Last whistle for Assiniboine Valley Railway?

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This article was published 06/05/2021 (1626 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A beloved Winnipeg institution needs the community’s help to keep rolling.

The Assiniboine Valley Railway has been told by the owners of the land it sits on that it must vacate its current location at 3001 Roblin Blvd. within the next six months, president Len La Rue said.

The popular attraction was founded by the late Bill Taylor on property he owned near Assiniboine Park in 1995, and it took plenty of work to build the one-eighth scale working mini-railroad, La Rue admitted.

A group had to survey the land while Taylor ordered locomotives and cars from Oklahoma. The remainder of 1995 and much of 1996 were spent laying track before the official grand opening was held Sept. 13, 1997, when Manitoba Lt.-Gov. Yvon Dumont was among those to hammer in the last golden spikes.

Over the next few years, AVR’s dedicated volunteer team of  miniature railroad enthusiasts added more track, with a second loop coming in 2001. The entire space now takes up more than six acres.

It was a labour of love for Taylor, La Rue said. As a child, Taylor enjoyed had model trains and once worked for the railway while in university. Later on he built an extensive system in his home.

Over the years, the Assiniboine Valley Railway has brought people of all ages to the tracks.

Open house weekends often saw two trains running at once, with co-ordinated meetings at passing sidings adding to the fun. Live steam locomotives often pulled trains in the opposite direction of diesels.

Dinner train weekends, inspired by Taylor’s days working in Canadian Pacific dining cars, have been another annual highlight, La Rue said. Diners hopped onboard while enjoying a meal with their ride.

Perhaps the biggest attraction was the Taylor family’s Christmas light display. These eventually grew to more than 120,000 lights across seven acres. In 2011-12, around 17,000 people took them in.

With the restrictions mandated by the pandemic, the 2021 AVR season had already been cancelled, but this latest news has La Rue fearing for the longer-term viability of the operation.

It must now find at least seven acres of land, ideally with storage already on site. A new site must be nearby or, at worst, close to the city so it can draw enough people to pay the fees which keep the attraction going.

“We’re looking for somebody with some land,” La Rue said.

Even if a site is quickly found the work will have only just begun, La Rue explained.

The AVR team will have to recreate everything from scratch, beginning with surveying, levelling and bringing in tons of rock. It will then have lay new track to recreate the entire experience. Storage and a machine shop will also need to be added if not present. It’s quite the workload for a small group of volunteers with a passion for the railway.

“We’re also going to need water and electricity,” La Rue said.

If you can offer land or assist in some other way, contact La Rue at 204-981-0709 or 204-832-3448 or email him at hellarue@mymts.net