Published on March 11, 2025 at 09:57 AM
Updated on March 27, 2025 at 01:26 PM
Did you know that Alu-Rex’s facilities are located on a national historic site? Our offices are in Lévis (formerly Charny), just south of Quebec City, within the Joffre Roundhouse. This iconic structure is the only remaining functional roundhouse in Canada.
A Bit of History
By the late 19th century, Charny was a bustling railtown, complete with its own train station and railway tracks. The Intercolonial Railway network created the railtown as a junction for four tracks, aiming to link New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to the rest of Canada, integrating the Maritime provinces into Confederation. Among its many facilities, the roundhouse became one of the largest work sites for the Canadian National Railway (CNR).
Charny thrived economically as shops emerged around the CNR facilities, turning the area into a flourishing suburb. By the 1950s, roughly 70% of the population worked at the railtown.
The Roundhouse
In 1919, the building was named the Joffre Roundhouse to honor Marshal Joseph Joffre of France, chosen by Canadian veterans who fought under his command during World War I.
When constructed in 1880, the Joffre Roundhouse had 24 stalls for maintaining steam locomotives owned by the Intercolonial Railway. The Canadian National Railway expanded it with 15 additional stalls, making it fully circular with a single opening. The machine shop and turntable were also part of the original structure. After serving for 100 years, the roundhouse closed in 1981 when provincial maintenance operations moved elsewhere.
Today, the Joffre Roundhouse serves as a maintenance and repair center for various railway structures and as rentable space for companies.
