The 2141 "Spirit of Kamloops" underneath a wooden bridge/via Peter Olsen Photography
A highly ambitious push is on by the new board of the Kamloops Heritage Railway Society to try to realign tourism promotion in Kamloops, with a nod to history.
“It’s now time to dream big,” said Jordan Popadynetz, Leader of Railway Development for the Society.
“It’s time for Kamloops to to truly switch tracks, and to reach its full potential.”
As part of a presentation to Kamloops City Council, the Society not only pitched its previously-revealed plans for a serviced tour run through the north Okanagan to Vernon and back, but also laid out a grander ambition.
“The ‘Railway Roundhouse Event and Conference Centre’ is a concept, 750 to 1000 guest facility featuring a restaurant, a cocktail bar, an education facility, railway gardens, a museum and many other amenities, all grandly housed in a modern railway roundhouse constructed with timber framing, striking glass windows and ornate lighting,” Popadynetz suggested.
While conceptual at this point, the Society suggests it could be estabished at Pioneer Park, where the riverfront location has mostly been used for boat launches into the South Thompson River, as well as — until last September — a vantage point for people to take pictures of the once-iconic Red Bridge.
Pioneer Park in Kamloops before the fire which destroyed the Red Bridge/via Reddit
“This concept has been pitched to Tourism Kamloops, and is part of the Iconic Structure initiative,” noted Popadynetz. “This building has the potential to be a premier event and gathering space in the city, as well as another source of off-rail income for the Kamloops Heritage Railway Society.”
The Iconic Structure initiative was put foward by Tourism Kamloops to municipal and regional officials at the start of 2024, based on the idea of creating a destination location within Kamloops, or within a 70 kilometer radius of downtown Kamloops to try to draw people into the city.
The program is being spearheaded at Tourism Kamloops by Nic Zdunich, its Destination Development Manager who is also a board member of the Kamloops Heritage Railway Society.
The ‘Railway Roundhouse Conference and Event Centre’ did not include any mention of cost, design or expecations as to when it may be ready for public consumption out of the concept phase.
More details provided on rail tours
While the Railway Roundhouse may still be in the theoretical stage, the use of the 2141 locomotive, the “Spirit of Kamloops,” as an operational tour train appears to be well-past concept and into full development.
In detailing their ambition to Kamloops Council, the Heritage Railway Society did reveal some of its operational and marketing plans, should all the pieces come together.
“Our new vision is simple, but powerful,” said Sheila Minten, President of the Society. “We want to establish a world-class hospitality experience.”
Expanding on that, Minten suggested the Society has been quietly been working behind the scenes to get approvals and endorsements for their tour plans.
“We strenghtened or formed relationships with CN Rail, the Town of Armstrong, the City of Vernon, Technical Safety BC, and many other stakeholders and partners,” she noted.
Members of the 2141 Board of Directors/via kamrail.com
While the approvals process is still ongoing, the Board has mapped out its base strategy for when and how the tours would operate.
It would include a select number of two-day runs between Campbell Creek — where a CN spur line to the south starts at the eastern end of Kamloops — and Vernon.
“This trip would encompass all of the communities along the route, and would depart on weekends in the spring, fall and winter,” said Popadynetz. “This 142 mile [230 kilometer] round trip would create one of the world’s longest steam-powered rail excursions, and a premier attraction for Kamloops, British Columbia and North America.”
The plans, while not provided in chronological detail, would appear to involve a morning shuttle run from a collective hotel in the downtown of Kamloops to the staging area in Campbell Creek.
From there, the trip would include a 2.5 hour stop over in Armstrong, followed by the rest of the trip to Vernon, where the group would stay overnight before returning to Kamloops the next day.
Popadynetz says they’ve been informed that the movement of the 2141 through Kamloops city limits can’t involve guests, meaning a shuttle bus would ferry the passangers from downtown Kamloops to Campbell Creek to start the ride to Vernon.
He has also told council they don’t plan to operate the north Okanagan route over the summer months, suggesting they don’t want to conflict or compete with the Rocky Mountaineer, which is already listed among the Heritage Railway Society’s business partners and supporters.
