What the heck is going on at the Alberta 2005 Centennial Railway Museum in Beiseker Alberta? Their website is gone and the grounds appear as though abandoned. The old train station, what was to be the organization’s centrepiece, sits on blocks, as it has for a couple years now. In front is the foundation that it was to be placed upon, but it’s shifting and buckling and is in no shape to be used. The fenced-in compound where the rail cars are stored was open allowing anyone to enter freely. It’s as thought they simply up and walked away.
There are a lot of questions to be asked. Is the museum doomed? Is the dream dead? What will happen to the collection?
Let’s get some backstory…
The Alberta 2005 Centennial Railway Museum Society, the group that managed the museum, was established in the early years of this century. Their goal was simple, collect and preserve railway equipment and put it on display in Beiseker. Things started off well – they had a location and they quickly accumulated a collection of rail cars that they could put on display. The future looked good.
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Then, almost as fast as it started, it stalled. Outside of the couple boxcars being repainted little work was done to the collection as the years passed. The cars languished in a compound that was never really open to the public. It was museum, of sorts, I guess. You could view things through the fence, but no one got to go in. And for the next few years, that’s how it remained. Someone mowed the lawns around the site, but no work was done otherwise. Things moved at a snail’s pace – no, that’s wrong and there was no progress at all.
After years of inactivity, the organization surprisingly managed to acquire the old Bassano Station. It was an out of the blue, Hail-Mary move on the organization’s part – things had been deathly quiet for a long time and now this – maybe it would be the catalyst that would get the work happening again. A kick start.
The station was moved to Beiseker in 2012, not an easy task I bet, and a foundation was built, which, as planned, would become its final resting place. That trip was, by the way, was 150km long and took two days. Constructed over a century ago, the station was to become the centrepiece of the museum. It would house offices, a gift shop, exhibits, a library and archives. But nothing happened, and it has not moved since. In front, the foundation that was to support it has buckled and is basically useless (it was also full of water on our visit).
So what’s going on today?
Well, first the organization’s website went down then it vanished completely a few weeks back. I was alerted to this by a reader of this blog. With that we decided that it was a good idea to visit the place to see what’s up. And what do we find? Nothing much really, the station is sitting exactly where it did when we visited it a year ago and the foundation is falling apart much as it was. One thing changed however, and the gate to rail car compound was now minus a lock and was wide open – we walked right in. I’d say it’s been abandoned. Not really all that surprising I guess.
So was it bad management, inexperience, corruption or just bad circumstances that brought it down? Was it ever up? We can only speculate. We do know one thing, the group has been the recipient of grants, so at one time they had money. But clearly it was not enough.
In defence of the museum group, I understand they faced some obstacles. Cancellation of funding, contractor problems being two that come to mind. Maybe they had good hearts but it seems like they were in over their heads and have little to show for their work.
The station right now is locked up fairly tight but a small section of the roof is open to the elements (and the cap sits nearby). Birds are getting inside and that’s bad. The building is already beat up, and this means it will only deteriorate further. If not fixed up soon, will it be too late? I understand some people in Bassano tried to keep the station in its hometown, unsuccessfully of course. They must be fuming now.
I don’t even want to think what could happen if someone gets hurt playing around the station or rail cars. We closed up the compound gate when we left – not much help, but it looks better than if it’s wide open like when we arrived. Interestingly it does not look like many people have entered the site. There was still some snow on the ground and there were no footprints in them. Vandals have yet to make their mark. That’s good. Time is ticking though.
If it has folded, can others railway museums pick up the remains? My understanding, speaking with some in the business, is yes. But it’s not always easy. The person I spoke with in regards to this, had some knowledge of the Alberta 2005 Centennial Railway Museum Society and had few good things to say about them. In fact anyone I have contacted that knows them has been very critical of how things have been handled.
Let’s take a look at the collection…
The CPR Bassano Station dates from 1911 and is a monster, one of the largest of it type still extant. It’s last job prior to being moved here was as a storage shed and a base for maintenance crews – we saw an old sign saying it belonged to the signals and communications department. Looking at the building it’s amazing how many layers of paint are on it.
Outside the fenced-in compound and sitting on a short section of track is an old hopper car converted to ballast service. It was built in 1952 by the Eastern Car Company (aka ECC) of Trenton Nova Scotia. That factory closed down in 2007 and by then was known as TrentonWorks. Sitting nearby are various track components and some signal-light poles.
