The ’34 Ford Roadster and the Canadian Pacific 2816 under steam
1934 Ford Flathead V8 Roadster with restored and fully operational Canadian Pacific’s 2816 Steam Locomotive both of the same vintage. The locomotive is a class H1b Hudson class 4-6-4 wheel arrangement, is not streamlined, and was originally a coal-burner but during its restoration was converted to an oil burner It was built by Montreal Locomotive Works in December 1930. It is the only surviving H1b Hudson and is one of only a handful of preserved and operating Canadian Pacific Railway steam locomotives in North America. If the locomotive were in service today it would be the highest horsepower, and fastest machine on the Canadian Pacific’s Railway. In the 1930’s it cost the Canadian Pacific Railway $116,555 to build, and it is 91-feet long. Its gross operating weight was 657,000 lbs., and it was good for 4,700 horsepower at 55 miles per hour, and these locomotives in the 1930’s consistently operated at speeds of between 80 to 100 miles per hour. Today about 65 miles an hour is the fastest any operating unit on the Canadian Pacific Railway will run. My grandfather was a Hog (Engineer) with the CPR in the 1930’s, and the 2800 series locomotive was his all time favorite unit to run, and as a young boy I was mesmerized by his railway stories. That’s why my family emblem is a pick and a shovel (you gotta love those coal burners).
‘O’ I almost forgot why I posted the photo of my 1934 Ford Roadster its suggested retail price was $525. In the 1930’s my grandfather’s salary as a C.P.R Engineer was 10 cents per mile, so for a 100 mile run his take home pay was $10.00 and he probably averaged approximately $120 per month or $1,440 per year. So $525 was a lot of money for a coverall blue collared hard working class man that’s probably why he drove a Whippet!