Locomotive No.3512: The Sunken Train 1000 Feet Below A Canadian Lake
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2024
- In 1947, a dangerous shipping incident saw an entire train assembly sink to the depths of Slocan Lake. 75 years later, a diver and his team set out to locate and extract this historic steam locomotive, aided by one of the wreck’s living survivors, a 99-year-old brakeman who was on the train that fateful day. Battling the elements in one of Canada’s deepest lakes, with depths of up to 1000 ft, the grueling expedition tests even the hardiest members of the team. But as the search goes on, the team stumbles upon a more intimate discovery surrounding the townsfolk who call these remote mountains in British Columbia home.
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It might be mentioned in the movie but I looked up the specs of Locomotive 3512. Those barges must have been amazing because the locomotive weighed in at 236,000 pounds (107 Tons) and the tender at 139,000 pounds. (63 Tons.) Canadian Pacific 2-8-0 -2 class. 199 built. Only 3 known to exist today. ONE of them is this one! Built by Montreal Locomotive Works between 1912 and 1914. AMAZING documentary!
whats so amazing about it?- they hauled way heavier loads of steel-making materials on barges for many, many years.
@@tommurphy4307 Calm down, chief. We're not all barge nerds. Maybe you could add something to the conversation by giving us information on what the carry limit was on one of these things.
@@45CaliberCure barge nerds....lol
This made me laugh. A 152 year old steam locomotive was just recovered from the bottom of a lake north of Kingston Ontario this spring. It was build by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Pittsburgh PA in 1872, it rolled off the tracks in 1914, and was just recovered after 110 years. The iron did not rust, bolts still turned, the wood on it was not rotten, and there was still oil in the oil pots. To see it, go on line and look up Locomotive, Marlbank, Scott Trudeau. This has to be one of the oldest locomotives in the whole world.
Cool- only problem is you basically have to keep it submerged or it will oxidize and rust/fall apart very quickly. Like surprisingly quick. Come back in a month and it's basically as old looking as though it's been in the forest for 100 years.
@@MW-nOttawasalt water yes not sure about fresh a few hundred litres of wd 40 might be the key haha
In Norway we have an even older locomotive... Her name is Caroline and she is 163 years old (built in 1861). She is still running to this day:
czcams.com/video/lAZQMHzskho/video.html
@@LittleRedToyota There is a locomotive in Vancouver ,in "Gastown" ,# 374, which was built in Montreal in about 1886, I think .It was the first engine to reach Vancouver after the Trans Canada railway was finished . These engines are rare
@@bobcohoon9615us still has a locomotive from 1831 in the Smithsonian, ran it under its own steam in the 80s, and it's kept in display condition to this day. Just a few steps from operable.
so happy you took him flying. someone is cutting onions in here i think
Take me I love flying
Raises hand. Someone cut onions.
Hey if you have not heard...The New Phrase Is "I am not crying you are!" Your "Onions" made me laugh & cry!!
The ending with Bill flying again at 99 for his birthday was the payday of a most excellent documentary. Nice work to all involved.
I came here for some cool sunken train footage and left loving Bill and the whole town of Slocan! R.I.P. Bill
He's not dead, just old.
@@NAC_Exec look at 1:28:59 it says "in loving memory of Bill (William) hicks sr."
Bill Chapman still alive?
@@christofferF3 There are two Bills in this documentary. Bill Hicks who passed away in 2023 as mentioned in the end and then Bill Chapman who is the last surviving member of the historic train crew of Locomotive 3512
he probably has passed away... my dog is the same way. she's still alive, but I dread the day when she gets put down or kicks the bucket herself. not every one lives to be a hundred. notice Bills muscle control complications.
What an brilliant documentary! And Bill - up in the air flying a plane at the age of 99!
Watching the smiles and wonder as people in the club watched the video footage of a train lying at the bottom of the lake is what history is all about: remembering those who lived through it.
