Saturday marked opening day at the Saskatchewan Railway Museum for the 2018 season.
The first visitors were Eugene Bailer and his son, Gabriel, from New York City, N.Y.
“My love of trains goes way, way back. It goes back to watching New Haven trains and New York Central trains,” Eugene explained.
The two are starting in Saskatoon and making their way to B.C. for a holiday.
“It’s not only the trains here, but it’s the stories of how to get the trains here,” Gabriel said. “There’s a story within a story here. It’s an awesome place. We’re really excited that we came here.”
The museum is located just southwest of the city and draws around 3,000 visitors each summer.
The idea for the museum started back in the late 1980s.
“There was some rail equipment that could be available if there was a museum to take it, but there wasn’t so it left the province,” explained Cal Sexsmith, the chair of the museum.
In 1990 the museum opened its doors and has been dedicated to preserving and displaying Saskatchewan’s railway history.
“Saskatchewan’s history since the mid-1880s was driven by the railways,” Sexsmith said.
The five-acre outdoor museum features railway buildings, railcars, along with other displays.
“It’s the power and the sense of order. They are on tracks, they have speed and they have power. You can see how many cars they’re pulling and how fast they go,” Eugene said.
It is open to the public with an admission fee from Friday through Sunday and holiday Mondays until the Labour Day weekend.
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