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The Huron Expositor, 1974-02-07, Page 10,r 7. `777rF I. fll fiM l 1117► Ali'>E±.XROSITOR, SRAiFORTH, OMT,, fr*>S , i, 19Z4 Lorne Whittaker is working all day every day at tearing down the old railway station in Seaforth which he purchased from CN in December. Lorne takes a break sitting in the bay window where many station agents watched countless trains pull in and out. --stiff t WKMks «. INW9111111, H rear view of the old CNR station on Main Street shows the station agent's quarters complete with balcony. Lorne Whittaker is tearing the old, station down and will use the materials to enlarge his auto -body shoo in Harourhev. 'After 92 jyears, Q hole on Main When you think of it, Seaforth las' always been a railway town. It is only because of the railroad hat Seaforth, not Egmondville or larpurhey, became— flourishing )wn, a centre for movement of eople, salt grain and other gricultural supplies from all the ,arrounding area to the big cities :ast and west, The last passenger trains went through here in November, 1970. 3xp.ress service was stopped soon tfter that. Now the last remaining link that Seaforth has with her past glory as a railway centre is on its way out. The old train si •ation has-been sold by the C.N.R. to Lorne Whittaker of Harpurhey who hopes to have j,t taken apart and removed from the site by April 30. -file railway was the commercial and social centre here for over a hundred years. Many stories begin and end in the old station building. The tears of thousands of goodbyes and the smiles of as many hellos happened there. Evervune in town saw someone off or welcomed someone home in the old station, maybe soldiers going overseas in 1914 or 1940 or jusi mother .and father coming back from a week in the city, In, the late 1800's immigrants from the British isles and Europe West left by train from the Seaforth station a little later In the last century, in the early 1900's many hundreds of young men from Seaforth and vicinity caught the train here and travelled to -the West to work on the harvest, "harvest excursions" these trips were called. In those days, people took the train everywhere or st ayed home. Railway excursions were booked by local clubs much like bus trips are today. One June day in 1903, 200 tickets were sold in Seaforth for a Canadian Order of Foresters train trip to Niagara Falls. The amount of train travel in and out of town, then was an important indicator of the state of the local economy. The number of train tickets sold every week was always published in the Expositor. Fifty years ago, the newspaper published the names and destinations of people buying tickets to any far away places, perhaps discouraging countless would be elopers. Trains went and came from everywhere in those days aAd on speciall occasions, the whole town met the train. Several special trains came from Detroit and Toronto to bring former residents' here for the Old Boys' Reunion in royalty coming through Seaforth on the train (or any other way), but just after the second world war the Governor General visited here in his private railway car. And, of course, countless political figures have come here by train, including St. Laurent, biefenbaker and Pearson. For a few' minutes in 1967 it was just Ilke old times when a special train stopped at Seaforth to pick up 35 kids bound for Expo '67 on a trip sponsored by area Lions Clubs, But outside of a few such spurts, passenger traffic declined at the Seaforth station. Finally in November, 1970 the C.N.R. decided that passenger trains from Seaforth to Goderich were uneconomical and the community was cut off from passcnger rail service. The heart of the train business in Seaforth was always commercial -- shipping *carloads of farm products all over Ontario. In 1873 the Expositor says that 700 carloads were waiting iii the railyards for shipment because of a shortage of railway cars. From early in the Century and almost to the time it closed, Mac McKellar manned the C.N. express office. The people of Seaforth foulit almost a hundred years ago to Nt the present train station 'built. It was the huge amount of freight 7 came to Seaforth on the train and 1924. Bands met each train and business being done at the y walked through the train salon. paraded the new arrivals up Main Seaforth terminal that helped the tears old train station Settlers leaving Huron County Street. town .to finally persuade the It looks almost like the good old days when plenty of trains went past the for the Canadian and American No one can remember ,any Grand Trunk, -)o replace the first Canadian'National Station in Seaforth, but it's just a freight train passing through. the inside, then fold the roof off, take the been sold to Lorne Whittaker of Harpurhey, railway station, described as a "ragged shanty". By April the station will be gone from its customary site on Main Street. it'll be according to G.A.Forbes at CN station. The station that was finall-v moved piece by piece to Harpurhey by Lorne Whittaker who purchased it from C.N. Working methodically and by himself two storey station. Lorne has recovered built in 1882 served Seaforth and'- The empty site will remain the property of the CNR. lots of useful items from the station, along Body, will use materials from the old st area well. f .F ation to extend hiszHarpurhey business. interior fixtures in less than a in onth. He In more ways than one, there The building must be removed from the • . has salvaged almost every piece of lumber Most of the flooring is tongue and groove site by April 30, Mr. Forbes said. "CN will will be a hole at the end of Main and there are a number of old heavy doors ;h from plaster and has the boards piled with ornate hinges. Upstairs in what was Street when it, is torn down this neatly downstairs according to size. C =. ,. t , spring. Mr. Forbes said ."There was a fair hole in the floor, my uncle takes out the This, switchboard and' a sign recalling a business that is no longer active in Seaforth are all that remain in the office of the old CNR station and tell what a busy