Historic Kamloops, B.C., steam train may soon return with a multi-city excursion
CBC
Kamloops' beloved steam locomotive may be back on new tracks by 2026 to run one of the world's longest steam-powered rail excursions.
After talks of keeping the historic train off the rails to be displayed in a museum, a new board of directors at the Kamloops Heritage Railway Society is taking things in a new direction, with the goal of returning the locomotive to operation.
"This train has touched the hearts of so many of our residents and visitors from around the world," said Jordan Popadynetz, director of rail operations for the society.
"We're just trying to bring her back to life and give that opportunity again."
The train, also known as "2141" or the "Spirit of Kamloops," had operated shorter rail tours around Kamloops since 2002, but went out of commission in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Now, Popadynetz said, the society is planning to develop a multi-town, captivating excursion for locals, visitors and train enthusiasts alike.
He said CN Rail has approved the train to run on its tracks — pending the passing of certification standards — between Kamloops and Vernon, a round trip of about 240 kilometres.
The full trip would take just over eight hours, stopping in other towns, like Armstrong, along the way.
"I think the pride and joy Kamloops will feel when the Spirit of Kamloops pulls into these communities is going to be overwhelming," Popadynetz said.
2141 was constructed along with 25 other trains and is the only survivor of its class, according to the Kamloops Heritage Railway Society.
It was used as a CN Rail-operated freight and passenger train, transporting people and cargo across the country between 1912 and 1958.
After its career came to an end, the train was set to be demolished on Vancouver Island, but the mayor of Kamloops at the time, Jack Fitzwater, saved it from such a fate by purchasing it in 1961. Popadynetz said the mayor wanted to commemorate the importance of the railway to Kamloops' history.
It was on display at Riverside Park in Kamloops for 33 years and became an iconic fixture in the city, Popadynetz said.
In 1994, the Kamloops Heritage Railway Society formed to restore the train and get it running, a goal that eventually came to fruition in 2002.
When the holiday season comes calling, one particular potato dumpling becomes an important fixture on many dinner tables: perogies.
It has been 118 years since Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church's congregation first gathered to worship.
A new First Nations immersive language program inspired is looking to help preserve Plains Cree, a dialect of the Cree language.
A new clinic opening early next year on British Columbia's Vancouver Island has a different structure it hopes will help attract and retain family doctors amid an ongoing physician shortage.
After Alberta's population boomed through the first half of 2024, its growth slowed during the third quarter of this year.
The 2025 Folklore Festival is cancelled citing rising costs and safety issues impacting the festival's plans.
Nearly 200 volunteers are slated to sort and pack urgently needed food donations at the Daily Bread Food Bank's centre in Etobicoke on Saturday.
When Eileen Nurse was a kid, her family would decorate the mantle above the fireplace with miniature houses and fake trees every December, creating a little winter scene. So when Nurse, now 61, bought her first Christmas-themed Lego set in 2010, a new tradition was born.
Summerside's council voted earlier this week to repeal the city's decades-old taxi bylaw, deeming it "redundant."
For Whitehorse resident Charlie-Rose Pelletier, insomnia is something she's dealt with on a regular basis for the last two decades — but she says it became worse after she moved to the Yukon from Quebec a few years ago.
It's hard to imagine President Emmanuel Macron of France joking about annexing Belgium.