A familiar site in the community was on the move Wednesday.
The coal car, located at the corner of Fourth Street and Souris Avenue South, was lifted from the site for a refurbishment. The coal car is expected to be gone for four to six weeks, and will then be returned to that location.
The United Mine Workers of America Local 7606 is taking care of the project. Dave Dukart said the coal car had deteriorated to the point where something had to be done, but they wanted to maintain its authenticity.
“Hopefully it will look a lot better when we’re all done,” said Dukart.
One of the big tasks will be to sandblast the metal, which is flaking, and to repaint it. Boards are rotting, and the union wants to find near-original boards that are the same size. The plaque, which has faded over the years, will be replaced.
Sky Lift Services helped out with the lifting and the transportation of the coal car, which has been in place for decades in memory of the miners killed during the Estevan Riot in September 1931.
Next week’s edition of the Mercury will have more on this story.
