halton county radial railway

My son and I discovered this placed 3 years ago when he was 4, and every year we go a couple of times with friends. Everyone of all ages love this place. The kids will love the trains in the barn, as well as the train ride into the forest. The trains are beautifully restored and you will appreciate the difference in the pace and quality of a different era. Beautiful, fun and relaxing. Can't wait to go next year!

Great place for kids and adults. Neat to see the history and to take a ride on many different trains. Can spend a short time or long time there depending how many different trains are running and how many you want to see. Definitely a fun experience for kiddies aged about 3-6.

This place is great if you are interested in historic trains and subways. They have a functioning historic train, as well as old subway cars, etc. The train runs on one of the historic streetcar tracks that used to run from Toronto to the various outer towns

The Halton County Radial Railway museum is an amazing collection of old trains, trolleys & trams. Great fun for all ages. Unlimited rides are available with your entry fee. You can also climb on and walk through a large number of rail based equipment.

Rail museums are, by definition, for train buffs. As a volunteer driven, donation funded, museum its in a permanent state of delicate decay and gradual rebuilding; which can be viewed as annoying and inconvenient when things are blocked off, or viewed as part of the essence of a live railway where things are not just on display. In that sense it doesn't feel like a museum, and more, as I'm sure it's volunteer members like it, like a functioning streetcar network; pile of old parts and the occasional decaying old tram included. For a kid with autism and a train fixation it's a dream come true. The day we visited there were three streetcars running in rotation up and down their stretch of track between the main yard and the "east end" where a retired street car has been fitted out as an ice cream cafe. The 20 minute circuit is perfect for taking one tram out, staying for an ice cream, and catching the next (different) tram car back. To complete the set, if 3 are running, take one more round trip. Then go visit the big barn full of old and restored subway cars, trams, maintenance cars and a handful of the hated (they replaced rail) buses. The big car barn could use more light - a few skylights would vastly improve the view-ability of the collection. The volunteers are very knowledgeable about the cars and history of light rail in Toronto and the region. Listen to what they say on the tram ride, and engage them in conversation, and even though without much of an interest in railways will be impressed and educated. Remarkably, we learned, they are located on what used to be a tram line that went from Toronto all the way to Guelph from the 1930s. A feat Ontario's modern regional commuter rail system has not yet managed to replicate.Food on premises is very limited - hot dogs, pop, chips, ice cream. And there isn't much around there. In fact, remarkably little. So if you end up there mid-day (which, since it opens at 11am is likely) - you want to pack a lunch. If its Sunday, then (as we discovered) what little there is in the surrounding towns is pretty much closed too.

The Halton County Radial Railway Museum is pleasant, but minor, attraction, best suited for families with young children who might have a train fixation. Admittedly, that is probably a large proportion of young families.The highlight, and one might say the 'raison d'etre', of the museum is a leisurely streetcar ride through an Ontario forest to the 'east loop', at which point patrons can disembark and wander a bit, although the distractions there are limited to a small pond with a few fish and the possibility of a frog sighting, and a couple of TTC trolleys, one of which is open and includes an ice cream dispensary. The main benefit of hopping off at the east loop is to experience a different streetcar--after a 20 minute wait. The 'little guy' in our charge filled the time by promptly assumed the driver's position on the stationary streetcar containing the ice cream vendor and 'driving' us around Toronto--if there were people around and if he had been beaten to that position, the 20 minute might have felt longer, quickly.Back at the main facility, we toured the two adjoining 'display barns', looking into and walking through about the right number of old and not-so-old streetcars and subway cars as you'd want to experience on a Saturday afternoon. Our little guy enjoyed running around quite freely, although some frustration was experienced when it was realized that the caboose on display was chained off so that it could only be looked into from the ends. Another barn was clearly bustling with volunteers working on current projects, but seemed to off-limits to visitors; I could be mistaken; I didn't test this.We hadn't packed a lunch and so gained enough sustenance at the basic 'canteen' on-premises: hot dogs, bags of chips and a couple of drinks. Other offerings included frozen treats and, I think, a couple of "pre-fab" pasta dishes, or similar.I have minor problems with the value proposition: both our tag-alongs were under 4, so the total outlay for us was our two adult admissions, just under $30 total, taxes in. If our charges were a couple years older, we would have used the $38 family rate. Certainly not expensive, but high enough to make one consider the alternatives, moving up the budget line to a Toronto Zoo, Royal Ontario Museum or Ontario Science Centre experience, or, for that matter, moving down to a swim/hike/nature/playground experience at Kelso or Valens.For my own interest, a greater focus on a broader history of this segment of the urban transit might have been interesting: I was surprised to learn, for example, of the Toronto Suburban Line, which one could think of "Go Transit, 1930 edition".Pros: pleasant country ambience, super-friendly staff in all areas, up close and personal with a variety of streetcars, trolleys and subway cars.Cons: notwithstanding the uniqueness of the attraction, a bit of a value stretch; the potential for boredom at certain intervals (i.e. waiting for a streetcar), and, in some areas, a bit of a run-down, yet oddly charming, environment.Tips: if you're going to eat there, eat first, then take the trolley to the east loop, disembark and have a scooped ice-cream dessert there. It'll make the wait that much more pleasant. And perhaps consider insect repellent, depending on current and past weather.

