The Railways of Ottawa

Finding No. 21   Railway Structures Destroyed (Mainly) by Fire


CNR Athens Station 12 March 1942

Athens Reporter 12 March 1942


12 March 1942 Athens Station Destroyed by Fire  The station at Athens was totally destroyed by fire. The cause of the fire was not known. It was first seen at 3 am by C.L. Hartley and Garfield Gifford, who put in the alarm. This was the first bad fire in Athens since the new fire engine was purchased, and it is believed the fire could have been brought under control, except that three 40 gallon drums of gasoline exploded, shooting flames 300 feet in the air. The new engine, driven to the scene by Robert Layng, did an excellent job, however. The Athens Reporter had to be printed on scorched paper that week, as the roll of paper had arrived at the station awaiting delivery on Thursday morning, and it was saved by Harry Todd and Don Fulford, although it was starting to burn at the time. The station was a total loss.

Ottawa Citizen 12 March 1942

Fire at Athens
BROCKVILLE. Ont.. March 12. (C.P.) Fire early today destroyed the Canadian National Railways' station and warehouse at Athens, 15 miles from here. The building was of frame construction.
Cause of the outbreak has not been determined and  A. Watt, the station agent, lost considerable personal property. Some freight packages were burned also.

Ottawa Citizen 19 March 1942

Boarding Car Is Serving As Station

Athens, March19 - A "station on wheels" has been set up in the ruins of the one that burned down here last Thursday morning, and A.E. Watt, station agent, is now quite comfortably situated in his new quarters, although considerably handicapped by the lack of records, which were lost in the blaze.
The agent’s headquarters is set up in a boarding car, where the telegraph, too, is once more connected, and where he will continue with the egg-grading. Behind this is a box car for the storage of freight and express. For the convenience of customers, wooden stairs have been built up to the new station.
Section men from all through the vicinity have been here to assist Section Foreman Harry Todd and his assistant, Charles Greenham, in getting the headquarters set up speedily.
It is expected that the station will remain in this way indefinitely, as the same was done at Forfar and Portland, when those stations burned, and no attempt has been made to rebuild them.

Board of Transport Commissioners Order 62413 of  12 June 1942

Approves location and details of CNR station to be built at Athens.

Updated 7 December 2023

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