Our Railway

#2141 is one of a group of 25 engines numbered #2130 to #2154 built by the Canadian Locomotive Company in 1912. She was constructed in Kingston, Ontario for the Canadian Northern Railway, which later became Canadian National Railway or today known as CN. Her classification is "Light Consolidation" because of her 2-8-0 wheel configuration, this means she has x2 guide wheels under the pilot, x8 driving wheels, and x0 trailing wheels under the cab. She is “light axle loading” - 114 tons in working order. Her official class is M-3-d and she is the only survivor of this type. She has 57" driving wheels, 23" x 26" cylinders, and her boiler is rated at 180 psi. She has a haulage rating of 35%, which means she can pull x30 loaded old-time cars or about x9 loaded modern coal cars. The engine weighs about 190,000 lb. (95 tons) and originally burned coal; she was converted to burn oil in 1948. The tender carries 6,000 gallons of water and 3,000 gallons of fuel, when working hard she can travel about 50 miles between water fill-ups and 125 miles before needing more fuel.

From 1913 to 1919 she carried passengers between Calgary and Saskatoon for the Canadian Northern Railway.

From 1919 to 1948 she carried a mix of freight and passengers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta for the Canadian National Railway.

From 1948 to 1950 she carried a mix of freight and passengers in British Columbia near Smithers.

In 1950 she was moved to Vancouver Island with her sister #2149 and finished her working days hauling logs and other freight between Youbou, Cowichan Bay, and Victoria for Canadian National Railways.

Her last trip was July 4, 1958 from Cowichan Bay to Victoria, before being replaced by a diesel locomotive. She was then slated for demolition at the Point Ellice Roundhouse in Victoria, British Columbia.

The City of Kamloops acquired Canadian National Railway’s steam locomotive #2141 on October 29, 1961. T.A. Mainprize, CNR Area Operation Manager from Vancouver, had the locomotive moved from Vancouver Island and presented it on behalf of Canadian National Railway Company to Kamloops Mayor Jack Fitzwater in a ceremony at Riverside Park. The purchase of the locomotive for $2,000.00 was a result of three years of efforts by Mayor Fitzwater to secure the locomotive, as a commemorative piece representing the railway’s monumental role in building Kamloops.

Steam locomotive #2141 sat idle on display in Riverside Park for thirty-three years and was maintained by the City of Kamloops’ parks division. Generations of visitors and Kamloops children played on the big engine, sitting in the cab and pretending to thunder down the tracks. The #2141 at Riverside Park would become the city’s darling play-toy, the perfect beach-towel drying-rack, and a true symbol of Kamloops’ deep connection to the CPR and CNR.

In February of 1994, the #2141 Steam Locomotive Restoration Society was formed to restore and operate the engine on behalf of the City of Kamloops. The Society completed the restoration over a period of 8 years and 120,000 volunteer hours of labour. On January 15, 2002, under her own steam power for the first time since 1958, the #2141 returned to life and passenger service with Kamloops Heritage Railway.

Built in 1954, the “Monte Lake” #402 Café Lounge (ex-CN/VIA #5592/#755) was part of the modernization process undertaken by the CNR to upgrade their fleet of passenger equipment. Rail travel was at the height of popularity in the 1950’s and CNR placed an order for 359 new “streamlined” passenger rail cars. Café Lounge cars were just a handful of the beautiful new fleet built by Canadian Car and foundry. Café Lounge cars were attached to trains to offer a light meal and refreshment service. Unlike a Dining car the Café lounge catered to smaller portions and a larger variety of drinks. One end of the car was designated as a lounge area and it would seat 18 passengers. Minors were not allowed in this end as liquor was served. The other end of the car was the Café which offered service to families and travelers looking for a bite to eat and a non-alcoholic drink. The Café has room for 25 passengers with a third of the seating located at the counter. The Kamloops Heritage Railway has modified the “Monte Lake” Café Lounge car slightly to make the lounge area more comfortable and to let more natural light in. Originally the hallway walls between the café and lounge continued for the entire length of the car. Other than a small modification in the hallway, this Café Lounge sports much of the original CN/VIA interior. This car is also equipped with one washroom and is heated during cold operating days.

You can think of this car as the “Facebook” of its day. People came here to interact with one another; some people may even call this the original social network.

