Transcona celebrates historic locomotive’s centennial year

Transcona's CN 2447 Steam locomotive celebrated its centennial anniversary over the weekend.

CN 2747, your choo-choo sound may have stopped, but Transcona’s effort to keep you intact and safe won’t.

Transcona Museum held a community celebration on Saturday at Rotary Heritage Park, celebrating the centennial of the community staple CN 2747.

Several events, including face painting, a community barbecue, a tour and more, took over the park.

The train officially turned 100 years old on April 19, according to the museum’s curator Alanna Horejda, but the museum decided to throw the celebration in the summer for better weather.

This year, the museum recreated the number board that was supposed to be affixed on the locomotive.

“The original disappeared sometime after 1982,” Horejda said. “We worked with the Winnipeg Railway Museum and Winnipeg Prototyping to recreate the number board you see today.”

Since the museum acquired the engine in 2015, it has been making efforts to preserve the steam locomotive for another centennial, Horejda added, such as installing a protective enclosure over the engine.

The CN 2747 holds several ‘first’ titles, such as the first steam locomotive built by CN Western Canada and the first of 33 steam locomotives built in Transcona. It was donated to the Kiwanis Club by the company “as a representative of the importance of the railway to the community.”

Horejda said the event’s turnout shows the community’s support.

“We had no idea what the turnout was going to be like, so this is amazing. We’re so grateful that the community has supported our efforts for the preservation and the work we’ve done on the engine.”

More information about Transcona Museum and CN 2747 can be found online.

With files from CTV News’ Zachary Kitchen