Nostalgia & History > Banff station AB at train time, 1987

Passengers are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Via train 1, the "Canadian", on its original route across the Rockies on the Canadian Pacific.

In the parking lot west of the station, a Brewster glass roofed coach awaits passenger from the train at the location they have done so for decades. The bus is parked about the location where an octagonal Brewster ticket booth was located. Brewster is a Banff company dating back to 1892, and is a hotel owner as well as a tour bus operator.

The station was built in 1910, and is now an historic landmark, gradually being renovated and accepting tenants such as car rental companies. Rocky Mountaineer maintains a seasonal office where CP and Via once had a ticket office .

The train arrivals and departures board was blank for years, however someone added the train arrivals and departures from 1931

Note the chimney, the interior of the station includes a large fireplace, last used when there was a steakhouse on site until the 1990;s . However, it once was a feature of a waiting room.

For many years, there were a pair of "garden tracks" east of station, where sleeping cars from Canadian and US railroads were parked to serve as accomodation.  I could understand the concept of an elaborate waiting room with a fireplace and other amenities for the guests staying in the sleeping cars.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/18 15:07 by eminence_grise.