Second annual fundraiser at Train Acres Miniature Railway to be held in September

Aug 13, 2026 | 4:23 PM

The second annual fundraiser put on by the Train Acres Miniature Railway is a month away.

On September 12 and 13, Ernie and Dorinda Beskowiney will open their property, located at 39014 Range Road 30 near Benalto, to the public to raise money for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation in Edmonton and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation in Calgary.

“I’ve been planning it for about two months now, getting everything organized and ready. It’s been pretty exciting,” he said. “We’ve still got lots to do yet.”

For $15 per ride, those who buy tickets will get the opportunity to ride on Beskowiney’s miniature railway, which includes four kilometres’ worth of track on his property.

It takes about 30 minutes to ride all the way around, which includes rideable miniature trains that he built with his own hands out of steel, aluminum and some 3D-printed items, some of which are exact replicas of real trains.

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Second annual fundraiser at Train Acres Miniature Railway to be held in September

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It’s a culmination of a decade of work that began in 2015 and included over 35,000 hours of work.

Ernie was inspired to give back to the local children’s hospital foundations because of the care his grandson received at the Ottawa Children’s Hospital.

Prior to his grandson being born, doctors warned the family that the baby might not make it through birth because of health reasons.

However, after he was born, he grew up to be not only healthy but also very intelligent.

Tickets for the two-day event can be purchased online ahead of the event on trainacres.com. He said there will be food trucks on site, and free parking and washrooms will be available.

Last year, they raised approximately $22,000 in just two days and conducted around 1,500 rides.

This time around, they’re expecting around 3,000 people and hope to raise even more for a great cause.

“Everybody who left last year had big smiles and commented they were bringing people back for this year,” he said.

by Ian Gustafson

Second annual fundraiser at Train Acres Miniature Railway to be held in September

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