Silver Streak 1976 Train Station Okotoks AB

Numerous scenes in the 1976 movie Silver Streak were filmed in and around Southern Alberta. Interestingly, they all play US locations. As you might guess, we searched out these spots, many years back in fact, and used them for a number of now outdated Then & Now posts. Those ones done early-on are not that great and some in fact are pretty dreadful.

We’ve made it a mission to redo as many of those posts as we can, with better photos, more complete write ups and here’s the first.

Today’s comparison puts us near tracks in Okotoks Alberta and features the town’s former train station. It still stands today and one of a small number of buildings of this type left in the province. In the film it stood in the fictional community of Stavely, New Mexico. That state is more arid than Alberta and not really similar in most ways, yet here we are. Coincidently, there’s a Stavely Alberta a little bit south of Okotoks.

The station has been modified somewhat since filming took place but it’s still easily recognizable. Bedside being spruced up, a two story addition got put in on the east side. One can assume its for an elevator or stairway. The building is called the Station Cultural Centre and houses the Okotoks Art Gallery. Back when filmed it had no real use and likely a candidate for demolition had the OAG folks not saved it.

The structure dates from 1929 and is located on CPR’s north south secondary line from Calgary to Lethbridge. It replaced an earlier station on this same plot of land that had burnt down the year prior.

The station is unique in design and to the best of our knowledge there are no others that match it in appearance. Brick construction for such a structure was uncommon and it’s distinctive in look from any other. Most stations were built to specific plans that shared a common appearance and outside of major terminals, most were of wood.

A two story train station like this typically housed a waiting room, a baggage and express room (that long single level part), plus a ticket booth. These were all on the main floor and the upper story was accommodations for the station agent plus their family. Station agents not only sold train tickets but were kept busy with many other tasks. They coordinated local freight car allocations, inspected passing trains and managed express shipments. They kept very busy.

With advances in technology and changes in operating patterns, these local positions were eliminated over time starting after World War Two.

Passenger service ended on this line in the summer of 1971 and by that point the “train” was a single self-propelled railcar. The station was unmanned by this point and only the platform used. After the passenger runs ended, the building stood empty and unused for years.

In the movie the building appears intact but looks somewhat run down. In 1981 it was converted to its present use and that addition was put in at some point. It makes the building look a bit goofy and lopsided. The bricks used are not quite a match and this most evident on the track side view. The railway past here dates way back to the 1890s and is part of the CPR’s Aldersyde Subdivision (formerly MacLeod Sub).

The grain elevator seen in back in the movie capture is long gone and one of several such structures once here. Most were gone by the 1990s, but one, a smaller seed cleaning plant, hung on until 2012 when it burned down. That’s the annex portion of an elevator seen which sits to the right of the main structure (unseen from this angle). Annexes were often later add-ons and used to increase capacity.

The locomotive seen in the movie image is CPR #4070, a General Motors model FP7a, thinly disguised for the fictional passenger carrier “AmRoad”. Built at the GM Diesel Division locomotive factory in London Ontario in 1952, it still exists today…sort of but that could change. It’s out in Quebec and not operational. Not even close and we understand it’s only a shell. Someone is holding on to it in hopes of seeing it preserved.

Silver Streak stars Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor and Jill Clayburgh and went on became a decent enough hit. From a railway standpoint it’s full of technical errors but that’s something only a train buff would spot. It’s still great fun and so we’ll forgive them.

In the brief scene involving the Okotoks Alberta/Stavely New Mexico station, Gene Wilder’s character is seen running for the train after being throw off earlier. Incidentally, that previous scene took place in the Red Deer River Valley badlands near Drumheller Alberta.

Okotoks was a quaint little farming centre at the time of filming and with a population of about 1400. Today, it’s a booming bedroom community and home to some 31000 folks. The old parts of town have been swallowed up by urban sprawl and seem rather insignificant today.

One thing has remained constant though and characters similar to the two “good-ol-boy” extras seen with the pickup truck can still be easily be found in Okotoks. Trucks still rule only they’re bigger than ever (even if many are only grocery getters) and cowboy hats still a common headgear.

In addition to Okotoks, the movie Silver Streak was filmed in Calgary, High River, Carmangay, Lethbridge, near Cowley, in the Crowsnest Pass and near Drumheller. Those are all Alberta locations but they also filmed a bit in the southeastern part of BC. These locations are all on our radar for future T&Ns. Some we’ve done before and get a do-over and others we’ve never attempted. Some filming also took place out east in Toronto Ontario.

We’re curious about that single bush seen to the left of the station in the now image. Is it also seen in the movie picture and is it a holdout from that row of similar looking plants? Lilacs? You’ll note they filmed Silver Streak sometimes over the winter or spring, when the trees were devoid of leaves.

There’s a couple buildings across from the station that harken back to the early days of Okotoks and we’ve included a photo for reference. They must be some of the oldest commercial structures here and today sit at the far eastern edge of downtown. Back in the day, the station area was the most important, but the downtown business district is now well away from this location.

Canada often doubles for the US in films, so what’s mentioned in this post is nothing new. Sometimes Canadian locations fill in for fictional US places and other times ones that are real. For example, Calgary in Silver Streak plays Kansas City, Kansas and in one scene the iconic Calgary Tower is seen in the background. It’s unlike any building in KC.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more Then & Now posts based on this film. Lots of others ahead too, on other movies and non-movie subjects. This may take a while, but it’ll be a grand time.

Know more: (new tab): Silver Streak Movie 1976.

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More Then & Now…
Superman 1978: Cemetery Scenes.
Silverton BC Waterfront (SS Slocan).
Then & Now: Foremost Alberta.

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Date of adventure: 1975 (the likely date for filming) and spring 2024 (Team BIGDoer).
Location: Okotoks, Alberta.
Article references and thanks: Book – A century of Memories – Okotoks and District 1883-1983 and Author Geoffrey Lester.

As seen in Silver Streak (1976).

It’s now home to the Okotoks Art Gallery.

The track-side view.

A pair of old buildings across the street.