Galt Ontario - The Galt Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) station on Malcolm Street was built in 1899 to replace a temporary station at the same location that had been in use since the Credit Valley Railway line was extended from Toronto in 1879.
 
The Galt station was formally recognized for its heritage significance in 1991.
 
Canada's Historic Places says the station "illustrates the extensive CP rebuilding and improvement program of the period 1896-1914 and is an example of the work of Montreal architect Edward Maxwell. Reversing a previous corporate trend to hire prominent American architects for important commissions, the CP began to look to Canadian architects for most of their projects. Maxwell was the first Canadian to contribute significantly to the CP system and the Cambridge station dates from an early stage of his relationship with CP."
 

The Windsor Montreal Express heads east at the Galt station - Circa 1960 Wayne Conrad Serbu.

Jim Quantrell, in his book "Timeframes", wrote that in 1879, the Credit Valley Railway line from Toronto reached Galt.
 
That same year, the railway's bridge was built across Grand River by the Toronto Bridge Company.
 
It consisted of five spans of 250 feet each to become the largest iron bridge that had ever been built in Canada up to that date.
 
Quantrell wrote that the railway's station was located "on Samuelson Street near Water Street to the north of the old Cricket Grounds."
 
The first engine crossed the Grand on the new bridge on 18 Dec 1879.
 
"This looks to be a temporary structure that was replaced in 1899 by the current station. It has since been modified over the years."
 
The railway was later absorbed by CP.
 

The CP Galt Station - Date? Doug Coxson.

Sadly, the station became infamous for a tragic accident that occurred on the evening of 2 May 1956.
 
That was the night two men died in a collision between two steam trains on the Water Street overpass.
 
A switching error was to blame, sending one of the freight trains hurtling toward the other as it idled on the track.
 
The incident is detailed in local author Paul Langan's book "Tragedy in Galt".
 
Residents of Cambridge will have a chance to get up close to the historical landmark next month when the Galt CP station gets lit up for the season to welcome the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train on 30 Nov 2022.
 
Doug Coxson.