Happy new year! What a neat, niche thread! May as well show off my region's little claim to fame.
If you've ever passed through the little village of McAdam, New Brunswick, you'll know that it feels like it is half train station. It feels pretty strange for a number of reasons. The station itself is colossal, outsizing a decent chunk of the village, not to mention stunningly ornate and beautiful. McAdam is a small settlement which, besides being near the Maine border, doesn't seem to be anywhere special. There aren't even any passenger trains even remotely near here (though maybe that's not a surprise in this day & age). So why in the world is there this massive, stunning station in this tiny village in the middle of nowhere where passenger trains don't even run any more?
(© Parks Canada 1987)
Less than a century ago, this little freight branch was still the main Canadian Pacific line into the Maritime provinces, and was the convergence site of a number of subdivisions, and with the era of the highway still a bit off, this meant McAdam had hefty passenger traffic. The McAdam Railway Station was built in 1900, granite in a Chateau style, an indication as to how well Canadian Pacific was doing at that time. In fact, CPKC holiday and
business trains still pay it the occasional visit.
You might be thinking "nice station, but we're here for hotels", which, fair enough. Thankfully, this station's upstairs housed an integrated hotel in the upper floors, a bit of a rarity even then but enough to count it as a railway hotel. It's a National Historic Site now, thanks to the aforementioned hotel, heritage architecture, and historical relevancy.
McAdam Station in 1923. Via McAdam Railway Restoration Commission
Like I said, the village is well banded around the station as an icon today and it's definitely what it is known for locally. It houses a visitor centre and a museum about the station and village, even a classic diner which they have run every once in a while, and is used for a fair few community events, including the rare passenger excursion run by NBSR. They even
decorate the whole thing extensively at Christmastime. Last I heard, they were working on renovating the upper floors, where the hotel used to operate from. The committee which works to maintain, restore, and operate the building has a website full of neat history about the building if you're interested in learning more:
https://mcadamstation.ca
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