Moose Jaw museum’s train bell finally returned

Moose Jaw’s Western Development Museum got to ring in some good news after a train bell that had been stolen months ago was finally returned.

The bell, which is from a 1914 Vulcan locomotive, was taken in August 2018. The bell’s absence was noticed by a volunteer who was doing maintenance in the train yard.

After months of searching and trying to find any sort of lead as to where the bell had gone, the museum received a call late last week from someone who claimed to have it.

“Our first reaction was almost disbelief. We had almost given up hope that we would ever see it again. It was just a wonderful surprise,” said Karla Rasmussen, education and public programs co-ordinator with the museum.

A person who wished to remain anonymous returned the bell to the museum and it was deemed to be the one that had disappeared.

But since the outlook seemed so grim, the museum had found a similar bell to use from the U.S.

“The replacement bell has gone onto the train already and it’s actually been welded on so hopefully that will deter any future possibility of theft,” Rasmussen said.

The returned bell will be on display in the museum’s lobby.