Port Stanley, Ont. tourist attraction celebrates 40 year anniversary

It’s billed as 'Elgin Count’s longest running tourist attraction'.

The Port Stanley Terminal Rail (PSTR) is celebrating a historic anniversary.

"This is PSTR’s 40th year in business, and, it's quite an achievement for an all volunteer group," said Dan Vernackt, president of PSTR for over 20 years.

"My grandfather worked for the railway for 42 years, so railroading in the blood. I'm happy to do it, and I’m happy to see all the smiles on the people's faces that ride the train."

The one-hour return trip ride from Port Stanley to south of St. Thomas runs Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

The Port Stanley Terminal Rail takes off from Port Stanley, Ont. on a one-hour scenic tour on July 3, 2024 (Brent Lale/CTV London)

"We were going to go to the beach, and we saw people on the trains so we thought we’d come over" said John Croft, who was visiting with his granddaughter Lainey and wife Sophia from London. “We've been planning on it for a while and Lainey spotted it coming over the bridge."

Others like Daniel Byrne and John Schwartz from Ingersoll, Ont. were visiting Port Stanley. "We wanted to take a day trip and try something new, so we decided to go on a train," said Byrne.

A lot has changed over the 40 years in business, but one of the most recent changes has been the most successful.

They switched to an online booking system after the pandemic, and ticket sales have increased every year after.

"When the guys started it the back in the early 1980’s, Port Stanley was at the bottom end of the scale," said Vernackt. "They were looking for new life and this was really the first one in Ontario to be given a provincial licence since 1936. The government didn’t really know what to do with us, and we got shuffled around a bit by the MTO but here we are 40 plus years later, and we're still rolling."

Volunteer conductor Mark Askew said to dedicate your time to something like this, you have "to love trains."

"I think we see the expression on young people that have never rode a train," said Askew.

"We had the Kettle Creek Public School on board last week. We have the high school and Parkside on board. We just share the history and a lot of people as close as we are to London… they've never been on the train before and didn’t even know it existed. They’re shocked."