The steam engine at the beginning of the video is CP 3716 which is currently running at Kettle Valley Steam Railway in Summerland, BC.
what tipped you off- the number board that read '3716'??
@@tommurphy4307 Yes, but at the same time I knew about CP 3716 and its sister sitting at the bottom of the lake from online articles. I did that search after I rode the CP 3716 train a few years ago.
I rode on that train a few years back, pretty fun experience
Wow! What an awesome documentary!
I’m a huge train enthusiast but, never heard of this before.
Fascinating.
Reminds me of the locomotive that’s in the bottom of the Wynoochee River in Washington.
It was used in the 1960 film “Ring of Fire”
The final scene is the burning wooden trestle collapsing with the engine on it.
Its remains are still there today.
Thanks for sharing cool story
LOL You could never get away with leaving something there like that today. The trains from The Fugitive remained in Bryson City, NC for years though as they were so damaged it took a lot of planning and repairs to haul them out on the rails.
if it had happened in california- they would have been busted for polluting the water.....
Love "Ring of Fire", especially since they blew up our Saw mill for the final explosion here in Vernonia Oregon
Very cool. I really hope the sunken items can be recovered and atleast displayed in a museum, if that's even possible. There's a lot of weight, a lot of steel, and not to mention it's settled in the lake bed. Be pretty expensive, but would be epic to see it surface once again. But to see this 99 year old man experience these things before he passed is priceless. RIP Bill.
unfortunately- there aren't many museums with that kind of money to spend on something that can only be displayed.
99, wow. I was thinking 85, maybe. Thanks guys you made his day. May God bless you and Bill for his service. From one Vet to another. 99 and hands on a yoke wow
I cant wait to see the documentary of floating this train and then to see the one that gets her rolling again! Amazing!!
Amazing video. Also Amazing Bill has lived 99 yrs and got to see the train being found again and get back into a plane for his birthday. Hopefully the train will be recovered and we will get to see more of this happening.
Have driven through this area on work trips several times and never knew the history that lay in these waters. This was great, thanks.
So much lost over the edge during the 50+ years of Barge Service on Slocan Lake. Trucks, Tractors, Mining equipment and yes, complete trains. Funny thing is.... I was under the impression they knew exactly where this was. They used to have diving expeditions down to it if you were brave and rich enough to do such things.
The recovering salvage of locomotive 3512 the plow and the caboose must be the biggest challenge in Canadian railroad history.
Also a few railcars full of silver ore in that lake… this area is steeped in history and lost mines.
I can’t honestly see it happening. The locomotive is completely destroyed, the tender is pretty useless without it, and CP wood cabooses are a Bluenose dime a dozen out there. The snowplow might be an interesting piece to bring up but even that is hardly unique.
I don't understand how the locomotive was destroyed that badly. It fell 700 feet through water and onto silt. The speed it was traveling at would've be no worse than speeds that other engines traveled at during collisions (metal on metal, no less!) in the steam era, and were still rebuilt afterwards. I wonder if the destruction has to do with the angle it hit at, rather than the speed or the material it fell onto
@@thebrantfordrailfanI think the boiler blew. Even though there wasn’t a fire on that steam boiler would have been extremely hot for hours. Once it hit that cold water - boom.
@@AdmRose Yeah, Bill said the same at the end. Considering the huge crater and debris field, it probably blew as it reached the bottom. Absolutely wild to think about.
Cool bit of history, thanks to everyone who made it possible. R.I.P. Bill
Imagine telling Bill on that night, "Relax man, you'll still be alive in the year 2020."
