PICTOU, N.S.
The old CN Station in Pictou is getting a big roof job.
At a council meeting held Dec. 9, the Town accepted a bid from Dartmouth-based McCarthy’s Roofing. The accepted bid was will come with a cost of $109,000.
“The CN Station has been – and will continue to be – an important landmark in the town,” said Mayor Jim Ryan.
While the inside of building had seen little activity in recent years, (although it plays a supporting role in the annual Pictou Lobster Carnival), Ryan is hopeful that in the future, local community groups might make use of the facility, which was built at the dawn of the 20th century.
He said town workers will be repairing eaves and soffits in anticipation of the roofing company starting the project sometime early in the New Year. Ryan said he expects the work to be carried out in the months of January and into February, adding that the design of the structure was a factor in the high price tag.
“It’s not an easy, ‘do-it-yourself job’, I can tell you that,” he said.
It was designated as a national heritage site in the 1970s.
ocal historian John Ashton provided insight, along with an old photo from his archives for this article.
“In its heyday, when rail was big, it was a busy, busy place,” Ashton said. “I have some pictures of the station when it was hopping.”
ABOUT THE STATION
• Pictou Railway Station was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1976 because it is a company designed station, built in 1904, to replace the 1867 terminus that was built for the Intercolonial Railway, a government line, which forged a link between the Maritime provinces and central Canada.
• The Station is associated with the early 20th century expansion and updating of the Intercolonial Railway prior to its incorporation into the Canadian National Railways.
• The period was one of growth and prosperity for the Intercolonial Railway, reflecting a general economic upturn and increased government budgets.
• The Pictou line serviced the Pictou port facilities, which contained the railhead for traffic bound for Prince Edward Island.
• Passenger service was discontinued in 1963.
• The former Pictou station suffered fire damage in 1996 that has since been repaired.
(Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.)
