The Kamloops Heritage Railway is a heritage railway located in Kamloops, British Columbia. The railway operates throughout the year in May to December, trains are hauled by steam locomotive Canadian National Railway No. 2141, also known as the Spirit of Kamloops. The museum's operations are currently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but plans to resume operations in 2026.
History The Kamloops Heritage Railway's origins originally began in 1993, when the City of Kamloops was approached by a private enterprise group, they asked about the possibility of restoring and operating Canadian National 2141 to run tourist trains in Alberta.
In February 1994, No. 2141 was removed from display by the newly formed 2141 Steam Locomotive Restoration Society and moved it into a warehouse located in River Street in Kamloops were restoration work officially began. On July 31, 2001, the Kamloops city council approved $1 million in No. 2141's restoration and loaned $360,183 to help the Kamloops Heritage Railway Society construct a work shop building in Lorne Street to house and maintain the locomotive.
On August 24, 2001, No. 2141 underwent a successful test fire and eventually moved under steam for the first time in forty-there years the following day. On January 15, 2002, after some final assembly and more testing, No. 2141 was moved to its new location under its own power and fives month later, now proclaimed as Spirit of Kamloops, hauled the railroad's first inaugural excursion run on June 26.
The train travels on a 6-mile round trip from downtown Kamloops to CN Rail Cam Loops Junction from May to December each year, the train would occasionally run a 112.8-mile round trip to Armstrong for the special "Armstrong Explorer" excursion; tickets for excursions are sold at the ticket office, located at No. 3-510 Lorne Street, right across from the old Kamloops railway station.
In 2020, it was announced that the railroad would suspend their operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was also due to the increased amount of freight traffic, mainly the export of American coal through Kamloops via Canadian Pacific Railway to the Canadian National Kamloops North yard via the rail bridge over the North Thompson River.
In 2024, A new board of directors was established and made plans to return No. 2141 back in operational service by 2026, with Canadian National offering to let KHRX operate on 71 miles of the Okanagan Subdivision, between Campbell Creek and Vernon. A boiler inspector surveyed the locomotive and stated that little work has to be done in order for operational use.
Equipment Locomotives +Locomotive detailsNumberImageTypeModelBuiltBuilderStatus2141Steam1912Montreal Locomotive WorksUndergoing major overhaul
Rolling stock +Rolling stock detailsNumber / NameImageTypeBuiltBuilder402 (Monte Lake)Cafe Lounge car1954Unknown403 (Riverside Park)Passenger car1954Unknown406 (Georgia Bay)Parlour solarium1930Canadian Car and Foundry501 (Westwood)Caboose1975Unknown
See also
List of heritage railways in Canada
References
Further reading
External links
footage of 2141 operating on Vancouver Island in 1958