Photo: Lynda Drysdale

By Shane Clausing

sexsmith

Sexsmith and District Museum Society looking to give facelift to historic grain elevator train tracks

Feb 22, 2022 | 2:18 PM

Members of the Sexsmith and District Museum Society are kickstarting another project to help preserve the town’s heritage.

The organization says it is currently looking at adding a dining cart to the railway located right in front of the now historic grain elevator. If purchased, the dining cart will be accompanied by a donated locomotive from The Side Group which currently is sitting just outside of the town, as well as a caboose.

Lynda Drysdale a volunteer with the Sexsmith and District Museum Society says she’s been thinking of this project for the last three years.

“My dream was to have a locomotive, dining car and caboose in a row and use the dining car for venues, education and events and have a candy store in the caboose,” she expressed.

“I’ve always felt that we’ve needed a little bit more on our side rail, just to enhance that beautiful (grain) elevator we are preserving. I was able to find a locomotive and that will be coming before Chautauqua Day in June,” she expressed.

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“Then we were talking about finding a dining car, there is one and it’s in Cranbrook. We are giving an expression of interest for that. It would be a wonderful addition for the caboose that is already there.”

Locomotive that could be donated to Sexsmith and District Museum Society. Photo: Lynda Drysdale

In addition to adding some more character to the train tracks outside of the grain elevator, Drysdale feels this will also become an attraction that would bring people from out of town.

“It would not only be educational, but we could have small events there, be a tourist attraction and a photography opportunity for so many people,” she said.

Drysdale tells EverythingGP there is still a lot of work to be done in order to get this project completed.

Currently, the train tracks outside of the grain elevator need to be upgraded in order to hold the locomotive and dining cart. Both would also likely need to be lifted and put in place using a crane, as they wouldn’t be able to be transported using tracks.

The County of Grande Prairie and Town of Sexsmith have both written letters of support for the project. The project will not cost taxpayers a single cent.

“We have some wonderful people supporting this project who want to do this for free.”

Drysdale tells EverythingGP this is a very exciting project for the Sexsmith and District Museum Society and she looks forward to seeing it hopefully become a reality.