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All aboard the Halton County Radial Railway Museum hese days when you talk mass transit most people think of the family minivan, the bus or maybe even a jet. But a museum in the hills of Halton is keeping the memâ€" ory of ane of the country‘s first modes of mass transit alive. When you buy a ticket to the Halton County Radial Railway Museum, you buy a ticket to ride the rails of a fullâ€"size operating electric railway. The museum locatâ€" ed â€" about 40 minutes from Waterloo â€" features more than 60 electric railway cars, streetcars, engines, early buses and other equipment that was in common use on the streets long before the private automobile became king. Hear that train a comin‘ What makes the museum particularly interesting for local residents is that many of the pieces of equipment on display or under restoraâ€" tion were either built or used in Cambridge. While work has barely begun this summer on old #797, the last Canadian National electric railway car known to exist, restoration of London Port Stanley Railway‘s motor car #8 is just wrapping up. Both cars were built within several years of each other on Margaret Street at the Preston Car & Coach Co. Today, #797 is little more than a battered hulk. It‘s windows broken, ironwork rusted and paint long flaked away. By contrast, motor car #8 is almost fully restored. Thousands of volunteer hours have been spent resâ€" urrecting the coach; lacâ€" quering â€" its . woodwork, restoring its brassâ€"trimmed lights and seats and rebuildâ€" ing every little item from its trucks through to its elaboâ€" rate stainedâ€"glass windows. Oswald Zeijlstra and Prof. Jim Hunt are two of the volâ€" unteers who keep the museâ€" um‘s electric motor car feet humming. By Ray Martin For the Chronicle "When Sir Adam Beck brought electricity to all of Ontario this was the type of transportation he was proâ€" moting," Zeijlstra said. "It was clean, quiet and effiâ€" cient." Many of the museum‘s pieces of rail equipment were once used by the TTC and Hunt said Toronto‘s transit commission is a major supporter of the museum‘s work. "The TTC has been very good to us," Hunt said. "In many ways they think of this as their museum because we have so much of their old equipment here. They help us out when they can with fixing some of the equipâ€" ment, but we‘re also assisted by many of the railway comâ€" panies and their suppliers because they recognize what we are doing here is imporâ€" tant." Motorman Oswald Zeijlstra sits in the driver‘s seat of #2424, one of the operating TTC streetcars that make the Halton County Radial Rail Museum unique. Ray marn® rmoro The newest car in the museum‘s fleet is over 40â€" yearsâ€"old, while the eldest LIFESTYLE veterans are 80â€"yearsâ€"old and still going strong. One of the streetcars is over 100â€" yearsâ€"old and continues to soldier on along the more than two kilometres of scenic track. Apart from the old railâ€" way equipment, the museâ€" um has been donated severâ€" al heritage buildings includâ€" ing the old Rockwood railâ€" way station built in 1912 and slated for demolition in 1971. The building has been lovingly restored and visitors can roam through the buildâ€" ing‘s baggage room, see the dispatch office and wait for the next train to arrive at the station, â€" which happens every 20 minutes or so throughout the summer months. At the far end of the line the museum‘s planners have _ reâ€"established â€" the Meadowwvale railway stop. A notice posted under the platform‘s awning warns visâ€" itors that this stop will be abandoned Aug. 15 ~1931 that is. Surrounding the stop a rustic garden bordered by tall trees has been created with a fish pond in the cenâ€" "Every year we stock it with fish but we have this Great Blue Heron that keeps coming to visit so there aren‘t many fish," Zeijlstra said. Apart from the natural beauty of the spot the museâ€" um has set aside a number of picnic tables for people to sit and enjoy their lunch. There is also an old fashâ€" ioned ice cream stand. The Halton â€" County Electric Railway Museum is Canada‘s first and largest electric railway museum. For the price of admission, visitors can ride the trains all day long and see the museâ€" um‘s various displays and exhibits. The museum was estabâ€" lished in 1953 when the museum‘s founders decided something should be done to preserve the past as Toronto was winding down its electric railway system. The original land for the museum was purchased for just $150 and sits on the forâ€" mer Toronto â€" Suburban Railway right of way. Such amenities were not entirely uncommon. in Cambridge, Idylewild Park was created on the Speed River between Preston and Hespeler and it was only accessible via the electric railway. "The funny thing is we get people coming here from all over the world to see what we‘ve got, but we‘ve got people living right around the corner that don‘t know we‘re here," Zeijlstra said. The electric rail museum is located north of Highway 401 off exit 312 on Guelph Line and is six km south of the village of Rockwood. It is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends and holidays. For more information, visit the Web â€" site â€" at wwwhcry.org or call (519) 856â€"1399. Waterioo‘s Grower Direct‘s fifth annual Friendship Day is set for Aug. 23 at noon when the local florist starts giving away free bouquets of roses. â€" The goal behind Friendship Day is to keep just one of the roses received and give away the other 11 to people who you think they‘ll do the most good for. In addition to spreading that friendly feeling, Grower Direct is also asking for people who stop by to make a voluntary contribution to KOOLâ€"FM‘s Poster Boy Campaign in support of the Brand River Regional Cancer Centre. Last year customer contributed generâ€" ously to the Grand River hospital campaign and, tze local florist expects even better this year The offer is available while supplies last, and is limâ€" ited to one dozen per customer. For more information about Grower Direct and their special "Extend a Flower in Friendship campaign, call 888â€"7070. Waterloo florist celebrates Friendship Day As Waterloo families shop for backâ€"toâ€"school supâ€" plies this summer, a nonâ€"profit gift shop is collecting school supplies for children in North Korea, Iraq, Siberia and other parts of the world. Ten Thousand Villages on King Street in uptown Waterloo invites interested backâ€"toâ€"school shoppers to drop by and pick up a sewn drawstring bag. They can then return them filled with crayons, pencils, scribblers, rulers and erasers, to be donated to the Mennonite Central Committee which will distribute them to children in needy parts of the world: In 2000, the Mennonite Central Committee sent out more than 91,000 kits. This year more than 48,000 kits have already been requested or distributed, with additional kits needed for orphanages, children‘s shelâ€" ters and refugee camps. It‘s an important backâ€"toâ€"school lesson for chilâ€" dren, some who have been moved to spend their own allowance money to make sure that poor children around the world have the tools to learn. Anyone interested in donating can pick up a bag and a list of kit items at Ten Thousand Villages between now and the end of September. Enjoy early autumn in Victoria Park during the sixth annual Backyard Tourist series being put on by Joseph Schneider Haus Museum Sept. 27. ______ _ _ Local historian, Rych Mills, will share historical moments and intriguing tales about events, characâ€" ters and stories relating to Victoria Park and the surâ€" rounding area as visitors stroll through the park grounds. This anecdotal afternoon of storytelling will depart from the museum at 1:30 p.m. The cost is $3, and preâ€" registration is required. Come prepared for any weather. For more information, or to register, call the museâ€" um at 742â€"7752. The Joseph Schneider Haus Museum is located at 466 Queen St. S. in Kitchener. * Backâ€"toâ€"school shopping helps third world kids Backyard tourist event held at Schneider Haus u 8 a Ask for details Northfield at the Parkw; WATERLOO NORTH * nelang" _‘ | N F- :A 'A:- l T746â€"1666 527 King St. N. Waterioo (519) 885â€"5090 % FINANCING