Mossleigh Alberta - After six years in the planning, the Aspen Crossing Railway chugged along the tracks near Mossleigh for the first time 15 May 2015.
 
The train will take passengers along a 28 mile round trip throughout the spring and summer, running right up until Thanksgiving.
 
"It's a load-off compared to the last few days," said Jason Thornhill, owner of Aspen Crossing, during an interview aboard the train.
 
"We were doing 16-20 hour days the last few days" to get the train ready for the inaugural ride.
 
That ride, called the "royalty tour," took passengers on a rolling trek through the prairies, complete with a staged gun fight.
 
The train will be a tourist attraction and enhance the entire community, said Thornhill.
 
"It's great for all of southern Alberta," he said.
 
About 170 people can ride on the train at a time.
 
"Our goal is to sell 8,000 tickets this year," said Thornhill.
 
For the business, the Aspen Crossing Railway ties everything it offers together, said Thornhill.
 
"It's the perfect fit," he said.
 
Thornhill said he's proud that Aspen Crossing has been able to offer the train rides after years of working on the project.
 
"There was lots of like, you'll never be able to pull that off, that will never happen," he said.
 
"If anything, that motivated me."
 
Most of the track is east of Mossleigh and gets close to the village of Arrowwood.
 
"We really would like to go to Arrowwood," he said.
 
"We just want to prove that it's viable."
 
Shannon Clarke of Vulcan Tourism said she believes the railway will bring in a lot more people to Vulcan County.
 
She said she's fielded inquires about the railway and has sent people to Aspen Crossing.
 
"I think the word has gotten out," she said during an interview.
 
The railway is a good attraction for all ages, said Clarke.
 
"People are always looking for things to do, especially if the weather isn't good," she said, adding she had "a blast" at the inaugural run.
 
Macleod MP John Barlow said the railway is not only going to bring people to Mossleigh but also to southern Alberta.
 
"It's something that's going to attract people from around the world," he added during an interview on the train.
 
"Thornhill has that entrepreneurial spirit that Alberta is all about, and the Aspen Crossing owner kept going despite probably facing many obstacles," he said.
 
"The Aspen Crossing Railway really is a community initiative, with Thornhill heading it up," said Barlow.
 
"This is something that the Mossleigh, Arrrowwood, and Vulcan area can take pride in. This really is something they've all got behind."
 
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