Did you know that Alu-Rex facilities are located on a national historic site? Based in Lévis (formerly Charny), just south of Quebec City, our offices are located in the Joffre Roundhouse. Interestingly, this Roundhouse is the only remaining facility still functional in Canada.

A BIT OF HISTORY

By the end of the 19th century, Charny was a railtown with a railway track and its own train station. At that time, the Intercolonial Railway network created a railtown which housed a railroad yard and served as a junction to four railway tracks. The initial goal was to link the colonies from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to the rest of Canada, and thus include the Maritime provinces to the Confederation. Among the facilities built, there was also a roundhouse that became one of the largest work sites of the Canadian National Railway Company.

Charny was to experience a major economic boom as shops opened around CN facilities, thereby becoming a flourishing suburb. Indeed, by the early 1950s, about 70% of the active population worked at the railtown.

THE ROUNDHOUSE

The building was named the Joffre Roundhouse in 1919. This name was chosen in honor of the Marshal of France, Joseph Joffre, by Canadian veterans who fought under his command during World War I.

When it was built in 1880, the Joffre Roundhouse owned 24 stalls that were used for the maintenance of steam locomotives owned by the Intercolonial Railway. The Canadian National Railway Company subsequently expanded to 15 stalls that made it completely circular with a single opening. The machine shop and the turntable are part of the facilities. The Roundhouse served its purpose for 100 years, until 1981. Subsequently, the Canadian National Railway Company elected to move provincial maintenance to another location.

Today, the Roundhouse is used as a maintenance and repair center for various railway structures. The Roundhouse is now used as rentable space for various companies.