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A First Class
Train Station
The Grand Trunk, like the other railways, generally relied on a fairly
small number of standardized station plans. For Rivers, the company
chose a more ambitious design, reflecting Rivers’ status as a
divisional point on the railway’s main line through the West, and
showcasing the quality of the Grand Trunk Railway’s building program.
The stations in Melville, Saskatchewan, Edson, Alberta, Sioux Lookout,
Ontario and Redditt, Ontario, are similar in design and likewise are
examples of the rare GTPR, custom-designed, “special stations”.
It was
indeed more that just a station.
It housed the first Canada Railway News Company restaurant west of
Winnipeg. Sabbath services were conducted in the waiting room,
conducted by men of the gospel from Bradwardine and Wheatland.
It included living quarters for the families of the first Company Agent
F. W. Buggey, as well as, at different times, a railroad clerk, and
station restaurant managers.
From its location at the base of Main Street this impressive structure
dominated the skyline the thriving new town.
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