition.

In 2001, 2816 had passed its federal boiler inspection and was fired up for the first time in over 40 years. The locomotive would go on to run excursion trains for over a decade when E. Hunter Harrison stepped in as CEO and shut down the steam program. In November of 2020, the locomotive was fired up again for a run around Calgary yard as a test of its mechanical condition. It was then announced in 2021 that if the CPKC merger was approved, 2816 would take a tour from Calgary to Mexico City. Fast forward to 2024, the locomotive is currently underway to Mexico.

I decided to chase this train from The Twin Cities down to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On Sunday, I started my chase in Maple Springs, MN. and finished in Wisconsin Dells, unfortunately starting the video late due to the lack of warning. The next day, I caught the train departing Portage, and finished off in Milwaukee, where the train would continue on to Franklin Park, IL.

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Thanks for watching! And there's more to come.