On Location - Lacolle Quebec

Lacolle station was built by the Delaware & Hudson in the early 1900's. Possibly 1930. Date is not exact.

Early on, in 1881, the Napierville Junction Railway & Quarry Company was created to build a line from Rouses Point NY to Montreal PQ. Construction involved the most direct route to Montreal with minimal grades possible.

In 1888 the NJRR built a line from St-Remi to St-Cyprien PQ. (very little information about this branch exists).

In 1907 the NJRR was purchased by the Delaware & Hudson Company, hence the D&H's architecture/style of the station. On April 9th 1907, the Napierville Junction Railway was opened from Delson PQ to the US/Canada border, giving the Delaware & Hudson a link to the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Grand Trunk. The Napierville Junction was given the track that the D&H's subsidiary company, the New York & Canada Railroad built the year before from the border to Rouses Point. About 1.1 miles.

As soon as the track was laid, the D&H used this route, and a small stretch of the Grand Trunk track, to get to Montreal...but this route didn't last long. On October 1st 1917, the D&H began using CPR tracks out of Delson to enter Montreal.
(There was also another route from Canada Junction, just north of Plattsburgh to Montreal. Going through Mooers NY to Hemmingfold PQ, connecting with CN's Hemmingford Subdivision but this route was abandoned at an unknown time)

For over 53 years, the Napierville Junction had it's own identity until 1970 when the Delaware & Hudson merged it into its own Montreal Division.

They did not own much rolling stock. Just a pair of RS-2's locomotives. #4050 and #4051, but they did make handsome profits by charging other railways the right to pass over their rails.

Lacolle was the epicenter of the Napierville Junction. Even in the years after the D&H merger. The large station hosted passengers for the Montreal Limited and the Adirondack. There were offices and rooms for officials, train and maintenance crews alike.

In January 1984, Guilford acquired the D&H, but ran it under its own name. This was one rocky relationship as service suffered greatly. In 1988, Guilford released the D&H after the failed merger between Norfolk Southern and Conrail never happened. If NS was able to buy Conrail at that time, NS would have sold Guilford all the ex-NKP track from Buffalo to Chicago. This never happened and the D&H, bruised and battered, was picked up (ordered by the ICC) by the New York Susquehanna & Western Railroad Company.

In 1990 the D&H went bankrupt and was put up for sale. A white knight came along and in 1991, CP Rail purchased the D&H and renaming it the Delaware & Hudson Railway. The Montreal Division from Delson PQ to Rouses Point Junction became the Lacolle Subdivision. CP Rail vacated the station in the late 1990's when the Lacolle Subdivision was under St. Lawrence & Hudson ownership.

Today, Lacolle Station sits as a silent, hollow shell. A reminder of what is was like in the past......prosperity under the D&H name.
U23B's, C-420's, C-424's, GP38's, GP39-2's. C-628's, U30C's, RS-3's, SD45's, RF-16 Sharks, boiler equipped RS-2's and the PA's used to pass this station daily. Today, CP's locomotives now pass the station.

In 1991 the building was added to the list of heritage railway stations on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.


Enjoy this video of Lacolle. The station long forgotten to time, but not to railfans alike.

Music by Chicane - Already There

Enjoy!

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Lacolle
• Quebec
• CP
• CPR
• Canadian
• Pacific
• Railway
• railroad
• AC4400CW
• freight
• train
• station
• Delaware
• Hudson
• engine
• locomotive
• rail
• track
• vintage
• Napierville
• Junction

[broseqc]

My father worked as a signal maintainer at that station for many years. I actually think that's him on the bike in the background. I showed him this video and he claims his hair is not that white, but my mom agrees that it's him. I have some photos of the station somewhere. I can try digging them up if they're of interest.

[ConrailSD70MAC]

@broseqc - i emailed you. I would like to see those pictures as they would be of great interest to me.

[TheArceus911able]

this is where i live in lacolle

[ConrailSD70MAC]

@TheArceus911able - Hey, whatever happened to that Church Steakhouse on the main street? I was in Lacolle a few weeks ago and it wasn't open. I went to Chez Cantic instead.

[Treowe]

My Grandfather was the train master at this beautiful station back in the 50's, I have vivid memories of seeing him sitting at a desk, sleeves held up with garters, wearing a visor , using the telegraph device and it was so exciting as a child to be there, and the best was that he arranged for my little brother and I to get a ride in an engine one time. It breaks my heart to see it in disrepair now.

[ConrailSD70MAC]

@Treowe - sorry to take soo long to reply. Do you have any pictures from the time your grandfather worked at the station?

[papoocanada]

The LACOLLE station dates from 17th NOVEMBER 1930 the day it was opened for service, replacing an older station that burned.

*gus

[CPR9818]

This Station was built in 1930, work began on July 15th and was completed on November 15th 1930,at the total cost of 38,718.30$ in 1930. 2 days later the station was inaugurated and at least 100 people where invited.

[CintiRailFan]

There is an excellant picture of that train station in Railpace magazine, December 2010 issue, page 41.

[TheArceus911able]

@ConrailSD70MAC i dont know i live in saint bernard de lacolle i just can walk there 1 minute from here and im a farmer