Inside the enclosure is CPR #51997, a fairly run of he mill 40 foot boxcar (no metric in the old days). It was built by National Steel Car (aka NSC) in Hamilton Ontario in 1956. This company today is the last freight car maker in the country. Beside it is an old railway shed and a second boxcar sans wheels and bogies. For some reason, it did not get photographed, nor was its number taken down.
Next up are two rows of cars. In the first line, we see flat car, another whose number I did not record (admittedly I was a bit distracted this adventure). Beside it is a tank car dating from the early 1920s. It was used to provide potable water to mobile crew camps. Continuing on, we see an ore car, CPR #377208, and a second hopper/ballast car, CPR #420880, built by ECC in 1953 and NSC in 1941, respectively. Adjacent we find an auto box car, CPR #296186, built by NSC in 1953. It would be used to transport, you guessed it, automobiles. Today, they use long bi-level and tril-evel auto racks. Last in that line is an ex-CPR Burro locomotive crane. It’s self propelled and can even pull a few cars. It’s from 1956.
In line two, we see a caboose, CPR #434430, built by in the company shops in the early 1970s. Check out the report (Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Beiseker Alberta) to read about another similar caboose a block or two away, and a second train station used as the town offices.
Up next are two grain box cars, CPR #401222 and #252797, built by ECC in 1956 and Canadian Car and Foundry (CC&F) of Montreal PQ in 1947. CC&F back then was one of the “big three” rail car makers in Canada – they closed in the early 1960s. These cars were repainted at some point – the wheat symbol tells us the car was for grain loading only. On the sunny side, the paint has faded badly.
Beside it is an a former CPR baggage car painted up with a number of murals (Artwork by Jan Kruger, Feb 1990) showing various working-on-the-railways scenes. It was last used as a storage and equipment car for maintenance of way crews. Its lineage has not been established by this author (speak up in if you know). Note how faded and peeled the paint is on the sun-facing side. Next is a Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) model S13 switcher, built for the CNR in 1959. Lastly, we see a snow plow. It’s a special one used for double track lines and throws snow only to one side. It was built by the CPR shops in 1930.
In the southwest corner of the fenced enclosure is a collection of speeders and small maintenance cars.
This author believes the collection is a bit disjointed. There is no theme and some of the cars seems out of place. Don’t get me wrong, any vintage rail car saved is a positive, it’s just that certain elements have a dubious value in some respects (IMO). Grain boxes are good but an ore car and an MLW switcher (neither of which would be seen out west), don’t really represent the prairie railway experience. Neither does a double track plow (the first I have seen BTW) – it’s meant for busy double track lines back east and not a sleepy branch. Coal boxes, stock cars, a creaky old combine, a suitably small steamer or early model GM diesel, that’s what they should have searched out. That is prairie railroading.
It looks like they simply picked up what they could, when they could with no set direction. I realize the scarcity of suitable cars and the like makes it hard to be a purist. You sometimes have to settle for what’s out there to a degree. None the less, these guys just seemed rudderless.
Also, I have one complaint, not that it really matters now, but the cars are, side to side, too close together. This make photographing things difficult. I guess since the museum appears disbanded, it’s a moot point anyway.
The location where the museum sits is along the CPR’s former Langdon Subdivision. At one time a grain elevator, served by the railway once sat roughly at this location. This line closed in the 1990s. Interestingly, on the other side of town is a second (active) rail line, the CNR’s secondary mainline from Edmonton to Calgary. The two railways paralleled each other here for a few kilometres, making Beiseker one of a handful of small towns served by two railways.
We visited the museum under gorgeous blue skies. None the less, our mood was a bit somber.
I expect this post will be subject to further updates and I have not doubt many people will chime in on what they think.
Update: May 2014. We’ve heard from a lot of people on this subject and all have voiced their displeasure at what’s happening, or rather what’s not happening, at the museum. We stirred up a hornet’s nest!
One, who’s had some contact with the museum group, and wishes to remain anonymous, had this to say…
“In around late September, early October (of 2013), Mammoet, (the company which performed the move at their own expense) were on site to slide the station onto the foundation. It appeared as though all was a go. They had the steel beams laid out and the machinery in place to move the unit. For some reason, the next day they packed up all their gear and left. The station has now sat another winter with the centre portion open to the sky while Beiseker has experienced record snowfalls. I was inside the station when it arrived in Beiseker and have been inside a couple of times since it arrived here. The damage to the interior, not to mention the amount of pigeon droppings, is very disappointing.”
