Pipestone Flyer
The Alberta Central Railway Museum celebrated its 22nd Anniversary with a Pancake Breakfast all morning and an Anniversary Cake served at 2 pm. The train was running quite frequently, with each ride twice around the mile plus of track. There was a steady flow of people enjoying the beautiful day, the authentic rural setting, and the journey into the past provided by the Museum.
The Alberta Central Railway Museum is one of the very enjoyable and educational historic gems scattered throughout the province and country. The vision of primarily one man, Bill Wilson, it has acquired an impressive collection of railway cars, equipment and buildings, and has been well organized as a society with the necessary registrations to assure continuity. Situated on the Wilson farm about eight miles south-east of Wetaskiwin and less than two miles off the nearest pavement of Highway 822, it offers an experience of the world of the railway as the finest mode of transportation. If you want to get technical, the information is there. If you're interested in the telegraph and Morse Code, the instruments and information are there. A highlight of every visit is a ride on the passenger train, which provides a genuine experience of the comfort of rail travel.
As with any museum, there is the continual acquisition of more items, most of which need at least some repair and restoration before they are fully accessible to the public. A tremendous amount of this work has been done, but there is always more to do, so there is always a need for more volunteer labour and funds.
A visit to the Alberta Central Railway Museum is relatively inexpensive and can always be enjoyed by the whole family.