Our Featured Activities
- All ages
- 1 hour
Step aboard the Daylight Christmas Express for a magical heritage train ride filled with festive characters, seasonal entertainment, and holiday surprises. This warm, family-friendly Christmas experience concludes with a special visit from Santa and gifts for every passenger.
- Ages 19+
- 1 hour
Santa’s Night Cap – The Last Call Limited is an adults-only holiday train experience filled with festive entertainment, interactive characters, and plenty of seasonal cheer. Guests can enjoy a unique night out with friends or a date while riding through dazzling Christmas lights alongside a party-ready Santa.
- All ages
- Custom
Charter an entire train for your corporate event, group or family outing. Reserve an entire car on one of our regularly scheduled trains, or join us on special occasion trains such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, Heritage Tea Trains, Heritage Hopper, Fall Colours, Christmas and more!
- New
- All ages
- 1 hr 45 min
Heritage Hopper is a Hop On / Hop Off service travelling between Waterloo and Elmira, with stops at Waterloo Northfield ION, St Jacobs Farmers Market, St. Jacobs village and Elmira. Thursdays and Saturdays from April to October, and Tuesdays throughout July and August.
ABOUT WATERLOO CENTRAL RAILWAY
Bringing History to Life
Waterloo Central Railway is a heritage railway offering historic passenger train rides between Northfield Drive in Waterloo, the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market, the village of St. Jacobs and town of Elmira. We are proudly operated by the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society (SOLRS), a not-for-profit, registered charitable organization. All ticket proceeds go to supporting operations and restoration programs that our volunteers complete at our restoration and maintenance facility in St. Jacobs.
TOP-RATED WATERLOO TRAIN EXCURSIONS!
What a fun day! For my mom's 75th birthday we planned a 'girls day'! We ranged in age from 16-75 and we ALL loved the experience. The train arrived on time and everyone was so friendly. The crew is all volunteers and you can tell, they love what they do and wanted us to enjoy our trip. Fantastic trip all around. Thank you for preserving the rail system!
– Jane | Tripadvisor
I recently attended the Thanksgiving Steam Train Excursion with my family. Our first time ever riding a train! We had a wonderful time on board. We were absolutely mesmerized by the steam locomotive which is apparently one of few in Canada that is actually in working order- WOW! The staff and volunteers were also so friendly and helpful.
– Light Packer | Tripadvisor
Waterloo Central Railway is a great experience throughout the entire year. They truly go above and beyond to ensure that all guests have a fantastic time. You won't be disappointed in choosing to spend a day or evening whether it is with family or friends. The specialty themed events are a hit too! Be sure to take a train ride if you're in the area!
– James B. | Tripadvisor
We had a terrific time yesterday, everyone really enjoyed it. A great adventure, lots to explore for the kids, and being able to sit up top and watch the scenery go by was wonderful. There was huge excitement when we went over the train bridge. The kids just loved it! Thanks again to all the volunteers who work hard to make the WCR the best!
– Diane K. | Tripadvisor
Amazing! I was greeted warmly by the volunteer crew when I arrived. There was a snack bar where you could get little snacks and drinks. During the journey, there was someone explaining what was around the area. I'll definitely be back during the summer! Highly recommend to any family with kids, or anyone that wants a tour of the countryside!
– Matt S. | Tripadvisor