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.