The premiere screening of the documentary film, The Locomotives of Bienfait, has been announced for the Orpheum Theatre in Estevan on Nov. 19 with a second screening scheduled for Nov. 20.
Both viewings are slated for 1:30 p.m. at the theatre located on Fourth Street in the Energy City.
The production crew from Navion Co., that was in Estevan last year doing research and pre-production work were the topic of a Mercury feature at the time. More information regarding the production and viewing of this documentary will be featured in the Oct. 28 edition of Southeast Lifestyles.
The locomotives gained specific attention because of the fact these steam engines continued to toil well past the end of mainline steam power in North America.
Three of these locomotives survived following their eventual decommissioning, and the film brings these iconic machines and their history, back to life.
The production is set against the area’s sometimes turbulent coal mining past and makes note of the fact these locomotives were already cast-offs from Canada’s major railways but they hauled coal from the mines, worked their way through the spoil piles and prairies until they were finally retired in the 1960s.