Family Day in Airdrie just got a bit more fun as Iron Horse Park announced its annual Frostbite Run will take place on Feb. 20.
“Everybody loves trains,” said Ray Verdone, president of the Alberta Model Engineering Society, which runs Iron Horse Park’s miniature trains. “There are very few people who don’t. It’s very different experience we provide, and there are very few clubs in Canada. We are the second largest after Vancouver in area and trackage. It’s very affordable for families. It’s a good place to spend some time.”
Weather-permitting, the Iron Horse Park Frostbite Run will allow local families to come out and enjoy a wintery scene while being pulled along the park’s 1.6-kilometre track in one of the park’s miniature locomotives.
Each ride takes about 10 to 15 minutes, so, according to Verdone, it’s just a nice little diversion to come out and do something different with the kids on Family Day this year.
Iron Horse Park traditionally only operates from the May long weekend until Thanksgiving, meaning the Family Day event is the park’s only public offering during the cold time of year.
“It’s a different feel in winter,” Verdone said. “After a while, people need a little train fix. So they come, have a ride, and they are done.
“It’s just a short little visit, and you will come back in the summer once you see what we have in the winter.”
Besides being able to ride along the rail tracks and get a little sunshine and fresh air on what is usually a brisk day, Verdone said Iron Horse Park’s store will be open throughout Feb. 20 if anyone wants to look over the shop’s selections of model trains and other railway-themed memorabilia.
Verdone warns any visitors thinking of coming out to make the trip to the park on Family Day to first look at the park’s website and Facebook page for the latest updates. If it is too cold, he said they would likely cancel the event as battery-powered, open-car trains have a tough time operating when the climate is not amenable.
“We are hoping we will be able to run, but we won’t know until the day before probably,” he explained.
The Family Day Frostbite Run at Iron Horse Park will begin at 11 a.m. and go until about 3 p.m.
Admission to the park is free, but the cost of journeys is $3 each.
Ticket bundles of eight for $20 are also available.
For more information on the Frostbite Run visit ironhorsepark.ca.
