Railway museum open weekend offers glimpse into Niagara history

For over 40 years they were the Schrodinger’s Cat of Niagara railway lore: Two locomotives stored in Niagara Falls that seemingly existed and didn’t exist at the same time.

That was until two years ago when the proverbial box was pried open and the two historic pieces of equipment were unveiled at the Niagara Railway Museum in Fort Erie. Marking the two newest locomotive additions to the museum’s collection, the European built machines were on display this past weekend as the museum held one of its three annual open weekend events.

“They came from Yugoslavia and were in storage in Niagara Falls for 42 years,” said Ken Jones, president and founder of the museum, a non-profit charitable organization tasked with preserving local railway heritage.

“Nobody would see them unless you were family, or very good friends.”

When he was building Marineland, John Holer brought the two locomotives over from the former central European country. While they wouldn’t typically be appropriate for amusement parks, Jones said the sheer size of the Niagara Falls site changed the math.

“These locomotives are not amusement park locomotives. Nobody in their right mind would ever bring over full sized locomotives. But when you’re 3,000 acres, it becomes an amusement park locomotive,” he said.

However, the plan to use them at the park never materialized, and they ended up sitting in storage for over 40 years until the Holler family reached out to Jones and his organization. Jones said at first he thought the family was offering to donate a model train set.

“It was a big shock when we got the call,” he said. “They’ve been a pretty good attraction, and they’re in beautiful condition.”

While not operational, the two locomotives have been a big addition to the museum’s collection. Jones said they’re in phenomenal shape and could be fully restored, though that work would cost upwards of $1 million.

Instead, they sat idle on the tracks at the Warren Street museum, alongside other pieces of railway history, including steam, electric and diesel locomotives, and the second oldest National Steel Car (NSC) railcar in existence. Many had important roles, such as working on the Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Generating Stations.

The NSC railcar came from a Fenwick farm, whose owners had purchased it with the plans to turn it into a pool house. That never happened, and eventually the museum was able to acquire it.

Jones founded the museum 28 years ago. He’s had a lifelong passion for trains and said they’re an important part of Niagara, and specifically Fort Erie’s, history.

“Fort Erie can base half its being on the railway, and it’s gone. There are a couple of trains that run through here a day, and that’s it. The history is gone,” he said. “This was a major facility at one point.”

In fact, there was a time when just about everyone in Fort Erie either worked on the railway or knew someone who did, Jones said.

Running the museum remains a challenging proposition for the charity. Jones said he’s grateful for the small core of members and volunteers who punch above their weight to work on the various restoration, cleaning and painting projects required. He said one of the goals of the museum is to always provide a new experience, and it takes a lot of work to ensure that’s the case.

“We’re always looking for volunteers,” he said. Donations, too, are always welcome, and Jones said as a registered charity they can offer tax receipts.

And while it takes a lot of money and work to keep the museum going, Jones said it’s worth it when he sees the next generation of train enthusiasts come for a visit.

“Honestly it’s just seeing kids come out and being able to get right up and stand next to a train in awe. Seeing a smile on kids’ faces. And some of them study the stuff and they know so much about it,” he said.

The museum remains open every Saturday to October from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The next major event will be RailDays on September 6 and 7, with the fall Niagara Model Railway Show planned for October 26 at the Merritton Community Centre.

The museum is located at 21 Warren Street and online at nfrm.ca.

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