Step onto the platform and go back in time with the Waterloo Central Railway (WCR).
Take the picturesque 1926 steam engine passenger train from St. Jacobs Farmer’s Market to Elmira.
The not-for-profit, volunteer-run passenger train runs three round trips through the countryside on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from spring to fall.
Since the restoration to the Essex Terminal Railway steam locomotive No. 9 was completed, the WCR has used the engine to take passengers on special excursions.
The railway also used a vintage diesel engine from the ‘50s to take scheduled trips through the countryside.
Officials say WCR is one of three groups in Canada that has a working standard gauge steam locomotive that runs a scheduled service. The steam train has been used in TV shows such as Murdoch Mysteries, as well as movies and advertisements.
The railway, owned and operated by the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society (SOLRS), has been through some setbacks lately.
As Waterloo Region went ahead with the construction of the Ion light rail transit system, the WRC had to continue elsewhere.
WCR director Dave Banks said it was a hardship they had to overcome.
“There were rumours going around that we were going out of business and that we were going to disappear; (we are) overcoming that one so that people know that we are alive and well,” said Banks.
Initially the train ran from downtown Waterloo to the St. Jacobs Farmer’s Market and over nine years, the passenger train has carried over 119,000 people. The train was more of a shuttle, but now Banks wants it to be known as a tourist attraction.
“We’re kind of reinventing ourselves to make it an experience, not to just take a train ride but have the experience,” said Banks.
In 2015, WCR looked north in order to continue operating. Leaving from the market, passengers travel through the countryside to St. Jacobs and north to Elmira.
The St. Jacobs platform is at the WCR restoration shop. Banks said the building, constructed in 2010, has become a tourist stop, where people can see the active restoration process. The team has been working to turn it into a functioning museum.
They are building a permanent station at the St. Jacobs Farmer’s Market stop but the Elmira’s station has yet to be constructed. People can still board and disembark the train but Banks is hoping to complete a platform in Elmira.
Stations are not the only plans for
the WCR. It is renovating another steam engine from the 1930s, a car for corporate meetings and a dining car from the 1940s.
Volunteers
Steam team leader Irvon Weber and Banks said none of this would have happened without volunteers.
Banks, from Guelph-Eramosa, has a passion for trains and his grandfather used to drive trains, so he was happy to volunteer.
Gloria Hall and her husband have been volunteers with the railway since it began in 2007.
“When this came to town we wanted to volunteer to see what it was like and we are still here,” she said.
What they call the “dirty hands club” is a group of volunteers that help with steam heat plumbing, car roof repair, equipment painting and more.
Weber said they are always in need of more volunteers to help with everything from mechanical jobs to administrative tasks.
Tradition
People travel from all over to experience the heritage train.
Manna Saito, who travelled from Niagara Falls, said she really enjoyed the ride.
“I came to St. Jacobs a couple of years ago but it wasn’t the day the train (was) running. I wanted to come back here for (the) train ride,” said Saito.
Other families keep coming back, making it a family tradition.
“They love the train and we come every year. So it’s a tradition that we’ve been doing for four years now,” said Liz Kennedy, who brought her two children to experience the train.
WCR runs a number of special excursions throughout the year. On Aug. 3 passengers can take the steam train from the market to Elmira, crossing the Conestogo River and stopping for a photo-op along the way.
Tickets are $28 for adults, $17 for children under 19, and toddlers under two are free.
“We want them to have a pleasant experience that is a nice ride going through the county and experience the whole area,” said Banks.
Find out more about the history of the railway and its special events at www.waterloocentralrailway.com.
