Saskatchewan Railway Museum facts for kids

The Saskatchewan Railway Museum is a cool place to learn about trains! It's a railway museum located just west of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. You can find it where the Pike Lake Highway (Hwy 60) crosses the Canadian National Railway tracks.

The museum is run by a group called the Saskatchewan Railroad Historical Association (SRHA). They opened the museum in 1990. Inside, you can even see a huge 3.2-meter mural of the planet Jupiter! This artwork is part of a project called the "North American Solar System" and was created by Roman Rabbitskin.

Awesome Locomotives

The museum has some really interesting train engines, called locomotives!

Canadian Pacific S-3 Locomotive

One of the main attractions is a Canadian Pacific S-3 locomotive. It was built in 1957 by the Montreal Locomotive Works. This design originally came from the American Locomotive Company. Between 2001 and 2006, volunteers worked hard to fix up this S-3 locomotive. They painted it in its original colors, and now it's ready for everyone to see!

General Electric Diesel Locomotive

There's also a smaller General Electric diesel electric locomotive. It weighs about 23-short-ton (21-long-ton; 21 t). This engine was built way back in 1941! It was first used by the US Army and US Air Force. Later, SaskPower bought it for their power plant in Saskatoon. When the power plant closed, the museum got it.

Whiting Trackmobile

The museum also has a trackmobile. This special machine was built in 1957 by a company that usually makes cranes. It helps move train cars around the tracks.

Cool Streetcars

Did you know Saskatoon used to have streetcars? These are like buses that run on tracks in the city. They are also called trams.

Saskatoon's Streetcar History

The Saskatoon Municipal Railway operated streetcars from 1913 until 1951. Over the years, they had 56 different streetcars. The museum now owns three of them!

Streetcar No. 40

Car 40 was built in 1911 by the Preston Car Company. It first ran in Calgary. Saskatoon got it in 1919 as part of a trade. This car is now restored and looks just like it did when it was new!

Streetcar No. 51

Car 51 was built in 1927 by the National Steel Car company. It ran in Saskatoon until streetcar service ended. This car has also been beautifully restored to its original colors.

Streetcar No. 203

Car 203 was built in 1918 by the Cincinnati Car Company. It was used in Cleveland, Ohio, and London, Ontario, before coming to Saskatoon. This car is still waiting to be restored.

• Saskatoon Municipal Railway streetcars
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  Saskatoon Municipal Railway streetcar No. 40 at Saskatchewan Railway Museum

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  Saskatoon Municipal Railway streetcar No. 51 at Saskatchewan Railway Museum

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  The inside of Saskatoon Municipal Railway streetcar No. 203 at Saskatchewan Railway Museum

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  Saskatoon Municipal Railway streetcar No. 203 at Saskatchewan Railway Museum

Passenger and Freight Cars

The museum has many different types of train cars that carried people or goods.

The Kirkella Sleeping Car

The Canadian Pacific Kirkella is on display. This car was built in 1913 by the Pullman Company. It was a first-class sleeping car, meaning people could sleep in beds while traveling! It was used regularly until 1956. Later, it was changed to be a sleeping car for train workers. This car was even used in the movie Summer of the Monkeys!

Other Freight Cars

You can also see different kinds of freight cars. These include Canadian Pacific and Canadian National boxcars (for carrying general goods), flat beds (for large, heavy items), and a hopper car (for loose materials like grain or coal). There's also a Cominco tank car for liquids.

Special Railway Cars

The museum has some unique cars used for special jobs on the railway.

Snow Plows

Imagine trying to clear snow from train tracks! The museum has two big snow plows on display. The Canadian Pacific plow was made in 1913, and the Canadian National plow was made in 1927.

Work Crew Cars

You can also see speeders (small cars for quick trips on tracks), wash cars, and boarding cars. These were used by railway work crews. There's also a 300 horsepower (220 kW) diesel emergency generator car. It was built in 1928 and was owned by SaskPower.

Historic Buildings

The museum has several old railway buildings that were moved to the site from other places in Saskatchewan. These buildings show what railway stations and service buildings looked like in the past.

Canadian Northern Railway Buildings

• A Six-Person Bunkhouse from around 1919, originally from Maymont. It's now used as the museum's gift shop!
• The Brisbin Station, built around 1918. It was first used in Debden before being moved to Brisbin.
• The Borden Tool Shed.

Canadian Pacific Railway Buildings

• The Register Building, built in 1915, from Cory.
• The New Humboldt Tool Shed.
• The Old Humboldt Tool Shed.
• The Outlook Tool Shed, built in 1915.

Canadian National Railway Buildings

• The Nutana Engineman's Bunkhouse. This building is now the main museum center.

Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Buildings

• The Oban Interlocking Tower.
• The Unity Express Shed, built in 1919.
• The Agro Station, built in 1913.

Affiliations

The Saskatchewan Railway Museum works with other organizations. These include the CMA, the CHIN, and the Virtual Museum of Canada.

See also

Images for kids

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  CNR boxcars Unity baggage shed, and Argo Train Station

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  Welcome sign to Saskatchewan Railway Museum

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  The Sask Railway museum's Canadian Pacific S-3