As part of the strategy to restore the Allandale Train Station, ERA is working to identify the exterior paint scheme, as it would have appeared in 1905. At the office social hour last Friday, Alana described how preliminary research uncovered clues to the original building colouration from a variety of sources including; archival photographs, newspaper clippings and postcards.
Additionally, ERA consulted with a professional paint analyst. She analyzed paint samples removed from various locations on the buildings to accurately determine the original 1905 colours.
The combination of archival resources and physical samples has informed a colour scheme that uses four main colours – consistent with the standard corporate colours of the Grand Trunk Railroad.
The three buildings in the station complex were not all built at the same time. The brick office building to the far right in the illustration above pre-dates the restaurant (middle) and passenger depot (left). The original brick building was also decorated with Chinese screenings around windows, doors and along the fascia under the roofline. These stencils may be restored at a later date.
