Fredericton resident and railway enthusiast Joe Murray likes what he sees regarding the restoration of the old York Street train station.

16 November 2011

York Street Train Station is Back and Looking Great

Fredericton New Brunswick - The restoration of the rail station off York Street has a lot of people, especially railway enthusiasts, jumping for joy.
 
The road to redevelopment, however, has been long and complicated. It involved agreements between the property's owner, J.D. Irving Ltd., its new tenant, NB Liquor, and the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, the federal body that sanctions changes made to such nationally protected sites.
 
Once all those factors blended together, the property evolved into today's pleasant view.
 
The front position of the station constructed in 1923 has been retained and the work speaks for itself.
 
One person who has been watching developments with more than a little passing interest is longtime railway enthusiast Joe Murray.
 
The Fredericton resident, who has one of the finest private collections of railway memorabilia in the province, had a long and distinguished career with the Canadian National Railway. He started his infatuation with railways on 4 Dec 1943 in the CNR's electrical department at the Halifax Ocean Terminal, working in the car lighting and motive power department.
 
Mr. Murray is hoping that once everything is in place, the site will include a sign on the front that says Fredericton, such as used to hang when the station was active.
 
"This is the second station to be built in this area which was erected in 1923," Mr. Murray said. "The first rail laid in the city was in 1868 and the locomotive arrived in October of that year. It was in 1869 that rail connection between Fredericton and Saint John was made, having three trains a day."
 
Mr. Murray, who has written a detailed, unpublished, account of working on the legendary iron horse, said the first railway bridge was built across the St. John River in 1888 and remained in place until destroyed by water and ice in 1936.
 
At that point, the subways were built at Union Street on the north side and at Queen Street and University Avenue on the south side. Prior to this, there were level crossings.
 
"When the second railway bridge was completed in 1938, the first train to cross the bridge at that time was a steam locomotive operated by engineer Robert MacLaggan," Mr. Murray said. "Many railways sprang up in the province from 1850 to the end of the century."
 
After that date, a number of the small railways were either bought up or went bankrupt, leaving the Intercolonial Railway (ICR) and the Canadian Pacific Railway to provide transportation in New Brunswick.
 
The first ICR station was built about the year 1900 and was located at the intersection of Brunswick Street and University Avenue.
 
"This station was replaced by a new brick building on the same site in 1911, which was demolished in the 1960s as the freight business was taken over by the trucking industry," Mr. Murray said. "The passenger train was in decline by their time. Most people had their own means of transportation."
 
After 1918, the CNR began to take over the ICR and the transition was completed in 1923.
 
The last steam locomotive in passenger service to come into York Street station was CPR number 2929, which is retired from service. It is currently owned by Steamtown Railway of Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA, Mr. Murray recalled.
 
One of the last steam engineers was Charles Elgee from Fredericton.
 
Mr. Murray said he's pleased the York Street property has been restored and is encouraging people to have a look at the site and appreciate the history that goes along with it.
 
It's sound advice from a man who knows.
 
Michael Staples.