Most communities had portable
(or temporary) stations for a time
Usually, when a new rail line was built, the railway placed a
temporary (sometimes a boxcar) or portable station at a location
until it was determined what kind of station would be appropriate.
Sometimes the 'temporary' station was in place for several years.
CPR Standard Portable Stations (1902-1931)
About 400 of these small stations were built in Western Canada and,
in many communities, the 'portable' station was the only one they
ever had. Some portables replaced even smaller temporary stations.
Many portables were replaced by larger stations and were repurposed
for a variety of uses including freight houses or bunk houses. Some
portable stations were moved from place to place and occasionally
replaced larger stations when they were no longer needed.
Hobbema
(C & E Railway arrived 1891)
likely built around 1902, sold and removed (relocated to ACR Museum
near Wetaskiwin), replaced 1927 with Standard #14A station
(see below)
Millet (C & E Railway arrived 1891)
built 1902, replaced 1907 with Standard #5 station
Ellerslie (C & E Railway arrived 1891)
built 1918, removed 1929, relocated to Sedgewick
Nisku (C & E Railway arrived 1891)
built 1929, demolished
Tees (Lacombe subdivision arrived 1905)
built 1905, sold and removed 1979, relocated to Rimbey Paskapoo Park
Hardisty (Wetaskiwin subdivision
arrived 1905) built 1910, replaced 1910 with
Branchline Subdivision depot
Gwynne (Wetaskiwin subdivision arrived
1905) built 1912, demolished
Mintlaw
(Alberta Central Railway arrived 1912)
built 1912 small permanent station later removed, demolished
Cygnet (Alberta
Central Railway arrived 1912)
built 1912 small temporary station later removed, demolished
Sylvan Lake
(Alberta Central Railway arrived 1912)
built 1912 small temporary station replaced
in 1924 by Standard #14A station (see below)
Benalto
(Alberta Central Railway arrived 1913)
built 1913 small temporary station replaced
in 1928 by Standard #14A station
(see below)
Eckville
(Kootuk & Crawshaw
stations 1.5 miles apart
on each side of Medicine River valley no longer exist)
(Alberta Central Railway arrived 1913)
built 1914 small temporary stations, later
removed, demolished
Hespero
(ACR arrived 1913)
built 1914 small temporary station later
removed, demolished
Alhambra
(Alberta Central Railway
arrived 1914) small temporary station built
1914, replaced by portable station 1931, sold and removed 1960
Condor
(Alberta Central Railway arrived
1914) small temporary station built 1914,
replaced by portable station 1923, demolished 1963
Lochearn (Rocky Mountain House)
(Alberta Central Railway arrived 1914) small
temporary portable station built 1915, shared with Canadian Northern
Western Railway, replaced 1920 with CPR Standard A3 station (see below)
Bentley (Lacombe & Blindman Valley
Electric Railway arrived 1917) portable 1917 replaced in 1929
with CPR Standard #14A (see below)
Rimbey
(Lacombe & Blindman Valley Electric
Railway arrived 1920) boxcar used as station
1920, replaced by portable sometime later; demolished
Bluffton (Lacombe & Blindman Valley
Electric Railway arrived 1921) built 1929,
demolished 1968
Breton (Lacombe & Blindman Valley
Electric Railway arrived 1921) built 1930, replaced 1942
with Standard #4A station
Wimborne (Acme subdivision arrived 1930)
built 1930, 10'x34' 3-room, sold and removed 1969, currently
privately owned
Sunnyslope
(Acme subdivision arrived 1930)
built 1930, 10'x27' 2-room, sold and removed, renovated, currently
privately owned
At least 100 of these stations were built in Alberta. Almost 300
were built in Saskatchewan and under 30 were built in Manitoba and
British Columbia.
At least four of this type have survived in Central Alberta, the
Hobbema station at the ACR Museum near Wetaskiwin, the Tees
station at Paskapoo Park in Rimbey, and two privately owned -- the
Wimborne and Sunnyslope stations.
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