Banff Railway Station - Banff, AB - Blue Plaques on Waymarking.com

Classic railroad station located just north of the Town of Banff. It was built by the CPR in 1910 to accommodate the burgeoning tourism industry.

The station saw several trains a day throughout the Golden Age of railroading. However, the completion of the Trans Canada Highway and the resulting dwindling passenger base saw the station service shrink to the point where passenger service on the CPR and its successor VIA Rail, and finally halted by the early 1990's.

In 2010 the station received a new lease on life. A four-year restoration ensued, and the station once again opened for passenger service, this time by the privately-owned Rocky Mountaineer, and the Royal Canadian Pacific luxury railroads.

The station was designated a Railway Heritage site in 1991.

It is current open for passenger trains during the April - October tourism seasons. The facility also doubles as a Tourist Information Centre.

The plaque reads:

BANFF RAILWAY STATION
327 Railway Avenue 1910

After Confederation in 1867, Prime Minister Sir John A. MacDonald realized that to prosper, Canada needed a national railway from east to west with a ribbon of steel. This was to become his "national Dream". To facilitate this mammoth undertaking, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was incorporated in February, 1881. By 1883 construction had reached the Bow Valley. In the year, three railway workers discovered natural hot springs at the base of Sulphur Mountain. In November 1885, the federal government created the Hot Springs Reserve, forerunner of Banff National Park, for the enjoyment of all Canadians. Tourism in the Canadian Rockies was born. Wealthy people from al over the world would arrive by train and be taken by tally-ho to the Banff Springs Hotel, one of a series of grand hotels the CPR built along its mountain route.

By 1910 the original log station built in 1886 was unable to meet the increasing tourist traffic and was replaced by this present structure. It features a typical long horizontal profile with a small second storey with two steep gables. Massive roof brackets support the wide overhang. The walls are stucco over a river stone base. This building is designated a Federal Heritage Railway Station.

This plaque was produced by the Banff Heritage Corporation and the Town of Banff, with assistance from Parks Canada, Alberta Historical Resources Commission, the White Museum of the Canadian Rockies and local community members.

Blue Plaque managing agency: Banff Heritage Corporation & Town of Banff Individual Recognized: Banff Railway Station Physical Address: 327 Railway Avenue Banff, AB CA T1L 1A1 Web Address: Not listed

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