Coaticook station

Last updated
Coaticook
Grand Tronc Coaticook.jpg
View of station in 1904
General information
Location131, Rue Lovell
Coaticook, Quebec
Canada.
Coordinates 45°07′51″N71°48′31″W / 45.13083°N 71.80861°W / 45.13083; -71.80861 Coordinates: 45°07′51″N71°48′31″W / 45.13083°N 71.80861°W / 45.13083; -71.80861
Other information
Statusrestored
History
Opened1883
Closed1965
Former services
Preceding station Canadian National Railway Following station
Hillhurst
toward Montreal
MontrealPortland Dixville
toward Portland
Official nameVieille gare de Coaticook
Designated1999
Reference no. 8246

Coaticook station is a historic building in the small town of Coaticook, Quebec, Canada, close to the border with the United States. The first station, which was on the west side of the tracks, was completed in 1853 by the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad. The current building was constructed on the east side of the tracks in 1904 by the Grand Trunk Railway. [1] The two storey wooden frame building has a single storey conical roofed southerly end and a small extension on the north end. One of the façades includes a two-story bay window topped by a gable-pediment. The old station is located in a semi-wooded area in a residential area of the town.

Contents

History

During the 1840s, the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad, built a railway line. This connected by rail Montreal to the port facilities of Portland in the state of Maine. The residents of the township of Barnston succeeded in convincing the officials of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad to include Coaticook, which was then only a small hamlet on the route of the railway line. The first passenger train stopped in Coaticook in 1853. The railway, which subsequently changed its name to the Grand Trunk Railroad was completed in 1859. The first station was completed in 1853. It was replaced by a new station in 1904.

The heritage value of the old Coaticook station is based on its architectural interest. It is representative of a new type of station that appeared at the turn of the twentieth century. In the last decade of the nineteenth century, the Grand Trunk Railway made significant changes to the architecture of its stations. These buildings are distinguished by their picturesque character which derogates from the maximum profitability rule which was observed before. The picturesque movement comes from a theory of aesthetics which promotes a more intimate relationship between architecture and landscaped environment. The buildings was designed according to these principles having a wide variety of shapes and producing visual effects through an assortment of volumes and materials. The old Coaticook station is representative of this architecture in particular by its rectangular plan with a rounded end, its complex roof, numerous protrusions such as bay windows and the conical roof porch as well as its elaborate and varied ornamentation. It is a good example of the use of completed picturesque principles in the architecture of railroad stations.

Coaticook Station today. Vieille Gare de Coaticook.jpg
Coaticook Station today.

The heritage value of the old Coaticook station is also based on its historical interest. It shows the importance of the railway in the economic development of the city. Following the construction of the railway, many textile industries and wood and iron processing plants were quickly implanted in Coaticook. The train also drives the growth of the agricultural industry by regularly sending fresh milk to markets in Montreal. In 1904, the old station replaces a first building constructed on the same site in 1853. The passenger train service is interrupted in 1958. Since 1980, freight trains no longer stop in Coaticook. The presence of the old train station in the heart of Coaticook recalls the importance of rail infrastructure in its municipal history.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Station (Toronto)</span> Railway station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Union Station is a major railway station and intermodal transportation hub in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Front Street West, on the south side of the block bounded by Bay Street and York Street in downtown Toronto. The municipal government of Toronto owns the station building while the provincial transit agency Metrolinx owns the train shed and trackage. Union Station has been a National Historic Site of Canada since 1975, and a Heritage Railway Station since 1989. It is operated by the Toronto Terminals Railway, a joint venture of the Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway that directs and controls train movement along the Union Station Rail Corridor, the largest and busiest rail corridor in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Trunk Railway</span> British-owned railway in Canada and New England

The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, with corporate headquarters in London, United Kingdom. It cost an estimated $160 million to build. The Grand Trunk, its subsidiaries, and the Canadian Government Railways were precursors of today's Canadian National Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dearborn Station</span> Former train station in Chicago, United States

Dearborn Station was, beginning in the late 1800s, one of six intercity train stations serving downtown Chicago, Illinois. It remained in operation until May 1, 1971. Built in 1883, it is located at Dearborn and Polk Streets, adjacent to Printers Row. The station was owned by the Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad, which itself was owned by the companies operating over its line. The station is now a shopping mall housing office, retail, and entertainment spaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad</span> Railroad in northern New England

The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad, known as St-Laurent et Atlantique Quebec in Canada, is a short-line railway operating between Portland, Maine, on the Atlantic Ocean, and Montreal, Quebec, on the St. Lawrence River. It crosses the Canada–US border at Norton, Vermont, and Stanhope, Quebec, and is owned by short-line operator Genesee & Wyoming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Railway of Maine</span>

