Owner of Assiniboine Park train looking for new ownership
The miniature steam engine in Assiniboine Park is on the track for new ownership.
The train has been operating since July 29, 1964, and Timothy Buzunis, the owner and operator, said his dad brought it to Winnipeg brand new from the United States.
Buzunis said he has been running this train all his life and at the age of 62, he said it is time to move on.
"It's getting to the time where physically I am getting tired. I also want to enjoy my life a little bit. I haven't been able to spend a proper summer since I was a kid. I haven't rented a cabin, I haven't gone golfing, I'm committed to the park seven days a week. It's just a time for a change," said Buzunis.
Buzunis said the train, and everything that comes with it, are up for sale, with him saying there is no one in his family to pass it on to.
He said making this decision wasn't easy.
Timothy Buzunis is seen walking on the tracks of the steam engine in Assiniboine Park. May 18, 2022. (Source: Scott Andersson/CTV News)
"This train, I was four years old when my dad bought it. I remember going to the border and watching the train come over the border. I always remember the train being part of our family."
Buzunis said he is listing the train for $649,000, calling the price point a steal since he has recently put a lot of money into the train to make it run like brand new.
"I can tell you eight years the exact same train in Birmingham, Alabama, with no infrastructure, no contract, no location sold for $550,000 U.S."
Buzunis said this train is no longer made and said only 50 still exist. Of the 50 still in existence, two are in Canada; the train in Winnipeg and one in Edmonton, which Buzunis' dad also brought in.
If someone were to purchase the train, they would also be acquiring the tracks and all the buildings in Assiniboine Park.
So far, Buzunis said he has had two inquiries from groups in the United States, but he is hoping to keep the train in Winnipeg, adding he would even take less money for it to keep it in the city.
"For my dad's legacy, for our families' legacy. This park was a part of our family. I spent every summer of my youth here right up to my adulthood until now."
Even while he waits for a new owner, Buzunis said the train will be in operation this summer and hopes to get the train on the tracks next weekend.
Whenever the train is sold, he added he will stick around to help the new owner and teach them everything he knows so they can continue the success.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.