Oban, Saskatchewan
Encyclopedia
Education
Historically Oban School District #4733 was located at Township 37, Range 16 West of the 3rd Meridian106th meridian west
The meridian 106° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, North America, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
.
Transportation
In 1925 Oban was located on the Minnedosa–Saskatoon–Edmonton CPRCanadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
branch line between Castlewood, and Naseby. The CPR was intersected by the CNR GTP
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
West. Oban was located on the CNR between Biggar and Palo. Oban was also a part of the Porter Subdivision, CNR between Lett and Biggar.
Infrastructure
Oban had the last provincial interlockingInterlocking
In railway signalling, an interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junctions or crossings. The signalling appliances and tracks are sometimes collectively referred to as an interlocking plant...
tower at the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
and Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
which was constructed in 1910 and closed in 1990. The tower has been moved to the Saskatchewan Railway Museum
Saskatchewan Railway Museum
The Saskatchewan Railway Museum is a railway museum located west of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan at the intersection of the Pike Lake Highway and the Canadian National Railway tracks...
.
Oban tower was a requirement for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historical Canadian railway.A wholly owned subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway , the GTPR was constructed by GTR using loans provided by the Government of Canada. The company was formed in 1903 with a mandate to build west from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the...
when it wanted to cross the existing CPR
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
rail tracks. (The Canadian Northern Railway
Canadian Northern Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway is a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its demise in 1923, when it was merged into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.-Manitoba beginnings:CNoR had its start in...
was amalgamated with the Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
by the Dominion Government to form the Canadian National Railways in 1919.) Oban tower consisted of a 16-frame interlocking machine. There were levers attached to pipes and cranks which controlled semaphore signals
Railway semaphore signal
One of the earliest forms of fixed railway signal is the semaphore. These signals display their different indications to train drivers by changing the angle of inclination of a pivoted 'arm'. Semaphore signals were patented in the early 1840s by Joseph James Stevens, and soon became the most...
and train derails. If an approaching train did not react to the signals at the crossing, the derails were utilized, causing a minor accident and averting a major collision. The signals would be operated 1750 feet (533.4 m) and 1200 feet (365.8 m) along the railway track. At 55 feet (16.8 m) the derail would be set if the train could not stop before the intersection.
There have been 8800 miles (14,162.2 km) railway track in the province of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
. Rail companies were intersected 58 times at level crossings. Some of these were railway lines crossing municipal street car rail lines. There were 36 Saskatchewan crossings which were controlled by mechanical interlocking machines between the early 1900s and 1990.
Area statistics
- Lat (DMS) 52°08′00″ N
- Long (DMS) 108°08′00″ W
- Dominion Land SurveyDominion Land SurveyThe Dominion Land Survey is the method used to divide most of Western Canada into one-square-mile sections for agricultural and other purposes. It is based on the layout of the Public Land Survey System used in the United States, but has several differences...
Section 30, Township 36, Range 15, West of the 3rd Meridian106th meridian westThe meridian 106° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, North America, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole.... - Time zone (cst) UTC−6
Location
See also
- List of communities in Saskatchewan
- List of rural municipalities in Saskatchewan
- WikiProject Saskatchewan
- WikiProject Saskatchewan Communities & Neighbourhoods
- :WikiProject Cities
Published works
- Title A Harvest of Memories: Oban, Neola, Avalon, Elwell, Monarch, Louvain, Kensmith, Twin Hill, Fairmount, Vanceview, Gagenville, Curths Hill, Castlewood, Whiteshore, Wilson Lake / [editor: Isla Solanik] or the North Biggar history
- Published Biggar, Sask.: North Biggar History Book Committee, 1986
- ISBN 0889256020