BEAUMONT, Texas — Southeast Texas residents were in for in for a pleasant surprise Sunday afternoon after catching a glimpse of a steam locomotive from the 1930's chugging along local railways.
'The Empress' is a CP 2816 is a 4-6-4 Hudson type steam locomotive built in December 1930 by Montreal Locomotive Works, it is making it's way from Alberta, Canada all the way to Mexico City, Mexico and then back to Calgary.
This trip that The Empress is embarking on is called the The Final Spike Steam Tour, and it celebrates the one-year anniversary of the combination of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern.
According to the Canadian Pacific website, it took nearly two years of work by a team of eight full time employees and contractors to prepare the locomotive for this journey.
Many people were delighted at the sight of the old steam engine, snapping plenty of photos to post on social media.
Photos of The Empress
If you missed the The Empress don't fret, local train enthusiast Braeden Halsell told 12News that the train will pass back through Southeast Texas on June 14th. This time it should follow the tracks along Old Sour Lake Road then back onto the CPKC tracks in Beaumont.
The schedule for the Final Spike Steam Tour can be seen below.
