6 January 2012

Beiseker Railway Museum Press Release

Canadian Pacific Railway Bassano station - 2 Mar 2010 Photographer unknown.

Beiseker Alberta - Beiseker Railway Museum, operated by the Alberta 2005 Centennial Railway Museum Society, has acquired the original Canadian Pacific Railway 1911 Bassano Station and will be moving the station from Bassano onto the Museum site in Beiseker, Alberta on Wednesday, 11 Jan 2012.
 
Bassano was once a very busy hub and the size of the station was directly proportional to the amount of traffic the area saw.
 
The Bassano station was built as a standard size CPR station in 1911.
 
At some point, it was expanded to 162 feet long (20 feet wide) and is one of the largest wooden stations the CPR had in Western Canada.
 
The station will be moving in one piece (except for a small portion of the second floor roof, for wire clearance) from Bassano to Beiseker, a distance of 155 kilometers.
 
This move has caught the eye of Discovery Channel TV, which will be filming the move for a segment on Daily Planet.
 
Once on-site, the station will be restored to its original 1911 appearance and receive a complete makeover that will provide handicap accessibility, washroom facilities, and other improvements needed to conform to modern building codes.
 
Renovations will also include a gift shop, waiting room, displays, interpretive areas, and railway archives.
 
In addition, there will be a platform and mainline track added to the front of the station.
 
Funding for the Beiseker Railway Museum enhancement project was provided through the Government of Canada's Community Adjustment Fund.