Miniature railway comes to halt

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This article was published 27/04/2021 (1905 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The last train has left the station at Charleswood’s Assiniboine Valley Railway.

The 1:8 scale passenger railway, in operation since 1995, is shutting down. The family of the business’s late founder, Bill Taylor, has decided to sell the seven-acre lot at 3001 Roblin Blvd. near Assiniboine Park.

Leonard La Rue became president of Assiniboine Valley Railway after Taylor’s death in 2013.

“It was mainly just a big, huge public service that we did, providing an activity that a lot of people treasured,” he said.

Taylor was a model railroad enthusiast for much of his life. His love for the craft was contagious. In the mid-’90s, Taylor and a group of like-minded hobbyists began brainstorming how to transform the family’s land into a place where the public could ride trains and learn about the history.

What began with one rail line and a single locomotive evolved into nearly 6,400-foot track arranged into two loops. A collection of electric and steam locomotives, modelled after early CP and CN vehicles, powered guest-filled cars through aspen and hardwood forest.

“Some people had their pets ride with us,” La Rue said.

At peak operation, four trains glided along the track simultaneously, clocking upwards of 1,200 rides in one evening, he said.

“(Taylor) always wanted to sort of entertain the public, provide a real enjoyment for anyone who was interested in trains and trail history. He just loved the smiles on people… kids of all ages,” La Rue said.

The Taylor family recently notified the club of its wish to wind down the operation after many years of support, La Rue said.

The Assiniboine Valley Railway has six months to vacate the property.

“We expected it to happen, but it’s still a shock,” he said. “It’s going to be a slow grieving process. There’s stuff we are going to have to leave. Obviously, we can’t move our buildings.”

The association has 23 members.

Richard Persian joined the Assiniboine Valley Railroad in the early days. Persian recalls helping out with Christmas events that were so popular the railway offered rides every night for more than a month in the frigid nights of winter.

“That was a lot of work and a lot of fun,” the 79-year-old said with a laugh. “I’d like to think we gave a lot of people a lot of happiness.”

Persian said he has seen patrons who visited the park as children visit with their own children many years later.

The rail club began pulling up track from one of the loops last weekend — a process La Rue describes as “very sad.” The group is working out how to remove the trains from the property, some of which weigh nearly 1,000 lbs.

“We’re planning to put everything in storage — as much as we can — and hope that we can find a place where somebody will take us,” La Rue said.

The Assiniboine Valley Railway doesn’t have the resources to buy a new property but hopes to get its locomotives back on track as soon as possible.

“We’d need a philanthropic benefactor who would like to take this on to provide a place where we can give ongoing pleasure to all of the thousands and thousands of people that will be sad when they learn we’ve had to close,” La Rue said.

The club would need about five to 10 acres of easily accessible land near Winnipeg with hydro and electricity to restore the railway to its original state.

A treed property is preferred — but not necessary — because it adds visual interest for visitors, La Rue said. He added the group would preserve as much greenery as possible in the spirit of how Taylor stewarded his family’s land.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca