Fredericton Friends of the Railway

Best Wishes

2008-12-24T15:45:00.000-08:00

On behalf of the Fredericton Friends of the Railway, please accept our best wishes for the holiday season. I hope the season finds you surrounded by friends and family and I hope the new year brings you joy and peace.

Interview with CBC New Brunswick

2008-12-16T16:47:00.000-08:00

I was interviewed by Andy Wilson of CBC New Brunswick today, and a portion of that interview appeared on News at Six. Until 6 PM Wednesday you can view the segment at this link. The piece on our station appears from 15:18 to 17:50 in the broadcast.

The piece was prompted by Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside's recent comments, essentially saying "tear it down or we'll put up a sign to show who is responsible for this mess."

Mary Keith of J.D. Irving was also interviewed. She said "We're very hopeful about a current prospect we have. There's been an exchange of plans and drawings and so on. Obviously, the deal's not done until the ink is dry, but we're continuing to work away at it."

As you can see in the video, it was very windy and that was why I was blinking a lot! They got the name of our group mixed up, but that's OK. I think the segment was well done and I appreciate the chance to get the word out on the station.

Train Station as Transportation Hub?

2008-12-04T14:55:00.000-08:00

Gerald Fraser made a good comment in the Daily Gleaner. He suggests that the train station be made into a transportation hub.

"This station was once a transportation hub and the older generation will remember it. With the growing concerns about energy conservation and air pollution, its function for travellers could be reinstated. It is a better location for a bus terminal than the current site and buses could provide a connection to airports and railway stations."

It's not a bad idea!

Read the comment

Keith Ashfield Speaks About the Fredericton Train Station

2008-11-05T17:31:00.000-08:00

Charles Leblanc did a nice interview with Keith Ashfield, MP for Fredericton and the newly appointed Minister of State for ACOA. Charles' first question, of course, was about our train station.

Mr. Ashfield's response is fair and true. There are no easy solutions for the station, but with everyone's cooperation, it will be restored.

The Freight Shed

2008-10-20T03:42:00.001-07:00

Many people do not realize that the freight shed on the rear of our station is not part of the original structure. It was added in the 1950s (I believe), and although it matches the rest of the station, it is not original and therefore not part of the heritage structure. When the station is restored, I suspect the shed will be removed and the station restored to its 1923-era appearance.

Photoshop

2008-10-03T02:45:00.001-07:00

Erstwhile blogger Charles Leblanc did some creative Photoshopping of our train station. Nice tarp!

Station Options

2008-10-02T02:40:00.000-07:00

The city had a meeting Monday evening to discuss their options for the station. The Daily Gleaner report is here. The gist of the article is that the city has no leverage to force any work to be done on the station.

I met with Deputy Mayor Tony Whalen Tuesday morning to introduce myself and talk about our station. He confirmed what the Gleaner reported. He (and I) are hopeful that something will come through very soon for the station.

Daily Gleaner Article About Murray Yeomans' Petition

2008-09-29T04:35:00.001-07:00

Here's the complete Daily Gleaner article, with much more detail than the Times & Transcript version I wrote about earlier today.

As I said in the article, "It shows that there's a broad range of support to restore the station, and it's not just people who remember the station from their youth, but it's also today's youth who are interested in keeping our heritage alive."

Student Petition

2008-09-29T03:43:00.000-07:00

The Fredericton Friends of the Railway were contacted by Murray Yeomans, a student at Leo Hayes High School. He organized a petition to save our York Street train station and gathered over 300 signatures. Murray plans to present it to city council members today. Story in the Times and Transcript. I was called for my comments on this story.

This petition, and the remarkable young man behind it, shows the broad range of support for the restoration of our station in the city. Let's hope the council consider that when they review their options for the station today.

Funding Sources

2008-09-26T03:02:00.000-07:00

I have been doing some research into sources of funding for rebuilding the station. I know in the past that funding has been available from ACOA for rebuilding old train stations through the Strategic Community Investment Fund, but that has expired.

I see there is an Innovative Communities Fund available that seems to be a good fit for what we are trying to do with the station.

Does anyone have other ideas for funding the rebuilding of our station?

Fredericton Friends of the Railway in the News

2008-09-24T02:44:00.001-07:00

I was quoted extensively in this article. I spoke at length with Ms. McLaughlin and I believe she quoted me correctly.

We need to work on uncovering:

A potential owner for the station
Funding options from all levels of government
Private donors and fundraising

The will to do something about the station is there. It's clear that the people of Fredericton would like to see their old station restored to its former glory. We need to take that will and turn it into action.

If anyone wants to contact me to talk about the station, you can do so via email at steve@theboykos.com, or by phone at 455-9792.

Times and Transcript

2008-09-23T17:01:00.001-07:00

Another article, this time in the Times & Transcript, about our train station. Deputy Mayor Tony Whalen was interviewed and said the train station was a "wonderful piece of heritage for the city". He and Councillor Chase met with J.D. Irving representatives to get an update on what can be done with the station.

