As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Iron Horse Park is in wait-and-see mode with its staff awaiting word whether or not the park will be able to go full steam ahead this summer.
“We’re still hoping to run at some point this season, but we don’t know exactly when that would be, or what it would look like,” said President Ray Verdone. “It probably wouldn’t be like the way we’ve run it before, with long lines and crowded trains. We would have to find some ways around that.”
Located in northwest Airdrie, Iron Horse Park is a small, kid-friendly theme park that offers visitors the opportunity to learn about Canada’s railway history and ride on the park’s diesel or steam locomotive miniature trains.
The park typically opens during the Victoria Day long weekend and runs every Sunday until Thanksgiving.
- INTERACTIVE MAP: See the latest COVID-19 statistics across Canada by province/territory on our interactive map.
Verdone said the Alberta Model Engineering Society (AMES) – which oversees Iron Horse Park – initially hoped the park could open by the end of May, but members recently decided that target was too optimistic.
“That was our vision a month and a half ago, but at our last meeting, we decided to push the opening from the end of May to July 1,” he said. “That’s the very earliest and, in my mind, still very optimistic.”
If the park is able to open this season, Verdone said staff would implement protocols to keep visitors and employees as safe as possible, such as sanitizing the trains after each ride, only using every second seat and spacing people out in line-ups.
“These are strategies we’re thinking about,” he said. “We haven’t really formulated any specific plan because we don’t have a specific date. Right now, we’re budgeting with the assumption that we won’t be able to run this season, so we’re watching every penny we spend.”
In a normal year, between 12,000 and 14,000 people ride the park’s trains, Verdone said. Many others come to the park just to visit, walk around the pathways or grab something to eat, he added.
The facility is only open on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., he said, attracting anywhere from 20 to more than 1,000 people in a day, depending on the weather.
Verdone said Iron Horse Park is an “oddball” with regards to where it would fall in the Alberta government’s three-phased economic relaunch strategy.
“There are the rides, and then there are the birthday parties and then there are little play trains and the trails that people walk around,” he said. “All those things are different elements and have different regulations surrounding distancing."
Because AMES is a non-profit organization, Verdone said all the revenue Iron Horse Park generates goes back into supporting operations. While the park is not in a dire financial situation quite yet, he said a year without revenue would have a considerable negative impact on the park’s bottom line.
“Even though we only run during the summer, we have utilities to pay for the whole year,” he said. “Insurance is a big cost as well. We’re doing OK so far but could really use a few months of [operations]. We’re hoping to be able to do something at some point, but everything is up in the air.”
Applying for relief programs the provincial and federal governments have announced, or extending the season into November, would be other options to salvage some of the revenue Iron Horse Park will lose this summer, he added.
“We’re very conscious that the people of Airdrie love us, and we love them,” Verdone said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to play with trains and educate some visitors – to give them some entertainment at a low cost. We certainly look forward to being able to operate as soon as it’s safe. Hopefully we’ll see some trains running later this year.”
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
