Moving the Goderich CPR Station

The station now rests on its new foundation next to Lake Huron. This structure weighs in at 400 tons.

Over the Spring and Summer I visited the CPR station location in Goderich, Ontario on a regular basis to view the progress being made. It is very near my boat. It was interesting to see how such a large heavy building could be moved. I don't recall hearing about any other brick stations ever being moved in the past. The CPR station was to be moved only about 250 meters to the lakefront...or waters edge. It will eventually become a restaurant.  A video was made of the move which shows better than 2 months of ground work plus the eventual move in 158 seconds. The link is below. The move and rebuild will cost a total of 2 million dollars...I hate to think the cost of the burgers and beer there next summer...George Dutka

▶ CPR Station Move - YouTube
 

It took two and one half days to move the station beginning on July 31, 2013. It needed 3 trucks hooked together to begin the move as the ground was very uneven. Later they used just one to move the station around.

The basement walls have had holes knocked out so these steel beams can be slid underneath. The beams will be used to slide the station off the basement walls while other are used to jack up the station. A seven foot deep trench needed to be dug around the station so the holes could be made through the 20 inch thick concrete walls.

The station is slid off its basement walls. The next step was to install 96 wheels under the portable platform. One can see the beams still in place that had to be placed through the foundation walls holes.

This early evening view shows the station on the portable platform and slid off the basement. The wheels will take over a week to be added.

On my way back from the North Channel by sailboat in early August we passed by the beach location where the station now rests. I took this photo with a telephoto lens from about a mile off shore.