2002 04 16
The culmination of several months of work by the District of Squamish Royal Hudson Task Force and the West Coast Railway Association occurred Wednesday, April 3 as the Province of British Columbia announced that Royal Hudson #2860 would go to Squamish for preservation at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park. This truly was a team effort, as proposals by the WCRA melded together with the task force, and became a solid well prepared proposal that will see the historic locomotive base itself in the community it has traveled to for the past 25 years, and be preserved for future operations and generations to enjoy. The Royal Hudson Task Force was chaired by Squamish Councillor Wendy Magee, and included membership from tourism, community and heritage groups from Vancouver, North Vancouver, Britannia and Squamish.
On January 30, a presentation was made in Victoria to Minister of Science, Competition and Enterprise Hon. Rick Thorpe and officials from the Ministry of Transportation and our local MLA's office. The presentation proposed that the Royal Hudson be donated to the WCRA and that a "Save the Royal Hudson" excursion train operate to help raise funds in 2002 for the restoration. Attending in Victoria were Mayor Corinne Lonsdale, Councillor Wendy Magee and Treasurer Paul Edgington from Squamish, and Natalia Bouvier and Don Evans from the WCRA. It was an ambitious but well thought out plan, and the Minster complimented the efforts of the task force on their work.
In the end, the arrangements worked out by the Ministry of Transportation were a little different, but will accomplish the same objectives. The Province of BC will retain ownership of the Royal Hudson, but provide it to Squamish on a long-term lease arrangement. Squamish will turn the locomotive over to the WCRA for care and preservation. Although a long-term arrangement (15 years with five year evergreening), the WCRA is protected through reimbursement for all labour and other expenditures made to the locomotive should it revert back to the Province. The agreement was signed in Victoria on March 27 by Ministry officials and Squamish Mayor Corinne Lonsdale, and we are off.
There is, of course, much to be done. As for the locomotive, we must now work with BC Rail to move the Hudson to Squamish. BC Rail and WCRA will work together to see the big 4-6-4 prepared for the move, and we hope to provide our Canadian Pacific FP7A #4069 as the motive power for the actual move. What a sight it would be to have these two make the trek together, as they served together on CPR for a few years-The Hudson until 1956 and the F unit from 1952-in the same region on the CPR line. Our goal is to do this by May and place the engine on display at the Heritage Park for the 2002 busy season.
At the Heritage Park, plans are swinging into full gear. 2002 must be a fundraising season for the Royal Hudson Preservation Fund. The Park will add a tag line to its official name-it will now be West Coast Railway Heritage Park-Home of the Royal Hudson. This will be incorporated into all of our advertising and promotion, as we will now have the best-known railway artifact in Western Canada on display and in our care. This is a tremendous opportunity for the Heritage Park to leverage the world wide acclaim the Royal Hudson has received into its fundraising and overall awareness as an attraction.
The Hudson will take its position on the mainline in front of the station, and will be staffed for the summer with a real Royal Hudson engineer. Guests will be able to visit the cab of the locomotive and get a first hand look at what it took to run a large modern steam locomotive on the mainlines of the 1940's and 50's. In the station, a major new display will depict the history of the CPR Hudson class locomotives. Our new mascot, "Hudson" Bear will welcome children of all ages to the Hudson in her new home.
Plans for restoration of this great icon of steam will be developed over the summer as we assemble a task team for the project. We will need to review the formal and informal assessments as to the condition of the locomotive. Once this is done, our overall plan for future use of #2860 needs to be done-certainly we will want to have her back in steam and used for special trips and events as a minimum. With the 2010 Olympics bid in progress, we hope this first lady of steam can play a role here as well.
After the summer, the locomotive will be secured and placed in our shop where work can begin once sufficient funding is in place that matches the restoration plans developed. We will not start work until we know we will be able to finish the job and do it well. Some shop upgrading will also have to be done, the pit and floor are priorities to be completed for a project of this magnitude.
Now that we know the locomotive will be at the Heritage Park, the WCRA will undertake to operate a North Vancouver - Squamish excursion train privately as fundraising for the Royal Hudson. There is no subsidy available here, so we must do it profitably. BC Rail has been cooperative and would be the operating contractor for the privately run train.
The "Save the Royal Hudson" excursion will be an all-inclusive daylong event, operating five days a week during July and August. The F unit powered excursion train will operate to the Heritage Park where guests will enjoy a live stage show and lunch in a large tent environment, in addition to the scenic train ride to Squamish and return. Ticket price includes train, Heritage Park admission, stage show, lunch and a Royal Hudson souvenir. All net proceeds from the operation of the excursion package will go to the Royal Hudson Preservation Fund, generating funds to start the restoration process on #2860.
It is often said that dreams really can become reality. Going through some old files, your editor discovered the original sign erected in 1990 at the site of the then proposed West Coast Railway Museum. The locomotives on the sign were silhouettes of a Royal Hudson and an F unit. In 1990 we had no idea that we would have an F unit in our collection-of course, our #4069 is now a reality. The Royal Hudson was operating for the Province and BC Rail at the time. In 1999, we had the pair together for the first time for ARM 1999. Now, in 2002, both will call the West Coast Railway Heritage Park home!
ROYAL HUDSON—A LEGACY FIT FOR A QUEEN
Most of us are familiar with the story of how the streamlined Hudson Class locomotives of the Canadian Pacific Railway came to be called "Royal" Hudsons. This was an honour bestowed to the CPR for use with these engines after #2850 pulled the 1939 Royal Train across Canada, creating a memory and providing a service fondly remembered their majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother).
What you may not know is that Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother wrote recalling her memories of her visit to Canada and the train pulled by Royal Hudson #2850 to help with the preservation of our #2860 and encourage our work. Sadly, she passed away March 30, 2002 at the age of 101 years. The Royal Hudson will live on, however, as a legacy fit for a queen at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park. Of course, the Royal Hudson that actually pulled her train, #2850, is also preserved at the Canadian Railway Museum in St. Constant, Quebec.
