A nearly century-old fully restored steam locomotive made a pit stop in Swift Current yesterday afternoon on its cross-continental journey from Calgary to Mexico.

The Empress, or 2816, was pulled out of storage and returned to its former glory to celebrate the first anniversary of the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Southern merger. CPKC is hosting a series of public events in select cities as the first-ever steam-powered passenger train in North America traverses three countries in one trip, including Moose Jaw this afternoon.

Swift Current residents could track the train's whereabouts on the CPKC website to see when The Empress would pass through the city; troves of people lined the overpass and the tracks near the railway station at 1 p.m. to take photos and videos and to see the magnificent machine up close. 

To track the 1930s steam train and learn more about today's event, click here.