A great family outing with barns of historical streetcars and the opportunity to ride streetcars from yesterday. Picnic grounds available and fun for any children or adults interested in trains.

Visited with our 2 small kids and had a great time! Our oldest is really into trains and loved being able to ride the old trains.

Had a great time last night. Kids loved it. Staff is amazing, answered all questions about the equipment. They have done a great job preserving and keeping so much of it in running condition. The haunted barn at the end of the line spooked our little one but didn't frighten her. She loved the ride on the streetcar and the "Mad Scientist" in the car barn.

We had a great time there. U need about 2-3 hrs there depending on your child and how ling they wanto ride for. There are 3 trains to ride on. As well pack your own food because they only have ice cream and a snack bar with chips and pop.

I love trains. We had a blast riding the rails. We went on every ride we could. We also stepped onto every train.- some more than once - on display. It is nice how they are preserving history by breathing life into old, retired streetcars. Some of the cars you will likely remember seeing on the streets of Toronto. I love reading the old ads in the cars; they bring back so many memories. Lots of great work being done to preserve each car's natural features. Signage could be better; it was not always clear what was being displayed. Get the guidebook; it is very helpful and only a few dollars. There is a nice ice cream parlour(complete with a friendly, welcoming cat) in a streetcar at the end of the line next to the frog pond. Get off the train and enjoy the peace and quiet. The entire museum is very friendly to dogs; we had our Boston Terrier with us the whole time. Most of the staff are volunteers. Everyone is extremely friendly and knowledgeable. There is no question someone cannot answer. It is clear the volunteers have a passion for the place. I will definitely be back. Admission is very inexpensive. Give yourself about 2-4 hours to see and do everything.

After going to many child-oriented attractions during the summer of 2013, I convinced my 6 year-old daughter to go to the Halton County Radial Railway. For people coming from Durham (as we were) it was a long drive, but it was totally worth it. I had last visited the HCRR about 15 years ago, and I was delighted by it then. Today, however, it is totally amazing. As I walked into the large barn where they store the bulk of their collection I could not believe my eyes. There are representative samples of radial railway cars, subway cars, streetcars, specialty cars (including some that I remember seeing in service). We rode on a radial car from the London - Port Stanley line, and then on another open car, both of which were superb. The stop to get ice cream was magical - the lady serving there was so kind, the setup in the old street car was really neat, and to top it all off, an extremely friendly neighbourhood cat was walking around outside welcoming everybody. The volunteers who run this place should be incredibly proud of what they have accomplished. This is an awesome, important place for railfans and an accessible day out for everybody.

A great day. The rides on the street cars and the stop for ice cream along the tracks is a must for kids. We had a blast.

Great family destination. Perfect step back in time. Lots of parking and the guides are friendly and knowledgable

We had so much fun riding the streetcars! Also, we enjoyed looking at the displays. Ice cream was delicious. I especially enjoyed the volunteers that told many good stories about the streetcars history present (used for many movies and commercials) and past. We were in the Toronto area for several days and this was my favorite of all the places we went to.