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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.