Vol. 17 No. 11
November, 1987
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Stay Safe in 87
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Lloydminster Station a
"Priceless" Home
By Carol
Caney
Station Without Tracks: From
outside, the Georges' home is unmistakably
railway in origin, despite the fact there are no tracks to be seen
near the
property. Bruce George is hoping readers can help him complete his
information file on the station's history -
photos by Mike Ridewood.
Lloydminster
Saskatchewan - Bruce George has a vivid memory of the effect a train whistle had on him when he was only five or
six-years-old - it scared the heck out of him.
Fortunately, no trains come anywhere near the railway station he now calls home.
The station, which he believes was built between 1910 and 1915, is two and a half times his age and, quite simply,
it has cast a spell over him.
"I like to think of all the people who passed through it; where they came from or where they were going and of
all the things that were shipped in or out", said the 31-year-old auto repair shop service manager.
"I want to know more about some of the things that are still here - like two little boards; one marked
"East or South", the other marked "North or West". Would they be for mailbags or what?
ITEMS SOUGHT
Mr. George is also looking for more authentic items, such as an old track switch or a railway crossing sign, and he's
hoping CP Rail News will help put him in touch with people who can tell him what they are and where to find them.
Although the nearest station still in business in the area is Canadian National's in lloydminster, his station, he
knows, was on CP Rail's Lloydminster subdivision at Neilburg, a village that never exceeded a population of
300-400.
Engineering records in Saskatoon indicate that the line wasn't built until 1924. The $4,000 Neilburg station followed
in 1928.
Sadly, that seems to be all there is in the official records, though Lloydminster's Meridian Booster newspaper
apparently has quite an extensive report on microfiche done in 1976 when the station was first sold to a Doug
Bexson, who now lives in Sooke, on Vancouver Island.
Deep in Thought: A desk built into the kitchen provides
an ideal workplace
for Bruce George.
RENOVATIONS
Mr. George, his wife Linda, and their two-year-old son Terence, have only lived in the station one
summer - he bought it in May and renovations, which included re-roofing and installation of new
countertops, were completed in mid-June.
Mr. Bexson moved the station from the railway right-of-way to its current site, about 15 kilometres
north of Lloydminster, on the Saskatchewan side of the border that runs down the middle of the town's main street.
Mr. Bexson's work on the station incuded installation of gypsum panelling, insulation, and an oil furnace to replace
the potbellied stove that had kept the waiting room well, if not warm, at least bearable - if you had an overcoat.
In 1979, the station was sold again to another man who installed a fireplace and carpet in the
47-square-metre living room (formerly the freight area) and built a 112-square-metre
garage that, according to Mr. George, fits in well with the station design.
Soon after, yet another man took over the station and, to reduce heating costs, replaced the oil furnace with a coal
stoker and pulse furnace.
HIGH CEILINGS
"You know", said Mr. George, "we've got three-metre-high ceilings and I love them, but
there's lots of space to heat in there. Our living room alone is half the size of some people's homes.
Spacious Living Area: The former freight area in the
Georges' renovated
railway station made an ideal, and spacious, 47-square-metre living
room.
"We've concentrated on keeping things as much as possible as they were. The ticket wicket is just as it was,
right down to the latches and it's still used, too, to pass things through from the kitchen to the dining room.
Two original built-in desks - one little one and a long one with three drawers on each side - are in
place and intact, used for work area and storage. They've even got the little holes in them that used to hold the
inkwells.
Mr. George is impressed with the sturdiness of the station. "This place is so well built, I guess you'd say it's
over-built - probably because passing trains would have caused so much vibration", he suggested.
"If you look at the big beams under the floor, no other house had beams that size - and they're clear fir.
There are no knots. The railway built things to last forever and spared no expense".
The freight doors are intact, still functional, and mounted on the original roller track. the Georges use them as
security doors to cover glass patio doors.
GREAT PLACE
The nice thing about living in the station, Mr. George says, is that everyone in the community knows about it and
"they think it's great".
"I used to drive past it every day from the acreage where we used to live - about 16 kilometres further from
town - and, as soon as I heard it was for sale, I knew we wanted it. It's a great place to live".
Mr. George estimated he has invested about $15,000 into his home since he bought it. But, to him, the place is
priceless.
"I think it's a shame so many older buildings are being destroyed or let go to rack and ruin. They're our
history, after all. And we can learn so much from them".
Anyone who might have some information that can help the Georges complete the information file on their
station-home can reach them at the following address: Bruce A. George Box 1132 Lloydminster
Saskatchewan S9V 1E9.
This CP Rail News article is
copyright 1987 by Canadian Pacific Railway and is reprinted here with their
permission. All photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian
Pacific Railway Company.
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