@@erictaylor5462 "and even then, you'll have 3 more years"
This was such a heartening film. I can't believe I cried when they found the wreck. Seeing Bill take to the skies again had me.sobbing. Wonderful
A great video and a lofty goal to recover the train in 4 sections (Loco, Tender, Snowplow & Caboose) which would entail saturation diving teams, diving platforms, a lot of support vessels and team members, good weather conditions and huge deep pockets. I think it would be cheaper to build an entirely new replica of the locomotive and the caboose. Probably the easiest thing to do would be to use an ROV to recover the steam locomotives brass bell and brass number plate and the colored marker lights from the caboose to be put on display. There are 3 other surviving examples of this CP Class N-2 2-8-0 Locomotives, #3522 & #3651 on static display and #3716 operating on excursion trains.
build plates would have more historical interest than number plates
Super wonderful historical coverage documentary about a traphic accident in Canada 🇨🇦.....thanks for sharing
I really hope they can recover it, I for one would love to see that video, its real shame that Bill would not be around to see it
I live not far from Slocan (used to date a girl from there back in the day so would visit that lale fairly often) and had somehow never hears of this, so now I'm definitely going to dig deeper and find out what happens with it 😂
did the lady ever find out about the girl??
This is like watching local tv! But better! I really like seeing a doc about my own region. : D
Excellent documentary and seeing Bill get to fly once again was heartwarming. Also really like the way the credits were done at the end.
He was having a great time holding the sticks! So heartwarming
Extremly cool, especially Bill Chapman flying. Just ignore the couple of minutes that David jones talks at the start of video and the rest of this documentary is pure gold.
What a great documentary! I wish my Dad was still alive to have watched this, and my Grandpa. They were both train employees for 40 plus years each.
Made me think of Dad. He hired out with S.P. the year that 3512 sank. Just 3 years younger than Bill.
He told me they used to have a flask in their boot once in a while 😉 can you imagine that Scotch down there? 😂
I just want to hug that man who’s wife thought he was gone,
The stuff in the lake is probably well perserved by a lack of oxygen, not the cold as the video said. I don't know this particular lake, but ones like it typically are so stratified that oxygen does not mix to the bottom.
the temperature can limit the types of organisms that thrive there and that, in turn, can affect how the metal ages. also, the ambient water pressure has a profound effect on how much oxygen is present at that depth.
The search area is the stormiest location on Slocan Lake, Cape Horn Narrows. It takes about 10 minutes to go from glass calm to metre-plus wave fronts and water spouts from the geology, a sudden narrows that reflects and amplifies the wave fronts. This area has sunk more small boats than the rest of the lake.
Really great documentary, with a great drama, characters, historical context and local outreach.
Beauty documentary! Great work to all involved. Good luck in your efforts to raise this great Canadian piece of history.
My son loves trains now I got to show him this.
I hope they make another video of the train when it is fully restored an running again ! I would love to see the finished results !
It's still at the bottom of the lake.
will hardly happen, its 700 feet below and its structual strenght is compromized
What evidence to you have to suggest the the strength is compromised? There's still intact paint on it. It's as structurally solid as the day it went in
not gonna take place- it would require nearly as much machine work as building another one.
what a wonder it would be to walk into the old man's house and hand him his coat.... and maybe split that bottle of scotch.
its gone from a 'flask' to a 'bottle'- do i hear barrel??
This was/is Quite a story Gentelmen! Enjoyed it Much and a Canadian one also ! Looked quite chilly out on the Water there it did I would call that Very Much quite like Work : ) Happy Bill was still on the green side for this Adventure Replay and Your timming around His time on Earth! Cheers!!! Rick from Ontario!
Hey Rick, try not to give money to timeline. This isn’t their film and your donation doesn’t support the filmmakers involved
Slight slip-up in authenticity with pocket-watch at ~0:38: in the West, the CPR used the 24-hour clock for operations. No effect on the video's narrative obviously.
(At ~0:25, For those who might be curious, that's a 'marker lamp' that the trainman is carrying, which were required to be displayed mounted on the two rear corners of the last car of a train; by the operating rulesin the past a string of cars only operationally became A Train if it carried markers).
Still 24hr
I am not deep enough into this particular age of history as I am in others, can you enlighten us why the pocket watch is a slight slip-up in authenticity? I live in a country with a 24 hour clock, but we have always and still use 12 hour clocks to read the time.
