Portage la Prairie Manitoba - The year was 1881 and the West was opening up as rail barons connected the rich East to the awaiting prosperity of the West.
 
Twelve years later, Canadian Pacific Railway's expansion into the Rockies would make Portage la Prairie the point of origin for the western section of "the ribbon of steel."
 
"This is the only place in Canada other than one place in B.C. where the two main lines (CP and Canadian National Railway) cross land level. It's a tremendous attraction for the rail fans not only locally, but from across North America," said Vic Edwards, past president of Portage Heritage Inc. and current chairmen of the Save the CPR Station Committee.
 
Today, the building with its Romanesque Revival style, symmetrical facades, squat columns, massive round-headed arches, and heavily textured and polychromatic surfaces, has undergone a transformation after a 2002 fire almost gutted the interior.
 
"We're probably getting through three-quarters of the repairs and the major stumbling blocks are complete. We're hoping to be in the finishing mode now," said Edwards.
 
Portage la Prairie Heritage Inc. has managed to raise $240,000 over the past 11 years and needs another $400,000 to complete the project.
 
The heritage committee, which designated the station under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act as the Canadian Pacific Railway Heritage Park and Interpretive Centre, is hoping a number of upcoming events will shrink the financial gap.
 
"We have model railroad days coming up in May and an antique and collectibles show the first weekend in June. We've also rented out the CanadInn curling rink for a benefit and we're close to selling out all 100 tables. We're hoping it'll give a substantial boost to our funds," said Edwards, adding donations from local businesses have been crucial to the renovations and operations at the centre.
 
The committee is also hoping that with the completion of the bathrooms this spring, tourists will be more eager to visit the site's attractions such as the mail car, two cabooses, a 25-tonne CN engine nicknamed "Snoopy", and its ever-changing Lilliputian railroad sets.
 
They also hope to have a gift shop open this Christmas for the Home for The Holidays tour which could bring in around 500 people to the centre.
 
"Bottom line is that heritage is a tough sell," said Edwards.
 
"This present generation is so busy keeping up with the Joneses and busy with family and current things that the days of grandfather and grandmother are almost forgotten. We need to remember our heritage. You don't know where you're going if you don't know where you came from."
 
Edwards hopes renovations will be completed by 2015.

Svjetlana Mlinarevic.