Thousands arrive in Moose Jaw to see restored steam locomotive

Being held up by his dad, Thorin Runn eagerly looks over a crowd of people at the restored steam locomotive.

Thorin was dressed for the occasion as an engineer, compete with a hat and coveralls.

“He absolutely loves trains,” said Thorin’s mom, Rowan. “He could watch them go all day.”

The 1930 locomotive, called the Empress, is touring across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, and then back again in celebration of Canadian Pacific Railway merging with Kansas City Southern. It will be the only rail network connecting Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

The locomotive made its second stop in Moose Jaw on Sunday after departing from Calgary on Wednesday.

Thousands of people stood by the tracks to take photos, talk to the engineers, and learn about the history of the historic steam locomotive.

Gordon, Thorin’s father, said it was fascinating to see such a big part of the province’s transportation history. A common family outing for the Runn’s is going to the Western Development Museum to look at trains.

“They are pretty much his favourite thing ever,” said Gordon.

Ben Cummings, the locomotives freight train engineer, said this is a tour of a lifetime.

“Just to get picked to be on this, it’s the highlight of my career,” he said. “It’s an amazing trip that we are doing.”

Like Thorin, Cummings grew up infatuated with trains.

“I’ve been that person who loved trains and loved railroading since I was a child,” Cummings said. “But even before that, my mother would say even before I could walk or crawl, I would run to the window and watch them roll through our farm.”

Terry Cunha of CPKC said the steam locomotive is much different than what you would see now on the tracks. All of the locomotives today are fueled by diesel.

The restoration of the locomotive was comprehensive, according to Cummings. The boiler and water pump were redone, upgrades were made to the rods and lubricators, and new tires went onto the train. Plus, all the cosmetics that went into sprucing up the outside of the train.

Once its brought up to temperature, the train moves at a pace of around 50 to 55 miles per hour. That speed is cut in half from its glory days of 100 to 110 miles per hour.

Cummings said the Empress was the pride of its fleet back in the day when it came to passenger service.

“(It) ran back and forth non-stop for decades between Winnipeg and Calgary,” said Cummings.

The restored steam locomotive holds sentimental meaning for Elaine Driver. The Empress brought her father back home to Maple Creek during World War II.

“I can just remember it was so exciting because my grandma, my grandpa, and my mom, and I were down meeting this train that was bringing my dad back from overseas,” she said.

Driver was only three weeks old when her father went overseas to serve as a veteran. She was three-years-old when he returned. Seeing the train once again was a “nostalgic feeling,” and that’s why she thought so many people came to see the locomotive.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Driver said with a laugh as the train bells began to ring.