Calgary's railway history from Jack Peach

As part of Calgary at a Crossroads, we've been taking a stroll down Calgary's historical highways and byways with Jack Peach. 

• Calgary as you've never heard it
• A look at Calgary 'firsts' and the legacy they left
• Jack Peach's Calgary circa 1912, or so

Now, we catch a ride on the rails.

Jack Peach, one of our city's legendary historians, was born in 1913.  He wrote many books about Calgary's past, and in the late 1970s he recorded some of his memories for the Calgary Eyeopener.

Here are three of his stories about Calgary's' passenger railways.

Vanished Stations  

The CN Station. One of Calgary's gateways to the world. Now, no more. Takes a listen to Jack's personal experiences on the trains, and how he enjoined the 'marmalade omelet' while riding the rails.

2:52Jack Peach on Calgary's CN train station

Jack Peach on Calgary's long-shuttered CN train station in MIssion.

Calgary whistle stops

Turner Siding. Every heard of it? Neither had we. But it was the first rail station out of Calgary. You now know it by another name. Check out these former rail stations, now deep inside our city.

2:36Jack Peach on Calgary's whistle stops

Jack Peach talks about Calgary's old train stops and the neighbourhoods that now sit in their place.

CP Station 

Once an architectural glory of our city, the Canadian Pacific Station which used to sit next to the Palliser Hotel is long gone. But Jack Peach describes the stations's glory days.

2:43Jack Peach on Calgary's CP train station

Jack Peach talks about the once-bustling CP train station in downtown Calgary, now long gone.

Calgary at a Crossroads is CBC Calgary's special focus on life in our city during the downturn. A look at Calgary's culture, identity and what it means to be Calgarian. Read more stories from the series at Calgary at a Crossroads.