Box Car Jimmie

Storyline: Atlantic Canada, Take 2

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Yes, tonight June 10, we are staying in Box Car Jimmie.

Almost forty-eight years ago, an 18 yr. old, Jimmie LeFresne, from Tatamagouche bought this train station for $500 CAD. In 1974 the train station was slated for demolition. It was the oldest train station in Nova Scotia (built circa 1887).

“Life was always an adventure growing up with a train station in my backyard. I remember I was just 5 years old when the railway took the Jitney train out of service…I was standing on the platform looking up at Mr. Penny the Stationmaster and I asked “since you don’t need the Jitney anymore, can I buy it?” He laughed, patted me on the head and said, “No Jimmie, it’s gone somewhere else now.” 

—  Jimmie LeFresne

The next ten or so years the train station stood empty until Jimmie decided to convert it to a Bed & Breakfast, “The Train Station Inn”

There are now about eight cabooses converted to private bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, plus the 4 suites on the second floor of the station.

There is a restaurant car, a gift shop, bars, cafes, and such. Lovely little place we discovered on our way to New Glasgow Nova Scotia (NS).

This is our first unplanned stop in the province. We were awoken at the Cavendish Campground, PEI, this morning by strong winds buffeting the van. With Doranya being sensitive to winds and me being sensitive to motion, that was a quite a concern. We decided to leave as soon as we had showered in the communal facilities. Alex took a shortcut on a winding and windy road with hills. (Alex learned from his father how to take shortcuts that took twice as long as the normal routes. But they were usually worth the extra time.) Doranya was being thrown left and right, barely keeping to the lane. Add the twists, turns and potholes to spice it all up. It took about 2 hours, but we eventually reached the Confederation Bridge. We stopped at a local bakery. All we could get from there were shortbreads/scones.  Crossing the bridge was rather hairy. Things didn’t get better on the other side. It was as windy, the small roads we took just as twisty. We took the scenic drive on the shore with a view of PEI on our left. If you follow us on the blog by now, you know that we prefer the slower, more scenic routes to any highway. There is so much to see and experience in the country. The road wound up and down. A little village or a hamlet with a few houses here and there along the road.

I believe we were on NB rd. 980 for a while, passing by some wineries.  Almost without noticing, we crossed to Nova Scotia at Tidnish Bridge and continued on NS rd. 366, eventually joining Rd. 6 to Pugwash. A small village with contemporary historic significance. It is here where the first conference on global security and nuclear disarmament was held in 1957.

The lodge where the conference was held became known as Thinkers’ Lodge. It then became a tradition for scientists and environmental activists to meet here. It is now known as “The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs” and is run by an international organization that brings together public figures and scholars to work towards seeking solutions to global security threats.

Known as a fishing community, Pugwash also relies on forestry and more recently, pewter manufacturing. The other major economic driver of the village is the Windsor Salt Mine. There are huge reserves of salt under this area, and the Pugwash mine, which hoisted its first load in 1959, still has many years of operation ahead. In the mid-1980s Alex worked at the parent company’s head office in Ontario and visited the mine several times. He remembers the huge 30 ft x 55 ft (9 x 17 metre) corridors and giant vehicles that had been disassembled to lower and reassemble them over 1,000 ft (305 metres) below the surface, and the friendliness of the staff at the mine.

The historic site unfortunately was closed. I liked the place and wanted to stay there, but the only parking lot where we could stay was in front of the funeral home. Alex wasn’t keen on the idea. And so, we continued.

I was in the driver’s seat. About an hour away from New Glasgow we drove through a quaint little village with small boutiques, restaurants, café and a brewery perched on the main street. We almost drove away, when we spotted the old train station downhill from the main street. At that point I found a place to turn around. This town begged to be checked out. On the way I had spotted a parking lot downhill on a side street between the restaurants. We parked there and walked through the stores.

Ended up trying the local microbrewery while we ate sandwiches made at the butcher’s shop next door. We now have a glass with the brewery’s name on it as a souvenir too. Being train lovers, we had to check out the old train station. At the top of the hill there was a sign “Train Station Inn”.

We parked down the hill among the lupins, closer to a nice two-storey house which we though was the inn. Then walked down the slope to see many train carriages and cabooses. We walked around taking photos of every caboose, restaurant, tea room, restored Governor General’s carriage, etc…

Much later we’d notice a sign by each of them saying that each carriage was is a private room, and please do not disturb our guests.

While walking around it dawned on me that this was a hotel. This was the “Train Station Inn”.

Perhaps we can stay here, I said. Why not, Alex agreed. The old train station is an office, a gift shop, a bar and a café. In the restaurant carriage, people were having their late lunches. I walked in and asked the guy behind the counter (after ringing the bell) – Can you tell me how does this work? Can we stay here? Do you have a carriage with a bathroom, etc…  Yes, this works as a hotel…. They had two suites available. We took the one most appropriate for us after the manager walked us through it. It is named Box Car Jimmie.

We parked Doranya in front of the office and the restaurant carriage. She got some attention from other visitors and people that had stopped just for a drink or lunch. Alex chatted with some.

Booked dinner, then I had a few cappuccinos on our terrace. A slow and relaxing afternoon on my terrace across from the café where Alex had set up his computer and was sipping a coke.

It was a wonderful experience, although we had just left our gourmet tour of PEI. Our seafood experience in Nova Scotia began with dinner at the Train Station Inn.

And sampling the local brewery beers set a trend for Alex who would continue trying and liking the beers form many local breweries as we progressed. As for wine, the young waitress brought me samples of almost all local wines and I chose the one she recommended. Mussels, seafood chowder and in house-smoked salmon on potato pancakes comprised our delightful dinner.

This stop was a very welcoming beginning to our Nova Scotian tour, of which we’d only do a part before jumping to Newfoundland. We’ll have to come back after all and our itinerary will take us to different parts of the Maritimes.

If you get a chance, we highly recommend a stop at Tatamagouche, a small village with some interesting options for your entertainment.