It’s too bad, it gives other groups like are a bit of a bad name…we have had bumps too, but still milling away…gotta take your time sometimes, but I would love to see that Van(caboose) on our site for safe keeping.
No one will argue with you there! Some problems though – many of a the cars are undesirable and were cast-offs or rejects from other collections, but the big one is legal wranglings. I’ve seen some of the papers – it’s a mess and the stuff can’t move until some of it is sorted out. Not that anyone ever expects that to happen.
It would be great to see that S13 return to Moncton where it spent much of it’s life. The 8700s were all remanufactured at the Moncton shops before it closed in the late Eighties. Having it displayed in Moncton would be a great tribute to the employees who worked there. Sadly it will likely end up being scrapped like so many other historical artifacts.
You are most welcome Ken. Sad indeed. I haven’t been back since the station was moved to its (ahem) foundation, so before the fire. The thought of looking at the mess leaves me depressed.
(via Facebook) So what’s going to happen to all the equipment? I’ve heard the museum has disbanded and the Web site is gone. Also the town wants it gone.
Alberta 2005 Railway Society in 2010 or 2011 hires Stavely Building Mover Ponderosa Building Movers advances them up to about $160,000.00 They sub out moving the station this company is not paid. The Edmonton area man that supplied the main isn’t paid any rent. The welder that put the beams together didn’t get paid. Railway Society works that out. New contractor starts spring of 2012 discovers that foundation and building do not match up. Alberta transportation says it can’t be moved in on piece. At this point new contractor hires engineering company, and discovers that other building movers would have moved it in two pieces for around $75,000.00 loaded on foundation. But the fools in the Railway Society don’t like that plan. No they gave away $160,000.00 dollars and get nothing for it. They also hire long view Engineering company to design foundation that the Engineer never measure station, foundation is built wrong.
Village of Bieseker drops the ball and doesn’t follow any guide lines in the Alberta building Code (WHY!) no geotechnical work, to start with. The Railway Group now drops another $80,000.00 plus dollars on a foundation that isn’t the right size and sits on very unstable ground. Who was running this dog and pony show. The village can pled not guilty all they want the tax dollars that have been wasted. The contractors that weather the storm for three years that as rumor has it isn’t paid and now the local rumor mill is that there’s a stop work order. Nice work on the villages part wait until it’s on the foundation and the open roof is closed up.
Its election time maybe the MLA’s in waiting should look into this. Maybe talking with the contractor and a few other village residents about how it has been handled from day one would be very interesting news considering the village told you people it had been abandoned. I know that 2 village staff and one councillor have said it should be burned down, a half million in grant money, and lottery funds, somebody has something to hide, but what is it? And were does Alberta Trail Net sit in all of this because a title search shows them as a land owner.
A line taken from the old TV series laugh In “Very interesting….but stupid.”
Yup, Interesting, very interesting. I knew there was funny business and am not surprised by what you’ve said, and in fact have heard much of it anyway. Lots of money gone, and how in the world could the group bounce back from that?
Recall, the town told us it was abandoned back in spring 2014. At that time, the gate to the place was wide open, with no lock to be seen, and the station had not been so much as touched for well over a year, or so. That they came to that conclusion, in light of what was happening (or rather not happening), is really not that odd. I know however, there has always been heat between the town and the AB2005 group. Some relationships are never meant to be.
AB Trailnet and the Badlands Orginization have both turned down our request for an interview. The latter, I understand, is who’s behind the work being done recently. They know, more then anyone, what’s going on today.
Thanks so much for your eye-opening comments. Our private email can be found on our contacts page, should you need to message us outside this forum.
Maybe if you are so worried becoming involved would be a good idea and knowing the whole inside story before you talk, these things would be most important. I understand that people have opinions but peoples opinions have destroyed this project. As for the lock being gone maybe there should of been pictures of the lock missing and the sign saying no entry, means you trespassed. This project needs a heart transplant! Please find it in your heart to not knock it but support it. Believe me I know the inside story.
We were nothing short of kind, reserved and sympathetic in tone. No nasty here, just true concern. That’s not to say we didn’t have anything negative to say, we did. It’s clear, without even knowing a lot of the inside details that some things were done wrong, horribly so, and we stated this. Not opinion, but fact based simply on results. One need only look at the station foundation, for example, to know someone messed up. The group’s good intentions were never questioned.
Around the time we wrote the article, we spoke with someone connected to the AB2005 organization. What did we get from that interview? Zero. We were told we’d get the true story but all he did was play the blame game. He said and did nothing to further your cause, trust me.
