Tottenham Ontario - The South Simcoe Railway (SSR) is being recognized for the contributions the historic tourist attraction has made to the community.
 
Members of the not-for-profit corporation were recently presented with a plaque from Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson in honour of the inaugural train ride, which took place 20 Jun 1992.
 
SSR president and operations manager Eric Smith said the organization is looking forward to celebrating the 25th anniversary next year.
 
He said the railway, which is the oldest operating steam heritage railway in the province, has helped put Tottenham on the map by drawing thousands of visitors to the area.
 
"We're well over 650,000 people who've come to ride the train over the years," he said.
 
"That's a lot of people, it works out to about 26,000 people every year."
 
The organization is run by a group of about 20 volunteers, who do everything from maintenance and repairs, to conducting the trains.
 
In addition to being a main draw for tourists, the railway has been used as the backdrop for a number of movies and TV productions, like Murdoch Mysteries and Relic Hunter.
 
The railway currently has four locomotives, two of which operate on steam.
 
One of the steam trains, number 136, was involved in the construction of the transcontinental railway.
 
"It didn't work directly on the construction but it spent the first part of its life in the Ottawa-Eganville area where they were moving a lot of ties that were going west," he said.
 
SSR offers scenic tours from May to October and also runs special holiday excursions, like the Easter Express, the Haunted Halloween Adventure, and the Santa Claus Express.
 
Visitors get to experience the five-mile, 50-minute round trip in the countryside in the comfort of a 1920s coach car.
 
During the ride, passengers are also provided with some history on the rail line and the role trains played in Canada's formative years.
 
Brad Pritchard.