Bill Taylor loved trains and Christmas more than anybody else.

 

While most of us built model railroads in our house, Bill built his around his house!

We might spend a few hundred dollars at the most for a quality locomotive. Bill's locomotives cost as much as a new car! When most of us want to expand our railroad empires, we cautiously negotiate with our sposes for a few more square feet of basement space. When Bill Taylor expanded his layout, he bought adjoining properties around his own and started laying track!

 

At Christmas, most of us manage to string a few lights outside of our houses. Bill strung up over a hundred thousand lights, putting Chevy Chase's achievement in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" to shame! While most of us would invite a few friends and family members over for the holidays, Bill invited the whole city of Winnipeg over to celebrate Christmas with the Taylors, and it was a month long event! 

 

Bill, who was a life long NMRA member, passed away this summer. His place is dark for the first time in over 15 years. No trains will run at the Taylors this Christmas.

 

But wait! There's hope for the future!

 

The Assiniboine Valley Railway, the organization founded by Bill Taylor to operate and maintain the

7 1/2" gauge railroad that ran on his property, promises to be up and running next year.  . But first, matters of Bill's estate have to be settled.  After that, a whole new system of lights has to be re-designed. Bill's light system design as his and his alone, and when he died all the information about it died with him. 

 

So the AVR has to start all over again.  But it can be done if we all pitch in!

 

Volunteers will be needed from individuals and any and all model railroading and rail fanning organizations to keep Bill's dream alive. If the model railroad and rail fanning communities of Winnipeg are going to survive, we all need to work together. Information as to when this will happen will be posted on this site as soon as it's issued.