We spoke with the town of Beiseker before entering the property. They said it was abandoned. There was no lock on the gate, it was wide open, and no signs of any kind to be seen. We would have not entered otherwise.
How can we or anyone get involved or help if the group is disbanded, or at best lives a shadowy off-the-radar existence? Of course, we’d love to become part of the solution. What can we do to help? We’re offering our services.
If you can clear things up, you yourself say you have the inside story, we’d love to interview you and share that with out readers. Drop us a line.
Diane, “opinions” don’t destroy anything. Lack of preparation, lack of foresight and one of many forms of general incompetence do that work.
Railway equipment and, especially, wood frame buildings, take a LOT of time, hard work and money just to maintain in a status quo. Unlike more common projects like automobile restorations, where the work can be done under cover, these items are continuously deteriorating — including the all-steel cars.
I’ve been involved with railway restoration for many years. I can tell you even a limited project like this takes a large, active gung-ho group. I have seen too many of these amateurish attempts go astray because, when people began to understand what they had taken on, they lost interest — or just didn’t have the time, expertise and resources to carry on.
The railway equipment, for the most part, can survive. I am most concerned about the station’s future. As an architectural historian terms it, we are seeing “demolition by neglect” right before our eyes.
I stopped by here in the summer of 2013. I took some pics of the equipment from outside the fence. Had I noticed the gate was open I would have went in myself! I toured through the other old station that is the town offices. I asked the girls working there about the status of the old Bassano station but they knew nothing, except that. “everything is kind of in limbo”. It is certainly sad to see such an historical artifact sitting there rotting away when it could be sitting somewhere else and being restored.
Well, that’s the other issue! If it sits there long enough, rotting away, it might get to the point that the structural integrity will be so compromised, they won’t be able to move it somewhere else!
clusterf*** – slang, chiefly military, vulgar – A chaotic situation where everything seems to go wrong. It is often caused by incompetence, communication failure, or a complex environment. from: Wiktionary
We used to do something called the "pointless challenge" 🤪 and miss those days. It was so much silly fun and often frustrating as heck. In these we'd invite people to send in random photos of obscure locations, but not give any information, and then we'd track where it was and shoot something similar.
Most of these came from old family collections, as was the case here. Anyone up to resurrecting the series?
In hindsight, why didn't we pose someone in our shot?
Pointless: “Devoid of meaning (or) senseless” Merriam-Webster.
If you like what we do and want to support this ongoing project (12 years now), go here: https://www.BIGDoer.com/help-the-society/ Thanks to Connie for making this post possible.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: ca1970 and 2014. Posted by Connie.
Captured on a cold, cold day many years ago. We've been passing this old house for decades and it's little changed in that time. At some point we expect to drive by and it'll be gone.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
When retired old railway cars usually get cut up for scrap. Sometimes, however, they find their way into the hands of the general public or whomever. Flat cars make good bridges, and boxcars can be transformed into storage buildings and the like. Case in point here. We see them used like this often enough and in this case, it's part of a corral.
Incidentally, this boxcar dates from 1950 and this was found by tracing the old road number, which is still visible.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
This central Alberta racetrack was never a commercial operation but instead just a fun place for car enthusiasts in the area to get together. Early '70s or thereabouts and it only lasted a few years. Even thought it's been abandoned for that long, there is no doubt what was here.
You know we like the the obscure stuff and this one fits the bill perfectly. Found by accident while backroad cruising and the history comes thanks to local car guy Mike.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2022. Posted by Connie.
On top of little Myrtle Mountain in the Kimberley (BC) Nature Park.
There's some good wilderness fun to be had here and nice views as you can see, but the real reason we came is mining history. The whole area near the ski hill was extensively worked over a century ago and we were looking for evidence of this. We didn't find much in the area searched, but it's a big chunk of property and we hope to return to cover more ground again soon. Of all the subjects we cover, mining related is a favourite.
Still, it was a good hike and that can't be bad. Look to the comments for more info 👇.
Exploring nature and history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2022. Posted by Connie.
It's a strange curiosity in south Kananaskis, there on a hillside and we have no idea who created it. We asked around and no one's completely sure about its history. In the past it showed the Canada 100 logo from 1967 but in 2017 someone changed it to reflect the country's 150th.
That's our friend Emily from DanOCan.com having a look.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
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Such a shame.
They had good intentions, but goodness it didn’t end well.
