Canada Creek Railway was a park train installation by Severn Lamb, which opened with the Canada Creek area of Thorpe Park in 1989.
Providing guests with a relaxing form of transport to Thorpe Farm and traversing a scenic trip through the Canadian Rockies, Canada Creek Railway is one of Thorpe Park’s sorely missed attractions.
The original route started from Canada Creek, and ran in a straight direction behind the theme park towards Thorpe Farm. The train would then navigate a loop around a grazing field, allow guests to alight or board at the farm station, before rejoining the straight path back to Canada Creek. The route would then veer left through the middle of the area, pass through two level crossings, before following the flume of Logger’s Leap in to the Canadian Rockies. Guests would then pass over the lake on a wooden bridge, and follow the path of the log flume’s signature lift hill and double drop, before heading back in to the Canada Creek station.
When Thorpe Farm closed at the end of the 2006 season and transport was no longer required to serve the farm station, the railway’s route was modified to loop around the Canada Creek area only. To maintain the appeal of the attraction, further theming was introduced in the form of quirky bears and their props, along with signage that challenged guests to count the number of bears on the route. Using a PA, the train driver would provide commentary on notable landmarks along the route, and interact with guests accordingly.
The striking yellow and blue trains, the countless interactions with neighbouring Logger’s Leap, and the beautiful scenery experienced along the route made Canada Creek Railway one of the country’s most unique attractions of its type. Despite the carriages being constantly filled with guests of all ages, Thorpe Park announced in 2011 that the attraction would close for good at the end of the season.
The Tussauds Group / Merlin Entertainments have never been known for their enthusiasm when it comes to maintaining transport rides, and unfortunately Canada Creek Railway suffered the same fate as similar attractions at Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures. The loss of the railway has taken away a solid family attraction, and removed the opportunity to experience the beautiful scenery of Abbey Lake and Thorpe Park’s version of the Canadian Rockies. We can only hope in the future that another attraction is placed in this area which utilises the scenery again.
Explore other past rides and attractions in our dedicated archive.