By Phil Goldsmith
The Little Station on Lent’s Lane is a small railway building owned by the ACO. This small building we believe was a “whistle” stop on the Port Hope Midland Railway and when it lost its original function with the closing of that railway it was relocated on the shore of the inner harbour where it was used by the yacht club. In late 2017 it was relocated once more to the Lent’s lane site to clear the harbour area for the ongoing PHAI cleanup.
In its new location the building sits on Lent’s Lane, the former PH&M RR track right of way. A new foundation with a basement was prepared and the station placed just above track height with a front apron reminiscent of a RR platform. It was subsequently rented to Critical Mass, a local arts group that uses it as the centre of its downtown programming.
The building was not in pristine condition when it was relocated, and in the years since, the remaining time for the roofing passed and the existing roofing needed replacement. As this took some time to complete and as the roof was not in ideal condition when moved, some wood repair was required where rot had set in.
The current project is replacing the old asphalt roofing with eastern cedar shingles on a repaired wood structure and roof deck. In addition other minor wood repairs have been made where pests, birds, and squirrels had made openings in the siding, and the building is being repainted. This repair and maintenance work should stabilize the building for many years to come.