Railway Pie at McAdam Railway Station: A Timeless Tradition Preserving a Canadian Treasure

A Timeless Tradition Preserving One of Canada’s Great Railway Stations
Some traditions deserve to be celebrated for generations to come.
Railway Pie at McAdam Railway Station is one of them.
Long before highways replaced rail travel, hungry passengers passing through McAdam Railway Station knew exactly what to order at the lunch counter. Railway Pie became so well known that its reputation extended far beyond New Brunswick, even earning a mention in the Boston News. It became part of the station’s story, and part of the community’s identity.
Decades later, as volunteers searched for a meaningful way to welcome visitors back to the station and raise funds for its preservation, they looked to that famous tradition for inspiration. The idea was simple: revive a famous tradition, welcome visitors back to the station, and help fund its preservation.
What began as a volunteer-led effort to reconnect visitors with McAdam Railway Station quickly became one of New Brunswick’s most beloved summer traditions. Today, every Sunday from July through September, visitors gather in the station’s historic diner to enjoy a generous slice of homemade pie while experiencing one of Canada’s most remarkable railway landmarks.
The volunteers aren’t simply caring for a historic building. They’re working toward an ambitious long-term vision: reopening the station’s original 20-room hotel so guests can once again spend the night where railway travellers once rested more than a century ago.

It’s a dream that will take time. Restoring a National Historic Site is measured in years, not months. Yet with each completed project, successful fundraiser, grant application, and Sunday serving of Railway Pie, they move one step closer.

More than a century after Railway Pie first earned its reputation, every slice continues to serve a purpose. It helps support the ongoing preservation of McAdam Railway Station while giving visitors a memorable way to experience its history, hospitality, and enduring sense of community.

McAdam Railway Station: A Canadian Treasure

Long before it became known for Railway Pie, McAdam Railway Station was welcoming travellers from across North America. Recognized as both a Provincial Historic Site and National Historic Site, as well as a Designated Heritage Railway Station, it is one of Canada’s most significant surviving railway stations. Its significance has even been celebrated on a Canadian postage stamp, and in 2013 it was named Canada’s Greatest Public Place through the Canadian Institute of Planners’ People’s Choice competition.

Built in 1900 for the Canadian Pacific Railway, the station was designed by renowned architect Edward Maxwell and constructed by W.H. Joseph McVay & Sons under the direction of CPR president Sir William Van Horne. Inspired by the grand castles of Scotland, its striking blend of Gothic, Baroque, and Victorian architecture continues to impress visitors more than 125 years later.

Railway Pie at McAdam Railway Station: Plan Your Visit at a Glance

Location: McAdam, New Brunswick

Railway Pie Sundays: July 5 – September 27, 2026

Seating Times: 1:00 p.m. & 2:15 p.m. - Reserve Your Tickets Online

Cost: $15 per person

Includes:

generous slice of pie
coffee, tea or beverage
self-guided tour of the main floor

2026 Railway Pie Flavours:

Apple
Blueberry
Boston Cream
Butterscotch
Coconut Cream
Lemon Meringue

Station Scoops: Daily through summer, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Guided Tours: Daily, June–September, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Allow at least 1–2 hours to enjoy the station, stories, and exhibits.

Don’t Forget your camera!

Bakers Get Baking

Before Railway Pie became the popular attraction it is today, it was made possible by the extraordinary generosity of local volunteers. For ten summers, four dedicated women—including my friend Agnes Campbell—spent every Saturday baking pies for Sunday’s visitors. Together they produced an astonishing 60 homemade pies every week, representing more than two dozen varieties of pie.

Frank Campbell, Agnes’ husband and a member of the McAdam Railway Station Restoration Committee, did the math for me. Those 60 pies were each cut into generous fifths, creating about 300 servings every Sunday. Even more remarkable, two of the volunteer bakers were already in their nineties. It’s hard not to admire that kind of commitment. Week after week, they gave their time because preserving McAdam Railway Station mattered deeply to them—and because they loved welcoming visitors to their village.

Not surprisingly, Railway Pie quickly became so popular that it sold out almost every Sunday. After a decade, however, the demand simply became too great for volunteer bakers to sustain. The committee experimented with another fundraising program called Abigail and Tea, which combined homemade treats with live theatre. Although well received, the program lasted only one season before the pandemic brought food service to a halt. Fortunately, the story didn’t end there.

