Winnipeg Railway Museum
The Winnipeg Railway Museum is a railway museum located on tracks 1 and 2 within the Via Rail-operated Union Station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The museum is operated by volunteers from the Midwestern Rail Association Inc., a non-profit organization founded in 1975.
 | |
  Location within Manitoba | |
| Established | 1994 |
|---|---|
| Location | Union Station, 123 Main St, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Coordinates | 49°53′20″N 97°8′3″W |
| Type | Railway museum |
| Key holdings | Countess of Dufferin |
| Collection size | 6 locomotives, plus rolling stock |
| Founder | David Harris, Norman Leathers, Roger Letourneau |
| Director | Grae Hughes, Christopher Robinson, Douglas Moberg, Gordon Leathers, Harold Davies and Douglas Bell |
| President | Gary Stempnick |
| Public transit access | Winnipeg Transit |
| Nearest car park | Privately operated, surrounding station[1] |
| Website | wpgrailwaymuseum.com |
The Museum is affiliated with CMA, CHIN, Virtual Museum of Canada, and the Association of Manitoba Museums.
Overview
The mandate of the Museum is to procure, preserve and promote the heritage and development of the railway in western Canada, in the regions between the Lakehead and the Rockies, and between Saint Paul, Minnesota and Hudson Bay.
The collection features the Countess of Dufferin[2] (the first locomotive on the Canadian prairies), a variety of vintage railcars,[2] cabooses, a Jordan spreader from 1911,[2] the history and artifacts of the building of the Hudson Bay Railway to Churchill, Manitoba,[3] technical displays, HO scale model layout[3] and a gift shop.
In 2015, restoration began on Winnipeg's last streetcar, Car 356, to be displayed at the Winnipeg Railway Museum.[4]
The museum exhibit hall is in fact disused platforms and tracks that have been parked with display locomotives, carts, and portable buildings with model-train sets on display. The staircase leading to the museum from the Via Rail station are the same that were used to get onto the platform when that section of the station was in use. The other stairs have been sealed and locked to this day. It is unknown what will happen to this terminal as the museum is likely to be moved.
Long-term plans may involve moving the Winnipeg Railway Museum elsewhere in Winnipeg to make way for a rapid transit hub station where several 'Rapid Transit' routes might meet. In preparation, the museum is now slated to close on December 31, 2021 for relocation.[5]
Gallery
Locomotive on display
Train and equipment
Railway equipment
Winnipeg Hydro train
City of Winnipeg Rail Car
References
- Access and public transportation, at viarail.ca
- Equipment, at wpgrailwaymuseum.com
- Display, at wpgrailwaymuseum.com
- Sheila North Wilson (June 10, 2015). "Winnipeg's final streetcar to get restoration treatment". Winnipeg.ctvnews.ca. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
- "Winnipeg rail museum faces closure, relocation".
