Waterloo-St. Jacobs Railway
Encyclopedia
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
west of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
that ran between Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
and St. Jacobs, Ontario
St. Jacobs, Ontario
The community of St. Jacobs is located in southwest Ontario, just north of Waterloo in Woolwich Township, Waterloo Region. It is a popular location for tourism, due to its Mennonite heritage and retail focus. The Conestogo River, which powered the village's original gristmill, runs through the...
from 1997 to 1999.
The railway used two diesel locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s built in the 1950s, originally owned by Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
s, and repainted them in their original paint scheme. The locomotives were named Spirit of St. Jacobs and Pride of Waterloo. It also had several passenger cars painted in the same paint scheme.
Excursions had three stops, and visitors could board on a later train. The Railway allowed visitors to see farms of the Old Order Mennonites and visit the village of St. Jacobs.
The railway ceased operation in 2000 due to maintenance costs. In late 2006, the two diesels and three passenger cars were purchased by the West Coast Railway Association
West Coast Railway Association
The West Coast Railway Association is a heritage railway and museum located on Government Road in Squamish, British Columbia near Vancouver, whose purpose is to collect, preserve and restore railway cars and artifacts and operate a licensed railway....
. However, as of spring 2008 the diesels and one passenger car remain in Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
's Mimico maintenance yard.
Waterloo Central Railway
Waterloo Central Railway
The Waterloo Central Railway is a non-profit organization that is owned and operated by the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society . In May 2007, SOLRS received approval from the City of Waterloo to run trains from Waterloo to St Jacobs...
, and run the train three times a day on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday from June until December.
Waterloo Central Railway began operations in June 2007 and continued until December 22, 2007. It began its 2008 season with a series of runs to the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival
Elmira Maple Syrup Festival
The Elmira Maple Syrup Festival is an annual festival held in Elmira, Ontario, Canada.The yearly festival began on April 10, 1965. Organizers anticipated 2,500 attendees, but instead it drew a crowd of 10,000 visitors, thus ensuring its continuation...
at the end of March 2008.
The 2008 season operates Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays beginning in Waterloo at the station at 10 Father David Bauer Drive departing at 10am, noon and 2pm with stops at the St. Jacob's Farmer's Market (at the back beside the stockyards) and the Village of St. Jacob's (the corner of Cedar and Isabella Street).