By Justin Franz
Canadian Pacific H1b 4-6-4 2816 will return north to its home base in Calgary over the course of four weeks in June and early July.
On Thursday, CPKC released the northbound schedule for the “Final Spike Steam Tour.” The railroad also announced this week that it would be on public display in Mexico City on June 7. Prior to this week, the railroad had not announced any display dates in Mexico. Details of the locomotive’s trip from Laredo, Tex., to Mexico City, have not been announced, but sources close to the railroad have said display events for CPKC employees are being planned south of the border.
After the display on June 7, the locomotive will return north with overnight stops in Laredo, Tex., Kingdleton, Tex, Shreveport, La., Heavener, Okla; Kansas City, and Davenport, Iowa. The locomotive is expected to make an extended stop in the Davenport area for maintenance. Then the engine will continue north for an event in Winnipeg, Man., on June 30. After that, it’ll be a four-day sprint home to Calgary.
This week, the locomotive is in Kansas City, where it’s received a boiler wash and other maintenance before the next leg of the southbound trip. The locomotive will be on display on Saturday at Kansas City Union Station. Also on display will be the first CPKC-painted locomotive.
Locomotive 2816 was built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in 1930. It ran until 1960 and then was sold to preservationist F. Nelson Blount. In 1998, CP reacquired the locomotive and ran it for a decade beginning in 2001. In 2023, CP reactivated 2816 to celebrate its merger with Kansas City Southern.
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