Caption: Canadian Pacific Royal Hudson 2839 takes a spin on the John Street roundhouse turntable in downtown Toronto during the weekend of May 22/23rd when former CPR D10h 1057 (overhauled at John Street for its new owner, Herbert Hansen of the Illinois Railway Museum) emerged for the first time under steam since 1960. 2839 was one of the steam engines stored in the roundhouse brought out for a photo-op line with 1057 that Sunday.

Looking a little worse for wear, 2839 was part of a handful of steam engines (that also included CPR 5361 and CNR 5107) that had been set aside for a possible Toronto area railway museum (the Ontario Science Centre was the intended venue) that never materialized. The collection was dispersed and 2839 went to new owners in the US, was restored to operating condition, and did time working steam excursions for the Southern Railway in 1979-1980. Today 2839 is one of four CPR Royal Hudsons preserved, and resides on display at a vintage automotive museum (the Nethercutt Collection) in Sylmar, California.

Many decades later, the dream for a Toronto area railway museum would finally be realized when the Toronto Railway Museum was opened at Roundhouse Park (the same former CPR John St. roundhouse pictured here), albeit with former Canadian National Northern 6213 becoming the centerpiece steam locomotive.

Reg Button photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide with some restoration/colour correction work (from a slightly colour-shifted Black's Photography 35mm colour slide).