CPKC
CP 7470, CPKC’s new ET44AC Tier 4 locomotive from Wabtec, now bears the logo of Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), a distinguished Canadian armored regiment, the railroad reported via social media on July 25. The regiment, it said, “was originally raised and equipped in 1900 by Donald Smith, who 15 years earlier drove The Last Spike at Craigellachie, B.C., completing the Canadian Pacific Railway.”
The logo on CP 7470 symbolizes the regiment’s “storied history and our strong historical connection,” according to CPKC. While two other Canadian Pacific locomotives have worn the regiment’s badge, the railroad said that “this is the first on a CPKC painted unit and the first one with the King’s Tudor crown.”
Joining CPKC representatives at the locomotive’s unveiling ceremony were Col. (Ret’d) Jamie Cade, Colonel of the Regiment, and Donald Smith’s direct descendent, Donald Alexander Euan Howard, the 5th Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal. “Smith was created 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal in 1897,” according to CPKC.
On July 23, Lord Strathcona and his wife, Jane, toured CPKC’s global headquarters in Calgary “to see first-hand the legacy today’s railroaders are building across North America,” the railroad reported.
Further Reading: Watch: Wabtec’s Evolution Series Tier 4 Marks a Milestone
UP
“Our employees recently teamed up for a worthy cause: supporting junior enlisted personnel and their families at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha,” UP reported via social media on July 25. At the annual UPVETS Scoops for Troops fundraiser, employee and executive volunteers dished up ice cream to raise funds for the troops.
According to UP, more than 17% of its employees have military experience, and the UPVETS employee resource group aims to help attract, develop, and retain these veteran employees.
Separately, UP Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Hamann will be a featured speaker at the 2025 Railway Age / RT&S Women in Rail conference, to be held Oct. 15-16 at a new, larger venue in Chicagoland. This must-attend event highlights diverse experiences and practical strategies for moving the industry forward. Spanning two days, the Women in Rail conference features dynamic panels (including “Railroading’s Heroes,” which will cover how having a military background helps freight and passenger railroaders succeed in leadership roles and beyond), a celebratory awards luncheon, and the chance to network with a wide-reaching group of like-minded rail professionals.
