History
10 facts
| Date | Statement | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1894-10-06 | The Canada Atlantic purposes erecting a new station at Alexandria. It will be about eighty feet long and work will be begun upon it at once. | Ottawa Journal 1894-10-06(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1896-06-08≥ | Coming up from Montreal Saturday night on the Canada Atlantic lacrosse excursion special ... There will be a stop at Alexandria for refreshments ... When the half-way house, as the Alexandria station is called, was reached, the candidates for initiation followed Mr. Donaldson from the car to the engine. ... The wait only lasted about 5 minutes. (As reported by 8 June 1896; the source dates the event only relatively.) From a long human-interest article in which Supt. Morley Donaldson put a reporter and a lacrosse player on the engine ('15', engineer William Swanston) at Alexandria; the article also puts the speed at 'about 65' miles an hour. | Ottawa Journal 1896-06-08(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1915-07-14 | The Grand Trunk station and restaurant at Alexandria, thirty-year-old structures as dry as tinder, were destroyed by fire this afternoon; by the time the brigade reached the scene the fire was already beyond control. The spread of the blaze was prevented, saving the freight shed and a number of adjoining factories and granaries, though the buildings destroyed were only ten feet apart from those saved. It is believed the fire was caused by sparks from a shunting engine. The contents of the buildings were practically all saved. | Montreal Gazette 1915-07-15(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Eastern Ontario Review 1915-07-23(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, same collection,...) | |
| 1916-08-18 | That Alexandria is to have a new G.T.R. station in the near future is evident from the fact that during the past week the grounds have been cleared and the station cars removed so as to enable the contractor, Mr. Carrigan of Montreal, to commence operations with least possible delay. | Glengarry News 1916-08-18(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1916-09-29 | Work on the erection of the new Alexandria station is well under way, occupying the old site with considerable extension, more spacious and modern in every respect. The materials will be principally red pressed brick in Flemish bond for the upper structure and cement work in the basement, with hardwood lining to the interior; the platform on the track side, 420 feet long and 16 feet wide, will be composed of medal paving blocks between concrete curbs. The station will consist of baggage and express rooms at the east end over a basement of reinforced concrete, heated by a hot water boiler and furnace on the Taylor Forbes system, two waiting rooms with separate lavatories and tiled floors, and an operator's room with an upper storey and gable roof near the centre of the building. The whole building covers a frontage of 96 feet with an average width of 20 feet, the centre part one and a half storeys and the wings 14 feet high from the bottom of the cornice, with an asbestos-shingle roof intended to be fireproof, as indeed the entire station is meant to be. The work is scheduled for completion by December 1st, with the contractor employing local labor where possible. | Glengarry News 1916-09-29(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1917-02-09 | The new Grand Trunk Station at Alexandria has been completed and the local staff expect to enter into possession early next week. The travelling public will be well satisfied with this change, as the cramped accommodation of a passenger coach has afforded very little comfort, especially during the winter months. | Glengarry News 1917-02-09(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1917-03-09 | Mr. G.W. Shepherd, G.T.R. Agent, and his staff of assistants took possession of the new station, and the change of quarters is much appreciated by the employees and public generally. | Glengarry News 1917-03-09(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1929-06-25 | Canadian National train No. 50 from Ottawa to Montreal, carrying about 150 passengers, "ran into an open switch about 500 feet west of the station here this afternoon, it plowed into a string of freight cars placed on the siding and pushed them over the open end of the siding into the station, demolishing the south-west corner." Fireman A. E. Ricketts was the only person injured. A car of wheat for the D. Markson flour mills was telescoped; the station, "solid brick", was damaged in one corner. The main line was not blocked and the passengers reached Montreal 45 minutes late. The station is called "Alexandria Station" and the damaged building is taken to be the depot on this entity (inference). Both papers ask who left the switch open; the investigation was to be held in Montreal. | Ottawa Citizen 1929-06-26(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Journal 1929-06-26(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 2017-09-22≥ | By 22 September 2017 (the issue date), the paper reported: Alexandria Station marked its 100th anniversary: "Alexandria Station opened in 1917 and welcomed its very first passengers. A century later, more than 15,000 travellers pass through this station every year." VIA Rail gave ten sugar maples to residents of North Glengarry and unveiled a commemorative plaque. The 2023 item says the station was built in 1916 and 1917 by the Grand Trunk Railway. | Cision 2017-09-22(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 2023-11-05≥ | By 5 November 2023 (the issue date), the paper reported: "Renovations are being made at Alexandria's historic railroad station." "The station was built in 1916 and 1917 by the Grand Trunk Railway, which eventually became part of Canadian National Railways (CN). Currently, it serves as a stop for passengers on VIA Rail's Ottawa-Montreal line. In 1994, it became a federally designated Heritage Railway Station." The work includes roofing replacement, small foundation repairs and brick repointing, planned to finish by the end of November. | Eastern Ontario Review 2023-11-05(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |