Today we have a guest blog written by Gary Stempnick, our president. He’d like to tell you about our current state and what we would like to see over the next year or so.

Hello to all of you reading our blog. I hope you have taken a tour of our new website. I would like to bring you up to date on the trials and tribulations of the Winnipeg Railway Museum over the past couple of years.

We were advised in October of 2019 that we had to close at the end of the year because the west wall and the roof were going to be replaced.
We were told we would not be able to reopen here as there were too many other problems that needed fixing in order to meet the building codes. It was more money than Via had allotted for repairs at this time so it looked like we were going to have to move.

We began the search for another place to move our Historical Railway Museum and that was going to be a challenge. How do you move a steam engine, a diesel, 8 box cars, a huge snow plow, and many more items. See our website pictures for a brief idea.
We talked with the Red River Ex., but it was not a go. We talked to the Forks, but they were unable to find room. We tried a few other places and we were still looking when an idea came to us. What if we approached Via to let us stay if we could raise the funds to fix our portion of the building to meet the building codes as required?

After a discussion with Via we came to an agreement and we set up a fund raising account. We now have volunteers helping with the Process of getting us back to becoming what we always were- an actual historical railway museum.
You see we are not just a museum. We are a historical railway museum where we are trying to preserve the history of the railway and its importance in making Canada a complete country by joining the east and west with the rails, to move product both ways.

We are looking for support from the politicians, the public, Corporations such as the railways, grain companies, and other people who may use the rails. Via has started the ball rolling by giving us a new lease and paying for the quote for the firm that is chosen to give us a quote on the repairs. With everyone’s help we can open sooner rather than later.

By the way, we can always use more volunteers. If you have the time to spare and the skills to get us open again, you can help us do something important. We’d love to hear from you.

We have many items from the past as well as the present showing what the railway is all about and how it helped to build this beautiful country of ours.

So enjoy our website and check in with us to see how our progress is going.
ALL ABOARD
Gary Stempnick