The Stettler Town and Country Museum is making some changes to its rail system heading into summer.
First up was the moving of the old caboose that sat on the track nearest the old station house.
Currently, there are two sections of railway in front of the old station house; one close to the station which is not a complete track but more of a storage line and one further away in front of the station which connects to a loop going to the back of the property.
As the museum offers rides on a “speeder” type train car during the summer months, the plan is to adjust the loop so that it connects to the track closest to the station, leaving the outside line as the storage one. By doing this, riders will actually be able to enter and exit the speeder from the platform, making a safer experience.
Thanks to museum friends Heartland Industries, the caboose was moved from the current track to the outside track on May 11.
The company had two of its cranes in use for the move, and the caboose was partially disassembled and moved in three separate sections; the body of the caboose was lifted off, then each set of wheels was lifted separately onto the new track. Finally, the body of the caboose was lifted back onto the wheels and reassembled.
In total, the move took just over three hours.
According to Stettler Town and Country Museum Manager Karen Wahlund, part of the reason for moving the caboose is that the outside line is “flatter and safer” for much-needed work to be done on the old vehicle.
If everything falls into place, the museum hopes to have all the work done, including the track realignment, done by Canada Day.
