The Middleton and Victoria Beach Railway was a historic Canadian railway which ran from Middleton to Port Wade in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was purchased and completed by the Halifax and Southwestern Railway in 1906. A portion of the line remained in operation until 1983.
The line's eastern terminus was in Middleton, where it connected with the Dominion Atlantic Railway running between Halifax and Yarmouth, and also with the Nova Scotia Central Railway running from Middleton south to Bridgewater and Lunenburg. Running westward from Middleton, the Middleton and Victoria Beach line never actually ran as far as Victoria Beach, but made its western terminus in Port Wade where a quarter-mile wharf was built for loading and unloading of freight. This continued to be used even after the railway stopped running.
The line of the railway ran along the north side of the Annapolis River closer to the North Mountain and the farms there than was the Dominion Atlantic line. The two railways more or less parallelled each other between Middleton and Bridgetown. West of Bridgetown the Dominion Atlantic crossed a bridge to the south side of the Annapolis River while the Middleton and Victoria Beach line continued along the northern side of the river from Bridgetown west to Port Wade.
The earliest variant of the company was the Granville and Victoria Beach Railway Company. [1] The incorporators (those listed as the first members of the company) included forestry operators, merchants and lawyers from along the proposed route. This was a common way to get political support for the necessary legislative charter each railway had to have in order to qualify for the provincial construction grant, to allow it to expropriate its right of way (which it actually owned) [2] and to permit it to cross highways. This railway was intended to run west from Bridgetown rather than from Middleton.
A second attempt to get the railway started was the Granville and Victoria Beach Railway and Development Company. [3] The incorporation was extended in 1899. The 1897 Act had provided that the Act would cease if work had not been completed within two years. Then there was another extension in 1901, when the name of the company was changed to the Middleton and Victoria Beach Railway Company. [4] At this time the eastern end of the railway was shifted east from Bridgetown to Middleton, possibly because the promoters were afraid to trust their only rail connection to the outside world to the Dominion Atlantic, but also because the railway to Bridgewater had been completed. At about this time the railway plans were approved and filed in the registry of deeds, which constituted the expropriation. [5] The municipalities along the way, the Municipality of the County of Annapolis and the Town of Bridgetown, obtained legislative sanction to pay for the railway right of way, what was then referred to as railway damages. That was their contribution to what was generally seen as a valuable economic engine.
The railway was acquired by the Halifax and South Western Railway in 1905. [6] The construction had not been completed, and the H&SW had to finish the job. MacKenzie and Mann, who were expanding the Canadian Northern in Nova Scotia, owned the H&SW, which had acquired the Nova Scotia Central and built a railway into Halifax from Bridgewater. The provincial government fixed the length of the line at forty miles (64 kilometers) for purposes of the subsidy.
The railway eventually became part of Canadian Government Railways, and then Canadian National Railways. The railway was used for various agricultural and forest products, but its most important through cargo was iron from the mines at Torbrook, which was shipped from the Port Wade wharf.
About 1928 [7] traffic stopped west of Bridgetown and a wye west of Bridgetown station allowed trains to turn to go back to Middleton or Bridgewater. The line from Middleton to Bridgetown was abandoned in 1983.
The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy. Statistics Canada defines the Annapolis Valley as an economic region, composed of Annapolis County, Kings County, and Hants County.
Annapolis County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia located in the western part of the province located on the Bay of Fundy. The county seat is Annapolis Royal.
Middleton is a town in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Situated on the north bank of the Annapolis River, it is located close to the centre of the Annapolis Valley, from which it gets its nickname, "The Heart of the Valley".
The Intercolonial Railway of Canada, also referred to as the Intercolonial Railway (ICR), was a historic Canadian railway that operated from 1872 to 1918, when it became part of Canadian National Railways. As the railway was also completely owned and controlled by the Government of Canada, the Intercolonial was also one of Canada's first Crown corporations.
The Dominion Atlantic Railway was a historic railway which operated in the western part of Nova Scotia in Canada, primarily through an agricultural district known as the Annapolis Valley.
The Windsor and Hantsport Railway was a 56-mile (90.1 km) railway line in Nova Scotia between Windsor Junction and New Minas with a spur at Windsor which runs several miles east, serving two gypsum quarries located at Wentworth Creek and Mantua. It suspended operations in 2011.
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 Landing via Truro.
The Halifax and South Western Railway was a historic Canadian railway operating in the province of Nova Scotia.
Highway 103 is an east-west highway in Nova Scotia that runs from Halifax to Yarmouth.
The Annapolis River is a Canadian river located in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley.
Bridgetown is a Canadian community located in north-central Annapolis County, Nova Scotia.
Trunk 1 is part of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia's system of Trunk Highways.
Springfield, Nova Scotia is located between Middleton and Bridgewater. Springfield is in the centre of western Nova Scotia located on Trunk 10, 140 km west of Halifax.
The Evangeline Trail is a scenic roadway in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
The Cornwallis Valley Railway (CVR) was a historic Canadian railway in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley. It was built in 1889 and ran 13.6 miles (21.9 km) from Kentville to Kingsport serving the Cornwallis Township area of Kings County. For most of its history, it operated as a branch line of the Dominion Atlantic Railway and was sometimes known as the "Kingsport Line".
The Windsor and Annapolis Railway (W&AR) was a historic Canadian railway that operated in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley.
Port Wade is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Annapolis County. It is situated at the foot of North Mountain on the shore of the Annapolis Basin. An earlier French name was Pree Bourgeois and it was later known as West Ferry until 1905 when it was named after Fletcher Bath Wade.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Nova Scotia:
"Middleton and Victoria Beach Railway", Nova Scotia's Electronic Attic