Canadian Pacific Kansas City has unveiled a commemorative locomotive livery honouring the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and celebrating the founding of the United States of America.
Keith Creel, CPKC President and Chief Executive Officer, stated that the locomotive, built and painted in Fort Worth, Texas, honours the remarkable and proud history of America as the nation prepares to mark its 250th anniversary. As a US Army veteran, Creel expressed pride in joining his 6,000 fellow railroaders living and working across America in celebrating the contributions of all Americans throughout history, and looked forward with vision and hope to the accomplishments of generations yet to come.
KCS 1776, a new Tier 4 ET44AC locomotive from Wabtec’s Fort Worth manufacturing facility, is the first of five locomotives that will bear the commemorative America 250 livery. It features Old Glory Red and Old Glory Blue colours, as well as the logo of America250, the national nonpartisan organisation established by Congress to lead the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations. Additional features include graphic representations of the Declaration of Independence opening phrase “In Congress” and the famous first words of the Preamble to the US Constitution, as well as 13 stars encircling the date July 4, 1776.
Jen Condon, Executive Vice President at America 250, described the nation’s 250th anniversary as a moment to reflect on the industries and individuals who have helped build and connect the country. She noted that freight rail has played a vital role in America’s growth and progress, and characterised CPKC’s commemorative locomotive as a powerful tribute to that legacy as the historic milestone approaches.
Freight railroads take pride in their role in facilitating the country’s progress through the centuries. CPKC operates in 19 U.S. states as one of the largest freight railroads in America, with an extensive network spanning the central United States. The network stretches from North Dakota through the Upper Midwest and south to the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Texas, along with operations in the Northeast from New York to Maine. At 8,800 miles, the U.S. network represents nearly 40 percent of CPKC’s three-nation North American railroad.
Approximately one third of CPKC’s employees live and work in the United States, serving thousands of businesses across the agriculture, automotive, steel, energy, chemical, and consumer markets. CPKC’s roots stretch back to the founding age of American railroading with the Delaware & Hudson, and to the expansion age of American railroading in the late 19th century with Arthur E. Stilwell’s founding of the Kansas City Suburban Belt Railway in 1887.
For more information visit www.cpkcr.com
