Niagara Railway Museum on the right track honouring Fort Erie’s railway legacy

Fort Erie has a rich railway history dating back to the 1800s and remains important as the Canadian end of the International Railway Bridge to Buffalo, N.Y.

Its’s also a place for locomotive enthusiasts to feel welcomed when they visit the Niagara Railway Museum, a massive building at 21 Warren Street that operated as the Canadian National Fort Erie Diesel Shop, a facility responsible for maintenance and heavy repairs along the railway in the early 1950s until it was decommissioned in 1989.

This weekend, the railway museum hosted Rail Days, an annual event welcoming the community to get a glimpse of everything being offered. There are hundreds of pieces of memorabilia, as well as four steam locomotives, along with electric and diesel equipment.

Two railcars have been converted into showrooms filled with pieces of rail history.

The museum was founded 27 years ago but moved into its Fort Erie location in 2010.

President Ken Jones said most of the pieces on display are donated or acquired online and at train shows.

“I don’t like to see things sit stagnant,” he told Fort Erie Radio as guests started to arrive Saturday morning.

He believes it’s important to keep things fresh.

“When you have a repeat visit, you want them to see something different,” said Jones, adding that “a lot of stuff is getting harder to find.”

Two steam engines that were previously at Marineland for about 40 years were donated to the museum. What makes them unique is that they were built in Yugoslavia.

“They’ve been here longer than they were over there,” said Jones, who also paid tribute to Marie Holer, the owner of Marineland who died Friday.

Her husband and founder of the park, John Holer, died in 2018.

“She’s the one who made sure those locomotives were saved,” said Jones.

The museum is fueled mostly by donations and has received grants to help with the operation; one to install new safety railings, another to purchase accounting software, as well as a boost from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to renovate a portion of the building’s roof.

In the past, vandalism and trespassing have been an issue. Jones told Fort Erie Radio on Saturday that a recent wave of graffiti has been something to deal with, but that these issues haven’t been as bad as they were years ago.

Asked about what started his passion for the rail world, Jones said he started tinkering with model trains when he was two years old, and then it “spiraled out of control” after that.

Jeff and Amanda Schuts made the trip from Welland on Saturday. Jeff has a “general interest” in rail history, but also likes to support local events and efforts.

“This looks like a great little project for the area,” he said.

Amanda enjoyed the railcars stocked with memorabilia.

“It feels like you’re stepping into history,” she said.

The museum is open between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturdays, from Mother’s Day weekend until October.

It is a registered charity run solely by volunteers. Anyone looking to get involved can email info@nfrm.ca or call (905) 357-6539.

Rail Days continues tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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