Crowsnest Museum manager Chris Mathews would like to see a long disused mining locomotive chugging along the tracks again, someday.

The 25-ton General Electric gas/diesel rail engine was laid on specially constructed tracks in the Crowsnest Museum’s yard after being moved from a Coleman Collieries’ yard last week. Mathews says it’s one of the only engines of its kind in North America.

“Our hope is to restore it,” says Mathews. “Both cosmetically, but also if we’re able, we’ll take a look at the innards and maybe try to get some functionality back for demonstrations.”

Mathews concedes that seeing the train running again is a far-off dream.

“We don’t know the state of the engine at this point,” he says. “When the mine shut down, it was parked and left.”

The train was built in 1942 and ran until Coleman Collieries’ shut down in 1979. It was then housed in a shed for a time but has spent at least a portion of the last 37 years outdoors.

Mathews calls it an “in-between-engine” that ferried coal cars from the mine entrance to the main track.

The engine was donated to the museum years ago but staff had been waiting for a convenient time to move it.

“We had the opportunity to get it onto the grounds now,” says Mathews.

Mathews wants to thank Mammoet, Drain Brothers Construction, the municipality, Rinaldi Welding and Don Harvey for helping with the move.