Bob Harrison captures image of Herzog multipurpose unit on CN mainline

WMRC president Bob Harrison has been a regular contributor to the club's on-line photo display at our  monthly Zoom meetings. He caught this rare image of a Herzog maintenance of way multipurpose self propelled unit along the CN mainline by Wilkes avenue. He also contributed two other photos, a unique  Central Manitoba Railway triple lash-up and double stacks going over the bridge at The Forks on the CN mainline.

Railway Days and CN 100 celebrations at The Forks this weekend

Calling all rail fans and model railroaders! The Forks is the place to be this weekend! The annual Railway Days celebrations is being held at the  Winnipeg Railway Museum in the Via Rail Station!  They’re open from 10am to 5PM on both days. They’ll have displays from many railway related organizations, railway excursions, railway heritage museums and attractions from the rail industry from around the province.

Via’s Churchill train will be open for public viewing on Saturday. The WMRC’s Gateway Western Railway will also up and running at the museum. The Gateway has a public viewing just twice a year, so don’t miss out on this opportunity to see it!

While you're there,   CN's "A moving Celebration" commemorating CN's centennial to be held at The Forks as well! Come on down for a full weekend of railway fun!

Exclusive photos of CN freight train carrying CN100's displays

Earlier this month our intrepid staff photographer Felix “scoop” Lesiuk caught a CN eastbound freight near Gregg, Manitoba that was hauling containers for CN's "A moving Celebration" commemorating CN's centennial to be held at The Forks from September 19th to 22nd.

If you plan to attend, why not also stop by the Winnipeg Railway Museum in the Via Rail Station for their railway days celebration on the 21st and the 22nd? They’re open from 10am to 5PM on both days. They’ll have displays from many railway related organizations, railway excursions, railway heritage museums and attractions from the rail industry from around the province.

Via’s Churchill train will be open for public viewing on Saturday. The WMRC’s Gateway Western Railway will also up and running at the museum. The Gateway has a public viewing just twice a year, so don’t miss out on this opportunity to see it!

Five great model railroading events on tap for September

September’s model railroad season opens with five great events to mark on your calendar!

First on tap is the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club’s meeting on Friday, September 13 at 7:30PM at the Charleswood Legion, 6003 Roblin Boulevard. John Bate will demonstrate DCC techniques for running multiple locomotives in a consist. Then Dave Downie will make a presentation about the Delaware and Rutland, one of Canada’s oldest and largest model railroad clubs.

On September 14 and 15 the Assiniboine Valley Railway will hold an open house. They’re open from 11AM to 4PM on Saturday, and from 1PM to 4PM on Sunday at 3001 Roblin Boulevard.

On September 21 and 22 The Winnipeg Railway Museum will be holding their annual Railway Days celebration. Hours are from 10AM to 5PM on both days. The museum is located in the Via Rail Station at The Forks. While you’re there be sure to check out the CN 100 displays over at the Forks during that weekend.

On September 28 and 29 we have the Manitoba Mega Train Show, which will be held at Red River Exhibition Place, 3977 Portage Avenue (next to Assiniboia Downs) from 9AM to 5PM both days.

Come to The Forks this weekend for Railway Days and WinNtrak

Come see the Gateway Western Railway at the Winnipeg Railway Museum this weekend!

The Forks is the place for all model railroaders and rail fans to be this weekend!

Railway Days is happening at the Winnipeg Railway Museum, and the WMRC will be  operating the HO gauge Gateway Western Railway, housed in its own structure within the museum. Hours are from 11AM to 5PM on both Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18. Regular admissions are suspended, but donations will be gladly accepted.  

The museum is located on the second level of the Via Rail station at 123 Main Street. 

The Winnipeg Sun had a great write-up about the museum recently, which you can read by going to: http://www.winnipegsun.com/2016/09/06/on-the-rails-museum-offers-ride-through-history

As an extra added bonus, WinNtrak will be displaying their N gauge modular layout just across from the museum at The Forks Market! They will be displaying from Friday, September 16 to Sunday, September 18 in the wing around the corner from Skinners. The display is open during mall hours. 

The Gateway Western landscaping shows impressive progress

Suzanne Lemon's GM Demonstrator MP15AC takes the lower curve around the mountain.

By Morgan Turney 

It was the last Tuesday Gateway night before the New Year, so we put the scenery supplies and track laying equipment away and decided to run some trains. The Gateway is progressing nicely and the final bit of track work on the upper yard is ready to install. The scenery on the mountain area is progressing and the town scene is about ready to begin taking shape.

The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's HO scale Gateway Western Railway is located in the Winnipeg Railway Museum in the VIA station, 123 Main street, at The Forks.

 Gary Stempnick's CN Budd car runs a short haul passenger service around the layout.

 The rugged Canadian Shield mountains contain lots of wildlife including this black bear who has just come out of his cave.

 WMRC President Larry Leavens tunes-up a locomotive at the work bench.

 A CP steamer runs the route around the mountain.

Winnipeg Model Railroad Club gets ready for Railway Days at the Winnipeg Railway Museum

WMRC Program Director Morgan Turney has been so busy preparing for Railway Days at the Winnipeg Railway Museum that he's been split into three! Some suspect that it's from a cloning experiment conducted by WMRC President Larry Leavens. But we believe that it was caused by mitosis.

