Efforts to save the old Calumet railroad station continue.
According to Grenville-sur-la-Rouge Mayor Tom Arnold, when council met on January 12, it discussed repairs required on the building, including an immediate need to repair the leaking roof. The building, located at 169 rue Principale in Calumet, is still owned by Genesee and Wyoming, the parent company of the Quebec and Gatineau Railway, which operates freight trains along the line.
“We’re in negotiations with Genesee and Wyoming to get access and to get the work done,” said Arnold.
The mayor estimated the repairs will cost $5,000 to $10,000 and are only intended as a temporary measure, needed to stabilize the structure.
The municipality would like to take ownership of the former Calumet station to restore the building and give it a new purpose as a cultural and heritage facility. In November 2021, council approved entering into negotiations with Genesee and Wyoming to purchase the vacant building.
The municipality has also designated the station as a heritage building. Arnold said the designation obliges the owners to ensure the work is done in a way that respects the heritage designation.
At its meeting on December 14, 2021, Grenville-sur-la-Rouge council adopted a by-law establishing a local heritage council to oversee heritage preservation activities across the municipality.
The railway line through Calumet was built after the creation of the Québec, Montréal, Ottawa, and Occidental railway (QMO & OR) in 1874, which was intended to serve cities and rural areas north of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. The line was sold to the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) in 1882 and passenger service on the north shore of the Ottawa River continued until 1981.
During the later years of CP passenger service, the station building itself was closed and Calumet was a flag stop – meaning that no regular stop was made unless passengers waiting on the platform signaled for the train to stop so they could board.
