In January 1989, Al McLean, the town’s deputy mayor, requested from the CPR a donation of a caboose for use as a tourist information center and a reminder of the community’s railway heritage.

Later that year, CP 437010, a wooden, end cupola caboose built in 1942 rolled into town. It was placed on the site where the community’s train station once stood, (the station was sold off to a private buyer and hauled away in 1964).

The caboose served as Winnipeg Beach’s seasonal tourist information booth for about a decade but in recent years has sat empty.

In the summer of 2018, work began on refurbishing the caboose inside and out. Work included repainting the interior and installing an accessible deck and seating area adjacent to it. The Historical Society is currently working on completing this project with the hope of having an active cafe, information booth, a tour of the caboose, and even a mini tourist train one day.

Here are some historic photos of the inside of the CPR cabooses, and what we hope to achieve at this site.