Miami Manitoba - After one of their best years the Miami Railway Station Museum is chugging away over the winter to make next year even bigger.
 
Chairperson Joan Driedger says one thing they will be working on is turning the 1914 wooden CP caboose they received into another space to display some of their collection.
 
"We had a great amount of railway material brought from the museum where we got the caboose. We got uniforms and pocket watches, and stuff that goes inside the caboose."
 
They also received three motorcars which are in the shop to get up and running before next year, as well as a car with a crane.
 
To be able to display these they'll need to add 200 feet of track on top of the 85 they placed last summer for the caboose.
 
"We're consulting with a retired historian to set up our exhibits in the caboose and inside the museum to make them more interactive, and bring them up to date, and make them more organized," she says.
 
To help with refurbishing the inside and outside of the caboose they also plan to apply for grants and welcome any donations that can help.
 
"Once we get that caboose going, and the speeders out for display, and actually running, then we expect to have even more visitors. I also got a grant from the Miami and Area Foundation for some highway signs."
 
This will indicate their yearly hours so people know when they can come to visit the national historic site.
 
Driedger hopes the signs will also help to put Miami on the map and bring more tourism to other areas in the community.
 
The inside of the museum itself will also be undergoing changes as people will now enter through the waiting room for a more authentic experience.
 
"We're working on getting the ramp done for people with mobility issues and then be able to come into the waiting room on the main floor and then the freight shed area."
 
She says this coming year will have big plans and the board looks forward to sharing them with the community.
 
Brooklyn Toews.