The Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield steam train has been sold to a group of developers from outside the region, leaving its current owners with 30 days to match the offer or lose the popular tourist attraction.
A news release was issued Wednesday by the train's board of governors, saying the bid was the $550,000 asked for by the board.
The board now has until Nov. 29 to exercise its right of first refusal and match the offer for the equipment, and said they voted unanimously to take all necessary steps to keep the train in the region.
Louise Boudrias, president of the board, said they can't raise this money alone - they need help from local, regional, provincial and federal partners to be able to respond.
The board said the train generates over $8 million to the regional economy every year, but had to be shut down in late June after heavy rains washed out its tracks.
The train was put up for sale online in mid-July. It was built in Sweden in 1907 and brought across the Atlantic Ocean in 1992, according to its website.