It’s too bad, it gives other groups like are a bit of a bad name…we have had bumps too, but still milling away…gotta take your time sometimes, but I would love to see that Van(caboose) on our site for safe keeping.
Yes, it’s a black mark against all museum groups. Badly handled.
(via Facebook)
Sounds to me like this museum needs to be absorbed/ taken over by a viable museum before all the equipment is vandalized and destroyed.
No one will argue with you there! Some problems though – many of a the cars are undesirable and were cast-offs or rejects from other collections, but the big one is legal wranglings. I’ve seen some of the papers – it’s a mess and the stuff can’t move until some of it is sorted out. Not that anyone ever expects that to happen.
(via Facebook)
Whatever happened to the ex-CP MLW RS-23 that’s supposedly stored somewhere near Calgary that was also part of the Beiseker collection?
It’s in storage at a gas plant south of Calgary. Might be there for a while.
It would be great to see that S13 return to Moncton where it spent much of it’s life. The 8700s were all remanufactured at the Moncton shops before it closed in the late Eighties. Having it displayed in Moncton would be a great tribute to the employees who worked there. Sadly it will likely end up being scrapped like so many other historical artifacts.
It would be nice if something was done with the stuff. Anything.
Great article, worth the read!
Thanks for taking the time to read it. Appreciate it.
(via Facebook)
What’s the latest on this?
The group in disorder, or disbanded, the station partially burned down, the collection still collecting rust. Sad…
(via Facebook)
Thank you Chris for the post. Your postings, as sad as they may be, are very timely.
You are most welcome Ken. Sad indeed. I haven’t been back since the station was moved to its (ahem) foundation, so before the fire. The thought of looking at the mess leaves me depressed.
Too bad it isn’t closer to Pioneer Village Museum. We could use a few of those grain cars when we move the elevator.
We got your email and sent your response to this.
(via Facebook)
So what’s going to happen to all the equipment? I’ve heard the museum has disbanded and the Web site is gone. Also the town wants it gone.
No one, it seems, knows, but given what’s happened in the past, I can’t help but worry. It won’t be good, that’s the gut feeling.
Alberta 2005 Railway Society in 2010 or 2011 hires Stavely Building Mover Ponderosa Building Movers advances them up to about $160,000.00 They sub out moving the station this company is not paid. The Edmonton area man that supplied the main isn’t paid any rent. The welder that put the beams together didn’t get paid. Railway Society works that out. New contractor starts spring of 2012 discovers that foundation and building do not match up. Alberta transportation says it can’t be moved in on piece. At this point new contractor hires engineering company, and discovers that other building movers would have moved it in two pieces for around $75,000.00 loaded on foundation. But the fools in the Railway Society don’t like that plan. No they gave away $160,000.00 dollars and get nothing for it. They also hire long view Engineering company to design foundation that the Engineer never measure station, foundation is built wrong.
Village of Bieseker drops the ball and doesn’t follow any guide lines in the Alberta building Code (WHY!) no geotechnical work, to start with. The Railway Group now drops another $80,000.00 plus dollars on a foundation that isn’t the right size and sits on very unstable ground. Who was running this dog and pony show. The village can pled not guilty all they want the tax dollars that have been wasted. The contractors that weather the storm for three years that as rumor has it isn’t paid and now the local rumor mill is that there’s a stop work order. Nice work on the villages part wait until it’s on the foundation and the open roof is closed up.
Its election time maybe the MLA’s in waiting should look into this. Maybe talking with the contractor and a few other village residents about how it has been handled from day one would be very interesting news considering the village told you people it had been abandoned. I know that 2 village staff and one councillor have said it should be burned down, a half million in grant money, and lottery funds, somebody has something to hide, but what is it? And were does Alberta Trail Net sit in all of this because a title search shows them as a land owner.
A line taken from the old TV series laugh In “Very interesting….but stupid.”
Yup, Interesting, very interesting. I knew there was funny business and am not surprised by what you’ve said, and in fact have heard much of it anyway. Lots of money gone, and how in the world could the group bounce back from that?
Recall, the town told us it was abandoned back in spring 2014. At that time, the gate to the place was wide open, with no lock to be seen, and the station had not been so much as touched for well over a year, or so. That they came to that conclusion, in light of what was happening (or rather not happening), is really not that odd. I know however, there has always been heat between the town and the AB2005 group. Some relationships are never meant to be.
