Assiniboine Valley Railway
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Winnipeg |
| Locale | Manitoba, Canada |
| Dates of operation | 1996– |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 7+1⁄2 in (190.5 mm) |
| Length | 3,700 feet (1,100 m) |
| Other | |
| Website | www |
Assiniboine Valley Railway (AVR) was a private 1:7.5 (1.6" to the foot) scale ridable miniature railway located in the community of Charleswood near Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
The track gauge is 7+1⁄2 in (190.5 mm). Construction started in 1995 and operation began in the fall of 1996.[1] The railway is owned and operated by the 75 member Assiniboine Valley Railway Club, Inc. with some of the equipment privately owned by members. The railway club president and owner of the land was Bill Taylor until his death in 2013.[2] Presidency then transferred to vice president and co-founder Len La Rue. The network of tracks and "Charleswood Station" was located on a private 5-acre (2.0 ha) property.
AVR was open to the public for riding during the second weekend of the month between June and October. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the club had to close to the public as a result of provincial public health orders. As of April 2012[update] the railway had nine operating locomotives, including three steam locomotives[3] and 53 cars, with eight more cars under construction.[4]
In April of 2021, the family of AVR's founder requested that the railway club vacate the property within six months.[5]
History
In the early years of the railway, Christmas lights runs were operated every night from 6:30 pm till 9:00 pm. from the second weekend of December to the first weekend of January. Christmas lights were used along the line, their numbers growing from 98,000 in 2009 [6] to more than 100,000,[7] reaching 101,213 by December 9, 2012.[8]
See also
References
- ^ MODEL RAILROAD CLUBS OF THE WORLD Archived April 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Assiniboine Valley Railway's president dies
- ^ Tour of Winnipeg Model Trains
- ^ "International Railway Links". Archived from the original on 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- ^ Railway Forced To Move
- ^ Christmas at the Taylors
- ^ Ride the Christmas Express
- ^ Light Count from the original AVR Website
External links
- Assiniboine Valley Railway
- Rapido Trains Review of Model Trains in Canadian Prairies
- Kid-Friendly Manitoba Reviews "Christmas at the Taylors" run by AVR
49°52′13″N 97°15′02″W / 49.8703°N 97.2505°W
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