Assiniboine Park's mini steam train celebrates 60 years as owner hopes to keep it on track

A Winnipeg icon that's been chugging along for 60 years celebrated its birthdayon Monday.

Tim Buzunis, owner and operator of the miniature, coal-powered steam train at Assiniboine Parksince 1988, held a birthday party for the train on Monday.

The party turnout was fantastic, said Buzunis, with thefirst 2,000 ticket purchasers getting a free piece of cake, a train souvenir and a drink.

"It warms your heart that these people still support the train," he said.

Buzunis saysonly 54 of the miniature trains were ever made, andabout 32 are still running. Winnipeg is the only city in North America to have a steam train running in a public park, he said.

His father took a risk and bought the train for $165,000 US in 1964. The now-defunct manufacturer of the train thought he was crazy for buying it, as it could only operate for maybe 100 days a yearin a cold city like Winnipeg,Buzunis said.

However, the city wanted a train for Assiniboine Park, and Buzunis said his father was the only one of five bidders to offer a coal-powered steam train.

"The very first day, and the second day, there were 10,000 people who rode that train each day," he said.

It hasn't been a totally smooth ride for the train over the last 60 years, Buzunis said, with repairs becoming increasingly difficult in the last decade due to the "dying art" of steam locomotives.

He remains devoted to operating the train because it's a piece of history both to him personally, and more broadly inNorth America.

"This is the type of train that opened up the Wild West in the United States and Canada," he said.

Assiniboine Park's mini steam train celebrates 60 years

2 months ago

Duration 1:39

A Winnipeg icon that's been chugging along for 60 years celebrated its birthday on Monday.

But Buzunisisn't getting any younger, and operating the train seven days a week can be physically taxing, he said.

Heknows he will have to sell it one day. But he's grateful to the people who have bought a ticket over the years, as he's responsible for all the associated costs.

"If it wasn't for the people riding, it would stop running," he said, adding that he'd like to see the city give the train historical status.

"Personally, I think the City of Winnipeg should protect this train."

Jeff Riddell, one of the train's conductors, says he was fascinated bylocomotives as a child. When he was younger, Tim's father asked Riddellif he wanted to ride up front.

"As soon as I became old enough to get my steam ticket, that's what I went and did, and I've been here ever since20-plus years," he said.

He hopes the train stays in Winnipeg, andwants to see his future grandchildren ride on the train the way he and his kids did.

"I really hope that somebody sees the value of this as a Winnipeg icon," said Riddell.

Zach Wiseman, another train conductor, has also been riding it since he was a child.

He's looking for a potential partner to help keep the train chugging.

"I really hope to keep this going for another 60-plus years. That's the goal."