WHITBY FREE PRESS, "OUR HISTORICAL HERITAGE1, WEDNESDAY, JUNE Il. 19 80, PAGE 7 The railwa realy put Whitby on the map By EUGENE Il Railway buildinr phenomenom of tI Canada. Prior to there was less thai of rail in ail of Br! Axuerica, but afte had passed, 2,00( track had been bui Railways wer( coming to this They were, in fa( use over in Gre, and the United Stî our engineers an( people started tc potential for t.his of transportation i There was over. of track were op the United States got going. There were t' that inhibited the railways here. Ou in moving towar dustrial economy lack of venture( necessary for suck tensive projeets. These were th too, why railway turned to govern assistance in Canada's first rai derway. Canada was stil an agrlcultural e( the railway age Canada and to Wh Whitby in the RailwaY Age In 1849 the government pass that guaranteed1 interest owed ont indebtedness of an within the provinc miles in length.A there was a greal railway promot several feeder li built. Ten years,% however, before own parochial wou.Id be organize The main trunà ween Toronto and remained incom sometime. The sq ween Montreal a: ville was finishedf the road betweei and Oshawa was, for service onA 185. That was Town of Whitby, C tered the railwa Canada. Whitby Stations Our town was three railway sta the years. The built on the north tracks where th crosses Victorii today, just east1 John's AngheawC IENRY survived until 1903. ig was a By that time, the Town of he M80s in Whitby had consolidated ,othat time around the four corners and in 100 miles Brock Street, had become ritish North the main north er a decade /South artery of the 0 miles of municipality. Luit. It was decided that, the .e late' in new Whitby station should country. be located dloser to Brock tCt, ifl wîde Street and the main flow of eat Britain traffic in the town. It was, ýates before therefore, located at the foot d financial of Byron Sreet, just west of study the Brock Street until it was new mode moved to its present in Canada. location. 5,000 miles The third Whitby station peratio n in was built up town in 1870 just before we south of Dundas Street bet- ween Macneils Furniture wo factors shop and the Beaver Lum- growth of ber depot. It was a two ur slowness storey red brick building ,rds an in- and it might have been a y and the house converted for use by capital, SO the Port Whitby and Port -h dollar in- Perry Railway that got into operation in 1871. he reasons The 1903 station is the one promoters that most Whltby people inents for remember best and there getting are few buildings in our ilways un- midst that evokes the past more sucessfuily. il basically It was designed by one of ,conomy as the architectural staff Scame to within the bridges and -ntby. buildi It was designed by ½hone of the architectural staff within the bridges and buildings division of the provincial railway Co. Fortunately the sed abill three original drawings of haîf of the the structures are in the the bonded safe-keeping of the station ny raiîway, gaer and gauery director cea oer l well their Iasws to the Town is a resuit, of Whitby. tin andry f t is for certian a unique in and building, eye-catching and wues wer some what secretive. A fine Whould s example of Flamboyant, Whitby Victorian railway station riay architects. .d. While not old as heritage k line bet- buildings go, it has added SO di Montreal much to the 111e of our com- aplete for munity, that steps should be ection bet- taken by Whitby's heritage and Brock- committee (thxe Iacac) to first: Then put it through the c oroneto designation process under August 11 and in this way, give it the Swhen the protection it deserves for Ontario eni- Whitby's citizens, in the ay age in years that lie ahead. Before the railway came Railway to Whitby farmers and townspeople alike led somewhat isolated and lonely lives. The automobile served by was a thing of the future. aions over Going to the station was an Sfirst was important event in any day. side of the How do I know? I though he C.N.R. you would neyer ask. I a Street played around that station of the St. with my Port Whitby Frien- Church. It ds long ago and we saw it al eM to serve work. The Heard boys, Canada I