An iconic Manitoba railway is looking for the public’s help to get Canada’s oldest operating steam locomotive back on track.
The beloved Prairie Dog Central Railway is looking at critical maintenance to its Steam Locomotive No. 3, which was built way back in 1882, to get it back in service for 2025.
The price tag for the major maintenance work is around $150,000, so the volunteer-driven Vintage Locomotive Society is hoping a public fundraising campaign will help reach the goal.
The society’s Paul Newsome told 680 CJOB’s The News that despite the ask, fans of the longtime Manitoba tourist attraction don’t need to worry — the locomotive is just in line for a scheduled overhaul.
“This year, the Steam Locomotive No. 3 is undergoing its required 15-year major maintenance, which includes re-tubing of the boiler,” he said.
“It’s a required procedure that’s done on all operating steam locomotives in Canada and the U.S., so it’s not like the thing is falling apart. Its time is due.”
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The train, which usually departs from a station just north of Winnipeg’s airport and heads northwest to Warren, Man., with a few stops along the way, is billed more than just a train ride. It’s intended to give passengers the railroad experience a person travelling through the prairies would have had more than 100 years ago.
The society’s marketing manager Catherine Duffin said the current Go Fund Me campaign is beginning to gain steam, as individual donations are coming directly to the organization.
“We’ve had approximately $3,000 in donations through that, as well as people mailing in donations, where we’ve had about $8,000,” Duffin told The News.
“So we’re set at around $11,000 in very, very generous donations right now.”
The locomotive came off the tracks last September, and the goal is to have it back up and running by 2025, but its temporary removal doesn’t mean the Prairie Dog Central has shut down. The railway has its vintage (1958) diesel engine acting as a backup.
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