New website

It's official! Our new website is now live. This website has all of the information you need about Southern Prairie Railway as well as a schedule and detailed descriptions of our train tours.

With this in mind, we will no longer be updating this particular blog. However, we will be posting the latest news on our new website blog.

Please visit www.southernprairierailway.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest on Southern Prairie Railway!

All Aboard!

Progress!

The restoration of our 1922 passenger car is progressing very nicely. We have installed the mahogany wall panels and have taped off all of the windows in preparation for paint later this week. It is required that the temperature be above 15 degrees for an extended period of time for the paint to adhere properly so we will see that the week brings us. 

The bathrooms that are being constructed west of the train station are coming along very well. The exterior is nearly complete. The siding has been installed to match the station and will be painted in the coming weeks. The interior has a bit more work but is coming together as well. The plumbing has been completed and insulation has been installed. The bonus of having these bathrooms is that they will also act as public washrooms when the railway is not operating.

Everything is still on schedule for our July 7, 2012 Grand Opening. Below are some photos of our progress.

Things are chugging along

Things are progressing nicely on our 1922 passenger car. We have finally completed the "tear down" phase and have begun putting things back together.

You will see in the photos below that all interior paint has been removed as well as the last of the wood and particle board panels that have deteriorated over the years. 

We have begun installing the new ceiling panels. After this is completed, we will re-install several pieces of trim and then we are ready for paint. 

Also posted below are photos of the new bathrooms being constructed near the train station.

Check back for updates.

Happy New Year!

Well, 2012 is upon us. Our grand opening is only 6 months away and everything is on schedule to make this an event you won't want to miss!

Our locomotive is essentially ready to go. Our exterior was restored back in November and a few engine repairs still remain.

Our passenger car's exterior is approximately 90 percent complete. Some metal work still remains as well as some painting. The interior however is a different story. All of the seats and brackets were removed in October of last year. Since then, hundreds of volunteer hours have been spent removing up to eight layers of paint from walls and ceiling. As well, all wood paneling has been removed. With this phase nearing completion, we can begin preparing the steel for painting. Once painting is completed, the new wood paneling will be installed, followed by the trim, windows, seat brackets and finally seats.

These are just a few of the tasks remaining. But with an energetic volunteer group, we feel this will be accomplished on schedule. However, every little bit of help counts. If you are interested in getting involved with our restoration, please send us an email at townofogema@gmail.com.

Here are a few photos of our progress and happy new year!

Happy Holidays

We have completed our shed just in time for the holidays. This will allow volunteers to keep warm while restoring our equipment. This work will likely begin again early in the new year. If you are interested in lending a hand, please email us at townofogema@gmail.com.

Happy Holidays

Almost ready

Our shed is nearing completion. Soon we will be able to roll our passenger car and baggage car in to finish restoring them for our July 2012 grand opening!

Here are a few pictures of our progress.

Enjoy

Preparing for winter

With the deep freeze of winter seemingly here to stay, construction of a building to house our train has begun on the tracks east of the train station in Ogema.

A pole shed is currently being constructed to allow volunteers to continue restoring our passenger car and baggage car during the winter. The tin exterior is expected to be completed within the next couple of weeks, allowing us to heat the building when needed.

We will be providing periodic updates over the winter months on the progress of the restoration. In the meantime, here are a few pictures of the shed and our equipment. Keep in mind that the caboose is not owned by Southern Prairie Railway but will be used during our excursions.

Enjoy

Southern Prairie Railway Kicks Off!!

Southern Prairie Railway held it's community kick off on November 4th in front of hundreds of onlookers. A freshly painted and restored locomotive #15 along with a partially restored passenger car rolled into the 1912 Ogema train station to thunderous applause. (Visit Southern Prairie Railway on Facebook for a video of the train arriving in Ogema)

With the arrival of the Train in Ogema, the real restoration of the passenger car can begin. While in Assiniboia, the interior of the car was completely stripped as well as the exterior. I new coat of paint was added to the roof and the majority of the exterior. The interior will be restored to resemble it's original 1920's look over the winter.

The supper and silent auction held on the evening of our kick off was also a huge success. Bringing in much needed funds to help get this project off the ground. However, much still needs to be done to bring us to our July 2012 Grand Opening. Donations are gladly being accepted. For more information on our fundraising initiatives, visit http://www.southernprairierailway.com/fundraising.html or call Carol at (306) 459-2544.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us to this point. Here are a few pictures of how our train is looking today.

Harvest draws to a close

Another successful harvest has drawn to a close. And with that we have some exciting updates on the progress of Southern Prairie Railway.

Over the last couple of months, hundreds of hours of volunteer time has been spent restoring our passenger car and locomotive in Assiniboia.

Our passenger car is in the process of being completely restored with the interior being removed including all of the seats and many coats of old paint. The exterior is also receiving an overhaul in preparation for a new coat of paint.

The locomotive has already been completely stripped of paint and has received a primer and a sealant. This is why she is green in the pictures below. We hope to have it painted black by the end of the week.

If all goes according to plan, we hope to have the exterior of both our locomotive and passenger car ready for display. This will allow us to continue to restore the interior of the car over the winter.

We will be providing updates more often over the next few weeks as we continue the restoration. In the mean time, please enjoy some pictures of the work that has been done so far.

Enjoy!

New arrival

A caboose has recently arrived in Ogema on loan to run along side our existing fleet. Our locomotive and passenger car are still in Assiniboia receiving some much needed touch ups before they arrive in Ogema. Below are a few pictures of the caboose and the work that is being done on our locomotive which is currently being prepped for a new coat of paint.

Enjoy