‘Spirit of Kamloops’ locomotive chugs into summer season

“So after Canada Day, we have our normal Spirit of Kamloops runs, which run every Thursday, Friday, Saturday in July and August,” she explains. “And then July 27, we have our first Ales and Rails trip. We’re going to go for a train ride, normal Spirit of Kamloops, and then we’ll head back to the plaza for a big event with Iron Road Brewery.”

This year, the society is putting on a few rail tour events with local breweries and wineries. Manager Julie Clark says this summer marks a special year for the society.

It’s the 25th anniversary of the Kamloops Heritage Railway Society forming and starting restoration efforts on the 2141 — eventually getting the train back on the rails in 2002.

“You know it took eight long years and nearly 100,000 volunteer hours to actually get the train back on the rails,” Clark explains. “That kind of dedication and devotion is just all a part of the heart of the community.”

After sitting stagnant in Riverside Park for 33 years, now the train is regularly used to give historic tours and a back-in-time experience.

The attraction brings in tourists regularly, and Clark says the yearly updates to events keeps a steady local crowd as well.

“We are an interactive historical experience, but we do want to keep new and fresh each year for the locals, so they don’t say, ‘Oh we’ve ridden it once, we don’t need to ride it again.'”

According to Clark, the locomotive isn’t just for history and train enthusiasts, either.

“So we want to keep it interesting each and every year. And I think with the robbery and the saloon girls and really enhancing every trip with entertainment, and having things like the Rails and Ales and the wine tours and the Halloween events and the Christmas trains, we’re really trying to broaden our scope in terms of who we attract to the train.”

Clark says a team of volunteers take care of the steam locomotive, which is no easy task considering it’s the only one like it left in the world.

“So between January and May is the heavy maintenance time, and they literally pull the engine apart,” Clark explains. “It’s very hard to find parts now so they have to be very inventive.”

With a team of dedicated community members behind it, the train is expected to continue running for some time.

“It’s 107 years old, and we don’t know how much more time we have left with it,” Clark says, “But we know that we’re a strong society and we do well, and we only do well because we have the community support.”

Once the summer season comes to a close, the 2141 will begin chugging through the society’s fall- and Halloween-themed trips.

by Dylana Milobar

‘Spirit of Kamloops’ locomotive chugs into summer season

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