THUNDER BAY — For the second summer in three years, the Muskeg Express train ride at Centennial Park has gone off the tracks.
The City of Thunder Bay announced Monday that an issue with a new wheel recently installed on the train led to a derailment late last week, but that no one was injured.
It could be weeks before the ride is reopened.
The train, originally donated by a lumber company that had used it to haul workers and supplies through the bush, has been plagued with various operational issues in recent years, putting it out of service for extended periods.
Werner Schwar, supervisor of parks and open space planning for the city, said that unlike some previous occasions, the latest problem was immediately traced to the new wheel.
"I guess maybe it wasn't milled to the right angle for the track... So it actually derailed for the first time in a long time. They've switched it out to an older one, but now we have to wait for the Technical Standards and Safety Authority approval, which could take one to three weeks, before we can put it on the track again."
Schwar said it's frustrating for city staff to see the Muskeg Express out of service once again in the middle of the summer.
"You think everything's good, and then something like this happens again to set back confidence in that. But we're reasonably confident this is an isolated situation and that when we get back on the track again it will function normally."
He described it as having important sentimental value to the community, saying it's a traditional summertime activity for many local families to go to Centennial Park to ride the train.
