Canadian Pacific 2816

Canadian Pacific 2816
CP No. 2816 Empress leading an excursion on May 10, 2008
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Henry B. Bowen Builder Montreal Locomotive Works Serial number 68535 Build date December 1930 Rebuild date 1999–2001
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-4  • UIC 2′C2′ Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 75 in (1.9 m) Wheelbase 80.52 ft (24.54 m) ​  • Engine 39.50 ft (12.04 m)  • Drivers 13.17 ft (4.01 m) Length 91 ft 1 in (27.76 m) Adhesive weight 194,000 lb (88 t) Loco weight 351,200 lb (159.3 t) Tender weight 291,000 lb (132 t) Total weight 643,100 lb (291.7 t) Fuel type New: Coal Now: Oil Fuel capacity 17 short tons (15 t) Water cap. 12,000 imp gal (55,000 L; 14,000 US gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 80.80 sq ft (7.507 m2) Boiler pressure 275 psi (1.90 MPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 352 sq ft (32.7 m2)  • Tubes 62 - 2.25 in (57 mm)  • Flues 171 - 35 in (890 mm)  • Tubes and flues 18.25 ft (5.56 m)  • Total surface 5,475 sq ft (508.6 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 1,640 sq ft (152 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 22 in × 30 in (559 mm × 762 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts
Performance figures Maximum speed 100 mph (160 km/h) (average) Power output 4,700 hp (3,500 kW) Tractive effort 45,254 lbf (201.30 kN)
Career Operators Canadian Pacific Railway Canadian Pacific Kansas City Class H1b Numbers CP 2816 Official name Empress Retired May 26, 1960 Preserved January 1964 Restored August 16, 2001 Current owner Canadian Pacific Kansas City Disposition Operational
References:[1][2]

Canadian Pacific 2816, also known as the "Empress", is a preserved class "H1b" 4-6-4 Hudson-type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in December 1930 for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). It is the only non-streamlined H1 Hudson to be preserved.

The locomotive was primarily used in pulling passenger trains in revenue service for thirty years, before it was retired in May 1960. In 1963, it was sold to F. Nelson Blount, who added it to his Steamtown, U.S.A. collection in Bellows Falls, Vermont. After becoming surplus in the collection by the National Park Service, No. 2816 was reacquired by the CP in 1998, and crews from BC Rail were hired to extensively restore it to operating condition.

In 2001, the Empress returned to service, and it was used by the CP in occasional excursion service as part of their steam excursion program. In late 2012, the CP steam program was discontinued, and No. 2816 remained stored at the CP's headquarters in Calgary, Alberta. Following the CP's merger with the Kansas City Southern (KCS) to become the new Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) in 2023, No. 2816 returned to service again in 2024, embarking on a continental tour from April 24 to July 10.