Description of Historic Place

The Bristol Shogomoc Railway Site, located on Main Street in the former Village of Bristol, now Florenceville-Bristol, includes the former Florenceville CPR Station, approximately 610 metres of track and three early CPR passenger train cars.

Heritage Value

The Bristol Shogomoc Railway Site is designated a Local Historic Place for its symbolic value as a lasting vestige of the railway era in Forenceville-Bristol. The place is a “created” site in that its elements, including the station house and railway cars, were not originally located here. The station house is included in the designation for both its architectural value and for its historic value. Originally constructed in 1914 as the Florenceville CPR Station, the structure is a mirror image of the Bristol Station that sat on this site from 1910 until 1971. In 2000, the Shogomoc Rail Club purchased this station and moved it to the present site. It is one of the few remaining examples of CPR Plan #20 in Canada and the only example east of Montreal. The rail cars are included in the designation because they are fine examples of early passenger cars of the style that would have been seen rolling into the station. It is believed that one of the cars formed part of the Royal Train during King George VI’s Royal Tour of Canada in 1937. The length of original tracks contributes to the overall aesthetic and historic value of the site. As a whole, the site commemorates the railway history in Florenceville-Bristol.

Source: Florenceville-Bristol Town Office, Historic Places file “Bristol Shogomoc Railway Site”

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements of the Bristol Shogomoc Railway Station Site relating to the former Florenceville CPR station include:
- rare example of the CPR Plan #20 station design;
- overall symmetry;
- one-story rectangular massing;
- medium pitched hipped roof;
- projecting central bay with hipped roof;
- asphalt shingle roofing with wide overhang;
- decorative wood brackets;
- double hung windows;
- clapboard siding;
- approximate size of 7m x 13m.

The character defining elements of the Bristol Shogomoc Railway Station Site relating to its location and grounds include:
- location on the site of the original Bristol CPR station;
- 610 metres of original track still in place;
- 3 early passenger cars.