Don’t expect to be able to take in a slice of rail history in Kamloops next summer.

Ken Milloy, Executive Director of the Kamloops Heritage Railway Society, says while an architectural review of their facility next to Pioneer Park has now been concluded, he says its unlikely the work needed to upgrade their building won’t be ready for their 2024 season.

“I would think 2025 we reopen with a completely redone facility here and be ready to welcome people back and have some real fun with new exhibits around 2141 and some new activities for them.”

This comes after the City of Kamloops abruptly shut down the Railway Museum this spring, just two days after opening, citing zoning, safety and accessibility issues.

“We’ve just got that quote back and our proposal to council is that we’ll be moving forward with that, and then we’ll have a better idea of where we sit and what the costs are going to be and the type of work that needs to transpire here,” Milloy told Radio NL.

“Most of the work that’s required is to bring up to code for accessibility issues.”

After the Heritage Railway Society lost its ability to run the 2141 steam locomotive on the tracks, it attempted to operate as a stand-alone museum on its location along Mt. Paul Way.

Milloy says this summer’s shutdown cost the non-profit Heritage Railway Society about $200,000 in revenue this summer.

Despite this, he says the Society will not be making any funding requests to the City of Kamloops as part of its presentation to council today.

At its height, the 2141 locomotive would operate on the track locally during special occasions, such as Christmas and Halloween, providing community groups and opportunity to raise money through its popularity.