The CPKC 2816 Empress steam train is coming to Winnipeg

It has been 17 years since the 2816 Empress steam train has been in Manitoba. But on Saturday, July 6, it will arrive in Winnipeg its way back from a historic journey from Calgary to Mexico to celebrate the merger of the Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern.

Please note that he date has been changed from its previous arrival date of June 30. The date was pushed back to accommodate changes to required locomotive maintenance and inspections. The train will arrive at the Weston shops, 949 Jarvis Avenue at 9:00AM on July 6.

A celebration open to the public will be held from noon to 4PM. Visitors will be able to tour a mobile museum exhibit highlighting the history and the future of the CPKC. The Puffer Belly Express, a miniature version of the 2816, will be on site offering free train rides. Admission is free.

The train will be entering Canada through the Emerson subdivision. It will continue its journey back to Calgary on the CPKC mainline. It will be in Brandon on July 7. Winnipeg is the last event stop of the tour.

CPKC strongly cautions that rail fans should keep clear of railway property and the right of way, which extends 15 metres (50 feet) from the centre of the tracks on either side. It is unsafe and illegal to be on railway property.

For more information about this event, click here.
 

You can now view the video of the 1983 Railway Jamboree NMRA national convention on You Tube!

 

At our March 2022 meeting we screened a rarely seen video of the 1983 Railway Jamboree NMRA national convention held in Winnipeg. The response was so enthusiastic that we've decided to post it on You Tube for everyone else to see!

The late Roger Kiendl shot this video using a heavy, bulky video camera with a separate battery pack in a canvas bag slung over his shoulder. We estimate that he was lugging around about 40 pounds of equipment during that very hot week in July. This was state of the art equipment back then! 

The video contains great footage of first and second generation diesel power at the CP Weston Shops and the CN Transcona Yards. Roger also took his camera into the convention's public train show,  held at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. Check out the awesome N scale iron ore loading dock!

You can vie the video by clicking the link here: https://youtu.be/jvIJ39zLzGs
 

Local rail fanning in Winnipeg presents a plethora of possibilities

Some of our readers have asked about where they can take rail fan photos without having to travel to remote locations hundreds of kilometers out of town. Fortunately, Winnipeg has both the CN and CP main lines running through town, and there are many rail fanning opportunities, all within a short drive.

WMRC social media director Paul Ullrich cycled over to the CP yards last week and took these shots from Jarvis Avenue, the parking lot of the strip mall on McPhillips Street and the aqueduct off of Logan Avenue overlooking the Weston shops. He stayed at a safe distance away from railroad property and used a 25X zoom lens to capture the action. Pleased be advised that the rail lines are private property and take trespassing very seriously. 

Two great clinics to be presented at the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's October meet

WMRC Treasurer John Bate will talk about his trip to the NMRA National Convention, which was recently held in Kansas City. John presented a clinic at the convention and also toured a number of layouts. He'll show you what a NMRA national convention is all about and talk about those things that caught his eye.

After that, Tyler Fedoroshyn will present a clinic about locomotive maintenance and repair in 1:1 scale. Tyler is a model railroader who works for GE (the people who make the diesels) as a service tech here in Winnipeg. Tyler has worked in both Weston (Canadian Pacific) and Symington (Canadian National) diesel shops. His presentation will include an overview of the shops and describe the various reasons why locomotives are brought into the shops. 

This will include stories about the problematic ones and stories about the particularly big  jobs like wrecks and major engine failures. He'll also talk about his HO scale CP PortCoquitlam shops with ideas on how you can model prototypical shop operations. Tyler spent 4 weeks this summer training at GE's Erie, Pennsylvania plant and may have some photos of that facility.

The meeting starts at 7:30PM on Friday, October 12, in the Tank Room at the Charleswood Legion, 6003 Roblin Boulevard. The canteen will be open, and we'll have a 50/50 draw and our monthly model display. Not a member? Not a problem! Guests are always warmly welcomed!

Winnipeg's model railroad and rail fan community mourns passing of David Harris

We are saddened to announce the passing of one of the founding members of the Winnipeg Railway Museum, David Harris, who passed away on Nov. 20.

"Dave was one of the first railroad-types I met when I moved here in 1987." Said Morgan Turney, WMRC Program Director. "I remember going up to his apartment where he had the Winnipeg Railway Museum stuffed into a spare room! His dream was to find a place to display what was then a fair amount of stuff he had collected, and to rescue The Countess of Dufferin out of the Weston Shops! His dream was fulfilled when Via Rail  gave the museum some space on tracks one and two."

There will be a celebration of his life and works on the main floor of the south tower of Armadale Hollows at 1750 Pembina Highway on Friday, November 27, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Coffee and tea will be provided. If you plan to attend, contact Dave McDowell at 204-489-6512 or email him at: clio1@mymts.net