The Assiniboine Park Steam Train celebrated its 50th birthday on July 29.
Peter Buzunkis bought the train from Pennsylvania. Its first run was on July 29, 1964, and it hasn’t stopped running since.
“Well it’s something for the kids and adults to do together and it’s something a little different while you’re visiting the zoo,” said Garren Moen.
Moen rode the train 40 years ago with his father. Now he takes his family to its tracks.
The train runs on coal and is similar to models used in the 1800s. It’s the only one of its kind in a Canadian city park.
Timothy Buzunis has since taken over for his father. He owns and operates the train, which runs through Assiniboine Park. Buzunis remembers seeing the train for the first time at the American border when he was four years old.
“It’s always been in our family, it’s never been owned by anybody but our family, so it has a lot of attachment to our family. And it’s also only ran on this track, it’s never ran on any other track in it’s history or it’s life,” said Buzunis.
Buzunis hosted a birthday party for the Assiniboine Park Steam Train on Tuesday, starting at noon.
The Kidney Foundation was also accepting donations in honour of Peter Buzunis, who died of kidney failure.
