The merger between Kansas City Southern and the Canadian Pacific was finalized in April of 2023 to form the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC); the first north-south railroad merger to connect Canada and Mexico. A year later in April of 2024 the CPKC kicked off a steam powered business train to make a round trip from Calgary to Mexico City in celebration of the merger. Headed up by the restored CP passenger 4-6-2 number 2816 with various diesels trailing, the fifteen-car train was due back in Calgary by July.
I was not able to get away to chase it on the southbound trip, but when it came back over the U.S.-Mexican border heading back north I made plans to catch it in the scenic area between Shreveport, Louisiana and Sallisaw, Oklahoma. The train spent a week in Shreveport so the 2816’s boiler could be washed out along with other maintenance and was scheduled to leave northbound between 8:00 and 9:00 am on June 24th. I planned to drive to Shreveport on the 23rd and spend the night to be in position for the chase the next day.
On the road east to Shreveport, I stopped in Longview for a few trains. First up was a Union Pacific rock train about to deliver its cars to a local materials plant.
Over at the BNSF yard several locomotives were idling away this Sunday afternoon.
A northbound BNSF train was stopped at the edge of town to change crews before departing towards Little Rock using UP trackage rights.
Continuing east on old Highway 80 I pulled over close to CP Keokuk and waited a few minutes for an eastbound UP freight to catch up with me.
I arrived in Shreveport and checked into my hotel before heading north to check out the railroad bridge over Caddo Lake in Mooringsport, Louisiana as my first photo location the following morning. I found a well-worn KCS caboose on display south of the bridge.
The railroad bridge turned out to be perfect for the next morning while standing on the old highway bridge on its east side that is open to the public.
With this mission accomplished, I drove back south to Shreveport for dinner and a good night’s sleep.
