Columbia Falls Railway Depot - Columbia Falls, MT
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 48° 22.143 W 114° 10.841
11U E 708794 N 5361160
Built in the late 1800s, this railway station is one of the few which has done a bit of traveling of its own over the years.
Waymark Code: WMT0K4
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 09/04/2016
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member fi67
Views: 2

When the Great Northern Railroad was pushing through northern Montana it was thought that the divisional headquarters would be built in Columbia Falls and as a result a fairly large (for the size of the town at that time) depot was built there. This was not to be, however, and the headquarters was established at Whitefish a few miles to the west. The depot served the town until the 1930s, at which time it was hooked to a locomotive (see photo below) and moved some distance along the railroad tracks to a spot opposite the north end of Nucleus Avenue. From its new location it continued to serve until the early 1950s when, to make room for a new depot, it was moved down Nucleus Avenue to a new home just south of Nucleus Avenue on the southwest side of Highway 2. It spent several years as an automotive repair shop then, in 2008, became Station 8 Antiques, which it remains today.

This original train depot wasn't suitable for president Truman’s visit to Columbia falls, so it was moved off the tracks to make room for the new depot. The building was cut into thirds, and moved down Nucleus Avenue in the early 1950s.

It was purchased by Norman Stringfellow and he opened his automotive shop, later selling it to Linc France who also operated an auto repair business!

"Station 8 was the first train depot for Columbia Falls, and was built in the late 1800’s. It was added onto in 1908. A board dated March 14, 1908 was discovered in the attic when making renovations in 2008.

The name for my shop that opened in June 2008 derived from the dated board found in the attic and for my year of opening.

Colette Gross purchased the building in January of 2008, and husband Peter and team then spent 5 months renovating and refurbishing the building back to its origins of the train depot.
From Station 8 Antiques
Photo goes Here Photo goes Here
Photo goes Here Photo goes Here
Is the station/depot currently used for railroad purposes?: No

Is the station/depot open to the public?: Yes

If the station/depot is not being used for railroad purposes, what is it currently used for?:
Antique shop


What rail lines does/did the station/depot serve?: Great Northern Railroad

Station/Depot Web Site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the station/depot taken while you were there. Please also record how you came to be at this station/depot and any interesting information you learned about it while there.
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