The CP Caboose 1912 was donated to the Melfort and District Museum and will eventually be a permanent display. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff).

By Aaron Schulze

Caboose Backing In

CP Caboose backs into Melfort Museum

Jul 3, 2019 | 3:49 PM

Years of discussions came into full swing for the Melfort and District Museum Tuesday.

The CP Caboose 1912 was dropped off at the museum’s property in southern Melfort after it had previously been at the Western Development Museum (WDM) in Saskatoon.

Gailmaire Anderson, cultural coordinator for the Melfort Museum, expressed how crucial it was for them to get this artifact.

“It’s important to depict the history of Melfort as it truly was, and certainly the railway was a big part of the development,” Anderson said. “When the railway came in 1903, they moved the Stoney Creek settlement in our Melfort location.”

The caboose spent most of its career in Calgary and Thunder Bay before it ran between Prince Albert and Nipawin near the end of its shelf life. It was moved to North Battleford’s museum and sat outside before it was moved to Saskatoon and placed indoors.

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WDM donated the caboose, CN donated all the plates, rails, ties, and spikes, and Thunder Rail laid the track out. In the end, the Melfort Museum only had share moving cost of moving the caboose, although there are still numerous expenses in the future to turn the backend of a train into what they want.

“It’s going to be a permanent display on the grounds at our museum,” Anderson said. “Our plan is to eventually be able to restore the caboose to its original form; we’ll be setting up a display inside. The structure is pretty good, but it will take a lot of work to redo the outside and interior.”

Some of the renovations needed for the caboose include restoring and installing new frames and windows in the cupola, waterproofing the roof that has leaks, pressuring washing, and a new paint job.

The museum’s goal will be to restore the caboose as close to its original form as possible.

“Moose Jaw has a twin to it that’s fully restored and on display, so if we want to know paint colours, we have people who we can call on,” Melfort Museum Board Chairman Alan Porter said.

People can walk by and check out the caboose from the outside, but renovations aren’t expected to begin until Spring 2020. Anderson said it will be tarped once winter arrives.

The Melfort Museum expects to pay for renovations with raised funds and some of its reserves, although Porter said private donations are always welcome.

“Money will definitely be an issue in terms of how fast we can proceed,” he said.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow