Description of Historic Place

The Reston Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Engine House, completed in ca. 1906, is a large one-storey brick structure located south of the CPR tracks in Reston, where it is now used for storage. The municipal designation applies to the building and the grounds it occupies.

Heritage Value

The Reston CPR Engine House, a utilitarian brick structure with a heavy post-and-beam wood frame, is a rare and evocative link with the era of the steam locomotive, which coincided with the rapid settlement and economic expansion of the Prairies. The building's cavernous interior recalls the labour-intensive nature of steam locomotive transportation, with its need for regular servicing and maintenance. The prominence of the engine house on Reston's outskirts also is a reminder of the railway's impact on the community, which for several decades was the eastern terminus of passenger and freight services that connected parts of southwestern Manitoba to the CPR's main line in neighbouring Saskatchewan.

Source: Rural Municipality of Pipestone By-law No. 1996-23, December 11, 1996

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Reston CPR Engine House site include:
- the building's placement, adjacent to the CPR line, facing west, on a large, flat and open property on the southern outskirts of Reston

Key elements that define the building's exterior character as an engine house include:
- the tall one-storey massing, L-shaped, including a broad wedge-shaped front (west) service bay section and a large rectangular volume to the rear, all enclosed by a flat roof and buff brick walls
- the four sets of large double doors, of iron-reinforced wood construction with thick iron hardware, extending across the slightly concave front elevation
- the large rear window openings and single vehicle door, symmetrically arranged in bays delineated by brick pilasters and corbelling, with the windows further detailed by segmental-arched heads, concrete sills and wood surrounds
- other utilitarian features and finishes such as a short parapet on the south side, pressed metal edging along the front, etc.

Key interior elements that define the building's functional character include:
- the standard CPR engine house plan, adjusted to meet local capacity requirements, with the front work area designed to manage rolling stock entering and exiting via four closely placed tracks and ancillary spaces to the rear
- the cavernous spaces with their exposed brick walls and heavy wood frame, including the roof's high wide-span beams supported by timber posts and brackets
- functional features such as the operational apparatus suspended from the ceiling of the northerly work bay