Railway Pie Today

In response to overwhelming demand, Railway Pie returned with a new model built to ensure its future. Today, visitors reserve their Railway Pie ticket online in advance, while a trusted bakery in nearby St. Stephen prepares the pies using recipes approved by the committee. The result is the same warm hospitality people remember, with a more sustainable approach that allows volunteers to focus on welcoming guests and preserving the station.

Every Sunday from July through September, guests can choose from two seating times of 1 or 2:15 pm and enjoy: a generous slice of homemade pie with coffee, tea or another beverage, and a self-guided tour of the station’s historic main floor, all for one affordable price of $15. Flavours this summer include favourites such as: apple, blueberry, lemon meringue, coconut cream, Boston cream and butterscotch.

When I recently enjoyed Railway Pie, I also had the pleasure of meeting the local rug-hooking group, who were gathered in the dining room for a get-together. It was another reminder that McAdam Railway Station isn’t simply a historic building. It’s still a vibrant gathering place for the community today.

Discover McAdam Railway Station

Railway Pie may be what first draws many visitors to McAdam, but once you step inside the station, you’ll quickly discover that the building itself is every bit as memorable as the pie. Whether you’re fascinated by Canadian history, grand architecture, railway travel, or simply enjoy discovering remarkable places, McAdam Railway Station offers something for every curious traveller. The best way to experience it is by joining a guided tour.

Knowledgeable guides bring the station’s history to life through fascinating stories, little-known facts, and personal memories passed down through generations. As you explore the station, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for both its remarkable architecture and the dedicated volunteers working patiently to preserve it.

Guided tours are offered daily from 10am - 4pm, June through September, making it easy to add a visit to your New Brunswick road trip itinerary.

An Architectural Masterpiece

Completed in 1900, McAdam Railway Station was designed to impress. Inspired by Scotland’s grand castles, the station blends Gothic, Baroque, and Victorian architectural styles in a way few Canadian railway stations ever attempted. From its soaring ceilings and elegant woodwork to the original dining room and carefully crafted details throughout, every room reflects the importance of rail travel once held in Canada.

At its peak, McAdam was one of the busiest railway junctions in eastern North America, welcoming passengers travelling between Montreal, Saint John, Boston, Halifax, and St. Andrews. The station was far more than a stop along the line. It was a destination in its own right.

Today, visitors can still experience much of that same grandeur while learning how volunteers are carefully restoring the building one project at a time.

Famous Faces Who Passed Through McAdam

Imagine waiting for your train and finding yourself sharing the station with one of history’s most recognizable figures. During the golden age of rail travel, the station’s elegant hotel and dining room catered to politicians, celebrities, business leaders, and affluent travellers making their way between Boston and the seaside resort town of St. Andrews.

Over the years, McAdam Railway Station welcomed countless notable travellers, including baseball legend Babe Ruth, British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, and Olympic figure skating champion Barbara Ann Scott.

But some of the station’s most memorable stories come not from history books, but from locals who continue sharing its past.

During tours, you’ll hear stories of famous visitors who passed through McAdam, including local accounts of Marilyn Monroe travelling through the station and Barbara Ann Scott enjoying a skate on the pond behind the station during her visit. Whether documented in official records or preserved through community memory, these stories add another layer of character to the station’s fascinating history.

One of my favourite local stories came from Frank Campbell, Agnes’ husband and a dedicated member of the Restoration Committee. As a young boy, he would press his face against the dining room window, hoping for a glimpse inside the elegant hotel. Hotel Manager Miss Quinn would spotted him and chased him away, calling him “a little scallywag.” Today, Frank laughs as he tells the story, never imagining that one day he would become one of the people working hard to restore that same building.

History, Mystery, and a Few Ghost Stories

Every historic building has its stories. McAdam Railway Station has more than most. Some are heartwarming. Others are heartbreaking. A few have become local legends. During your guided tour, you’ll hear tales of railway romance, colourful characters, notorious criminals, secret passageways, and unexplained happenings that have fuelled decades of ghost stories. Whether you believe in the paranormal or not, these stories add another fascinating layer to the station’s rich history.

One particularly moving story tells of a newborn infant who died aboard a passing train and was buried in McAdam. To this day, train engineers honour the child by sounding their whistle as they pass through the village. It’s stories like these that remind us the station isn’t simply a beautiful building. It has witnessed countless moments of joy, sorrow, celebration, and loss over more than a century of Canadian history.

