Port Borden Railstation, PEI
Posted by: 
brenda&&rew
N 46° 15.017 W 063° 42.275
20T E 445689 N 5122097
This stationhouse has been reconstructed to serve as an interpretive centre in the Borden-Carleton Marine/Rail Historical Park.
Waymark Code: WM6XM3
Location: Prince Edward Island, Canada
Date Posted: 08/02/2009
Views: 19
The Park commemorates the years of marine and rail service provided by the community and the many former employees who worked to keep the ferries and the railcars moving.
It was difficult to find any information about the stationhouse but I did find the following details about the line it sits on:
"The most revolutionary change to the PEIR occurred in 1915 when a new icebreaking railcar ferry was ordered by the federal government, arriving from the United Kingdom with a capacity of 12 rail cars, however it would not be until 1917 that the port facilities at Port Borden and Cape Tormentine would be ready to handle the vessel. In the meantime, the ferry continued to operate the service to the port of Pictou, Nova Scotia from Georgetown and Charlottetown for the next two years.
The new ferry port at Borden required the Cape Traverse-Emerald Junction line be modified, and a line was constructed to Borden, along with marshalling yards and other facilities. The Cape Traverse line would only last a few more years before being abandoned following the move to Borden. Up until this point, the PEIR (Prince Edward Island Railway) was a completely captive system, having no need for interchange with mainland North American railways. Following the start of railcar service in 1917, the lines to Charlottetown and Summerside from Borden were dual-gauged, capable of handling mainland cars with the standard gauge of 4 ft 8.5 in (1435 mm) and the PEIR's narrow gauge of 3 ft 6 in (1067 m).
In September 1918, management was transferred to the newly nationalized Canadian Northern Railway.
In July, 1989 abandonment was announced for Prince Edward Island. On December 31, 1989, the John Hamilton Gray carried the last operational rail cars and locomotives off Prince Edward Island.
Salvage crews worked throughout 1990, 1991 and 1992 removing tracks, cross-ties, and other railway facilities. In return for agreeing to not oppose CN's abandonment, the provincial government was given compensation by the federal government in the form of highway subsidies to account for increased wear on provincial roads from trucks."
(www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Prince_Edward_Island_Railway)
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?:
It is located in the PEI Marine/Rail Museum and has an information centre inside.
What rail lines does/did the station/depot serve?: Prince Edward Island Railway (PEIR)
Station/Depot Web Site: Not listed
|
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.