CP Spirit of 150 rail tour calls on 33 communities

CP news release 080414
April 15, 2008

From June 12 to July 6, the CP Spirit of 150 Rail Tour will visit 33 communities in the Kootenays, the Rockies, the Shuswap, Kamloops, the Fraser Canyon and Vancouver as part of the year-long BC150 celebration, announced Tourism, Sport and the Arts Minister Stan Hagen and Canadian Pacific president and CEO Fred Green.

"For over 100 years, rail travel has played an important role in B.C.'s heritage and economy," said Hagen. "The CP Spirit of 150 Rail Tour will highlight our rich rail history while bringing BC150 celebrations to life through live performances and a special exhibition created especially for this tour by the Royal BC Museum."

The CP Spirit of 150 Rail Tour includes the vintage CP 2816 Empress steam locomotive and support cars, two vintage passenger coaches, a vintage business car, a heritage baggage car converted into a traveling museum, and a vintage stage car. Visitors can view historic displays, watch a stage show and interact with costumed performers depicting some of B.C.'s most entertaining and notorious historical figures.

"The CP Spirit of 150 Rail Tour gives us the opportunity to connect our past, present and future in the communities we serve every day," said Green.  "Canadian Pacific is a proud BC150 sponsor and proud to be a partner in the Pacific Century.

As part of the project, the Royal BC Museum (RBCM) has transformed a 1958 Union Pacific baggage car into a rolling museum – a traveling version of "Free Spirit: Stories of You, Me and B.C.," a major exhibition about British Columbia on display at the museum in Victoria until Jan. 11, 2009.

BC150 is a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Crown Colony of British Columbia in 1858. Every community is invited to participate in this year-long celebration of B.C.'s cultural diversity, community strength and achievement. For more information on BC150 events and programs, please visit http://www.bc150.ca/.

Canadian Pacific is committed to being the safest, most fluid railway in North America. Canadian Pacific is proud to sponsor the CP Spirit of 150 rail tour celebrating the founding of the Crown Colony of British Columbia. Learn more about Canadian Pacific at www.cpr.ca.

Contacts:

Victoria Klassen
Communications Manager
Ministry of Tourism, Sports and the Arts             
1-250-387-2799

Mike LoVecchio
Senior Manager - Media Relations
Canadian Pacific
1-778-772-9636