Built in 1954, the “Riverside Park” #403 passenger coach (ex-CN/VIA #5590) was part of the modernization process undertaken by the CNR to upgrade their fleet of passenger equipment. Rail travel was at the height of popularity in the 1950’s and CNR placed an order for 359 new “streamlined” passenger rail cars. Passenger coaches made up a large portion of the huge order and many of these fine coaches still survive. The passenger coach was attached to all passenger trains for general use; all guests were assigned a seat for day use and could book a sleeping car arrangement for overnight. Overhead was a large area for carry-on luggage and the cars came equipped with two washrooms. The #403 can seat a maximum number of 76 passengers and the seats can be rotated to face each other or left in the direction of travel. The seats are identified by an “A” for aisle and a “W” for window along with a number; they also recline and are designed to leave ample leg room for a more comfortable trip aboard. Blinds can be opened and closed with ease to block out the hot sun. This coach still sports much of the original CN/VIA 1970’s interior. The #403 at one time was known as a first-class day coach and was heated and cooled depending on the weather. The coach also came equipped with a water filtering system for passenger drinking.

Imagine experiencing the massive expanse of the prairies and the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains from your comfortable first-class seat in this very passenger coach.

Built in 1975, the #501 “Westwold” caboose (ex-BC Rail #1882) was acquired by the Kamloops Heritage Railway in 2003 from BC Rail. The caboose saw a short career in freight service before being retired only 20 years later in 1995. The caboose had been badly damaged in a fire and was completely restored inside and out by volunteers of the Kamloops Heritage Railway. The interior was once-again given a face lift during the winter months of 2015 & 2016. The Kamloops Heritage Railway #501 caboose came into regular service in 2005. The caboose has been modified both inside and out to enhance guest experience. It has been redesigned to hold passengers, rather than just a conductor and brakeman. The “Westwold” caboose can now accommodate 12 passengers and a tail end crew at one time. There is a small washroom onboard and passengers are welcome to ride in the open-air area at the front end of the caboose depending on weather conditions. The Cupola (area above and accessible by ladder) is a popular spot for passengers because of its unique view. The idea of an upper area on a caboose came from a conductor riding a box car in 1886; there was a hole in the roof and the conductor poked his head and shoulders through it while standing on a pile of crates. The view from above was unobstructed and the idea of a closed viewing area for the crew was born. By 1900 all cabooses in Canada had a cupola for the conductor to ride in. Until the late 1980’s all freight trains in Canada and the USA required a caboose. Advancements in the railway soon saw the caboose retired as a tail end crew was no longer needed. Blinking tail end light devices took the place of all cabooses.

The #406 “Georgian Bay” parlour solarium (ex-CNR #406 “Georgian Bay”/ ex-CNR #577 “Lake Couchiching” / ex-VIA #4893) was built for the Canadian National Railway’s “Confederation Train” by Canadian Car & Foundry in 1930. The “Confederation Train” was a first-class transcontinental train that operated from 1928 to 1931. By 1931, the great depression had sharply reduced passenger loads for the CNR and service was ended. The car began its life as a parlour solarium and was the epitome of luxury as it contained an opulent lounge area, a buffet, a barbershop, a bathroom with exercise equipment, and even a long-distance radio. In 1936, the car was rebuilt and air-conditioning was added, making the car even more luxurious. With this rebuild, the car was renamed from “Georgian Bay” to “Lake Couchiching” and became CNR #577. In 1966, the car was rebuilt again and became a CN club car, the car's roofline was altered and the original clerestory roof was covered to match other “streamlined” cars of the era. CN placed the new club car in Corridor and Rapido service around the Toronto area. In 1976, the car became part of the VIA Rail fleet and continued working in Corridor service until 1982 when the interior was reconfigured to a 62 seat coach car and renumbered VIA Rail #4893. The main reason for rebuilding and retaining this car was its electro-mechanical air conditioning, other older cars had “old style ice-block” air conditioning and would have been scrapped.

The #406 “Georgian Bay” was part of a group of only six cars of this classification constructed in 1930. Today, she is the only survivor of her class, making her a valuable and one-of-a-kind piece of equipment at Kamloops Heritage Railway.

The Kamloops Heritage Railway is committed to honouring this unique piece of railway heritage by completely restoring the #406 to her 1930’s original condition. This restoration has been quoted at $350,000cad and will only be possible with the generous contributions of the public and investors. If you’d like to support the revival of this legendary car, please donate here: