22 August 2005
Train Station's Role Recalled
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Peter Pearce, originally from Britain, remembers what it was
like 50 years ago when he arrived at the train station on York Street. Today the station is slowly
crumbling.
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Frederiction - Don't be surprised if you see Peter Pearce at the York Street train
station in Fredericton on 20 Sep 2005.
In the mid-afternoon of that day in 1955, the native of Great Britain stepped off a train and entered a city he
would eventually call home.
"It was really a gateway for me to a new life in a new world," Pearce said of the train station on Saturday as he looked
at what once was the station's platform. "This is where I first set foot in Fredericton about 50 years ago."
He came to the city from Britain on a Beaverbrook scholarship to study at the University of New Brunswick.
From a more than doubling of Fredericton's population to a change in dress habits at the University of New Brunswick, many things
have evolved for Pearce since his arrival.
He does not regret his decision to come and live in Fredericton.
"I've watched it grow. I love it here and I made a good decision when I stepped off that train," said Pearce.
He eventually raised a family in Fredericton and had a long career with the provincial government and the Canadian Wildlife
Service.
He appreciates many things about the city, including its amenities and the easy access to nature.
But Pearce is saddened to see the deterioration of the train station. The roughly 82-year-old facility once bustled
with activity and welcomed everyone from royalty to Fredericton-area residents. A locked gate now surrounds the
decaying building.
"I would hate to see the city lose this remarkable structure," said Pearce. "Because it has a personal meaning for
me and because it's a significant building historically."
He said the facility is not a lost cause.
"Most people come by and they look at it and say 'well, look at the darn place. It's beyond redemption. The roof's
shot," Pearce said.
But he said he has heard information from a number of architects and engineers saying that the building's foundation is sound.
"Despite appearances, it seems to be restorable," Pearce said. "And I'm hoping it can be done because it's a special
building and it has special meaning for a lot of people."
He said many things could be done with the train station. Some ideas include a museum on railway history in the area or a
resting stop for people using the city's trail system.
"If the alternative is to see this razed and the whole thing vanish, then my arrival place is gone," Pearce said.
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