Historic
Lisbon Train Station Being Brought Back To Life
By AMY ASH NIXON Staff Writer
Friday October 13, 2006
LISBON NEW HAMPSHIRE
A
deep red stain has been applied to thousands of small pieces of wood, the fancy
siding that is being applied now to the Lisbon Historic Railroad Station and
Museum, largely at the hands of perhaps its No. 1 fan, Roger Robar.
Robar, 70, the clerk of the works of the mostly volunteer-run restoration
project begun several years ago, said on Wednesday that the project is now in
its phase two stage, where the exterior of the building is being restored and
readied for winter. The colors of the building, deep red and a cheerful yellow,
are largely in place, and match the visitors' sign at the intersection of
Central and
Inside the station, box after box of the siding pieces await installation on
the exterior. The siding, rounded at the end and set in so the fancy edges
show, are called scalloped or "fish scale," Robar explained.
"We're trying to keep it as close as possible to what the original
exterior was," he said of the building, built in 1868 or 1869.
"This is a big project," Robar said of the community's ambitious
restoration of the train station, which one day will house a museum, a
visitor's center and also serve as a comfort station for users of the NH Rails
to Trails system for people hiking, biking, cross country skiing, snowmobiling
and more in the region.
Project Needs More Help
Cathy
Burke, executive director of Lisbon Main Street, said the project, which has
benefited from a series of state and federal grants which total about $310,000
to date, is progressing, but is in need of more help. "We need more
volunteers. We really need to have people on board to finish up this project in
a timely manner," she said. The town of
One way Robar and others involved in the project hope to see help come forward
is in the way of contractors volunteering to help complete the exterior before
snow flies. Originally, it was hoped a few local contractors would pitch in,
but Robar said it seems most of them are so flooded with their own work and
projects, they've had difficulty finding time to squeeze in the train station
as community service.
The final stage of the museum's long anticipated restoration will be completing
the interior, Burke and Robar said Wednesday. Burke said many people have
pitched in and deserve credit for bringing the project this far, but Robar and
Peter Loescher, chairman of the Railroad Restoration Committee, deserve special kudos.
"The town has really rallied behind this. A lot of
people and a lot of hard work. A lot of money has come in from grants
and public support, and that's really the exciting part," Loescher said
Wednesday. "The history of
Loescher said Robar is a master craftsman who has elaborate models of trains in
his home. "The station has become one of his models," he said
Wednesday. "Now he's getting to work on a big project instead of a model.
"Roger Robar is a quiet man who just loves the station,
loves the town and the town owes him a great debt. He's working almost
full-time on the station. Roger has really been the glue that has pulled so
much together and really made it a showplace. When it's completed, hopefully
next year, it will become a destination - for people to come to as a
destination. It's just a great project," Loescher said.
Adding To Museum's Collection
In addition to the plea for more volunteers, hopefully professional
contractors, to pitch in and help with completing the exterior of the train
station, Burke said another need the community can help with is to boost the
collection of the fledgling museum, which will showcase the region's railroad
history, of which
Robar grew up right up the hill from the train station, and has been a railroad
buff since he was a child. A number of years ago, he bought a vintage black and
white photograph of the train station which was imprinted with the year 1948 on
it. He didn't notice until some time later, that in the photo are two little
boys, about 10 years old, and they were twins. At that time, he and his late
brother, Ronald, were the only set of twins in Lisbon, he said, and he put it
together that it was he and his brother in the photo, now adorning the wall of
the future museum and visitors center. There will also be space for the
Curving Architectural Roof
The
train station was a typical country railroad depot size, 20 feet wide by 50
feet long, Robar said of its footprint. But what is considered a "local
gem" by Robar and other train history enthusiasts is its fully-curved
architectural roof. Most stations are two-pitched, he said, and simpler in
style.
Robar pointed up through the rafters in the open ceiling Wednesday to the arcs
of the old timbers that frame up the roofline, pointing out how they curve like antique sleds to create the graceful curvature of the
roof.
The station was built, he said, by the
New windows and a new main entry door are being custom built for the train
station now, and temporary heating will hopefully be installed soon, to allow
for some progress to continue over the winter months, Robar said.
Dick Irish, a close friend of Robar's who shares his passion for all things
railroad, was in town visiting Wednesday from Washington state, where he now
lives. He said Robar "is passionate about restoration," and he wishes
he lived nearer to help him with the
"It was in sad, sad condition," Robar nodded, saying the project's
architect told volunteers if they hadn't gotten the grant and started work when
they did, it might have been beyond salvaging.
Robar said the building was almost lost from Lisbon entirely, saying its last
owner became ill and sold it to someone before the town could buy it. That
owner, a few years ago, hired a crew and was beginning to remove the depot from
town to move it to his property in
"We literally stopped him that day," Robar said. "This should
not ever be moved, it's a landmark."
