A Big Bang on the Big Hill!
The ragged edges of this steam dome show the force of an exploding locomotive. In 1894, The Canadian Pacific Railway's Engine 314 suffered a crown sheet failure and the boiler blew up 2 km east of Field. Dome and boiler came to rest more then 50 m from the Big Hill track! The locomotive was rebuilt and used until 1917.
Engine 314 was one of the ten Class S.E. 2-8-0 type locomotives especially designed for the steep grades of the Rocky and Selkirk Mountains
Note: Presumably the boiler explosion was due to strain on the engine during the hard climb up the grade.
Photos © by Ken Humphreys August 2006.
