Overview | |
---|---|
Service type | Inter-city rail |
Status | Discontinued |
Locale | Nova Scotia, Canada |
Predecessor | Halifax–Sydney train |
First service | 2000 |
Last service | 2004 |
Current operator(s) | Via Rail |
Route | |
Termini | Halifax, Nova Scotia Sydney, Nova Scotia |
Average journey time | 10 hours |
Service frequency | Weekly (June-October) |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
Track owner(s) | Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway |
The Bras d'Or was a summer passenger train service operated by Via Rail in Nova Scotia, Canada, between Halifax and Sydney. From 2000 to 2004, the excursion train ran one round-trip per week in the tourist season of mid-June to mid-October. The route followed the scenic Sydney Subdivision of the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway across Cape Breton Island, at times within view of Bras d'Or Lake, after which the train is named. [1]
Cape Breton Island is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada.
Sydney is a former city and urban community on the east coast of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Sydney was founded in 1785 by the British, was incorporated as a city in 1904, and dissolved on 1 August 1995, when it was amalgamated into the regional municipality.
Cape Breton Regional Municipality is the Canadian province of Nova Scotia's second largest municipality and the economic heart of Cape Breton Island. As of 2021 the municipality has a population of 93,694. The municipality was created in 1995 through the amalgamation of eight municipalities located in Cape Breton County.
Cape Breton—Canso is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. Its population in 2011 was 75,247. It is the successor to Bras d'Or, which was represented in the House of Commons from 1997 to 2004.
Bras d'Or Lake is an irregular estuary in the centre of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. It has a connection to the open sea, and is tidal. It also has inflows of fresh water from rivers, making the brackish water a very productive natural habitat. It was designated the Bras d'Or Lake Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2011.
Sydney—Victoria is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997.
The Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway is a short line railway that operates in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. CBNS operates of main line and associated spurs between Truro in the central part of the province to Point Tupper on Cape Breton Island.
Highway 105 in Nova Scotia represents the Cape Breton Island leg of the Trans-Canada Highway. It runs from the Port Hastings Rotary just east of the Canso Causeway in Port Hastings to the Marine Atlantic ferry terminal in North Sydney, representing a distance of 142 kilometres (88 mi).
Grand Narrows is a community in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. The community is the birthplace of the longest serving Premier of Nova Scotia, George Henry Murray. The Barra Strait Marina is here, operated by the Grand Narrows Waterfront Development Society.
Orangedale is a Canadian rural community located in Inverness County, Nova Scotia.
Christmas Island, Nova Scotia is a Canadian community of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. It has a post office, a firehall and a very small population. It has a beach with access to the Bras d'Or Lake. A small island just off shore, also named Christmas Island, encloses Christmas Island Pond, a pond that runs into the lake.
Alfred Wallace MacLeod is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. He is a member of the Progressive Conservatives.
Big Beach is a community located on the north side of the Boisdale Hills on the east side of the Great Bras D'Or Lake on Provincial Route 223, which runs from Leitches Creek to Little Narrows, through Central Cape Breton Island in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the "Bras D'Or Lakes Scenic Drive" it is part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Central Cape Breton Island.
Bras d'Or Lake, the name of which means arms of gold or golden arms, is a saltwater lake on Cape Breton Island.
The Barra Strait is a 1.22 km (0.76 mi) wide channel located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It connects the northern and southern basins of Bras d'Or Lake, an inland saltwater body that dominates the centre of Cape Breton Island. The border between two of Cape Breton Island's counties runs through the strait; the community of Grand Narrows, in Cape Breton County, is situated on the eastern shore while the community of Iona, in Victoria County is situated on the western shore.
The Grand Narrows Bridge is a Canadian railway bridge crossing between Victoria County, Nova Scotia, and Cape Breton County. At 516.33 m (1,694 ft), it is the longest railroad bridge in the province. The bridge incorporates a swing span at its eastern end to permit the continued passage of marine traffic through the strait.
Kellys Mountain is a mountain located in Victoria County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Trans-Canada Highway winds its way up the mountain via Route 105. It is known for both its scenic view from the top and its steep slope on both sides of the mountain highway. There is a parking space at the top known as the Bras d'Or Look Off that gives a view of Seal Island Bridge, Great Bras d'Or channel and Boularderie Island, areas where the highway travels after the driver descends the eastern portion of the Highway. Travellers should be aware of a sharp hairpin turn at the foot of the eastern end of the mountain that switches back greater than 180 degrees after a steep descent.
Northside-Westmount is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.
The Barra Strait Bridge is a Canadian road bridge crossing the Barra Strait of Bras d'Or Lake, carrying Nova Scotia Route 223 between Iona, Victoria County, on the West side, and Grand Narrows, Cape Breton County on the east side. The bridge incorporates a double leaf bascule section at its eastern end to permit the continued passage of marine traffic through the strait.
The Halifax-Sydney train was a passenger train service operated by the Canadian National Railway and later Via Rail between Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia, via Truro and Port Hawkesbury.