Melville Station
History
The station building, built in 1908 by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway makes use of a twin-gabled plan that is unique in Saskatchewan. This reflects the special status the station had when it was built as a division point and junction on the railway line. The town was named after Charles Melville Hays, former president of the railway.
The station and local railway buildings are featured in the 1956 National Film Board of Canada movie Railroad Town, showing when the station was used as a divisional point for steam locomotives and the transition to diesels. At the time, about half of the small community of 4,500 people were dependent on the railroad for their livelihoods. The yard at the station could see 20 trains a day and handle as many as 1,000 cars over a 24-hour period at that point in time.
In 2010, the Melville Rail Station Heritage Association acquired the title to the station building. The group plans to restore both the interior and exterior of the station.