A historic train engine in Saskatchewan has been restored to its former glory in recognition of one city’s rich heritage of coal mining. A locomotive that was used to load and transport coal cars from Estevan to Brandon, Man. was recently restored by the Souris Valley Museum to expand the train’s lifespan for another 20 years. The train first came to Estevan in 1960 and operated until 1993. John Michel was the first to conduct the locomotive with the assistance of Robert Toombs. After Michel’s retirement, Toombs took over running the train for 20 years. “He enjoyed the train. He treated it like his baby,” said Toombs’ son Kevin, referring to the ten coal cars transported by the locomotive each trip. “He would polish it up all the time. He really took pride in his work, [in] what he did.” Witnessing the joy and pride the job brought to his father inspired Kevin to follow in his footsteps. “Dad was a 20-year coal miner, I’m a 30-year coal miner so I’m very proud of that,” Kevin said, referring to his family’s sentimental nature when it comes to the locomotive. “It got me started in mining. [My dad] was always proud that I got hired as a coal miner. He always said I wouldn’t be rich being a coal miner, but I would make an honest living and that was good enough for me.” Toombs is also the safety coordinator with the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) local 7606. He said workers, especially in Estevan, are proud to be in the industry. “We’re still coal mining today. That’s 1960 that train has been around,” said Toombs. “It’s many, many years that’s just [continued] the history of coal mining … for generations. There’s a lot of second, third year generation coal miners in Estevan. It’s a big part of our history here in Estevan.” That same locomotive, built in 1944, still sits proudly within the community. Recently undergoing a $50,000 restoration, the train has a fresh new look after being sandblasted and repainted. “This locomotive was looking pretty rough, it was pretty rusty and we needed to restore it,” said Melanie Memory, the director and curator for Souris Valley Museum. She added it took the community almost two years to fundraise for the project. With Estevan being a coal mining city, Memory said the locomotive helps keep the history alive. “It was built in 1944 and it worked in the Costello Mine between Estevan and Bienfait until 1993. Then it kind of sat in the mining grounds and then it came here in 2000,” she said. “That’s our main industry. Coal mining, power and oil,” she said. “We want that to look nice for future generations and a lot of families maybe have a connection to this train. We want it to look nice for them.” The locomotive remains on display at the Souris Valley Museum as part of the site’s Heritage Mining Display. The museum is already working towards its next project, restoring other elements of its collection to match its newly refurbished locomotive.