@@Visiopod The watch shown only has numerals from 1 to 12; a CPR watch would additionally require the numerals 13 to 24 immediately inside the 12-hour ones on the watch in the video.
The caboose still has the markers hanging on the brackets on the rear corners of the car in the water. But you are correct about carrying markers.
In my 60s, I've become fascinated with maritime history. The Great Lakes has a history that is amazing, and unlike other waters become they're so unique. Huge inland fresh water oceans really, and bordering two countries, these waters have been essential to the industries of these countries. As technology grew, the transportation of goods and people grew...and it's failures and mistakes litter the floors of these bodies of water. They should be protected, they provide so much...thank you for covering this awesome piece of history brought to us by technology. This was truly fascinating. 🌹⚓
many cities also drew water from the lakes for their municipal water supplies, but technology and the resulting pollution from it took care of that.
I hope they bring up the plow, train and caboose and put it in town for everyone to see
Incompetence like this deserves a special round of applause.
Plan for a dive without enough time before the winter, not enough days with the dive crew, seemingly never bothered to check the weather and took until day six to work out they had been looking in the wrong place.
Did these guys work for oceangate?
Don't forget the part where a private company already bought the wreckage from CPR for the sum of $1 in the early 90s, and sent down an ROV in 1995 and recorded footage of the wreck. The exact location has always been known, that's how they were able to "work out" that they were in the wrong spot. I don't know if maybe these guys are working in conjunction with the original team from back in the '90s, but there are multiple posts on some of the train history forums I like to visit talking about the this wreckage and showing the footage going back almost 30 years now...
!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣
Most likely for tension in the documentary.
Maybe the original incompetence was using a leaky barge….. and not having an emergency bilge pump
Thank you for giving Bill his wings one more time. From Bakersfield California USA
Extremely interesting and well put together! Really enjoyed the whole documentary! Thank you! RIP Cougar Bill you seemed a delightful character!
What a documentary. Growing up on the Kootenay lake, I've been naturally fascinated by the mining, railroading, and paddle-wheeling history on our lake and the surrounding ones. Only a few legends backed by truths half forgotten such as this one... so cool to see such an awesome train found again. Also great to see the clips of the Nelson trolley and train yard and of course the kettle valley's mighty restored 3716. Looking forward to hearing if anything is recovered from this legend of a wreck :)
Would be great to recover the caboose as well! This good documentary gives us an insight into a Canadian tight-knit community and its history. Intriguing for Europeans like me who never set foot in Canada😆Like the brakeman, a great uncle of mine was part of a Lancaster crew once.
Just an awesome feel good video. I had the opportunity to help a Veteran here in the States to have a opportunity to have his last flight a few years ago. I will never forget what that felt like to be able to be a part of that experience. It is one of the best parts of being both a respiratory therapist, and a human being!
san diego's honor flight charity needs people like you.
Reminds of the Canadian Pacific locomotive with tender and cars sunk in Lake Superior.
Thank you for sharing this brilliant bit of local history!
Vern! This is such a cool video. Some legends and legends to be in this video.
That man down in the mine was absolutely loving it, amazing shots of him working!
Searching , and finding , something more valuable than gold . Priceless to watch .
i love the thought of something that old and forgotten being found and retrieved and maybe even repaired to working order again...
This whole thing seems like a useless exercise especially since a team went down in 1995 and found the wreck. Trying to contact them would've made everything 1000x times easier lmao
@@2peaseinapod486 I did wonder why they didn’t just get the coordinates from the 1995 team, but I’m guessing that would have made a very short documentary!
It’s a good training exercise for the team,and of course equipment has improved dramatically since 1995,so why not.
@rwjenkins I imaging they DID get the coordinates from the original team, and that's why they seemingly had an epiphany at the end and cha he'd the search area. Also, I have read multiple places that the original team actually owns the train now, as they reportedly bought it all from Canadian Pacific for a dollar in the early '90s.
