On April 15 of 2023, Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern officially became one company with the largest railway merger in history. To celebrate the one-year anniversary of this event, the new company, dubbed CPKC, sent former Canadian Pacific Railway steam locomotive number 2816 on a landmark excursion trip from Calgary, Alberta Canada to Mexico City, Mexico. This trip, dubbed the Final Spike Tour, passed through Glenwood last week and is set to travel through all three countries–Canada, the United States and Mexico.

The Empress, the historic locomotive 2816, spent the night in the Glenwood Depot recently during a once in a lifetime tour from Calgary, Alberta, Canada to Mexico City, Mexico. The steam engine’s journey began in April 2024 to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited. On April 14, 2023, a ceremonial final spike was driven to complete the continental connection that links Canada, United States and Mexico. 

The restoration of The Empress began several years ago as a group of railworkers with a unique set of skills started the daunting task of tackling the engine. Originally built in 1930, the locomotive’s last revenue run was on May 26, 1960. 

Long-time crew member and water treatment specialist Jim Scott said no two steam engines are the same as they are hand built using tons of steel and plumbing. “They can be built somewhat identically in the same shop, but like twins, within a year on the rails they have completely different personalities.”

A mile and a half of boiler tubes, flues and superheater piping was removed during 2022 so boiler inspectors could gain access to the inside of the boiler barrel according to the CPKC website. The inspection went well, and the boiler and the associated tubes and piping were reassembled.

Once the boiler inspection was complete, the team had to lift the engine, all 643,000 pounds, which was no small feat. Fortunately, the shop has the original 250-ton overhead crane. The crane was built in 1930, the same year as the locomotive. “It is overbuilt to last and was designed for this purpose,” stated Jonathan Morris, Manager Operating Practices-Steam, who led the project. The components were added to get the engine up to snuff and it was ready for some test runs.

Steam engines evaporate 100 gallons of water each mile and each reciprocating component weighs between 150 and 800 pounds, part of the reason they were phased out for diesel engines. 

Throughout June through October of last year, The Empress ran the rails to prove beyond a doubt that the rebuild was successful and to train the crew running it. The testing brought out rail fans in droves. Testing was completed by October 20, 2023.

The restoration gave the team the ability to tap into the wisdom of generations of railroaders, reaching out to 80- and 90-year-old pensioners who knew the engine like an old friend according to the CPKC website. One of the men they worked with was originally hired in 1947. He provided a passport-sized CP notebook from 1961, the Care of Journal Boxes and Contained Parts, to help with a bearing refurbishment project on the engine’s tender. 

“In an increasingly digital age, where speed, innovation and affordability overtake delayed gratification, the engine represents hope – an antithesis to the monotonous search for the next big thing and a reminder of the joy of resurrecting a job done well. For the steam team and their fans, it embodies the delight of stumbling across a passion and the surprise of finding that generations of others are and have always been waiting for you there,” the website says.

Check out more photos in our photo gallery!