If you want to step back in time and explore what it was like to live a life on the rails then the Prince George Railway Museum is the place to be.
The museum sits on eight acres and is home to one of the largest vintage rail collections in British Columbia.
Museum staff are excited to celebrate a celebrity next month - Thomas the Tank Engine.
"The next event we have here is the Friends of Thomas," said Kathy Carlson, a museum employee. "Our facility gets all changed and decked out in costume... It's one of our bigger events. It's really great for families to come out and spend time together and explore our facilities."
The event is held from July 15 to 17.
The museum offers every day attractions as well with more than 60 pieces of railway cars and equipment including the functional Cottonwood Miniature Railway that travels along 3,000 feet of track that includes tunnels and a beehive burner that is featured prominently in the corner of the property.
The train ride also allows visitors to see the museum from a different viewpoint.
"It's nice to watch the connection with seniors and kids," said Carlson. "Many of the seniors have memories of the trains and they tell the stories to the kids."
The Penny Station on the museum site is a type-E Grand Truck Pacific station, built in 1914 for the town of Lindup, B.C.. The town never grew in population and in 1947 the station was moved by flat car to the town of Penny, B.C., just outside of Prince George.
"Penny is known for being the only community in Canada where the train still drops off the mail," said Carlson.
Visitors have a chance to learn what it would be like to work on the rail systems by exploring the different types of cars and different types of trains, including a steam locomotive from 1906, a snow plow used to clear the tracks and an electric locomotive that was built specifically for use on the Tumbler Ridge line to haul coal.
The line was electrified because of the proximity to the WAC Bennett dam and because long tunnels meant diesel engines couldn't be used.
The museum also offers a look at how the Prince George Fire Department used to use a horse-pulled fire sleigh that was in service from 1918 until 1928.
"It's really interesting to see the difference between the high class coach and the one behind it, the Takla coach," said Carlson.
"The Takla was used to carry staff members from the Takla region to Prince George so it's really very basic. The Nechako is the VIP coach and we do host dinners in the car as well. It was used in Expo 86 where Princess Diana and Prince Charles has tea along with other dignitaries."
The museum opened in July of 1986 to coincide the 150th anniversary of rail travel in Canada.
For more information visit www.pgfrm.bc.ca or call 250-563-7351.