@@ShortyLaVen that only means that someday they will be on the hook to remove it.
O sorry, the going to town in the new rig flannel. Best part about no matter what car,truck,snowmobile, tractor yall work on. Yall keep family first, and that's really Cool
Along the BC Rail mainline there are locomotives in both Seton and Anderson Lakes between Darcy and Lillooet.
1,000ft above where they were searching, it is called the Slocan/Cape Horn Bluffs.
40 years ago it was one of THE most dreaded sections of road to drive here in BC!
Thats so cool that you found the train. Watching was kind of like the sensation of seeing the Titanic wreckage for the first time. There has been talk in the past of a steam train in the lake in Cedar Lake Indiana.
back then, they were better at building locomotives than they were at building bridges...
Very well done. My favorite part of BC.
this is a great documentary, it was so wholesome to see bill fly again and to see his reaction to the wreck. when i seen they were going to try to raise the whole train i started loosing my mind, i cant wait to see how that goes hoenstly.
when 'push' comes to 'shove' and stuff needs to be paid for- it will all turn out to be a pipe dream.
I guess the Polar Express movie was a true story!
except for the part where tom hanks was there.
I absolutely love trains and this story was fascinating. I am so glad they were found. Thank you all.😊
It never fails to amaze me. They always find what they’re looking for on the very last day. Always.
One of the Best Life stories I have seen in a Long Time ! Thank you for Posting
What a wonderful documentary! What a great story! With a very happy ending!! Thank you!!
fantastic doc! I usually watch to research my videos so it was nice to see a different kind of ghost from the past 🤣
The best Timeline I've ever watched.
Thank you so much for this documentary. Excellent work and I would love to see that train someday. Thank you!!
The beginning locomotive is Canadian pacific 2816, Canadian Pacific 2816, nicknamed the Empress, is a 4-6-4 "Hudson" type steam locomotive that epitomizes the pinnacle of steam engineering from the early 20th century. Built in 1930 by the Montreal Locomotive Works, it was specifically designed for high-speed passenger service on the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The 4-6-4 wheel arrangement, with four leading wheels, six driving wheels, and four trailing wheels, provided a balance of power and stability suitable for fast and efficient travel. CP 2816 is distinguished by its streamlined appearance and robust construction, characteristic of locomotives built during the golden age of steam.
Performance-wise, CP 2816 was renowned for its speed and reliability. Capable of achieving speeds up to 90 miles per hour (145 km/h), it was a workhorse on CPR's mainline routes, particularly in western Canada. Its high boiler pressure and efficient steam circuitry enabled it to handle steep gradients and long distances with ease, making it a preferred choice for both passenger and freight operations. Beyond its technical capabilities, CP 2816 holds a special place in Canadian railway history, often featured in special excursions and public events, preserving the legacy of steam locomotion for future generations to appreciate.
1,000ft deep lake? WOW!!! We only have small mountain lakes (Grandlake- 250+ft deep) and man made reservoirs that are 40-60 feet deep here in HIGH and DRY COLORADO!
Check out Adams Lake or Quesnel Lake 2000ft deep
the deepest lake in colorado is grand lake at about 389' deep.
I'm sure that in the books in The Last Spike series by Pierre Burton he talks about an engine that sank somewhere in the swamps of NW Ontario. Some of them were, and probably still are virtually bottomless, according to Burton. I don't know exactly where Kingston is, but I'm pretty sure it's in S Ontario, so the locomotive that the OP of the comment below talks about is probably not the same one. But that would make at least 3 sunk altogether in Canada. There's an old locomotive in Assinaboine Park in Winnipeg too. It's called the Countess Of Dufferin.
