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Originally Posted by ns_kid
Thanks for some more great images and points to ponder, ODMark.
One of the few images I can recall seeing from inside North Street Station, pre-Explosion, is this image from Canadian Museum of Science and Technology. The shot is obviously taken inside the trainshed; I don't believe I've ever seen a photo taken inside the main portion/waiting areas (or "head house") of North Street station.
Source: Dominion Atlantic Railway Digital Preservation Initiative
The train on the left is the Dominion Atlantic's luxury limited, the Flying Bluenose, which connected Halifax to New England-bound steamships at Yarmouth. The photo was reportedly taken around 1912, five years before the Halifax Explosion.
Of course there are several extant photos taken of the trainshed following the Explosion and the collapse of the roof, where the various architectural features are visible.
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Thanks for that photo, ns_kid. I had seen it before but could not remember where.
The image is fascinating to me for a number of reasons...
(1) It shows how much natural light was let into the trainshed, a necessity as electric lights were not all that efficient in those times.
(2) It's interesting to see the elegant wooden railings and the ladies in their long skirts and hats - trains and steamships were certainly the preferred modes of travel in those days, and train stations were built with an attractive mix of functionality and elegance - a rare thing these days.
(3) Seeing the open end of the trainshed makes me think that the shock wave from the Halifax Explosion probably entered through those doors, building up incredible pressure inside the trainshed which popped the roof off like a champaign cork. The steel and glass roof was likely the weak point of the structure and also had the largest surface area and thus was most susceptible to the forces applied from the pressure.
(4) A luxury express train running between Halifax and Yarmouth, linking up with ships to/from Boston speaks to a time when there was a close relationship between Halifax and the New England states. This is a relationship which has all but faded now, with a few lingering leftovers such as the 'thank you' Christmas tree to Boston each year...