A Ride in the Cab of a Steam Locomotive

[Hiawatha Pete]

Last edited Sat Jun 27, 2020, 09:55 AM - Edit history (1)

Several years ago while vacationing on Vancouver Island, I was offered the opportunity to ride in the cab of a steam locomotive. My wonderful & extremely supportive wife agreed to incorporate the opportunity into our travel plans so that I would have the chance to ride and photograph the experience.

The Canadian Pacific Railway's 'Esquimalt & Nanaimo' subsidiary once had an extensive network of lines serving Vancouver Island supporting freight and logging operations and even ran a passenger service of sorts. One section - the Canadian Pacific's Alberni Subdivision which once crossed the island from east to west - has been mostly abandoned except for a stretch running from Port Alberni to McLean Mill which is today operated as a tourist railway known as the Alberni Pacific.

It is this tourist railway that is documented in the pictures below from our website: https://northamericabyrail.info/

Hope you enjoy!

Cheers, Pete

Alberni Pacific #7 simmers at the end of the line at McLean Mill, Vancouver Island:


At the railway station in Port Alberni, British Columbia:


Alberni Pacific #7, an oil-fired 2-8-2 'Mikado' type engine, steamed up and bell ringing. At the engine house in Port Alberni, before being coupled to her train for the journey to McLean Mill:


Engineer working the Johnson Bar in the cab of #7:


View over the fireman's shoulder, departing the station and railroad yards in Port Alberni:


#7 charges past a grade crossing.


View from the cab window, going over a trestle:


#7's stack blasting into the cool morning air, reminding the good people of Port Alberni that the Alberni Pacific is passing through:


Oil in the firebox. No hand-bombing coal on this iron horse:


View past the boiler and on down the line, through the Vancouver Island rainforest.


A young couple pays homage to steam's magic at the end of the line at McLean Mill, British Columbia:


McLean Mill historic site, last operating steam-powered sawmill in North America:


Taking the return trip in one of the coaches:


Our journey comes to an end as we pull into the yards at Port Alberni:

[soothsayer]

1. Pretty cool

[Hiawatha Pete]

4. Thanks!

[3Hotdogs]

2. When I got my cabin ride, N.J., it was about 1988.

Cell phones and data were expensive. I didn’t have one and the camera was left home .

What I most remember, was the fireman constantly shoveling... no break and soot coming into the cab from the exhaust - if that’s the correct word.

Excellent photos

[Hiawatha Pete]

5. Greetings fellow cab-rider!

The main thing is that you had the experience, and what an experience it was by the way you describe! Those coal burners are quite the beast aren't they?

Thanks for the compliment, BTW.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Wow, my dear Hiawatha Pete!

These are wonderful photos.

How lucky you were to be able to ride in the cab. Those are views we would never have been able to see otherwise.

Great stuff!

[Hiawatha Pete]

6. Thanks California Peggy!

Lucky indeed, to always have the memory of that trip and to have such a wonderful, supportive wife.

Thanks again for checking out my post and for the compliments.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. Hmpphh. Mine was bigger.

Summer 1971. The only place they could turn the engine was the end of the line. So, between trips, they ran the engine in reverse to the wye, turn it, and run it in reverse again back to the town where the trips started. I went over to West Virginia with a friend to help the regular crew for a few days. I went along for the ride.

Sorry, no pictures.

Source for the picture: https://capewolfe.tumblr.com/post/148191833996/reading-4-8-4-2102-t-1-stops-for-a-drink-at-the

[Hiawatha Pete]

8. Wow, a Reading T1!

They had so much more fan trips, rare mileage excursions and cab rides compared to today...