Submitted Photo The Empress 2816 steam train will stop in Minot on Tuesday, April 30, as part of its cross-continent trip from Calgary, Alberta, to Mexico City, Mexico.

Minot will be the third stop when the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) steam train arrives here on Tuesday, April 30, during the CPKC Final Spike Steam Tour.

The Empress 2816 steam train is traveling from Calgary, Alberta, on a once-in-a-lifetime cross-continent trip to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the creation of CPKC.

The train’s stop in Minot will be from 4-7 p.m. at the Main Street North railway crossing.

During the train’s stop, visitors will have the chance to see up close The Empress 2816, a 4-6-4 Hudson-type steam locomotive built in 1930. Other activities will include rides on the Puffer Belly Express mini-train, a quarter-scale steam locomotive model of the 2816 steam train; the opportunity to walk through a museum car where visitors can read about CPKC North American Railway history and future of CPKC; and free activities such as arts and crafts for children. Activities will be set up on the north side of the tracks. All events are free.

Rebecca Stephen of CPKC said the interest from Minot in the CPKC Final Spike Steam Tour’s stop in Minot “has been very exciting.”

Terry Cunha, also of CPKC, said only one 2816 Empress locomotive will be making the cross-continental trip.

The tour is managed by CPKC employees.

CPKC, with global headquarters in Calgary, connects a continent and links Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern combined on April 14, 2023, to create Canadian Pacific Kansas City – CPKC – becoming the first single-line railway connecting Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. That day, CPKC drove a ceremonial Final Spike in Kansas City, Missouri, where CP and KCS came together, completing the continental connection.

The steam train tour begins in Calgary on Wednesday, April 24. It will stop in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, on Sunday, April 28, followed by Minot on Tuesday, April 30.

From Minot, the steam tour will go to St. Paul, Minnesota, for a stop on Friday, May 3. Other stops are Franklin Park, Illinois, on Wednesday, May 8; Davenport, Iowa, on Friday, May 10; Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday, May 18; Shreveport, Louisiana, on Friday, May 24; and Laredo, Texas, on Tuesday, May 28.

After the stop in Laredo, the train will visit Mexico. “However, there will be no public events. It will be spotted for viewing,” Cunha said.

The steam train’s final destination is Mexico City, Mexico, where it is scheduled to arrive June 4.

“Once the locomotive completes its visit to Mexico, it will make a return back to our head office here in Calgary,” Cunha said.

About The Empress steam locomotive

The 4-6-4 Hudson-type steam locomotive was built in December 1930 by Montreal Locomotive Works. It was named The Empress because Canadian Pacific wanted a title that conveyed elegance and nobility with a tie-in to CP’s history. CP’s premier passenger liners were all titled “Empress,” (Empress of Australia, Empress of Russia, Empress of Britain, etc.) and the call sign of CP Air Lines was also “Empress.”

The Empress steam locomotive has an extreme length (including tender) of 91 feet, 2 inches; extreme height of 15 feet, 3 inches; and total operating weight (including tender) of 643,000 pounds. Its original cost was $116,55. It was converted from coal to oil in March 1999.

Originally intended for fast freight and passenger service, the locomotive worked primarily in eastern Canada for nearly 30 years before retiring on May 26, 1960.

It served as a roving steam-powered ambassador for Canadian Pacific throughout Canada and the U.S. before being placed in storage in 2012. Now, after a decade of slumber, the engine has been carefully prepared to once again travel the rails.

A group of railroaders were committed to restoring 2816 for the once-in-a-lifetime cross-continent trip to celebrate the one-year anniversary of CPKC. Each member of the team brought a unique “jack of all trades” set of skills to the project and the opportunity for a connection to the past and a chance to add a piece of themselves to the 2816’s story. The restoration was completed in Calgary, Alberta.

People are welcome to view the train as it travels on the tour but for their safety, are asked to stay off the tracks and rights-of-way.

-Source: CPKC