A Rocky Mountaineer train passing through the Rockies/via Rocky Mountaineer
He also says the decision to stay off the Vernon run over the summer would eliminate most of the fire concerns along the route during hot, dry conditions, while also keeping their expected number of runs they would offer each year within reason.
“We’re looking around that 40 to 50 trip mark annually for it to go up to Vernon and back, which is still a great deal of trips,” noted Popadynetz. “Keeping in mind too, that it is a 113 year old train. It’s good for the boiler to run it often, but we don’t want to stress it too much either.”
He suggests there could be options to keep the 2141 going during the non-tour periods as well, but on a Kamloops-only level.
“Personally, I like the idea of keeping the attraction downtown, offering some sort of experience still downtown, whether that be a short 10 or 15 minute trip for kids with one open air car…Santa Claus at Christmas and whatever [else] that may be,” suggested Popadynetz.
No timelines detailed as hurdles remain
The one clear ommission from the presentation to Kamloops Council on Tuesday was a set of specific timelines.
There are still some issues which could disrupt the Kamloops Heritage Railway Society’s plans.
One of them includes the status of the rail lines themselves.
Consistently owned by Canadian National Railway, the line in the north Okanangan — for a time — was leased to a private firm out of Kelowna, which failed to do the proper maintenance.
This then forced CN to take back control of the line in 2008.
Vernon at night/via Ryan Van Veen
“It is, once again, in need of some work, but this is something that CN is looking into, beginning, and even doing,” said Popadynetz. “We’ve seen a lot of work being done in the Armstrong area and in the Vernon area. By the time we have 2141 ready to go and certified again, we should see that track in the condition that’s that’s needed to operate a passenger train on.”
If the tracks don’t come up to the required standard for use by a public transport train, the speeds would be most likely be capped at 22 km/h where they are at the moment on that stretch, which is well below speeds needed to complete a tour to Vernon and back in a weekend.
However, Popadynetz has told Kamloops Council that they anticipate being able to reach speeds of 35mph to 40mph [around 60-70kmh].
Another hurdle, which the Society expects will be overcome, is the inspection of the locomotive itself — likely the least of the concerns.
“Currently, the organization is testing and inspecting the #2141 as mandated by TSBC [Technical Safety BC] and Transport Canada,” noted a letter dated December 10, 2024 to Kamloops Council asking for the January 28, 2025 audience. “KHRS is optimistic the inspection report will give #2141 a clean bill of health, enabling KHRS to start more in-depth planning of railtours with the hopes of welcoming guests onboard in 2026.”
2141 locomotive in Riverside Park in Kamloops/via Rick Horn, c. 1968
The 113 year old steam engine sat for some 33 years in Riverside Park as a playground utility for children — including some of those currently on Kamloops Council — before a major rehabilitation project was launched in the 1990’s to allow the train to move again.
Given its robust nature, the locomotive was put back into working condition, and was able to operate on longer-haul trips out of Kamloops from time to time before being shelved again during the pandemic.
“We will be — very shortly — extending an invitation to you all [Kamloops Council] to come down to the back shop and see the 2141,” said Popadynetz at the end of his presentation. “Right now, the engine is in numerous pieces as she awaits a very important inspection, which is quoted to be around $70,000,” he added.
“Once she passes that inspection, which we’re confident that she’s going to pass that inspection, it’s all about firing her up and getting things on track.”
The longer-term rehabilitation and maintenance of the steam engine is also another factor, given the nuances of a technology which has become outdated for those who are four or five generations removed from repairing it.
However, the immediate area of concern does appear to be financial.
“We have just started looking into insurance to get the train out onto the tracks, and I will be very transparent and say to you that insurance could be the killer of this,” stated Popadynetz bluntly. “All the insurance premiums right now that we’re looking at annually is around $130,000. Insurance is very expensive,” he lamented.
However, he does expect if there are funds available, the Society would not only be able to get the 2141 back on track again, but become self-sufficient.
“The City of Kamloops has contributed around $4 million to this project since day one,” noted Popadynetz. “With creating this long excursion to Vernon and back, we have that opportunity to really start to stand alone as a business and to bring revenue in on our own.”