Cool Off with Station Scoops

Visiting on a weekday? You can still enjoy a treat. Throughout the summer, Station Scoops serves ice cream daily inside the station’s historic diner, offering a delicious way to cool off after your tour. Choose a single or double scoop in a cone or cup, then take a seat and soak up the atmosphere in the very room where railway passengers once gathered for meals and conversation more than a century ago.

It’s another simple pleasure that helps support the ongoing restoration of this remarkable landmark.

Why This Place Matters

I have visited enough historical places over the years to know that beautiful buildings alone don’t make lasting memories. People do. The volunteers at McAdam Railway Station welcomed me as though they were inviting me into their own home. They shared stories, laughed about old memories, spoke honestly about the challenges of restoring a National Historic Site, and celebrated the successes along the way.

That generosity is woven into every part of the visitor experience. You see it in the guides who eagerly answer questions. You taste it in every slice of Railway Pie. You feel it in the pride people have for this remarkable station and their determination to see it thrive again.

Before leaving McAdam, I expected to learn about railway history. I didn’t expect to leave with such admiration for the people working so hard to preserve it.

Listening to Agnes Campbell, Frank Campbell, former Mayor Frank Carroll, and the many dedicated volunteers, it’s impossible not to feel their pride. They aren’t simply preserving a beautiful railway station. They’re protecting a place woven into the history of their village, their province, and Canada’s railway story. The Restoration Committee has an inspiring vision for the future. Their long-term goal is to restore the station’s 20-room hotel and once again welcome overnight guests, while expanding opportunities for special events, weddings, reunions, workshops, fine dining experiences, and other community gatherings. It’s an ambitious undertaking, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned about the people of McAdam, it’s that determination runs deep.

For now, they’re doing what they’ve always done: rolling up their sleeves, welcoming visitors, writing grant applications, hosting fundraising events, serving Railway Pie on Sundays, scooping ice cream throughout the summer, and celebrating every milestone along the way.

If your travels take you through southwestern New Brunswick, I hope you’ll make time to stop. Take the tour. Enjoy a piece of Railway Pie. Treat yourself to an ice cream. Stay overnight if you can. Then tell someone about it. Because places like McAdam Railway Station don’t endure by accident. They endure because people care enough to keep their stories alive.

Know that every visit makes a difference. Whether you book a guided tour, enjoy a slice of Railway Pie, stop in for an ice cream, attend an event, make a donation, or simply tell others about your experience, you’re helping preserve one of Canada’s most significant historic railway stations for future generations.

Before my first visit, Railway Pie was simply something I’d heard about. Now, every slice reminds me of the people who refused to let this beloved tradition disappear. If you’re planning a New Brunswick road trip, I hope you’ll make time for McAdam. Wander through the station, listen to the stories, linger over a piece of pie, and take a moment to appreciate what this community has accomplished. I have a feeling you’ll leave feeling exactly as I did—with a satisfied appetite, and a deeper appreciation for one of Canada’s most remarkable railway stations.

Why You’ll Love It

One of Canada’s grandest railway stations
Historic diner serving famous Railway Pie
Guided tours full of fascinating stories
Distinctive architecture
Family-friendly
Unique overnight caboose stay
Christmas at the Station

Extend Your Visit

Stay in the Station Side Caboose

Want to turn your visit into an unforgettable getaway? Spend the night in Station Side Caboose, a beautifully restored 1913 railway caboose located beside McAdam Railway Station. Thoughtfully renovated with modern comforts while preserving its historic character, it’s one of New Brunswick’s most unique places to stay.

Falling asleep to the gentle rumble of an occasional passing train is a fitting way to end a day immersed in railway history. If you’re planning to enjoy Railway Pie on Sunday, an overnight stay is the perfect way to experience everything McAdam has to offer at a relaxed pace. Read my complete review of Station Side Caboose.

Stay in Station Side Caboose: A Unique Railway Getaway in McAdam, New Brunswick

Experience the Magic of Christmas at the Station

If you have the opportunity to visit McAdam in mid-November, Christmas at the Station is an experience well worth planning for. Each year, hundreds of volunteers transform McAdam Railway Station into one of New Brunswick’s most beloved holiday traditions. Historic rooms glow with beautifully decorated Christmas trees, twinkling lights, festive displays, and the warmth of community spirit. Add the aroma of fresh baking, steaming mugs of hot apple cider, seasonal music, and—if you’re lucky—a fresh blanket of snow, and it’s easy to understand why visitors return year after year. Christmas at the Station is more than a holiday event. It’s a celebration of community, tradition, and one of Canada’s most treasured historic railway stations. Read my guide to Christmas at the Station.

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