Where are we located?
Located in the beautiful downtown core of St. Jacobs. The St. Jacobs & Aberfoyle Model Railway moved to the village in 2013 after having a long history in Aberfoyle.
About our Model Railway
St. Jacobs & Aberfoyle Model Railway is an O scale (¼”= 12″) model railway depicting Southern Ontario in the late 1950s. All our models are hand built and represent both major Canadian railways, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific. Come watch our freight trains and passenger cars recreate the era of great train journeys. Our scenery depicts parts of the Niagara Escarpment including countryside, rivers, towns, and a large city. You may recognize many of the industries, structures, and scenery, which are based on real locations in the Southern Ontario area.
Where did the Model Railway originate?
Our 50-year history began in 1972 when Frank Dubery and his wife Gay began the project under the name Aberfoyle Junction Model Railway. The original small display was located in the barn at the Aberfoyle Sunday Flea Market. Later that year Chuck and Gwen Bard joined Frank and Gay in building the original display dubbed AJ1. In 1973, the four were joined by Wayne Pfieffer and Craig Webb, completing the original 6 who created Aberfoyle Junction and the display that you see today.
In 1982 AJ1 was moved about a kilometer up the road to its own steel building. In this new home, the original layout was expanded and dubbed AJ2. The display grew to over 3000 square feet and operated in Aberfoyle until its last show on May 13th, 2012. With the land that housed Aberfoyle Junction being developed, the display desperately needed a new home.
Those Who Make This All Possible
With the help and generosity of a few key people, it was decided that the display would have a new home in St. Jacobs. The display was then cut into 45 sections, moved over 40kms, and reassembled in its present location. downtown in the village.
The move took 20+ volunteers over 12,000 hours to complete, reopening on October 19th, 2013.