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Historical Perspective
 To a great extent, the City of Red Deer owes its location and position as the
transportation and distribution centre of Central Alberta to the building of and decisions made by the various railways
in its early years.
Other communities in Central Alberta often
prospered or perished, as well as their locations determined, by the
coming of the railway. For more than 60 years, the railway stations
in numerous communities were the focal point for transportation and
communication, and to some extent, the social and business fabric of
towns large and small.
 For a short time prior to the railway, ancient and exploratory trails
provided an uncomfortable and tedious means for the few settlers to
get to isolated destinations.
As railway passenger service started
its slow decline in the late 1940s with the development of improved
roads and highways, buses provided an alternate form of
transportation for those who didn't have private automobiles.
Photo descriptions and
credits at bottom of page.
Railways of Central Alberta
Calgary and Edmonton Railway (CPR)
Calgary and Edmonton Railway at Red Deer (CPR)
Alberta Central Railway (CPR)
- Red Deer to Rocky
Mountain House
Canadian Northern Railway in Central Alberta
(CNR)
- Camrose to Drumheller
Canadian Northern Western Railway Brazeau sub (CNR)
- Mirror to Red Deer and
Nordegg
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in Central Alberta (CNR)
- Mirror to Three Hills
Lacombe and Blindman Valley Electric Railway
(CPR)
(also
known as the Lacombe and Northwestern Railway) - Lacombe to Rimbey
Canadian National Railway operated in downtown Red Deer from 1920 to
1960
Railway Stations Were Once the Focal Point of Western Canadian
Communities
The
railway stations of Central Alberta by railway and subdivision
Mackenzie and Mann influenced Central
Alberta's first railway stations
-
A Comprehensive Guide to the Calgary & Edmonton Railway 1891
Combination Stations
Red Deer 1910 CPR station 'jewel' still
dominates Ross Street
Red Deer once had four railway stations
Canadian Pacific Railway Stations in Central Alberta
Canadian National Railway Stations in Central Alberta
Most communities once had portable stations
for a time
Multiple Station Communities
Notable Railway Bridges and Structures
ACR/CPR Mintlaw Steel Trestle
Railway Bridges of Central Alberta
Alberta's 10 Largest Railway Bridges
50 Longest Railway Bridges of
Western Canada
28 Highest Railway Bridges of
Western Canada
Notable Railway Structures in Central Alberta
 Trains,
Transit & Trails
Historical Perspective Overview Part 1 - Trails and Trains
Historical Perspective Overview Part 2 - Trains and Transit
The Calgary and Edmonton Trail
Rise and Fall of Passenger Rail in the C&E Corridor
Jubilee
4-4-4
3001 'The Chinook'
History of Railway Locomotive Power in Central Alberta
Evolution of Transit in Central Alberta
History of Red Deer Transit
Rails to Trails
Photo descriptions and credits:
Header: CPR Red Deer 1910 brick station, C&ER 1891 station as
freight shed and park c1912 colourized
(Red Deer Archives P8737);
CNR station at Red Deer 1955 (Red Deer Archives P7009);
Drawing of Calgary & Edmonton Trail stagecoach (The
Little Village That Grew - The History of North Red Deer -
North Red Deer 75th Anniversary Committee 1987);
CPR Jubilee 3001 'The Chinook' Calgary August 1938 (Otto Perry);
ACR/CPR Mintlaw steel trestle shortly after completion 1912 (Red
Deer Archives P4559 Fleming);
Cardinal Coach Lines Red Deer 1949 (Red Deer Archives)
Photos courtesy of Red Deer
Archives and
Paul Pettypiece.
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