Passers-by may have noticed some new construction taking place at Heritage Acres, beside the Pat Bay highway in Central Saanich.
The building is a new station house for the model railway that, every summer, delights visitors with a tour of the historical site. The train is a 7.5 gauge, one-eighth size replica of the wood burning “locies” that of the “Cordwood Limited” that once hauled trains throughout the Saanich Peninsula.
“We’ve been at this for 40 years and for the past 25 years we’ve been using a tent as our station for the train, but it finally gave up the ghost, so it’s very fortunate that we’ve been able to build this new station,” said Bob Buckle of the Vancouver Island Model Engineers (VIME), the organization that works within Heritage Acres to operate the train at the site.
“It’s all thanks to a wonderful and very special lady named Molly Bell.”
Buckle went on to explain that Molly Bell had been a long time volunteer who along with her husband, had spent countless hours at Heritage Acres, cutting grass, trimming bushes and generally keeping the grounds looking good for the thousands of visitors to the site.
“After her husband died, Molly kept coming out, three days a week,” said Buckle.
When Bell passed away, Buckle said that she bequeathed the historical site a “considerable amount of money” and that gift arrived just as the previous station tent became unserviceable.
“We’re building this new station now and it’s going to be great. There’s a loading area and a 24-foot square waiting area that will also be used for other special events throughout the year.”
A grand opening is planned for the new station during the last week in September (dates will be announced) at which time the building will take on the official name of the benefactor that made the structure possible. The Molly Bell Station will open to the public and will, for decades to come, honour the dedication and generosity of an amazing volunteer.
The train ride is one of the most popular attractions at Heritage Acres as it traces a route from the roundhouse to the second-growth forest on the site and over Sandhill Creek. The rides are provided by donation on most occasions and the schedule of when rides is listed on the Heritage Acres web site at heritageacresbc.ca/trains.
Beyond the train rides, Heritage Acres is home to a series of historical buildings, including a boathouse, a schoolhouse, a church (that can be booked for weddings and other special events), a street car barn, a working sawmill, a blacksmith and more.
The site is also home to vintage cars and tractors and two working steam engines, as well as a vast collection of historic farm equipment.
Some of this equipment will be in use during the Heritage Acres Fall Threshing Weekend (Sept. 15 and 16) when a demonstration of farming techniques from another age will be on full display.
Between October 19 and 21 (4:30 to 8:30 p.m.), VIME will be hosting the Pumpkin Express a chance to take a spooky ride just before Halloween.
After Halloween, the Cystic Fibrosis Pumpkin Smash will take place at the site and participants will be able to launch a pumpkin to its final resting place, all in the interests of raising funds for Cystic Fibrosis research.
For more information on Heritage Acres, go to heritageacresbc.ca.
editor@peninsulanewsreview.com
