National Network for Equitable Library Service

Brown celebrates the survival of our railway heritage in stations that have been saved or remain in use. Despite the "green" benefits of rail travel, Canada has lost much of its railway heritage. Across the country stations have been bulldozed and rails ripped up. Once the heart of communities large and small, stations and tracks have left little more than a gaping hole in Canada’s landscapes. This book revisits the times when railways were the country’s economic lifelines, and the station the social centre. Here was where we worked, played, listened to political speeches, or simply said goodbye to loved ones. The landscapes that grew around the station are also explored and include such forgotten features as station hotels, restaurants, gardens, and the once-common railway YMCA. Railway companies often hired the world’s leading architects to design grand station buildings that ranged in style from chateauesque to art deco. Even small-town stations and wayside shelters displayed an artistic flare and elegance. Although most have vanished, the book celebrates the survival of that heritage in stations that have been saved or remain in use. The book will appeal to anyone who has links with our rail era, or who simply appreciates the value of Canada’s built heritage.