The City of Prince George has owned the Little Prince train for more than 50 years but hasn’t done nearly enough to monetize the gem it got for free in 1971.
It’s time to change that.
Exploration Place CEO Tracy Calogheros asked city council Monday to invest $100,000 a year in the Little Prince for the next three to five years, along with following through on a pre-pandemic promise to build a new work shed and storage facility. The museum has operated the train since 2009.
From a spending standpoint, that’s the equivalent of the average annual wages and benefits of a single city employee, so it’s not a huge ask.
But why stop there? Why not spend more money on the Little Prince to maximize its earning potential for the city?
Instead of just operating Thursday through Sundays during the summer months, why not have the train running during the Christmas season as part of a slate of winter activities on site, with hot chocolate and tasty treats for sale? Perhaps the Railway and Forestry Museum’s annual Celebration of Lights could also be moved there, too.
Who wouldn’t take visiting friends and family to that?
And paying for it shouldn’t be that hard.
CN currently pays the City of Prince George $75,000 per year for naming rights to CN Centre in a deal that expires next year.
Would CN pay the city $150,000 or more per year in a new deal that also includes naming rights for the Little Prince, as well as granting permission for the railway to use the Little Prince in any of its marketing and promotions material?
It’s a question worth asking.
Furthermore, a Little Prince partnership between the City of Prince George and CN could also allow for repair and maintenance training opportunities for CN employees, as well as keeping retired CN pensioners engaged through a beloved community icon.
The business case for the Little Prince is on top of the historic and nostalgic reasons to keep the train rolling.
The Little Prince was one of a group of six-tonne Dickies, circa 1912, used to build the rail line from the Alberta border to Prince Rupert. It was the only one saved and today, it operates on just 2.2 km of track, making it Canada’s shortest railway line.
Those unique qualities make the Little Prince a valuable, revenue-generating civic asset worthy of continued investment support.
Neil Godbout is The Citizen’s editor