The International Railway of Maine was a historic railroad constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) between Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, and Mattawamkeag, Maine, closing a key gap in the railway's transcontinental main line to the port of Saint John, New Brunswick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingston station (Ontario)</span> Railway station for Kingston, Ontario, Canada

The Kingston railway station is an inter-city passenger rail station in Cataraqui, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It is served by Via Rail trains running from Toronto to Ottawa or Montreal, along the Corridor route. It is located on John Counter Boulevard, northeast of Princess Street and north-west of downtown Kingston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belleville station (Ontario)</span> Railway station in Ontario, Canada

The Belleville railway station in Belleville, Ontario, Canada is served by Via Rail trains running from Toronto to Ottawa and Montreal. The station is staffed, with ticket sales, vending machines, telephones, washrooms, and wheelchair access to the station and trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stratford station (Ontario)</span> Railway station in Ontario, Canada

Stratford station in Stratford, Ontario, Canada is served by four Via Rail trains daily running between Sarnia, London and Toronto. The station, though outside the immediate downtown area, is relatively central. The station building is wheelchair accessible. Via accommodates wheelchair access into the trains provided 48 hours' notice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London station (Ontario)</span> Intercity train station in London, Ontario

London station in London, Ontario, Canada is a major interchange for Via Rail trains running from Toronto west to Sarnia and Windsor. The station is a large, modern, wheelchair accessible building on the south end of the city centre, and connects to local public transit bus services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gare du Palais</span> Railway station in Quebec, Canada

Gare du Palais is a train and bus station in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Its name comes from its proximity to the Palace of the Intendant of New France. It is served by Via Rail, Canada's national passenger railway, and by the private coach company Orléans Express.

Francis Thompson was an English architect particularly well known for his railway work.

The Canada Atlantic Railway (CAR) was a North American railway located in Ontario, southwestern Quebec and northern Vermont. It connected Georgian Bay on Lake Huron with the northern end of Lake Champlain via Ottawa. It was formed in 1897 through a merger of three separate railway companies that John Rudolphus Booth had either purchased or created, beginning in 1879. The CAR was owned by Booth for eight years after its formation until he sold it to the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) in 1904.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Depot (Lansing, Michigan)</span>

The Union Depot is a former train station, located at 637 E. Michigan Avenue in Lansing, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. Despite the union name, Grand Trunk Western trains stopped at a different station in Lansing 1.5 miles away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railroad history of Portland, Maine</span> Aspect of history

The railroad history of Portland, Maine, began in 1842 with the arrival of the Portland, Saco & Portsmouth Railway (PS&P). Most of the rail activity in Portland revolved around agricultural goods bound for export and import freight from Europe. Yet Maine's largest city also enjoyed 125 years of continuous passenger rail service, from 1842 until 1967, and Amtrak began serving the city in 2001. For most of Portland's history, passenger train schedules were designed with intercity travel rather than daily commuting in mind; passenger activities were mostly confined to intercity travel from Portland to Boston, Montreal, Nova Scotia, and points west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yarmouth station (Maine)</span> United States historic place

Yarmouth station of Yarmouth, Maine, is located on the east side of the railroad tracks, just south of Maine State Route 115, the town's Main Street. The railroad station was built in 1906 by the Grand Trunk Railroad, and is a well-preserved example of an early 20th-century passenger rail depot, an increasingly rare sight in the state. The building, which is now in commercial use, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 10, 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mechanic Falls station</span>

The Mechanic Falls station was a historic railroad station in Mechanic Falls, Maine. The station, located on Elm Street, was built in 1883 by the Grand Trunk Railroad linking Mechanic Falls with Montreal and Portland, Maine. The village was named Mechanic Falls in honor of mechanics who worked there during the industrial revolution. The village grew especially after the arrival of the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad toward the end of 1840. The railroad opened the village to several business ventures between Portland and Montreal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island Pond station</span>

Island Pond station is a train station located in Island Pond, Vermont. It was opened in 1853 by the Grand Trunk Railway and closed in 1965. The building has been converted to local use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlin station (New Hampshire)</span>

Berlin station is a railroad station in Berlin, New Hampshire, United States. It was built in 1917, long after the arrival of the railroad in 1845, the reason being that Berlin was not on the railroad's main line further south at Gorham, New Hampshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorham station</span>

Gorham station is a former Grand Trunk Railway station in Gorham, New Hampshire, United States. It was built in 1907, long after the arrival of the railroad in 1851.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond station (Quebec)</span> Railway station in Quebec, Canada

Richmond station is a historic building located on rue Principale Nord in Richmond in the province of Quebec. The current building was constructed in 1912 by the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) to replace the previous wood-frame structure which had been destroyed by fire.

References

  1. Carmen Perron (2010). "Coaticook railway". Coaticook Historical Society. Retrieved 30 March 2015.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Vieille gare de Coaticook at Wikimedia Commons