former Fredericton, NB station may collapse

According to the story, the Atlantic used to stop in Fredericton. Is that right? When I took the train in 1985, the stop was in Fredecton Junction, about 10kms away.

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Historic train station needs urgent repair: lobby group

Last Updated: Monday, October 15, 2007 | 11:21 AM AT
CBC News

People in Fredericton are worried the historic York Street train station, owned by J.D. Irving Ltd., will collapse over the winter if no repairs are done.

The station has been in limbo for the past decade, and Tim Scammell, president of Fredericton Friends of the Railway, said something must be done soon to save it.

"If the owner of the building is not going to step in and at least preserve it from further damage, you know fix it, then somebody — an elected official — should step in and do something. Or fix it and give Irving the bill," Scammell said Sunday.

Irving spokeswoman Mary Keith said it would cost about $2 million to fix the train station, and the company is looking for help from other developers to cover the cost.

In the meantime, Keith said, the company is looking at what repairs can be done to ensure the building is still standing by next spring.

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside said the city has no power to do anything about the state of the train station.

[...]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/ ... ation.html

If you've never been there, here's a shot of the station from the Fredericton Heritage Trust;



Here's a better shot of what it looks like in it's present condition;



This is just another example of what kind of a garbage corporation IRVING LTD really is; they just have to own EVERYTHING in New Brunswick, even if they don't know what to do with it. I found that article this morning and once I saw the "I" word involved,



THAT explained EVERYTHING!!

Check out the local pulse on Irving in New Brunswick at this site;
http://oldmaison.blogspot.com/

Heritage Canada's take on the situation at the station;

http://www.heritagecanada.org/eng/news/endangered.htm

Here's the best report on the story I can dig up on short notice;

http://www.infredericton.com/2007/03/to ... s_for.html


D/

MissisquoiValleyRR wrote:According to the story, the Atlantic used to stop in Fredericton. Is that right? When I took the train in 1985, the stop was in Fredecton Junction, about 10kms away.

Yes, the Atlantic stopped at Fredericton Jct. about 20 miles south of Fredericton. Passenger train service at Fredericton York Street ended in the early 1960s. After that a bus provided the connection to the Atlantic.

When VIA first discontinued the Atlantic in November 1981, they inaugurated a new RDC service between Halifax-Saint John-Fredericton Jct-Fredericton. This was the first passenger train at York Street in nearly 20 years. The RDC lasted until the fall of 1985. Just after the Atlantic had been restored when once again a bus provided the connection.

Thanks for the reply, NS, but I'm still unclear as to whether the Atlantic ever stopped in Fredericton, as is claimed in the CBC story:

Until 1962 it was a station on the Atlantic passenger train connecting Halifax and Montreal.

MissisquoiValleyRR wrote:Thanks for the reply, NS, but I'm still unclear as to whether the Atlantic ever stopped in Fredericton, as is claimed in the CBC story:

Until 1962 it was a station on the Atlantic passenger train connecting Halifax and Montreal.

Hi Missisquoi:

The oldest CP Timetable I have, Summer 1956 shows the Atlantic (Limited) only stopping in Fredericton Jct. Connecting trains provided the service between Fredericton Jct and Fredericton. This continued through the October 29/61 timetable. In the timetable effective on April 29/62 the connecting trains have been replaced by busses.

Thanks for looking through the old timetables. Seems the CBC got their facts wrong (I'm not surprised!)

I had a 3 week VIA pass in the summer of '85 which I used for a tour of the east. On the homeward bound portion, I took the RDC from Halifax to Saint John, NB, spent the better part of a day there, and then continued on to Fredericton Jct on the Atlantic that evening. Shuttle bus to Fredericton for almost 24 hours, then back to the Junction for the next day's Atlantic back to Montreal.

BTW, in case you didn't know, there's a fellow here who is trying, slowly but surely, to get the Atlantic going again:
http://www.aprail.com/index.html