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Multiple Station Communities
of Central Alberta
(updated Mar. 2022)
Photo descriptions
and credits at bottom of page.
The railway station was the hub of the communities of Western
Canada for several decades. Some communities had more than one
station if served by more than one railroad. Those communities
included Red Deer, Sylvan Lake, Eckville, Stettler,
Camrose and Alix. The station at Rocky Mountain House was shared by
two railroads. The following are some
Central Alberta communities that had more than one station.
For more on communities with stations, see: Railway Stations of Central Alberta
Red Deer
 CPR Red Deer -
The first station in Red Deer, built by the Calgary & Edmonton
Railway in 1891, was a wood combination station similar to others
along the C&E Railway including Innisfail, Olds and Ponoka as well
as the first stations in Lacombe and Wetaskiwin.
 As
a result of the Canadian Pacific Railway (which leased the C&E
Railway) determining in 1908 that Red Deer would become the
divisional point, the station that still stands at the end of Ross
Street today was built in 1910 to
replace the original wood frame station. The new large and impressive
brick station (similar in design to the one in Lethbridge) could easily be seen by the commercial centre of the community. The following year, an addition was constructed on the
south end of the station. The original station was moved south, refurbished and used as a freight house
until it was torn down in 1965. Major
renovations occurred to the station in 1969. Passenger service ended
in 1985 after 94 years. The station was closed in 1991
when the rail yards were relocated to the west side of city. The station
was restored
in 1996, designated a historic site and is now used for offices.
 ACR Red Deer -
In
1911, the Red Deer-based Alberta Central Railway, with a vision of
becoming part of a transcontinental system, had built a station and yards in what is now Mountview. A small station and
yards were built near where the current Mountview School is located
behind the fire hall on 32 Street.
Canadian Pacific had no interest in extending the originally planned
eastern leg of the railway when it took over operations of the ACR and the tracks to the Mountview station
and yards were torn out east of the north-south main line in 1913.
 CNR Red Deer - In 1923, the
newly-formed Canadian National Railway
built a station (similar to, but a unique variant of a Canadian National Railways third class
design) where
the Co-op Plaza shopping mall is now located. It replaced a temporary
station built by the Canadian Northern Western Railway in 1920 when
a bridge was built over the Red Deer River near the mouth of Waskasoo
Creek. The railway abandoned the river crossing in 1941 but
continued service to its city station grounds via a connection to the Canadian
Pacific along the present site of the museum, downtown Safeway store and
Red Deer Lodge.
The last steam locomotive heading the last passenger train to the Red Deer station marked
its closure in 1955. The
station was sold and demolished in 1960 when the yards were relocated to
the north side of the river and land redeveloped for
the Co-op Shopping Centre.
Black and white photos indicate a change of paint scheme in 1955
from white/grey with green trim to oxide red with cream trim.
Sylvan Lake
 ACR/CPR Sylvan Lake - original portable
station built
in 1912 replaced by CPR Standard #14A
in 1924 (similar to Benalto, Hobbema, Bentley and Stettler
stations); sold 1969
CNR
Sylvan Lake - Canadian Northern 3rd class station built 1913; demolished or removed
Stettler
CPR Stettler - original
station built 1905 (CPR Standard #5); destroyed by
fire 1925; new station built 1925 (CPR Standard #14A similar to
Sylvan Lake, Benalto, Bentley and Hobbema stations); retired 1968; demolished
CNR Stettler - built 1911 (CNor Second class); relocated a few blocks
and restored at Town & Country
Museum Stettler
 Alix
had, for 10 years, three active stations as the small
community was served first by the Canadian Pacific Railway, then by
the Canadian Northern and the Grand Trunk Pacific, the
last two railways later becoming part of the Canadian National
system.
The east-west CPR arrived in Alix in 1905 and the community was
served by a temporary station until a new Standard #5 station was
built in 1910. When the north-south Grand Trunk Pacific arrived in
1911, it crossed the CPR at grade.
The Canadian Northern depot (3rd class built 1912, abandoned 1922)
was on the Brazeau subdivision when crews were based at Big Valley.
The station was moved to the GTP station grounds in 1927 for use as
the Canadian National station on the north-south former GTP line
when crews for the Brazeau subdivsion were relocated to Mirror. The
former GTP depot (Type E built 1911) was converted into a section
house in 1927 and was later removed. The CPR station was demolished
in 1958 and the CNR station was demolished in 1975.
Camrose
(coming soon)
Photo descriptions and credits:
Header: Red Deer CPR 1910 station, park and C&ER 1891 combination
station as freight house 1911
(Red Deer Archives P3202);
Stettler 1911 Canadian Northern 2nd class station (Paul Pettypiece
2010);
Red Deer CPR 1910 station streetside (Paul Pettypiece 1987);
Red Deer CPR 1910 station trackside (Paul Pettypiece 1985);
former relocated never-used 1911 Alberta Central Railway station as
current residence (Paul Pettypiece 2009);
Red Deer 1923 Canadian National Railways modified 3rd class station 1955 (Red Deer Archives P7009);
Sylvan Lake 1913 Canadian Northern 3rd class station c1940 (Sylvan Lake Archives);
Alix 1910 CPR standard #5 station (Glenbow Archives via Peels Prairie Postcards 1910);
Photos courtesy of Red Deer Archives,
Sylvan Lake Archives and
Paul Pettypiece.
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