Brockville Station

Brockville Station, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I seem to be taking a lot of pictures out of windows lately as I travel from place to place - a quick snap out of the car window when stopped, a view through the house window (so as not to scare the critter being photographed) and through train windows. This photograph had to be touched up to get back its colours.

The train from Toronto to Montreal stopped at Brockville station. The train itself, split in two there, with half continuing on to Ottawa and half to Montreal. I had time to admire this mural through the window. Many years of events are depicted here. It's how I sometimes feel as I get older, seeing the layers of history in one scene. I drive through the city and remember buildings that are no longer there, walk past places from my youth and remember people and events that happened. It's nice to have that fourth dimension to see, for those are our stories.

Mar 26/10 Viger Station

Mar 26/10 Viger Station, originally uploaded by susanvg.

One thing I love about my daily photographing is it often piques my interest to learn more- not just about photography, but about my subjects. I have long admired this building (shot from my car window while I was stopped at a red light). I had spent most of the day in a meeting without photo ops and the rest of the day was not likely to provide many possibilities. In the recesses of my brain I thought I remembered that this had once been a station (Daily Shoot: Think of a subject that starts with either the letter "D" or "S". Find it, and make a photo!). Later in the day I started researching.

This is what I discovered. This was once known as Chateau Viger. It was built for the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway), with the station on the lower levels and a grand hotel above. When it was built, (1896-98), Old Montreal was still the hub of the financial district and the proximity to the port, as well, made it an ideal place for a station. As the city centre moved further north and west, the station was abandonned. The last train to leave the station left in 1951. The future of the building is still undecided.