Divers find 106-year-old locomotive in Lake Superior

1910 crash killed three men

Terry Irvine/YouTube

A locomotive that derailed and plunged from a cliff into Lake Superior has been discovered after 106 years.

Canadian Pacific Railway Locomotive No. 694 was discovered by shipwreck hunters in July, about 230 feet deep in the waters of Lake Superior, near Marathon, Ontario.

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The wreck claimed three lives on the morning of June 10, 1910.

The 694 had been operating for only four years when it crashed into the lake.

The train crashed into a rock slide that had covered the tracks, subsequently sending the locomotive off a cliff, and into the lake.

Terry Irvine, longtime driver of London, Ontario, heard of the 694 in 2013. With a team, he returned in 2014 to try and find the lost locomotive.

"When I dive on a wreck, I think about the story that the wreck is telling me," he said. "When we dove the train, we (thought) about that night ... when these unfortunate guys saw the rockslide and hit the brakes, but it was too late. How horrific that must have been, this thing going off the track and hitting that cold water and smashing its way to the bottom. ... You're not just diving on a piece of steel that has some wheels. You think about that story and kind of immerse yourself in the story."

Check out the discovery video below.

Wreck of the Canadian Pacific Locomotive 694 from Todd Janquart on Vimeo.


About the Author

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.

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