Two new attractions are now open at the Vancouver Zoo, just in time for the hosts of summer visitors who will be streaming through the gates in the next few months.
The first of the new features at the zoo is their petting zoo.
Children and adults alike will have the opportunity to meet and pet the baby goats, piglets and other domesticated animals in their new enclosure.
The second attraction is the newly refurbished miniature train at the zoo.
The train had been taken out of service some time ago, badly in need of some tender loving care.
Now, thanks to local steel and railway shops, Industrial Engine, Alder Steel and Burrard Inlet Rail, the train is back and hardly recognizable.
Bright and shiny, and sparkling in the sunlight, the much cherished attractions is back on track to bring joy to visitors from Aldergrove and beyond.
The train runs along a track that cuts across portions of the 120 acres of the Zoo and makes its wayback to the iconic train station on site.
At Monday’s ribbon cutting for the refurbished train service, it was revealed that the station has now been named in honor of Hugh Lavery, a long time volunteer with the Zoo and the man who, for 12 years, had served as the train’s conductor.
Hugh Station will serve as a testament to Lavery’s love of trains and of the Vancouver Zoo train in particular.
Zoo staff report that the train engine has not been named, despite its spiffy new appearance.