CALGARY, Alberta — CPKC has turned the 2024 Final Spike Tour, featuring No. 2816, the Empress 4-6-4 steam locomotive, into a 50-minute documentary that will premiere on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 at the Calgary International Film Festival.
Titled The Pulse of the Continent, this breathtaking film chronicles the 76-day journey marking the first anniversary of Canadian Pacific’s merger with Kansas City Southern. The trek through three countries — Canada, the United States and Mexico — began April 24, 2024, and covered more than 10,000 miles.
The film looks behind the scenes at the tour, telling the story of No. 2816’s two-year restoration and the impact the locomotive and train had on communities along the route. Additionally, according to CPKC’s website, the viewer will be, “ … [immersed] in the beauty of North America’s diverse landscapes, seen from the best seat in the house — the rails stretching between cities, mountains, and endless horizons.”
Film crews from Calgary-based Boléro Studios Ltd. followed the train throughout the tour, interviewing the train crew and spectators along the route. The interviews, some recorded in English, some in Spanish, provide a true flavor of the multicultural nature the tour took on and the economic significance of CPKC to North America.
Directed by Eric González, says the Boléro website, “ … the film captures the magic, challenge, and cultural significance of this epic North American tour, celebrating the legacy of the locomotive and its unifying power.”
Tickets for the premier of The Pulse of the Continent are now available at the CIFF website. Here you can also view the entire film festival schedule.
