Choo Choose the Train

In the summer it’s fun to make up our own special days. It’s Cupcake Day (read: cupcakes for breakfast)! It’s Breakfast for Dinner Day! And one of our favourites…Train Day!

And so it shall be.

It’s easy to plan a train day when we’re looking for something different to do here in O-town. 

Take the O-train
The simplest activities are often the most fun. At $1.50 to 2.50 a ticket, this is the least expensive way to celebrate Train Day. (Children under 6 ride for free.) Consider taking the bus to the train for added excitement. Greenboro Station has plenty of free parking. Pack a lunch and take the train to Carleton University and enjoy a picnic by the Rideau River. 

Get Up Close
There’s a real steam locomotive in the Technology Park outside the Canada Science and Technology Museum. It operated in eastern Canada before being transferred to the museum in 1967. If you’re looking for a break from the heat (or the rain!) check out their collection of railway history indoors. On Wednesdays and Sundays you can take a 10-minute ride in vintage rail cars, drawn by a steam locomotive and operated by volunteers of the Bytown Railway Society.

On Sunday, July 26, you can see steam machines in action and learn about the power of the past through interactive workshops and children’s activities at the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum. You can even take a ride with the Ottawa Valley Live Steamers and Model Engineers on their model train.

Take a Trip on the Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Steam Train
This vintage train (one of Canada’s last remaining authentic steam-powered trains) starts in Gatineau and ambles slowly along the river through cottage country and forests and past cottagers, cyclists and waving children all the way to Wakefield. 

Reserve your seats for this scenic five-hour round trip. It’s a 90-minute trip to Wakefield, two hours in Wakefield, and a 90-minute trip back. This might sound daunting but a bilingual tour guide, free face painting, and the occasional musical interlude (think accordion players and banjos) makes it fun and kid-friendly.

In fact, the sway of the train and its clickety-clack is so relaxing it might even lull you to sleep. (We spotted a number of babies asleep in their strollers so we know it’s not impossible.)

Seating is arranged in groups of four around tables, which is perfect for drawing, snacking and impromptu games of hangman or Go Fish. There is a very small restroom in each car and coffee and snacks (and train-related souvenirs) available for purchase on board. Order boxed lunches on the train to eat during your short stay in Wakefield or try our fave restaurant, Chez Eric, where the children’s meals were pronounced to be “the best ever” and the Quebec cheese plate duly impresses. Nab a table at the back of the patio. There’s a sandbox filled with sand toys which backs onto a garden, perfect for busy toddlers.

Just don’t get so carried away with the food that you miss the pivoting of the 93-ton steam engine when you get to Wakefield. Did you know that four guys can turn a train around?

Celebrate Train Day with any of these fun activities on offer. The best part is it can be any day you choose!

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