Winnipeg Railway Museum


The Winnipeg Railway Museum is operated by volunteers from the Midwestern Rail Association Inc., a non-profit organization founded in 1975 The museum is located on tracks 1 and 2 within Winnipeg's Via Rail operated Union Station in Manitoba, Canada.

Overview

The mandate of the Museum is to procure, preserve and promote the rail heritage in the regions between the Lakehead and the Rockies, and between Saint Paul, Minnesota and Hudson Bay. The museum is dedicated to the history and development of the railway in Western Canada. The collection features the Countess of Dufferin, a variety of vintage railcars, cabooses, a Jordan spreader from 1911, the history and artifacts of the building of the Hudson Bay Railway to Churchill, Manitoba, technical displays, HO scale model layout and a gift shop.
In 2015, restoration began on Winnipeg's last streetcar, Car 356. When it is completed, it will be displayed at the Winnipeg Railway Museum.
The Museum is affiliated with CMA, CHIN, Virtual Museum of Canada and the Association of Manitoba Museums. The museum exhibit hall is in fact disused platforms and tracks that have been parked with display locomotives, carts and portable buildings with model train sets on display. The staircase leading to the museum from the Via Rail station are the same that were used to get onto the platform when that section of the station was in use. The other stairs have been sealed and locked to this day. It is unknown what will happen to this terminal as the museum is likely to be moved.

Future plans

Long-term plans may involve moving the Winnipeg Railway Museum elsewhere in Winnipeg to make way for a rapid transit hub station where several 'rt' routes might meet.