After 119 years of existence in Dauphin, the birthplace of Canadian Northern Railway, the remaining the oldest rail turntable to date left in Manitoba, this video, depicts its last day and the subsequent demolition that took place Monday, August 18, 2025.

Holding true to our Statement of Purpose to Preserve, Interpret and Present the Rich Railway History of Dauphin and the Parkland dating back to 1896, ALL efforts were made by the Museum to preserve this artifact in its original site.

Those efforts included obtaining 8 letters of support from across the country from historic and rail history organizations, 556 signatures from this online petition (THANK YOU), numerous in person meetings that included a counter proposal to modify the turntable/pit and a press release that resulted in newspaper, radio and TV availability to try preserve the structure in its entirety.

Despite our failed attempts to do so, an off site memorial will be constructed in CN Park to honour those 17 community members from 1993 that purchased that site from CN Rail for historic preservation purposes.

For some, it was merely a hunk of metal, an eye sore, a nuisance. For others, it was a symbol of cultural heritage and the people it touched. This picture is from 1915 at the Dauphin Roundhouse and the crew that worked there. Just take a moment and look at their faces. THEY ALL HAD STORIES.

For generations people worked, sweat and sometimes bled to build the country we have today.

Historic preservation allows us to connect with the past and learn from our history while also creating a sense of place and community. By preserving historic buildings and sites, we can ensure that future generations have the opportunity to learn and appreciate these important cultural resources.

While building an off site memorial with a portion of the rail turntable bridge is appreciated, the full historic value of this unique artifact integral to Dauphin's history is now regretfully gone forever.

However, time marches on and we are in the process of designing and erecting an offsite memorial to the turntable with a 15 foot portion of the bridge with the motor.  The City of Dauphin has committed to funding $10,000 to the project with an additional $10,000 if we can collect that same amount in fundraising.  So with that we have a goal of $10,000 we are seeking donations for this effort.

Early renditions have included stairs so that visitors can actually walk along the span, numerous interpretive plaques, a more prominent plaque with the 1993 community members names and a donor wall.

If you are interested, donations can be made to the City of Dauphin (memo:  turntable memorial) in the form of cash, cheque or debit card and a tax receipt will be issued immediately by the City when the donation is received.  The mailing address is:  100 Main St. S, Dauphin, MB  R7N 1K3

If you have any questions please reach out to the Dauphin Rail Museum at thedauphinrailmuseum@gmail.com or (204) 202-4622.