The Locomotives of Bienfait
Video Documentary
While thousands of Steam Locomotives went to the scrap yard at the end of the steam era, three from a small corner of southeast Saskatchewan in Canada somehow survived.
The Locomotives of Bienfait documents these century-old machines – where they are now, the people that care for them, and the turbulent coal-mining history around them. Using archival photos and interviews, our film documents the little-known history of forgotten mining camps and towns, the hardships of underground mining, and the tragic coal miners strike of 1931.
The Locomotives of Bienfait includes archival footage of the Bienfait locomotives in operation, and locomotive number 3 operating on the Prairie Dog Central Railway in Manitoba. As well, we visit Kettle Valley Steam Railway in Summerland BC, and experience the sights and sounds of a beautiful operational steam locomotive, just as it was back in the early days of Canada’s railroads.
Filmed in Bienfait, SK, Saskatoon, SK, Sandon, BC, Summerland, BC, and Winnipeg, MB