Taken from ‘Memories of Bygone Era at Old Aultsville Station’ by Claude McIntosh
On a warm, muggy morning on July 20, 1957 the Aultsville station master bid adieu to train number 17 from Montreal bound for Toronto.
A few minutes later he locked the door of the stately old station built by the Grand Trunk Railway people in 1880 and went home for the last time.
It was the end of an era for the Aultsville station, which became a piece of Canadian National Railway real estate in a 1923 takeover.
Today, the well-manicured sample of Canadian railwayhistory occupies a piece of St. Lawrence Parks Commission property a stone’s throw west of the commission’s historic village.
A section of track a few steps from the old station’s boardwalk is the final resting place for a Grand Trunk locomotive, a baggage car and a couple of passenger coaches that look like they just stepped out of a Jessie James feature.
The coaches were built in 1880 - a few years after Jessie James was gunned down by Frank Howard - and the locomotive came off the assembly line in 1910.Grand Trunk put its line from Montreal to Toronto into service in the 1850's. It became known as The Moccasin because of the frequent use made of the Montreal-Toronto run by Indian raftsmen.
The natives worked on rafts that cruised the St. Lawrence River to Montreal from Kingston. There were issued tickets on the Grand Trunk for their return.
Except for a hydro meter on the station exterior wall and a map detailing the seaway project, nothing has changed from the days when the Grand Trunk was in its glory.
The Aultsville station was one of seven stations abandoned for the St. Lawrence seaway project.
Wiped off the Canadian Railway map were Mille Roches, Moulinette, Wales, Farran’s Point, Morrisburg and Iroquois.
A guide at the preserved Aultsville station tells visitors that its proximity to Upper Canada Village and excellent condition probably saved it from the wrecker’s hammer.
The station is now over 100 years old looks ready for another century.
I had lots of time on a beautiful afternoon and finally had the opportunity to stop by this attraction. Thanks for your comment.
Thank you for stopping by and the follow! Trains bring back so many great memories.
It was quite fascinating googling the history of this train - and the old station.