Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum Événement

Enjoy an afternoon talk by rych mills, local historian as he explores electric railways in our County/Region.

On-the-go a century ago in Waterloo County often meant jumping on the electric railway which ran from Lake Erie to Waterloo. rych mills will present four short segments highlighting three elements of the electric lines:

1) How the electric railway crossed the Grand River and its tributaries. Several bridges played important roles in keeping the trains running but sometimes nature intervened.

2) One of the men who oversaw the railway, Matthew Kirkwood, had his name on every ticket of the Grand River Railway for decades. Who was this laborer-to-manager?

3) Who built the railway engines and cars? Most were constructed right here in Waterloo County but today the Preston Car and Coach Company is just an historical footnote.

4) The electric railway cut right through Berlin / Kitchener’s core. We’ll trace the routes and see if anything remains.

Included with regular admission.