Windsor and Hantsport Railway
Encyclopedia
The Windsor and Hantsport Railway is a 56 miles (90.1 km) railway operating in Nova Scotia
between Windsor Junction
(north of Bedford
) and New Minas
with a spur at Windsor
which runs several miles east, serving two gypsum quarries at Wentworth Creek and Mantua.
The mainline (and related spurs) were formerly owned by Canadian Pacific Railway
subsidiary Dominion Atlantic Railway
and were sold to shortline holding company Iron Road Railways
. WHRC began operations on Saturday, August 27, 1994, making it Nova Scotia's second shortline railway after Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway
was formed one year earlier.
The WHRC route between Windsor Junction and New Minas is part of CPR's (and DAR's) former Halifax Subdivision. The section east of Windsor was built as the Windsor Branch of the Nova Scotia Railway
, opening in 1858, whereas the section west of Windsor to Hantsport
and ending at New Minas was built as the Windsor and Annapolis Railway
between 1867-1872, which became the Dominion Atlantic Railway
in 1894. The section east of Windsor to the gypsum quarries was built as the Midland Railway and opened in 1901. This was CPR/DAR's Truro Subdivision until the line east of the gypsum quarries was abandoned in the mid-1980s.
Today the WHRC has no traffic sources on the longest portion of its network, the line between Windsor and Windsor Junction, where it interchanges with Canadian National Railway
on that company's Halifax-Montreal mainline. The majority of WHRC traffic originates at the two gypsum quarries on the spur running east of Windsor, whereby the gypsum is hauled by unit train
s to the port at Hantsport. There are several manufacturing and agricultural-related traffic sources in New Minas, further west from Hantsport. A summer excursion passenger service between Windsor and Grand Pre was operated in the late 1990s.
Hantsport currently has one of the fastest ship loaders in the world. Its location on the Avon River and affected by the incredible tidal range of the Bay of Fundy
, means that bulk carrier
s cannot stay in port longer than 3–4 hours for fear of touching bottom.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
between Windsor Junction
Windsor Junction, Nova Scotia
Windsor Junction is a Canadian suburban community in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality. It is located 15.6 km north west of the HRM urban core, 3 km north of the Bedford Basin near the communities of Waverley, Fall River and Lower Sackville.-Railway history:The name of the...
(north of Bedford
Bedford, Nova Scotia
Bedford is a community in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was an independent town from 1980-1996. Bedford lies on the northwestern end of Bedford Basin, an extension of the Halifax Harbour...
) and New Minas
New Minas, Nova Scotia
New Minas is a village located in the eastern part of Kings County in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley. As of 2001, the population was 4,300.New Minas borders the town of Kentville to the west and the unincorporated community of Greenwich to the east. The town of Wolfville, Nova Scotia is further...
with a spur at Windsor
Windsor, Nova Scotia
Windsor is a town located in Hants County, Mainland Nova Scotia at the junction of the Avon and St. Croix Rivers. It is the largest community in western Hants County with a 2001 population of 3,779 and was at one time the shire town of the county. The region encompassing present day Windsor was...
which runs several miles east, serving two gypsum quarries at Wentworth Creek and Mantua.
The mainline (and related spurs) were formerly owned by Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
subsidiary Dominion Atlantic Railway
Dominion Atlantic Railway
The Dominion Atlantic Railway was a historic Canadian railway which operated in the western part of Nova Scotia, primarily through an agricultural district known as the Annapolis Valley....
and were sold to shortline holding company Iron Road Railways
Iron Road Railways
Iron Road Railways Incorporated was a railroad holding company which owned several short line railroads in the U.S. state of Maine, as well as the Canadian provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia....
. WHRC began operations on Saturday, August 27, 1994, making it Nova Scotia's second shortline railway after Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway
Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway
The Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway is a railway operating in Nova Scotia between Sydney and Truro with spurs at Sydney, Point Tupper, Trenton and Stellarton....
was formed one year earlier.
Nova Scotia Railway
The Nova Scotia Railway is a historic Canadian railway. It was composed of two lines, one connecting Richmond with Windsor, the other connecting Richmond with Pictou via Truro....
, opening in 1858, whereas the section west of Windsor to Hantsport
Hantsport, Nova Scotia
Hantsport is a rural Canadian town and seaport located in the western part of Hants County, Nova Scotia. Hantsport is located just south of the county boundary with Kings County, and sits on the west bank of the Avon River in a tidal estuary.The town is most best known for its history of...
and ending at New Minas was built as the Windsor and Annapolis Railway
Windsor and Annapolis Railway
The Windsor and Annapolis Railway was a historic Canadian railway that operated in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley.The railway ran from Windsor to Annapolis Royal and leased connections to Nova Scotia's capital of Halifax...
between 1867-1872, which became the Dominion Atlantic Railway
Dominion Atlantic Railway
The Dominion Atlantic Railway was a historic Canadian railway which operated in the western part of Nova Scotia, primarily through an agricultural district known as the Annapolis Valley....
in 1894. The section east of Windsor to the gypsum quarries was built as the Midland Railway and opened in 1901. This was CPR/DAR's Truro Subdivision until the line east of the gypsum quarries was abandoned in the mid-1980s.
Today the WHRC has no traffic sources on the longest portion of its network, the line between Windsor and Windsor Junction, where it interchanges with Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
on that company's Halifax-Montreal mainline. The majority of WHRC traffic originates at the two gypsum quarries on the spur running east of Windsor, whereby the gypsum is hauled by unit train
Unit train
A unit train, also called a block train, is a railway train in which all the cars making it up are shipped from the same origin to the same destination, without being split up or stored en route...
s to the port at Hantsport. There are several manufacturing and agricultural-related traffic sources in New Minas, further west from Hantsport. A summer excursion passenger service between Windsor and Grand Pre was operated in the late 1990s.
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...
, means that bulk carrier
Bulk carrier
A bulk carrier, bulk freighter, or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and cement in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, economic forces have fueled the development of these ships,...
s cannot stay in port longer than 3–4 hours for fear of touching bottom.