A big and mostly outdoor museum, the Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum presents admirably the history of railroading and of forestry in British Columbia. On the grounds are no less than 11 structures, most being ex railway buildings, such as linemen's shacks and bunkhouses, maintenance buildings, a railway police barracks and the depots.
The second largest structure in the museum, after the visitor centre, is the Penny Station, a Type E Grand Trunk Pacific (GTP) station built in 1914 at Lindup, BC, at a cost of $4,005 and moved east to Penny, BC. The station has been set up much as it would have appeared when in service. In its lifetime the station has been moved twice, by rail in 1947 from Lindup to Penny, then by road in 1986 to Prince George.
Penny Station
This Type E GTP station was built in 1914 at Lindup, BC, at a cost of $4,005. It was moved east to Penny, BC in 1947, as Lindup never developed as a community requiring a station; while Penny with a population of several thousand had only temporary quarters. Originally it had wood siding on the outside walls, then stucco, plumbing, insulation, and electric wiring were added. This type of station was once common along the CTP/CNR west of Winnipeg, but now there are almost none left.
From the Museum
In the station's waiting room, beside the stationmaster's ticket window is a bronze plaque further describing the stations history and its wandering nature.
G.T.P./C.N.R. Penny Station
The Penny Station was built by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1913 as a Type E station at the proposed townsite of Lindup. Lindup never prospered as a townsite and the station sat almost unused until the fall of 1947. Canadian National Railway moved the station by flatcar to Penny BC, located approx. 76 miles east of Prince George. The station was in active use by the railway until the fall of 1978. The station was then used only by the residents to catch the VIA train east or west. VIA Rail replaced the station in 1986 with a single room building. Working with the residents of Penny and CNR, it was decided that the station would be moved to Prince George for preservation and restoration as a lasting example of this type of station. With the assistance of the CNR, Provincial and Municipal governments, private contractors, residents of Penny and museum volunteers the station was transported by road. Crossing the Fraser River twice, once over an ice bridge at Penny and again over the newly completed Yellowhead Bridge at Prince George, the move was completed between February 10th - 13th, 1986.