On an average day the rail tracks of the Pacific Northwest are flush with chains of long, dirty shipping cars used to move freight across North America.
On April 15, an steam powered icon of days gone by will travel the coastal lines between Vancouver and White Rock, bearing nothing but the weight of excited passengers in her cobalt curves.
The Royal Hudson locomotive #2860 has been reserved to ring in the 50th anniversary celebration of the city of White Rock with a round trip between the two cities.
She will start her journey in Squamish, where she is lovingly maintained by West Coast Railway staff.
"British Columbians will once again delight to the sights and sounds of steam, as the classic Royal Hudson makes this historic outing," said Don Evans, executive director of the West Coast Railway Association and The Chief's "Heritage Happenings" columnist.
In the last 25 years of the 20th century, the Royal Hudson #2860 carried tourists between North Vancouver and Squamish, and her heritage grace quickly secured her position as one of British Columbia's top attractions.
After wrapping up her 1999 season, however, the locomotive was not able to pass inspections for continued operation without major boiler work.
She was pulled from service until the project could be completed, and was subsequently put up for disposition by the provincial government in 2002.
The West Coast Railway Association and the District of Squamish made a joint proposal to keep her and later that year #2860 moved to the West Coast Railway Heritage Park, now known as the "home of the Royal Hudson."
The boiler repair project started in 2004 and was completed in Sept. 2006.
Those interested in catching a glimpse of the historic icon as she makes her way south from Squamish to North Vancouver should keep an eye on the tracks on Saturday (April 14) and again on Monday (April 16) when she heads north to her resting place at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park.
For information on the Royal Hudson and the West Coast Railway Heritage Park, go to www.wcra.org.
