Penny

British Columbia. Locality
Canadian National Railway, North of Slim Creek
53.85 N 121.2833 W — Map 093H14 — GoogleGeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1983
Official in BCCanada
159 miles west of the Yellowhead Pass on the Canadian National Railway
Mile 70 in Fraser Subdivision (McBride to Prince George as of 1977)
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway station built in 1914. The Penny depot was moved from Lindup in 1947.
The Penny Grand Trunk Pacfic station at its new home at the Central BC Railway & Forestry Museum in Prince George

The Penny Grand Trunk Pacfic station at its new home at the Central BC Railway & Forestry Museum in Prince George
Exploration Place — Central BC Railway & Forestry Museum

The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway station at Penny was originally built in 1914 at Lindup at a cost of $4005. As Lindup developed as a community, it was found that they had no need for a train station, consequently the station was relocated to the community of Penny in 1947.

Wrigley’s Directory for 1918 lists:

Penny — a post office and station on the G. T. P. Railway, 76 miles east of Prince George.
Nearest G. T. P. telegraph office is at Lindup, 4 1-2 miles.
Population, 50 to 85.
Local resources: Timber and lumbering.
Local lumber mills included Penny Lumber Co Ltd (mfrs fir and hemlock lumber) and Red Mountain Lumber Company, Roy Spur and Thomas Wall, proprietors.

Type E stations, of which the Penny Station was one, where once common along the GTP/CNR tracks west of Winnipeg, but now few remain. It was decided that the station would be relocated once again, to the Prince George Railway & Forestry Museum. In 1986 plans for the new move began. It was determined that an ice bridge over the Fraser River (there was no bridge in Penny) needed to be built. The station would be transported by truck across the river and up a steep grade to the highway on the south side which went to Prince George. Volunteers and workers had to wait until the river was frozen thick enough to carry the 45 – 50 tonne station across, which required 4 sets (8) tires at each end of the building. Finally in 1987/1988 it was cold enough to try to move the station. The station was brought to Prince George in two sections. Three chimneys and the built-on kitchen were removed and brought in separately. It took 4 days to go the 140 km to Prince George. The total load was too wide (960 cm) and long (1935 cm) to easily negotiate corners in the road or pass over bridges. Hydro lines had to be raised, private fences removed and replaced, permits had to be acquired, but finally the station arrived at the museum on February 13, 1988.

The Penny Post office opened in February, 1916.

References:

  • Wrigley Directories, Limited. Wrigley’s British Columbia Directory. Vancouver: 1918. Internet Archive
  • Penny Reunion Committee 1995. A Penny for Your Thoughts. Prince George: 1995
  • Wikipedia. Penny, British Columbia
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