AB Trailnet and the Badlands Orginization have both turned down our request for an interview. The latter, I understand, is who’s behind the work being done recently. They know, more then anyone, what’s going on today.
Thanks so much for your eye-opening comments.
Our private email can be found on our contacts page, should you need to message us outside this forum.
Maybe if you are so worried becoming involved would be a good idea and knowing the whole inside story before you talk, these things would be most important. I understand that people have opinions but peoples opinions have destroyed this project. As for the lock being gone maybe there should of been pictures of the lock missing and the sign saying no entry, means you trespassed. This project needs a heart transplant! Please find it in your heart to not knock it but support it. Believe me I know the inside story.
We were nothing short of kind, reserved and sympathetic in tone. No nasty here, just true concern. That’s not to say we didn’t have anything negative to say, we did. It’s clear, without even knowing a lot of the inside details that some things were done wrong, horribly so, and we stated this. Not opinion, but fact based simply on results. One need only look at the station foundation, for example, to know someone messed up. The group’s good intentions were never questioned.
Around the time we wrote the article, we spoke with someone connected to the AB2005 organization. What did we get from that interview? Zero. We were told we’d get the true story but all he did was play the blame game. He said and did nothing to further your cause, trust me.
We spoke with the town of Beiseker before entering the property. They said it was abandoned. There was no lock on the gate, it was wide open, and no signs of any kind to be seen. We would have not entered otherwise.
How can we or anyone get involved or help if the group is disbanded, or at best lives a shadowy off-the-radar existence? Of course, we’d love to become part of the solution. What can we do to help? We’re offering our services.
If you can clear things up, you yourself say you have the inside story, we’d love to interview you and share that with out readers. Drop us a line.
Diane, “opinions” don’t destroy anything. Lack of preparation, lack of foresight and one of many forms of general incompetence do that work.
Railway equipment and, especially, wood frame buildings, take a LOT of time, hard work and money just to maintain in a status quo. Unlike more common projects like automobile restorations, where the work can be done under cover, these items are continuously deteriorating — including the all-steel cars.
I’ve been involved with railway restoration for many years. I can tell you even a limited project like this takes a large, active gung-ho group. I have seen too many of these amateurish attempts go astray because, when people began to understand what they had taken on, they lost interest — or just didn’t have the time, expertise and resources to carry on.
The railway equipment, for the most part, can survive. I am most concerned about the station’s future. As an architectural historian terms it, we are seeing “demolition by neglect” right before our eyes.
Spot on, you nailed it!
As of October, the Bassano Station building is on its foundation but otherwise not much else has changed; http://raycourtman.blogspot.ca/2014/10/bassano-station-now-on-foundation.html
Thanks for the update. Funny, this very day I am putting the finishing touches on an update article on the Bassano Station. Good timing.
It’s really strange. We were through there last summer and it appeared to be totally deserted. What a shame.
We haven’t been back since the article was written. It breaks my heart just thinking of it.
I stopped by here in the summer of 2013. I took some pics of the equipment from outside the fence. Had I noticed the gate was open I would have went in myself! I toured through the other old station that is the town offices. I asked the girls working there about the status of the old Bassano station but they knew nothing, except that. “everything is kind of in limbo”. It is certainly sad to see such an historical artifact sitting there rotting away when it could be sitting somewhere else and being restored.
I worry the station will deteriorate so badly that it won’t be salvageable. It needs to find a new home.
Well, that’s the other issue! If it sits there long enough, rotting away, it might get to the point that the structural integrity will be so compromised, they won’t be able to move it somewhere else!
I suspect that will happen sooner then later.
Sad, I hope the station gets saved. Thx for all these great pics!!
We hope for the same!
What a cluster ****!
clusterf*** – slang, chiefly military, vulgar – A chaotic situation where everything seems to go wrong. It is often caused by incompetence, communication failure, or a complex environment.
from: Wiktionary
Yup, that pretty much sums it up.
Why doesn’t someone thrown a tarp over that roof opening? That’d solve the bird problem right away.
Seems like a no braniner really.
No, it probably wouldn’t. Moisture would get trapped under the tarp and rot the timbers that much faster.
I would have thought a covering of some sort would be better than nothing. A moot point, as they’ve finally closed in the roof this last spring.
Strange and weird!
The whole A2CRM story is just that.
I wonder if the station could be moved back to Bassano? It saddens me to see it so neglected.
It’s sad for me too and perhaps it can be reclaimed and brought back to its home.
hmmm that isn’t a good sign…
Not at all!