CNR Roundhouse - Hanna, AB - Railway Roundhouses on Waymarking.com

Though long out of service, the roundhouse still stands on the south side of the railway tracks, just south of the town of Hanna. It was built with 10 stalls for servicing and storing the CNR's engines.

CNR Round House

The 10-stall round house was started on June 8, 1913. Included in the construction was a 60,000 gallon water tank and this would necessitate construction of a dam across the creek meandering south of the tracks.

Roads began opening up, and trails improved as farmers began coming to Hanna to do business. June 15, 1913 work began on the road to Garden Plain. It was to be paid for by the rural municipalities. Dowling Lake Municipality bought road machinery from Jarrell and Brink - a grader, a ditch plow and slips, and a large number of teams were hired to supply the power.

On June 13, 1913 many more men arrived to start work ballasting the CNR tracks. One trainload from the east brought 200 men. They were housed and fed in their own camp, another 75 men arrived from the west to begin work on telegraph lines, and more crews were expected to assist in the construction boom.

It was also rumored that the Canadian Northern Railway system would be taken over by the government, but nothing more was heard for a time. Road gangs worked through the summer and the ballasting was completed in time to move the bumper grain crop of 1913.

On August 7,1913 a storey was released that the Brazeau line to Hanna would be built soon and the CPR from Bassano to Coronation would pass through Hanna. By early September 1913 daily mail service was expected from Alsask, but the railway had not yet received contracts to carry mail.

By September 14, 1913, the first car of grain was shipped by McCuish Brothers. It was No. 1 Marquis and was shipped through the Alberta Pacific Grain Company. The Hanna Board of Trade continued to pressure the railway for facilities and in October a loading platform and a two-pen stock yard was built.

November 13,1913 was the long awaited day when almost everyone in Hanna went to the station to welcome the first passenger train from the East. The first train consisted of eight cars - two first class, two second class, baggage, express, mail and dining cars. The first engine bore the number 1228. The first train crew: Conductor, G.L. Byers; engineer, J.H. Cherry; fireman, Ross Alexander; brakeman, F.A. Purvis; mail. H.G. Hays, H.F. Mills, C.E. Miners; express C. Austin; Dining car, W. Patterson, conductor; Louise Phillipe, chef; A. David, C. Morrison, A. McDonald, F.J. Long.

This train would establish a mixed train coming to Hanna from the east on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The train would go west to Drumheller and return the same day.

On January 22, 1914, the CNR had the Hanna townsite plans registered. They also granted an acre of land to the village for $100 as a hospital site.

Many settlers were coming into the area that spring and 25 cars of settlers effects were distributed along the Goose Lake Line as the families moved in. From the Town of Hanna

Number of Stalls: 10 Year Built: 06/08/1913 Currently in Operation: no

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