Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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In the Spring of 1977, Canadian Pacific Railway 4-6-4 "Royal Hudson" 2860 made a 3200-mile roundtrip journey from Vancouver, BC to Los Angeles, CA. This trip was part of a Silver Jubilee Tour, celebrating 25 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign in the UK, as well as to promote tourism and goodwill for the province of British Columbia. This journey into California marked the first time that a 4-6-4 Hudson class locomotive of any kind would operate through the state of Oregon.

The H1e would pull an 8-car display train on its trip down the west coast of the United States. Four of these cars would be open while the train was at its display stops, which featured an “Age of Steam” exhibit, and wax figures of the Royal Family, at the end of the train was lounge/sleeper “Mount Hood” owned by the PNW Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. When the the train reached Portland, OR SSW Bicentennial SD45T-2 9389 was cut in behind the Royal Hudson to assist in the climb over Cascade Summit. This also would help extend the fuel range of the locomotive for what would be a 30 hour trip from Portland, OR to San Francisco, CA.

The video picks up on the morning of March 23, 1977, with the 2860 rolling through the Sacramento Valley to the Bay Area, as it enters the final leg of its 30 hour journey into California. Witness the Royal Hudson as Canadian steam rolls through the streets of San Francisco, on the now long abandoned tracks of the State Belt Railroad. There’s plenty of scenes of this example of Canada’s finest steam passenger power doing what it was designed to do, as there is a lot of fast running on the San Francisco Peninsula mainline as well as in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys. The major California railroad junction at Stockton Tower was paid visit to by the Royal Hudson twice during its time on the west coast. You will see the train smash across the old SP and WP alignment in Stockton as it takes the Santa Fe to Fresno. Then watch a Santa Fe CF7 perform switching chores as it assists the Royal Hudson and its train onto the SP for its run into Sacramento. There are plenty of views of this beautify grey and maroon 4-6-4 on the SP as well. You’ll see the engine in the Sacramento Valley on the West Valley Line, leaving Los Angeles on the Saugus Line through Soledad Canyon, paralleling the Carquinez Strait in the East Bay Area, as well as being assisted by SP power in Oakland and Sacramento.

The movies in this presentation come from the 8mm and Super 8mm movie cameras of 5 different railfans, with near complete coverage of the 2860’s time in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Northern California. Slides were provided by Gary Perazzo.

Enjoy this look at Canadian steam, as it races through the heart of California!

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