The No. 7 Baldwin steam locomotive is back in business.
People around south Port Alberni heard the distinctive steam whistle on the waterfront on Wednesday afternoon (Nov. 27, 2024) as the locie was put through its paces for a boiler inspection.
The locomotive's boiler passed inspection on Nov. 27. "Everything is ready to go," said an elated Richard Spencer, manager at Alberni Pacific Railway.
The iconic steam train whistle has been mostly silent since July 2018 when the 1929 Baldwin locomotive quit after 17 years of reliable service transporting tourists between Port Alberni’s train station and McLean Mill National Historic Site.
Two years of work by volunteers from the Western Vancouver Island Industrial Heritage Society, as well as hundreds of hours donated by boilermakers from Local 359, saw the train steam up briefly in October 2020, however, it was not put back into service.
The train only ran twice in 2017 because Technical Safety BC wouldn't sign off on two train trestles between the Port Alberni Train Station and McLean Mill. The No. 11 G.E. locomotive pulled a shorter, lighter train in one instance, and a "pop-up" steam event ran that summer.
Spencer said the upcoming Santa Train will feature the No. 7.
The last time the steam engine was used for the Santa Train was in 2016, Spencer said. The diesel was used for 2017 and 2018. There has not been a Santa Train since 2018 due to issues with the train and tracks and the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down public events nationally from 2020-22.
Spencer said there was an air of excitement in the APR Roundhouse after a trial run on Wednesday. "Sitting in the room with the boiler inspectors, they said yeah, you've got your ticket."
The train was out again on Thursday morning for a test run.
Santa Train runs will go Dec. 7-8 and Dec. 14-15. Tickets are available at www.albernipacificrailway.ca.
