Waterloo to St Jacobs railway

Later today we shall be revisiting St Jacobs using the Waterloo to St Jabobs railway.

St Jacobs, or ‘Jakobstettl’ in the local Pennsylvania Dutch, is the heart of St Jacobs Country, a primary tourist destination north of Waterloo, Ontario.

St Jacobs is home base to the network of Home Hardware, Home Furniture, Home Building Supplies stores across Canada. St Jacobs is in the heart of North Waterloo’s well-known Mennonite and Amish country. Driving in the area likely as not you will share the road with their horse-drawn buggies, particularly Sundays which is a day of church-going and visiting, and on Market Days when they are on the way to and from Market. Many offer home-grown produce, and home-made baking and preserves from home or road-side stands.

There are two main tourist destinations in the area. The market is located immediately north of the Waterloo city limits. The historic village is located three kilometres to the north

The Waterloo-St. Jacobs Railway (WSJR) was a heritage railway in Waterloo, Ontario, west of Toronto. It ran between Waterloo and St. Jacobs, Ontario from 1997 to 1999.

The railway used two diesel locomotives built in the 1950s, originally owned by Canadian National Railways, 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. However, as of spring 2008 the diesels and one passenger car remain in VIA Rail’s Mimico maintenance yard.

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).