Here's another article from the Gleaner from Monday.

Federal Candidates Promise to Make Station a Priority

2008-09-23T16:31:00.001-07:00

The latest Daily Gleaner article has quotes from Conservative candidate Keith Ashfield and Liberal candidate David Innes pledging support for restoring the station, should they be elected.

Let's hold them to that.

City Council to Tackle

2008-09-23T05:14:00.000-07:00

There is an article in today's Daily Gleaner about our station. It says that council will meet with the Planning & Priorities Committee Monday night to discuss the city's options with respect to the station.

City Councillor Stephen Chase said tearing the station down "would be his preference rather than watching the building die slowly from neglect."

This cannot happen! This station is too important to Fredericton and to New Brunswick in general to allow it to be torn down.

Read the article

CBC Article

2008-09-22T07:21:00.000-07:00

Past president Tim Scammell was quoted in a CBC article about our station.

"I have been in touch with the Irvings, as well, and they promised me that they are doing everything they can.… They haven't given up on this," Scammell said.

"Unfortunately, they can't tear it down, as Mr. Woodside is saying. But something should be done."

Keep the faith.

Can't find a buyer, can't tear it down

2008-09-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

That was the headline of an article in the Saturday Daily Gleaner.

Let's hope we find a buyer soon!

Woodside: Fix train station or tear it down

2008-09-19T02:35:00.000-07:00

From the Daily Gleaner:

"The situation is intolerable and unacceptable. My next letter to the Irvings is (to tell them to) either move on this or tear it down. Get it out of there," the mayor said Thursday. "People don't even like to drive down York Street. It's pathetic."

Hear, hear. Obviously we want it to be fixed, not torn down, but it is good to hear the mayor come out so strongly in favour of action on our station.

Waiting On The Study

2008-09-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

While we wait for the ADI study to be released by Enterprise Fredericton, I thought I would share this photo of our station from June 1978.

Noted railway historian Art Clowes took this photo. Click on the photo for a larger version.

Contrast that photo with this one I took in August 2008.

See what has happened to our station? It is a real shame. But I believe we can rebuild it, and make it back into a building we can be proud of. Let's make the station a shining symbol of how much we care about heritage here in Fredericton and in New Brunswick.

Another Article on the Study

2008-08-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

I was interviewed by Megan O'Toole for this article in the Telegraph Journal. My part:

Steve Boyko, president of Fredericton Friends of the Railway, said he does not believe Enterprise Fredericton will ultimately purchase the station.

"I believe their mandate is to enable business to prosper in Fredericton, so they want to see something happen to the station," Boyko said.

But he welcomed the study, noting it could spur refurbishment efforts. Though past estimates exist of the cost of restoration, Boyko said this study will be "exhaustive" and provide current, hard numbers to work with.

Doug Motty of Enterprise Fredericton, Mary Keith of J.D. Irving and architect and Friend John Leroux were also interviewed.

Now we just have to wait for the study to be finished... hopefully soon.

Our Station in the Gleaner

2008-08-01T03:18:00.000-07:00

Shawn Berry of the Daily Gleaner published an article about our station. The article discusses the study by Enterprise Fredericton, but also briefly covers the history of previous attempts to purchase and restore the station.

A photo of A.L. Gullison's work to maintain the station is shown.

There is an interesting idea in the first comment on the article. Jason Price suggests the Acadian bus terminal should operate out of the station. We need more ideas like this.

Friends in the News

2008-07-31T03:02:00.000-07:00

Past president Tim Scammell noticed that there was a new entry way into the station, and made some calls. The Daily Gleaner reports that J.D. Irving's contractor will fix the board and repair a gap in the fence.

Spokesperson Geoff Britt said "the company continues to work to find development opportunities for the station and surrounding properties."

I walked by the station at noon Wednesday and saw the new hole. Notice how the brickwork is starting to fall apart at the top of the wall.

Roof Patched?

2008-07-24T12:39:00.001-07:00

Blogger Charles Leblanc noticed some new patches on the station's roof recently. It's good to see that some work is being done.

Hello

2008-07-23T08:04:00.001-07:00

Hello, Friends, and welcome to our new web site dedicated to preserving our railway station here in Fredericton. I have set the web site up in a blog format, to allow for easy updating. I intend to post about once a week here, referencing news about the station, mixed in with photos and stories about the station and railways in Fredericton from days gone by.

A little about me. My name is Steve Boyko and I recently became the president of the Fredericton Friends of the Railway. I have been involved with the station project for some time, first as a member and later as a director. I am a rail enthusiast (with my own web site and blog) and I have worked with the New Brunswick Railway Museum since about 1998.

I want to hear from you. I want suggestions on how to proceed, criticism, whatever it takes to get this station in good hands.

Thank you for reading.