place the station once was. An old land mark on Main Street, the CN railway taking the building apart. Mr. Whittaker hopes to station, will soon be no more. The building has been have the site cleared by April sold by CN to borne Whittaker of Harpurhey, who is Harpurhey man tears old train station .down a ' Seaforth's old CNR station, advertised moving i keep warm". he told the Lorne is. organized. "1 figure I'll strip for sale in the Expositor late last year has Expositor reporter and photographer as he the inside, then fold the roof off, take the been sold to Lorne Whittaker of Harpurhey, showed them around the unheated old timbers off and work my way down", is according to G.A.Forbes at CN station. how he described the tatting apart of the headquarters in London. ,/ Working methodically and by himself two storey station. Lorne has recovered Mr. Whittaker, who owns Lorne's Auto except for occasional help from itis uncle, lots of useful items from the station, along Body, will use materials from the old st Tom Hardy, Lorne has torn out most of the with many 4 x h and 2 x 6 pieces of lumber, ation to extend hiszHarpurhey business. interior fixtures in less than a in onth. He The building must be removed from the • . has salvaged almost every piece of lumber Most of the flooring is tongue and groove site by April 30, Mr. Forbes said. "CN will in the old station, even separating lath and there are a number of old heavy doors keep the land because there is always the from plaster and has the boards piled with ornate hinges. Upstairs in what was possibility of long range development", he neatly downstairs according to size. once the station agent's apartment, Lorne added. "i throw the wood downstairs through a found a perfectly good pink bathtub. Mr. Forbes said ."There was a fair hole in the floor, my uncle takes out the He hasn't found much money while amount of action. Actually I was quite nails and piles it up", Lorne says. wrecking the building --- just a 1906 dime surprised," when asked if much interest in He plans to use most of the materials in 66t he did find a Pretty old silk lampshad the station had been expressed by the old station to build an extension onto with a fridge of tassles all around it. prospective buyers. his auto body shop, Lorne says, and is Wreckingp an old building like the Mr. Whitfaker bought the 92 year old moving the t4taterials out there frit by bit in Seaforth train station with all its fine old building for $400 and has been busy sinee his panel truck, "I might sell some things salvageable materials is somehow just as January 1 tearing it down, but i don't know what i'll need myself good as finding a whole lot cif money, "I work seveti days a week and if 1 -keep vet". he says Ik. A ' wt)t�� �•y - �i S 11 -`' �•'x`` f Layer by layer, Lorne Whittaker is taking apart the old CN station. Starting inside and working from the top down, he hopes to have the -whole building dismantled by April. This old table was left in the upstairs part of the building. Photos, by Liz Watson Stories by Susan White , ., Jim �� �� �� �■ IIIIII� ■� I� �� rte. r� ar�� �� �� ..�,� �.� - �� APRII Ju Illllllal� rr� �atE 1� � +•� � alb o � latill� � ��! alalal� �� �� - The income tax help system and how, to make rt work fior you. As you know by now, we changed a lot of things last Second. If you're still confused or something just year. We gave yN a new return, a new Guide, several new doesn't seem to work, phone. The number of your deductions and a few new rules, And quite honestly, we were y own District Taxation Office is below and at the more than a little concerned about your reaction to it all. end of that number there are people whose only job is to help (And very, very interested in your opinions.) taxpayers with problems, by telephone. And on Mondays and Well, now that we've held time to really look back at it Tuesdays phone lines are open 'til 6 p.m. So don't hesitate. ' and assess it honestly, it appears that most taxpayers did A you live outside the office area, call the Operator and not seem to find it too difficult. The error rate did not ac- , ask for Zenith 0-4000. She will automatically connect you to celerate greatly or change drastically from former years. your own District Taxation Office. Remember, all calls arc 1 Generally, most taxpayers seemed to handle their new free, all questions are answered, and if you have queries, we returns fairly well. want you to call. , However, Income Tax will never be the easiest or most enjoyable thing in anyone's life. And it will always present o Nv Third. Some,people prefer to talk things over in problems in some areas, for some people. That's expected .' person. If you're one of them and have problems, and understandable. drop by for free help, Anytime. The address t*your So. What we want to do now is really work on those District Taxation Office is below. I problem areas. And the best way to do that is to work with you, individually, on whatever part of Income Tax that causes Fourth. Write. To the address below. Explain your you difficulty. i problem as clearly as possible and include all in. And that's what April Aid is all about. It's a help system ��" ' formation. (And your return address, please.) In and its primary objective is to ensure that whenever'or return, we'll answer all letters as quickly and clearly as whatever you need help with, you can get it, And know how possible_ Remember— if you need help, it's there. (And free). i to get it. And all you have to do is ask, palm -t April Aid. INCOME And this is how it The Income Tax help system. works: Let's make it work for you. OuluFirst. Your Guide is always the best answer when you have a problem. c /,) Together, Read it, Follow it, It not only gives explana- tions, \ i ofin many cases, examples of just \J j� C hn get 't howwtto figure something out. �9 Roimnuta Canada Revenu (Canada 'naxatio , Impat • Robert slanbury Minister Robert stanbury, ministre LNatnOri"t. N2 2 ven 579-5060 Frederick 5t., Kitchener, rn of w e_nuoe MoNow 5� arm NEWO Naw" 60am Iii "Now Dietl awmato aaltor (limas llama mom 0 M r] w 0