That two book series is a really wonderful read! They're the only 2 Pierce Burton books I've ever read, but I've always wanted to read more by him (partly because my dad knew him.) The true story of the building of the railway was epic. It was a very dramatic period of time, and the trials and tribulations were enormous! Canadian history is so vastly different than American history, and to me at least, it's so much more interesting! Of course the climate alone was SO very much more challenging, and Burton really does write astoundingly well! I'd love to read his tales of the gold rush, and of his hometown of Dawson City. I'm sure he's almost as good as Robert Service 😉 at describing characters like Big Dan MacGrew, The Girl Named Lou, and Sam MacGee. And at evoking the days and nights On The Marge Of Lac LaBarge. 🤣😂🤣
That 2 book series is sometimes called by the name of the first one, which is the National Dream. The second book is The Last Spike.
not only that- the beer has always been better, too.
out off all the horridd evil going on in the world toady watching Bill fly into the heavens again was just magical,,God Bless!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This story made my heart so full. Thanks for sharing ❤
Definitely cool history in the Slocan. Enjoyed watching.
I looked it up, and Bill Chapman has since turned 100. Congratulations.
RIP Bill Hicks.
Hopefully you marked this spot. This is definitely a treasure that proves Canadian Pacific rail road history in British Columbia Canada.
So when will film be released of trains restoration and re ignition ?
HEY! my back yard! and yes it really is this spectac a lar here!
Is there something wrong with your keyboard?
its prolly frozen
@@donnieboughton1730 >>SPPPFT! or yours?
Really enjoyed watching this. It was great to see how they honoured the people who were actually there.
Great Story . Well Told . Thanks Everyone ! 👊😎👍
That's almost like trying to find the Loch Ness monster.
One difference is that Engine 3512 will show up on a magnetometer.
You guys definitely had brass balls to keep up the search in that COLD weather on the water.
Let’s all give a thumbs up if we think this video deserves more views!
You made a retired engineer very happy
Be great to see in the future a follow up on this great work to the team.
This is such a great documentary ! Fantastic story, well told part of Canada' history - well done guy and good luck with the raising efforts. I look forward to seeing more someday.
Very cool history!
I thought you had a path where the barges crossed , you would follow that path, search the straight path, good luck , awesome video
I just knew this was going to be exciting and it was, thanks very much.
That was fantastic. Great for it to happen with Bill watching on. Well done everyone. Always helps to have a Scotsman on yer team an all 😉😂
I live in Cranbrook this only hour from me I'm going to go look
I lived in Nelson for a few years, Trail some as well, and even though I used to visit Slocan a bit I'd somehow never heard of this. I'm definitely thinking about heading up there again after this, though now I'm a few hours away 😅
be sure to bring the 'glomar explorer'
Grew up in revelstoke bc not to far north west of slocan. It’s astonishing to me that they used to barge trains down these lakes
I grew up hearing the same story about a train at the bottom of Cameron Lake on Vancouver Island. Right down to the lake being as deep as the bordering mountains height. Sounds like one of my family members was doing a bit of story recycling.
I heard the same thing
Same here
since mountains are measured in relation to mean sea level- who's going to measure them??
I want to see the Video when you bring it to the surface. such a Beautiful piece of History.
Awesome story! Such a great reminder of the humanity involved with industry.
This was so well done, and to take him up flying was the best ending ever.
Everything about this is just awesome, really great work guys!
New to the channel and what a well done documentary very entertaining and Bill was amazing what timing you guys had to be able to interview him.
Thanks for the adventure - great work
Absolutely amazing! What a story!
Great documentary. I do hope they recover the locomotive and caboose. It would also be great to make a documentary about the recovery. 👍👍👍👍👍👍
Absolutely splendid!!
I have mixed feelings about this video mainly the fact they used AI for the thumbnail and despite the location of the train being known since 95. Along with them padding out the video it didn't need to be an hour long and you couldn't hardly hear what Bill Chapman was saying stuff like that doesn't need background music besides those problems it is well done in my opinion, may Bill Hicks rest in peace along with Bill Chapman if he has passed away
Is here any plans to raise this perfectly preserved history?
When you catch the caboose, you will be riding that Long Black Train to Eternity ❤
Awesome documentary. Thanks
Awesome video! 👍