Many folks tell us they’ve got fond memories of railway travel through the Burlington Junction Station, and of the daily cacophony of steam locomotives (more than 40 a day!) coming and going through Burlington in the early Twentieth Century. So we’re holding a “nostalgia workshop” on Tuesday, June 21st from 1:30 PM - 3 PM at the Burlington Seniors’ Centre. Come and share your stories with the group. Free admission, register at the donor, donations toward the cost of restoring the Freeman Station gratefully accepted.

Offered as part of Burlington’s “Live and Play” month.

Our busy week started with our intrepid cadre of volunteers putting in another stellar Saturday Volunteer Work Day at the Station. The grass got cut, some painting got done, and we installed several panels of protective Lexan on the exterior windows. It was surprisingly hot — a record-setting day.

Then on Wednesday June 1st FOFS took the traveling model railway exhibit to the Tansley Woods Community Centre in support of the month-long “Stay ‘n Play” Seniors’ Month put on by Burlington’s Parks and Recreation Department. A good time was had by all, and the demonstrations included our vintage model steam locomotive and Grand Trunk Railway passenger train, an Emmet Kelly, Jr. autographed circus train, and — best of all, Thomas the Tank Engine and friends. The latter to the sheer delight of the youngsters.

Finally, on Sunday, June 5th we supported the Appleby Street Festival (Car Free Sunday) with an information booth. We met lots of folks and a good time was had by all until — surprise! — a rain storm hit about 3:20 PM and brought the festivities to a watery end.

Thanks to everyone who helped with these events - Brian, Gerry, Ken, Bob M., Ruth M., Karen, Gord, Dave, Denny, John, Cody, Larry D, Joel, Alan, Ed, and Joe.

A gorgeous day on Saturday, May 28th as our stalwart Friends of Freeman volunteers put in a great effort. The grass got trimmed. We got the windows washed and the Lexan cut and fastened onto 5 more windows. A number of visitors came by and were amazed at how far the project has come - remembering when it was a derelict on skids behind the fire hall. Thanks to Brian, John, Gord, Alan, Gerry, Cody, Larry D., Bob M., Denny, and Joe for your efforts.

Nostalgia… and fun! — will be the order of the day when the Friends of Freeman Station travelling model railway exhibit is displayed at the Tansley Woods Community Centre in conjunction with the City of Burlington’s Parks and Recreation Department kickoff of Seniors’ Month — — Wednesday, June 1st from 9:30 AM to 4 PM.

Nostalgia… “I remember travelling by train from the Burlington Junction Station…” Young-at-heart Burlington seniors recall fondly their experiences, as we re-create the era of steam power. You’ll see a model steam locomotive and passenger train, arriving and departing from the Burlington Junction Station just as it happened in the early Twentieth century. A beautifully crafted 1/24 scale model of the Station will be on display as well.

Fun! “Look, Grandma! It’s Thomas the Tank Engine!” Bring your grandchildren to see a rare demonstration of Thomas and friends Percy, Annie, Clarabell, Troublesome Truck #1, and Troublesome Truck #2 running on our scale model railway.

We’ll be there… to share the amazing story of the relocation and restoration of Burlington’s 1906 Grand Trunk Railway Station, slated for completion in 2017. There, on the Lower Level, we’ll be constructing a historic model railway diorama depicting early Twentieth-century life in the hamlet of Freeman, now a part of Burlington.

Donations gratefully accepted, with tax receipts issued for amounts of $ 25 or more; Friends of Freeman Station is a 100% volunteer organization -no one is paid — relying entirely on private and corporate donations to fund the costs of restoring the Burlington Junction Station under an agreement with the City of Burlington.

A dedicated cadre of Friends of Freeman Station volunteers have turned out for each of our Volunteer Work Saturdays this Spring, and they’ve really made a difference: the grounds and the building are looking better and better. John calculates that more than 3,300 volunteer hours have gone into the Burlington Junction Station restoration project in the past two years.

Undaunted, the same loyal toilers will turn out again on Saturday, May 28th for more of the same. How many ways can one say “thank you” to these folks? How about if you would join them? They’d really appreciate your support, even if it’s just to stop in, say “hello,” and give them your moral support.

This Summer, the Friends of Freeman Station’s LLRD team will be bringing their G scale model railway demonstration to various venues around the City of Burlington. The locales and dates are posted on our Web site under “Upcoming Events.” It’ll be an opportunity to see an early Twentieth-century steam locomotive model passenger train in its comings and goings from the Burlington Junction Station, a 1/24th scale model beautifully crafted in elaborate detail. And for the grandchildren, some special surprises. Donations, gratefully accepted, go 100% to the costs of restoring the Burlington Junction Station (and amounts of $ 25 or more receive a receipt for income tax purposes).

For more information about the FOFS Lower Level Railway Diorama project, click on “LLRD” on our main menu, above.

Now, we ARE dedicated to restoring the 1906 Burlington Junction Station’s vintage appearance, but there’s some things we just can’t accomplish. So instead of re-installing the old coal stoves, for the first time in history, the building will be cozy with modern heating. We now have gas and hydro in the Station, and water & sewer services will come in soon — all new-fangled conveniences they never enjoyed in the early Twentieth Century, but hey! Apologies in advance to those who fondly remember trips to the “out” house!

Our volunteer work days continue in May — please join us on Saturday, May 14th and/or Saturday, May 28th — wear old clothes, bring gloves. Email [email protected] to learn more and to let us know you are available to help. Thanks in advance to all who have turned out to help this Spring with cleanup, scraping, painting, and logistics.