New life for N. Van. rail station
Langley man, 73, is transforming freight shed into a giant barn
George Robson is laboriously deconstructing the B.C. Rail station in North Vancouver, and moving much of it to his south Langley farm.
At age 73, he’s certainly old enough to know better.
“I should be,” he laughs. “I’ve retired twice, but it didn’t take. “So I’m still working.” Within three months — if all goes well, and he’s not sure about that — Robson intends to transform the former North Vancouver rail freight shed into a giant Langley barn for storing hay and farm equipment.
“My kids have the Pacific Country Stables — they’ve got 78 paddocks for thoroughbred jumpers. “They go through a lot of hay.” Robson figures 95 per cent of the station will be reused or recycled, an important consideration for Metro Vancouver officials when they decided who should deconstruct the station to make way for a sewage treatment plant.
“More and more contractors in the region are embracing deconstruction because it saves money and reduces environmental impact,” said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie, chairman of Metro Vancouver’s zero-waste committee. “The deconstruction project illustrates the regional district’s commitment to reduce waste and recover resources by reusing and recycling.”
Brodie said deconstructing the station not only keeps building materials out of the landfill, it’s actually cheaper.
“The estimate for demolition was between $100,000 and $150,000,” he said. “I’m told the total cost for deconstruction was $64,000.
“We’re dedicated to the idea of recycling and reusing.”
It’s just another mammoth task for Robson Crushing and Demolition, of which George Robson is managing director.
“I figured I’d be out of here by now, but there’s always something,” Robson said.