Cloverdale Station heritage railway season enters its final month

With one month left in its season, the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society says 2026 has been “perfect” so far. The season at Cloverdale Station will end Sept. 27, the final Sunday of the month.

FVHRS secretary Allen Aubert told the Cloverdale Reporter that the Cloverdale Station Summer Music Festival concluded last weekend after eight weeks of “wonderful performances.” He said the festival, now in its third year, had its best season yet, with many people attending multiple free events.

Aubert said the festival was made possible in part by a City of Surrey cultural funding grant. Sunny summer weather also helped make for an ideal heritage railway season, he said. Visitors took part in the Saturday Heritage Railway Adventure “ride-everything experience” and the 55-minute Sunday Sullivan Excursion aboard one of the restored B.C. Electric Interurbans.

Once the regular season ends, volunteers will prepare for the annual Monster Express Halloween Train. The train will run Oct. 24 and 25 on an excursion to Transylvania, with Cloverdale Station, the railcar and volunteers dressed in Halloween themes.

Tickets for the Monster Express are available online now. Only 400 tickets are available across the two days, and Aubert said they usually sell out quickly.

The heritage railway’s next major event after the Halloween train will be the Electric Express Christmas train. Tickets for the Christmas-season event go on sale Oct. 15, and the train will run Dec. 5 and 6.

The Christmas celebration, themed “Cloverdale: 100 Years Ago,” takes place entirely at the heritage railway campus in Cloverdale. Unlike the summer trains and Monster Express, it does not travel down to Sullivan. The annual event includes a ride on the Electric Express, a visit to Father Christmas’s workshop, an opportunity to meet Father Christmas and the elves, live music and a Christmas story.

Aubert said the Christmas train is also very popular and generally sells out quickly. He said the Electric Express helps set the Christmas spirit and thanked those who visited the railway during its 25th anniversary season in 2026. He said volunteers make it possible for visitors to enjoy the feeling of travelling back in time.

More information and tickets for the Halloween and Christmas trains are available at fvhrs.org.