The Alberta Railway Museum

A safety note: all members are required to follow the safety rules of the Association. Hard hats and eye protection are available for those members who need them, but protective foot wear is the responsibility of the member.

 

 

 

AlbertaPioneer Railway Association

Mailing address:

Box 70014 LRPO

Edmonton, AB. T5C 3R6

 

The Alberta Pioneer Railway Association is a non-profit organization of volunteers whose interest is railway history.  Every APRA member is encouraged to participate in the activities of the Association including the operation of the Alberta Railway Museum. The museum is located at 24215 – 34 Street, Edmonton, AB.
              Membership benefits include free admission to the Museum and a subscription to the “MARKER”, the Association Newsletter.

Please make cheques payable to the APRA and send to the above address.  Fees include GST of 5%.

Please note: mail is not delivered to the street address.

Member information: we do not sell or share this information.  It is for Museum use only.

 

 

ACTIVITIES OF THE ALBERTA RAILWAY MUSEUM

The Alberta Railway Museum, with its specific mission to interpret the Canadian National Railways and the Northern Alberta Railways, as well as short line and industrial railways in Alberta has a duty to get a clear and specific message across to our audience.         

• Cataloguing, identification and preservation of our archives collection at the Provincial Archives is well under way.   Training is available. Assistance for a few hours a week would greatly help in this very important area of the museum’s responsibility.
• If you like to serve the public and are interested in making a visit enjoyable you will like to work in the gift shop.  This is where we get a significant part of our revenue. You don’t have to know a lot about the railways; we will train (a little joke) you and you can offer an important service to the museum.
• Museum duties include moving displays, cutting grass, cleaning the display cars, sweeping the platform, cleaning windows, painting the trim on buildings.
• The safe operation of our trains depends on engineers, firemen, switchmen and conductors who are trained in the operating rules of the museum, and who practice safe procedures when cars and engines are moving.  Training courses are available for anyone who is interested in learning how the trains run.
• Speeder rides are a feature of our visitor expertience.  Training is available for speeder operators.
• There are many railway videos, both entertaining and educational, that could be shown if we had someone who could set up the equipment, run the videos, answer questions at the end, and arrange for either weekly or daily presentations.  It will not require many hours, but will require someone to organize a group of people who will dedicate some time to making it happen.
• We require the expert assistance of welders.  Steel cars have been bent or damaged; pipes have to be cut and straightened, rail needs cutting, “cut and weld” is necessary on steel passenger car bodies and locomotive bodies. 
• Many of our artifacts are small, unique to the railways and require proper display.  Museum cases are available. Existing displays are in need of freshening up with professional flair and an eye for getting across a message about a topic, not just a bunch of “things” together in a case.  The NAR Discovery Centre, the Steam Display, The Diesel Display all set the framework for new displays.        
• Carpenters are needed for restoration projects as well as making stairs, sidewalks and platforms. Wood boxcars need reconstruction and rebuilding.  Repair and installation of doors, windows and siding.
• The Museum’s steam engine, 1392, requires regular maintenance. We are interested in teaching the necessary skills to others so that the ability to operate and maintain a steam engine does not disappear.
• We operate diesel locomotives.  Share your diesel maintenance and operating skills with other members. Want to learn? We can help you.
• Help create a package that describes the Museum’s long range and short range plans.  Accompanying this written material with drawings and artist’s renderings of what we think the buildings and grounds should look like will help get the support of funding agencies.  Members will also greatly benefit from the drawings because they will see what the Museum could look like in the future.
• Handyman tasks: doors that don’t fit, locks that are sticky, things to be nailed up, caulked, tightened and/or made secure, steps and sidewalks that are damaged, hinges that squeak, bulbs that are burned out, and areas that are not safe for visitors must be identified and fixed.
• Photographs of artifacts, not only when they arrive, but also when they are restored, are essential.  Photo-documentation allows others to learn about what we do as members of the museum community.  Photography is more than pictures - it becomes a record of our progress, and part of the archival files on the artifact.
• Help us research and collect stories, articles and interviews for the Marker. Many rail veterans have stories to tell of working on the railway; the hours, the hard work, the comradeship and for every railway veteran there is a favourite story.  Interviews with railway veterans will also help to preserve our heritage in a unique way.  Oral history contributes greatly to our understanding of daily life of 50 to 100 years ago.  Skilled interviewers, or those who are willing to learn, can assist in this valuable heritage activity. Only when we demonstrate that we are serious about all  aspects of railway heritage preservation will we become more influential in the heritage culture community.
• Oral history is as important as history in books.  Although not every railroader is interested in sharing his/her life story, many are.  They need to be encouraged, helped to present it easily and be recognized for their valued contribution.  Many people will be glad to just be listened to - we all want to be heard. 
• Restoration includes the refinishing, painting and restoration of the wood and metal that makes up the frame and structure of most railway cars.  It is the final touches that help visitors to relate to the actual car as it was in service.
• An upholsterer would add value to our preservation and restoration. Most of our cars were in work service so what remains of the upholstery and curtains is pretty shabby and would benefit from restoration and repair
• The Stock Car and the Refrigerator Car are prime candidates for a unique display. They represent the development of railway transportation for the meatpacking industry.
• We need tour guides, to take groups through the museum, answer questions and provide background information on the equipment and displays to make the visitor experience enjoyable and meaningful. A willingness to learn, a liking for people, a good sense of humour and the ability to adjust the tour to the level of visitor interest are qualities that are valuable to the museum.  We will help you succeed.
• We try focus on one project at a time - if funds are focused on one job, then the chances of getting it done are increased.  Donations in kind are also welcome such as donations of gravel, lumber, grease and oil, or other consumable supplies. Charitable donation receipts can be issued for such donations.

• We want the time you spend to be meaningful to you and that it gets the job done.

Please mark the areas that interest you so we can share your skills and abilities