Dundas' Grand Trunk Station

by Stan Nowak
This article was first published in the July 16th, 2004 edition of the Dundas Star News. Reproduced with permission of the author.

It's a beautiful sunny day, with the escarpment to the west of me inclining steeply and green with lush vegetation. To the east, beyond the railway tracks, the escarpment slopes down into Dundas, but the treetops screen any view of the town. The train sped through while I was there. The ground shuddered gently, and the smell of creosote was prevalent in the air. Then just as quickly as it arrived, it was gone. Trains used to come by here more often; in fact, they used to stop at the very spot where I'm standing, at the site of the long-gone Grand Trunk Railway Station, halfway up the escarpment, just below Greensville.

The station was built in 1901, replacing the earlier original structure. The building was designed and built in the architectural style of the day, which could be described as "Queen Anne", due to the elaborate wood ornamentation and gingerbread trim, and possibly the complicated gables and roof shape. Most of the roof structure itself was a conventional frame construction using rafters and collar ties. It did have two unique features—a larger waiting room and a big bay window.

The Great Western Railway first came through Dundas on a single track on December 15, 1853, but the original station was constructed in 1864. The track was doubled in 1904, after the new station was built. The name of "Dundas" on the station sign was slightly off-centre because it was mistakenly printed "Dunnville" at first. The subsequent correction left our town's name slightly askew.

In its lifetime, the station served the Great Western Railway (from 1882 on, as part of GWR's Grand Trunk Division) until 1923, when the GWR was amalgamated with CN. In its heyday, in the mid-1920s, thirteen daily stops were harboured at the station. It was where you could see the 4:10 rumble in from Toronto, on its way to Brantford, London, Windsor and Chicago. The station was alive with the hustle and bustle of disembarking passengers, the air filled with the cacophony of people laughing, talking, and shouting to be heard over the whistles and hissing steam of the engine which had just arrived, and was soon to depart once again.

As late as 1965, ten trains were still stopping daily in Dundas. But soon after that, as the demand for train travel decreased, the station was utilized less and less until 1972, when train tickets were purchased there for the last time. Although CN still owned the property, VIA Rail took over the railway route. The station was still used for waiting passengers, but little upkeep was done on it. It was largely ignored until 1984.

In the fall of that year, a mysterious fire seriously damaged the station, rendering it unsafe and uninhabitable. A passenger shelter was erected to accommodate passengers. After CN announced plans to demolish the building, a public campaign was spearheaded to save it. It was a process that would take three years. Arguments for saving it included its scenic location and heritage. Arguments against included its dangerous vehicular access. Eventually, a decision was reached to dismantle the station and move it to a more suitable site. But, tragedy struck one final time.

On December 18, 1987, during the dismantling process, the building began to collapse when a wall was removed. The rest of the structure was deemed unsalvageable, and a decision was made to burn it down. Only a few timbers were salvaged and sent to Westfield Heritage Centre.

Today, there is only a flat gravelly area straddling the tracks to remind us of what once stood here. Even the small passenger shelter is gone. No train stops here anymore, but when you hear one speed through, just imagine it's the 4:10 from Toronto, and the station will live again, if only for a moment.

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