Constructed in 1912 at a cost of $3600, this small wood frame station has a style very much representative of smaller stations throughout PEI and the Maritimes, throughout Canada, for that matter, with a hipped roof and wide eaves supported by heavy wooden brackets. The station was built with men's and ladies' waiting room, as well as a station master's room and ticket office. Alongside the station were a freight shed and an engine house. The freight shed appears to remain, as well as a third building. It doesn't appear to have been the engine house.
Construction of the Prince Edward Island Railway in the 1870s nearly bankrupted Prince Edward Island, forcing it into Confederation with Canada on July 1, 1873. At this time the railway became the property of Canada and was completed and operated by the government as the Canadian Government Railway (CGR). CGR was taken over by the newly nationalized Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) (later to become Canadian National Railway {CNR}) in September of 1918, meaning that this station was built as a CGR station but was operated for the majority of its working life by the CNoR and CNR.
The railway, through the latter part of the twentieth century, grew smaller as spurs were closed for lack of traffic, culminating in the closure of the entire railway on December 31, 1989. There is no longer a railway on PEI.
With the complete closure of the railway a few stations were repurposed into museums and/or visitors' centres, as was the case with the Elmira Station. Open as a railway museum from early June to late September, it has on display many railway related artefacts, maps and photos, both inside and out, including an old CNR caboose, built in 1943. The track bed itself is now the major constituent of the
Confederation Trail system, a rails to trails project which runs from tip to tip of the Island.
One of seven Museum and Heritage PEI sites. Heritage Passports available. Once the end of the line for PEI's railway. Learn the story of railroading on the Island through photographs, maps, artifacts, station master's office. Home to the PEI Miniature Railway and one of Atlantic Canada's largest model train collections. Come see the Speeder and trolley. Train rides, gift shop, and bike rentals. Group rates. Admission charged.
From Tourism PEI
Elmira Railway Station
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Elmira Railway Station is located in the eastern Kings area of Prince Edward Island as part of the Elmira Railway Museum. It is a wood framed building with wooden shingled cladding and roof. The designation includes the footprint of the building, it does not include the building's interior.
HERITAGE VALUE
The Elmira Railway Station is valued as a significant example of railway station architecture in Prince Edward Island. It was constructed in 1912 by F.S. MacDonald as the easternmost terminus to the Prince Edward Island Railway at a cost of $3600. The branch line from Harmony Junction to Elmira opened on October 26, 1912.
The station building had separate waiting areas for men and women as well as an agent's office. A separate freight shed and engine house completed the site. A similar style of building was built at O'Leary in the western end of the Province. The design was common in many areas of the Maritimes and likely originated from the Railway's head office in Moncton, New Brunswick.
Passenger service ended in PEI in 1964 and the last freight was moved by rail in 1989. Many rural train stations were abandoned or turned into community centres. The Elmira Station was restored for the PEI Centennial in 1973. Today, it is an important part of the Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation, telling the story of the significance of the railway in Island history. Visitors to the site today, can also see a section of railway track where trains were turned. There is also a 1943 caboose as part of the museum.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
The following character-defining elements describe the heritage value of the Elmira Railway Station:
- the scale, form, and massing of the building
- the characteristic design elements of a hipped roof with large flared overhang eaves with wooden brackets
- the centrally placed shed dormer on the roof with paired three over three windows
- the wood shingle cladding on the exterior walls and roof
- the panelled doors with transom windows
- the fenestration of the exterior with an array of nine over nine windows
- the centrally placed chimney
- the identity sign placed at the corner bargeboard of the hipped roof
Other character-defining elements include:
- the location of the station in the rural community of Elmira, PEI
From Historic Places Canada