TRAIN STATION & CABOOSE

The history of the railway in Rimbey is rather unusual. The road running from Rimbey to the nearest rail depot in Lacombe was so awful that instead of waiting for the railroad to be extended to Rimbey, a group of farmers and businessmen obtained a charter to build and operate a rail line themselves! The charter was obtained in 1909 and construction started in 1913, but was interrupted by the First World War. The railway stretched as far as Bentley in November of 1917, but was not extended to Rimbey until 1921. Some residents of Rimbey traveled all the way to Lacombe to be able to ride into Rimbey on the first train! The rail line, known as the "Peanut Special" or "Toonerville Trolley" was extended to Hoadley, Winfield, and Breton.
Rimbey's train station unfortunately no longer exists, so the Historical Society bought this building at an auction in Tees in 1979 and had it moved to the park. The design of this train station is typical of many stations in small towns across Alberta.
The Caboose, built in 1947, was donated by Canadian Pacific Rail in
co-operation with Gulf Canada in 1992, when the caboose was no longer used on trains.
BACK