Yesterday my buddy Preston and I made the two hour trek up to Shreveport to see the Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 Steam Locomotive #2816 known affectionately as 'The Empress'. We arrived at the CPKC facilities at a little after three, which I thought may have been two early, and found that there was already a large crowd and the parking lot was almost already full to capacity.
Preston and I quickly made our way through the crowd and staked out a prime location to photograph the train as it pulled into the yard. Photographers and railfans had positioned themselves from one end of the cordoned off section adjacent to the tracks to the other. Smartly, we found an area off to one side with an unobstructed view of train once it made an appearance.
Someone pointed out that the train could be seen at the far end of the yard traveling south. That would mean that the train would be backing into our location instead pulling in normally with 'The Empress' leading the way. We all found that strange and it killed any hope that we had of getting some good photos of the locomotive as it brought in the train.
I think that this was a bad decision on the part of the CPKC.
At about a quarter two four we could here the clatter of the approaching train and the echoing sound of the locomotive's steam whistle getting closer. Within minutes the tail-end car of the train appeared. Soon the was a parade of vintage maroon colored Canadian Pacific passenger cars followed by a pair of 50s era FP9 diesel locomotives. What came next was a complete surprise to all the railfans in attendance. It appears that while in Shreveport the Canadian Pacific heritage unit EMD SD70ACU #7013 had been added to the consist. This was a particularly welcome surprise to those in attendance because this particular locomotive has been rarely seen here in the states.
I myself had wanted to see one of these heritage units for some time.
The star of the show was next, and the crowd cheered as the 'The Empress' came into view. It is always a thrill to see a steam locomotive in action. It was especially thrilling for my buddy, who had never seen a steam locomotive in person before.
The crowd quickly moved away from the trackside local to the main gates to get a look at the locomotive and its train up close. I stuck around and maneuvered around to place where I could get an unobstructed view of 'The Empress'. I figured that there would be no way that I could get any good pictures once the crowd began to gather around the locomotive. Luckily for Preston and I my instincts were correct and we got some great pictures before the gates opened up.
This, of course, allowed most of the crowd to get in ahead of us, which made getting close to the 'The Empress' extremely difficult/ It required a good dose of patience, but we eventually made it right up to the locomotive. Honestly, standing in front of such a majestic piece of railroad history was awe inspiring. The Empress is truly a beautiful steam locomotive.
I got a chance to talk with several railfans in attendance including a trio of gentlemen who had traveled to Shreveport to see this train all the way from Albuquerque, New Mexico. This was really cool for me because I lived that southwestern city for thirteen years and regard it as one of the places that I call heme. I also got to chat with one of the CPKC police officers who was actually from Detroit. He had flown in for the event and was now going to travel with the train as in moves forward to Texas and then on to Mexico. He was looking forward to having a day off when the train got into Houston so that he could take in an Astro's game.
The heat and humidity was taking a toll on my friends from Albuquerque, the officer, and the Canadian crew members who looked like they were absolutely miserable. The weather down here is no joking matter, I've been here for almost six years and I'm still not acclimated to it.
There were all kinds of activities besides the train. The was a train ride for the kiddos and an exhibit focusing on the history of both the Kansas City Southern and Canadian Pacific Railroad.
The one thing that I found disappointing was the fact that there weren't any souvenirs for sale. I was kinda looking forward buying a CPKC hat or t-shirt. Some of the staff wore a really cool Final Spike Tour shirt, which I was almost tempted to try and buy off someone. I think that the CPKC really dropped the ball on that one. I think that those t-shits would have sold like hotcakes.
After about an hour and a half the heat and humidity finally won out and Preston and I stopped and took our last look at 'The Empress'. I'm hoping to stake out a great location trackside to get some pictures of the locomotive when the train makes its return trip through Louisiana on the way back to Canada.
Til we meet again Empress.
Here are some more photos from the Final Spike Tour event in Shreveport:
Check Out:
CPKC The Empress 2816 Steam Locomotive Heads Out On Three Country Tour
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