Manitoba's last Canadian Northern Railway turntable bridge was removed in Dauphin at the site of the original 15-stall roundhouse in August 2025.
Funding is now needed at an initial project estimate of $75,000 to help commemorate the community members who initially preserved the turntable in 1993 and the history of rail employees of Dauphin over the past 130 years with an off-site monument to this structure.
The new monument will be beside the Rail Station in Dauphin by the rail benches created five years ago.
"The idea is to have it a bit interactive," said Jason Gilmore, president of the Dauphin Rail Museum. "There will be a ramp where you can walk onto the portion of the turntable bridge. We do have the motor that drove it and a bit of the curved rail."
Phase one is getting it moved into place, and phase two includes some beautification and plaques.
The original structure, dating back to 1906, was an 84-foot, approximately 40-ton steel structure that originally moved steam locomotives into the roundhouse for daily repair and storage and later acted as a means of rotating and changing the direction of diesel locomotives in a limited space.
In 1997, this site was purchased by the Town of Dauphin from Canadian National Railway. 17 community members helped financially to preserve the important piece of rail heritage in Dauphin. The monument will be the remaining 24-foot, 45,000-pound portion of the turntable bridge, which is currently at the City of Dauphin Public Works shop.
The City of Dauphin has agreed to accept donations by cheque, cash or debit. The City's mailing address is: 100 Main St. S, Dauphin, MB R7N 1K3. You must provide a return address and write "turntable" in the memo if paying by cheque.
Donations of over $250 will be recognized on a donor wall.
"The City of Dauphin was kind enough to donate $10,000 for this project. We used it to get the rendering done with the architecture firm," ended Gilmore. "They're also going to match the first $10,000 raised. They have also created a separate account for this exhibit. They are issuing tax receipts for anyone who does donate."
Dauphin's rail history dates back to 1896, when the first train arrived on a small local railway (Lake Manitoba Railway and Canal Company) that was purchased, owned, and operated by Sir William Mackenzie and Sir Donald Mann.
Don Tarrant, the general manager of Reit-Syd Equipment in Dauphin, has committed to assisting the Dauphin Rail Museum with the installation and development phases of the exhibit. It's slated to be completed by the fall of 2026.
They've committed to loading, hauling, and placement of the bridge. They're also donating $10,000 to the project.
