About Us
Our Mandate
The York-Durham Heritage Railway Association is a nonprofit organization operated by a team of dedicated volunteers and passionate staff. Our mandate is to preserve and promote the heritage of Canadian railways of South-Central Ontario.
- Purchase, preserve and operate railway equipment from the mid-1900’s
- Offer a unique tourist train experience on our heritage coaches, including on-board entertainment, snack bar and souvenir stand.
- Establish and maintain a museum of railway memorabilia
- Promote rail heritage education
Our Train Trips
From our popular open-doors baggage car you can watch the countryside roll by, and in our newly acquired 1950’s snack car, purchase snacks, drinks, and even ice cream. Regular Sunday trains will take you through the Uxbridge-Stouffville corridor, with a brief stop in the town of Stouffville. We have dinner trains, family trains, and kiddie-themed trains such as Day out With Thomas, Winnie Festival, Halloween, and Santa. Check out our complete list trips. Our train is equipped with a wheelchair accessible washroom, and souvenir stand.
Our Equipment
The majority of our operating equipment is from the 1950s. Though our passenger coaches are close to 70 years old, they are refurbished and comfortably heated during the winter months, and air-conditioned for those hot and sultry summer days. Learn more about our rolling stock. Restoration and maintenance of our equipment, as well as track repairs, are ongoing and costly endeavours. If you’d like to make a contribution to Canadian heritage, then please donate.
A Brief History
The current Stouffville-Uxbridge line was built in the 1860’s by William Gooderham, a well-known distiller from Toronto, to carry grain to his distillery as well as lumber for export and cordwood for resale. The line transferred ownership numerous times. Public service began on July 1st, 1871 as far as Uxbridge. In later years the line was extended as far north as Haliburton and east to Belleville.
In 1920 the line was transferred to the Government of Canada and became part of the Canadian National Railway. Over the years sections of the line were decommissioned. By 1996, the York-Durham Heritage Railway reopened the line between Uxbridge and Stouffville to offer heritage train rides to the public.
Learn More >>Our Locations
Interested in supporting the Railway?
- • Volunteer your time; Click here for opportunities .
- • Donate to a part of Canadian Heritage. Tax receipts available. This could be in-kind, artifacts or financial.
- • In-kind Donations; this can include anything from locomotive parts and railway ties in good condition, to special event items such as food and drinks. Tax receipts available at your request. (Email us at donations@ydhr.ca)
- • Donate railway artifacts for our museum. (Email us at donations@ydhr.ca )
- • Make a donation using PayPal or your Credit Card, receipts provided upon payment. Click Donate button below.