Mitosis is a part of the cell cycle in which chromosomes in a cell nucleus are separated into two identical sets of chromosomes, each in its own nucleus. We hold the theory that Morgan consumed too many quarter chicken dinners at Swiss Chalet when they were having a two for one sale last month, and as a result nuclear division of his cells occurred - twice!

But there will be only one Morgan at Railway Days this weekend at the Winnipeg Railway Museum. The hours are from 10 to 5 on September 19 and 20. Admission is by donation. The WMRC will be out there in full force, operating the Gateway Western Railway in its own separate structure within the museum. That itself would be worth the price of admission, but there's so much more to see!


The Winnipeg Railway Museum is located on the second level of the Via Rail Station at 123 Main Street. Free parking is available behind the station in The Forks.

Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's Gateway Western Railway featured at the Winnipeg Railway Museum during Doors Open Winnipeg this weekend

   The Gateway Western Railway is housed in its own structure at the Winnipeg Railway Museum, built by volunteers from the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club and the Winnipeg Railway Museum. This photo was taken by John Longhurst, which he used in his blog, the CP Rail Manitoba and Minnesota Subdivision, which featured a post about the Gateway Western.

The WMRC and the Winnipeg Railway Museum will once again be participating in Doors Open Winnipeg this weekend. The Gateway Western Railway, which is a joint effort between the WMRC and the museum, will be operating trains as part of the Winnipeg Railway Museum’s contribution to the event from 11 to 5 on Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31. Admission to the museum this weekend is free (although donations will always be cheerfully accepted) and there's plenty of parking available nearby at The Forks. The city is offering two free hours of metered street parking, and free street parking all day on Sunday. 

The museum is located on tracks 1 and 2 on the upper level of the Via Rail Station, which is located at 123 Main Street.

 For more information on Doors Open Winnipeg, go to http://www.doorsopenwinnipeg.ca/

For more information about the Winnipeg Railway Museum, go to:
http://www.wpgrailwaymuseum.com/

Read John Longhurst's article: Winnipeg's CN downtown east yard, then and now

     CN's east yards in the 70's. Quite a difference compared to 2015!

   It's been 25 years - an entire generation - since The Forks opened to the public, changing what was once CN's bustling downtown rail yard into Winnipeg's premiere meeting place. The Forks is now home to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Winnipeg Goldeyes, The Winnipeg Children's Museum, and dozens of shops that are housed in some of CN's structures.

     WMRC member John Longhurst takes a nostalgic and informative look back at the CN donwtown east yard in an article he wrote for his blog, The CP Rail Manitoba and Minnesota Division. Long time WMRC members will recall fondly when we used to meet in the basement of the Via Rail station when the CN yards were still in operation. Later, we held meetings in the Children's Museum after The Forks was established. Now we're back at The Forks, operating the Gateway Western layout in the Winnipeg Railway Museum!

WinNtrak and the Assiniboine Valley Railway displaying September 12, 13 and 14

WinNtrak, seen here at last year's Manitoba Mega Train Show, will be displaying at the Forks next weekend.

Next weekend's model railroad events has gotten better with our good friends at WinNtrak, who will be displaying at the Forks Market on September 12, 13 and 14. Please note that their website was down last week, but it's up and running again. They'll be displaying from 9:00AM to 9:00PM on all three days. You can reach their website by clicking here: http://winntrak.com/

You can round out your model railroading weekend by visiting the Assiniboine Valley Railway, who will be having their monthly open house next weekend. The hours are from 11AM to 5PM on Saturday, and from 1AM to 5PM on Sunday. Rides are two bucks per person, but kids under three can ride for free! Find them here at http://assiniboinevalleyrailway.org/blog/ and remember that this is their new website. Don't go to their old one, which is still up. They're easy to find, at 3001 Roblin Boulevard, just west of Assiniboine Park. Look for the signs!

It's pretty easy to get from The Forks to the AVR. You can even do it by bike, going straight down Wellington Crescent for most of the way!

Winnipeg's Via Rail station in 1982: A blast from the past!

This image of the back of Winnipeg's Via Rail station, taken in 1982, was sent to me by Robert Keller of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base at the time and came up to Canada from time to time to do some rail fanning. What a difference 31 years makes! Vintage first generation diesels, enormous cars, brand new grain cars without any graffiti and nothing at The Forks besides the CN Rail yards!

Too bad Bob didn't know that the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club was still holding it's monthly meetings in the basement of the Via Rail station every second Friday evening of the month! 

He could've come down for a visit!

Winnipeg Model Railroad Club meeting tonight - October 11, 2013

Heads up, fellow model railroaders and rail fans! The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club is holding their monthly meeting tonight at 7:30 PM at Westworth United Church, 1750 Grosvenor Avenue in Winnipeg. After our business meeting, we'll have a presentation on the Prairie Dog Central's recent visit to The Forks and the Via Rail station. Of course, there will be the usual fellowship and camaraderie among members old and new, and guests! Guests are always welcome at our meetings, so come on down and see what you've been missing!

There's nothing much on TV tonight anyway. On PBS, you've got Shakespeare's Henry V (spoiler alert - he wins the battle of Agincourt). Sharknado is also on, but there are no trains to be seen in the movie! There's no trains in Henry V either, but that's because it takes place in the early 15th century. So why not come on down and join in on the fun! After the meeting, we'll head out for some pizza at Santa Lucia !