7 June 2009
The Ex-Canadian Pacific Railway Station at Empress Alberta
Railway Avenue view on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border (Alberta)
side) at MP 111.8 Empress Sub, MP 0.0 Bassano Sub. Built in 1914. Used as a station until 1963 then as a
operator bunkhouse until 1972. A National Historic site - 22 Apr 2009 Cor van
Steenis.
My initial reaction to this photo was, "Who would dare
to paint a Canadian Pacific Railway heritage station in Canadian National colours?". That would be
jumping to a conclusion too quickly. The photographer, Cor van Steenis, has more to say about this station,
read on...
Trackside view on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border (Alberta)
side) at MP 111.8 Empress Sub, MP 0.0 Bassano Sub. Built in 1914. Used as a station until 1963 then as a
operator bunkhouse until 1972. A National Historic site - 22 Apr 2009 Cor van
Steenis.
In 1911 the Canadian Pacific Railway decided to construct a 230 mile long northern branch line from Java,
Saskatchewan (One mile west of Swift Current.) to Bassano in Alberta. In effect another route from Swift
Current to Calgary, which attracted farm settlers to the area. Empress, Albeta, located on the
Alberta-Saskatchewan border (Alberta side) was the divisional point between the 112.3 mile
Empress Subdivision in Saskatchewan and the 118.3 mile Bassano Subdivision in Alberta. Empress was named by
the North West Mounted Police after the Jubilee of Queen Victoria, Empress of India, in 1897. Empress had a
roundhouse and a station which was built when the materials arrived by rail from Bassano in June 1914; the
station accommodated passenger, freight, and telegraph service, as well as a roadmaster's office. The Bassano
Subdivision went into operation on 12 Jun 1914 while the Empress Subdivision was not in full
operation until the major bridge across the South Saskatchewan River between Empress and Leader, Saskatchewan,
was completed. The line went into full operation in the spring of 1915. In 1914 the village had over 200
people living there. In 1920 the population rose to 800 but today there are only 170 residents. The portion of
the Empress Subdivision, from just east of Swift Current to Leader, was recently acquired by the Great
Sandhills Railway, which has commenced operations.
The CPR station at Empress was declared a National Historic Site in 1992. It is the only station in Alberta
built to CPR Plan X-12. It is currently undergoing restoration. The exterior is virtually
complete except for a couple of doors, a gable grill, and the addition of a station platform. Interior
restoration has commenced. Although we think of the traditional CPR stations as painted tuscan red with dark
brown trim and yellow window sashes, in the early 20th century this was not the general colour scheme. A
number of stations had yellow-ochre siding with dark green trim. This restoration is true to the
original colours. In 1991 an examination of the Empress station revealed the yellow-ochre paint
beneath the later-applied tuscan red.
Sources: Atlas of Alberta Railways, Alberta Heritage Sources Information System, and Don Thomas of the
Canadian Pacific Railway.
Cor van Steenis - Chestermere Alberta Canada.
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