The Waterloo Central Railway (WCR) is a non-profit

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

owned and operated by the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society (SOLRS). In May 2007, SOLRS received joint approval from the Region of Waterloo and the City of Waterloo to run trains from Waterloo to St Jacobs and potentially as far north as Elmira. On a typical operating day, the train runs three times a day on Tuesdays (June to August), Thursdays (May to October) and Saturday (April to October). In 2015, the railway lost regular running rights south of Northfield Drive to make way for the Ion light rail project. All Market Train service now runs between

St. Jacobs Farmers' Market St. Jacobs Farmers' Market is a farmers' market and flea market in Woolwich, Ontario, Canada. It is located to the south of King Street North, to the east of Weber Street North, and to the west of the railway tracks. It is the largest year-roun ...

, the Village of St. Jacobs, and

Elmira, Ontario Elmira is the largest community in the township of Woolwich, Ontario, Canada. It is north of the city of Waterloo near the Regional Municipality of Waterloo's northern border with Wellington County. The community was listed in the 2016 Canadi ...

. The train also runs on certain special events including the Maple Syrup Festival in early April.

Operations and milestones

Running rights

The WCR operates on the former

Canadian National The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN ...

Waterloo Spur now owned by the

Region of Waterloo The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Waterloo Region or Region of Waterloo) is a metropolitan area of Southern Ontario, Canada. It contains the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo (KWC or Tri-Cities), and the townships of North Dumf ...

, which connects Elmira, St. Jacobs and Waterloo to Kitchener, Ontario by rail. Through an agreement with the Region of Waterloo, the WCR operates passenger service in daytime hours, and the

Goderich–Exeter Railway The Goderich–Exeter Railway is a short line freight railway that operates around of track in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Created in 1992, it was the first short line railway in Canada to be purchased from a class I railway, in this case ...

operates freight service in evening hours. From 2007 to 2014, the WCR leased space in the City of Waterloo Visitor and Heritage Information Centre which was formerly owned by the Waterloo-St. Jacobs Railway. As of 2015, the WCR no longer operates south of Northfield Drive.

Before 2007

The Waterloo-St. Jacobs Railway operated on the Waterloo Spur between 1997 and 2000. When it ceased operations, the Region of Waterloo purchased the railway right-of-way and the City of Waterloo acquired the railway's modern Waterloo station. SOLRS operated on the line briefly in 2003 as part of a province-wide steam tour in Ontario. Spirit of St

2007 to 2014

The inaugural season began in 2007 with diesel-hauled service serving Waterloo, the St. Jacobs Market and the Village of St. Jacobs on Market Days. exEssex Terminal Railway Steam Engine Number 9 was moved along with most of the SOLRS equipment from St. Thomas to Waterloo Region in the fall. Santa Claus trains begin this season as well. The 2008 season added annual excursions to service the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival. In 2010 a restoration and service shop in St. Jacobs allowed for the reactivation of the restoration programme. Ex. ETR #9 was stored under cover for the first time since it arrived from St. Thomas. Ex. CN 79482

caboose A caboose is a crewed North American railroad car coupled at the end of a freight train. Cabooses provide shelter for crew at the end of a train, who were formerly required in switching and shunting, keeping a lookout for load shifting, dam ...

was restored as WCR 482 and returned to service. Ex. CNR 50845 Burro Crane and steam locomotive 124 were relocated to St. Jacobs. The final train departed from the Waterloo station on Sunday, December 14, 2014. No further services will depart from the Waterloo station.

2015 and beyond

In 2015, the St. Jacobs Farmers Market Station became the main departure point for all future Market Train departures. The 2017 season began with an excursion to the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival departing from the St. Jacobs Farmers Market station on 1 April 2017. The Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society also runs a Rail School to teach people certain aspects of train operation. On completion of the full hours of training, graduates can receive Ministry of Transportation Certification as Engineer, Conductor, or Safety Crew. As of the 2018 season, the railway's southern terminus is Northfield Drive in Waterloo, just north of the Ion system's Northfield station.

Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society

The Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society (SOLRS) is the parent organization that operates the Waterloo Central Railway. SOLRS became a registered Canadian charity in 1988 and maintains that status today. The mandate of SOLRS is to preserve, to restore and to operate vintage railway equipment for the education and enjoyment of the public and to present the cultural heritage in a new and more meaningful way to generations past, present and future.

Equipment

Motive power

* Engine 1001, a diesel-powered MLW S-13

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the ...

built in 1959 for the

Pacific Great Eastern Railway The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

as 1001. In regular active service. * Engine 1002, a diesel-powered MLW S-13

built in 1959 for the

as 1002. In regular active service. * Engine 1437, a diesel-powered GMD GMD1

built in 1958 for the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

as 1012. In operating status. * Engine 9, former Essex Terminal Railway

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

Number 9, a

0-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. This was the most common wheel arrang ...

switcher A switcher, shunter, yard pilot, switch engine, yard goat, or shifter is a small railroad locomotive used for manoeuvring railroad cars inside a rail yard in a process known as ''switching'' (US) or ''shunting'' (UK). Switchers are not inten ...

built in 1923 at

Montreal Locomotive Works Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883 to 1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. For a number of years it was a subsidiary of the American Locomot ...

. In occasional service. * Engine 6593, a diesel-powered MLW 105 ton S-3

built in 1957 for the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canad ...

as 6593. It is in active service. * Steam Engine 124. Under active restoration.

Rolling stock

SOLRS has a variety of heritage cars in active service and others that await restoration. When SOLRS takes extended tours, they also bring a

baggage car A passenger railroad car or passenger car (United States), also called a passenger carriage, passenger coach (United Kingdom and International Union of Railways), or passenger bogie (India) is a railroad car that is designed to carry passeng ...

, two air-dump

hopper car A hopper car (US) or hopper wagon ( UIC) is a type of railroad freight car used to transport loose bulk commodities such as coal, ore, grain, and track ballast. Two main types of hopper car exist: covered hopper cars, which are equipped with ...

s, two

boxcar A boxcar is the North American (AAR) term for a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is considered one of the most versatile since it can carry most ...

s and tanker with them.

Former motive power and rolling stock

* Engine 1518, a GE 95 ton locomotive built in 1956. The engine was donated by Praxair Inc. of Tonawanda,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. This engine has since been scrapped as restoration was not feasible. * Engine 1556, a GE 70 ton locomotive built in 1950 for the

as 556. Has been returned to active freight service as of July 2018

Restoration shop

A restoration and repair shop in the Village of St. Jacobs was completed in mid-2010.

References

External links

* * {{Canada class 2 Heritage railways in Ontario Passenger rail transport in Waterloo, Ontario Rail transport in Woolwich, Ontario Standard gauge railways in Canada