Salmo Railway Station - Salmo, BC - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

Designated a Canadian National Historic Site in 1992, the station last saw freight service in about 1987 and passenger service in about 1967. In the 1990s the track was gradually abandoned and the track taken up from Nelson south to Fruitvale. From there south to the Canada-US border, the track remains and is in use by a large forestry company and other, smaller companies south of Trail. From Salmo north to Nelson the right of way was purchased by the provincial government and converted to a rail trail known as the Salmo-Troup Rail Trail.

Currently in private hands, the station patiently awaits study of the most cost efficient method of restoration. Government grants are available to aid in the restoration, but the rules differ according to ownership. As a result, the present owners are examining their options with an eye to eventually turning it over to the town of Salmo as a fully restored National Historic Site.

"The Burlington Northern Railway Station at Salmo represents the rivalry between transcontinental railways in the mineral-rich interior of southern British Columbia. The Salmo station was part of a deliberate move by the American-based Great Northern Railway (GNR) to challenge the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) for dominance in the Kootenay and Boundary districts of British Columbia.
The Burlington Northern Railway Station is one of the best surviving examples of a standard GNR depot in Canada, and an unusually good example of the standard railway station architecture used on western Canadian branch lines. By 1913, standardization had evolved sufficiently to produce buildings of relative sophistication and architectural merit.
The Burlington Northern Railway Station is a prominent local landmark, and a reminder of the significant role played by the railway in the establishment and growth of the community. It retains its relationship with compatible commercial buildings in the village.

CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
Character-defining elements of the Burlington Northern Railway Station at Salmo include:
- its simple form, consisting of a rectangular, gable-roofed structure with deep eaves and a polygonal operator’s bay on the track side;
- the pattern of wood siding and trim, consisting of narrow horizontal siding and wider, board siding separated by a wide frieze board under the eaves and horizontal banding at the level of window and ground sills;
- traditional detailing, including returned eaves, six-over-six wood windows and panelled doors;
- its wood construction;
- its standard interior plan, consisting of three principal spaces: the waiting room, the ticket office and the freight and baggage room;
- the exterior expression of interior spaces, including the location of the operator’s bay and the pattern of openings;
- surviving original fittings and furnishings, including the ticket window and counter, the operator’s table in the bay window, the cash drawer and company safe, and the station scale in the waiting room."

Source: HistoricPlaces.ca

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