Salem and Hillsborough Railroad | |
---|---|
Locale | New Brunswick, Canada |
Terminus | Salisbury Hillsborough |
Commercial operations | |
Built by | Canadian National Railway |
Original gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Preserved operations | |
Reporting mark | SHRR |
Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Commercial history | |
Opened | (?) |
Closed | 1970s |
Preservation history | |
1982 | Opened |
Headquarters | Hillsborough |
Website | |
New Brunswick Railway Museum |
The New Brunswick Railway Museum, [1] owned and operated by the Canadian Railroad Historical Association, New Brunswick Division, is a museum located in Hillsborough, New Brunswick consisting of the railway's line last remaining steam engine. [2] [3] It was formerly known as the Salem and Hillsborough Railroad (S&H) before the rails were superseded by Highway 114. [4] [5]
The Salem and Hillsborough Railroad was formed in 1982 by a group of volunteer railroad enthusiasts and retired railroad employees. They took possession of a section of former Canadian National branch line trackage which ran from CN's Moncton-Saint John mainline at Salisbury east to just beyond the village of Hillsborough, approximately 20 miles (32 km) away. CN had operated this subdivision to service a gypsum quarry until the late 1970s when the quarry was closed, resulting in the company applying for abandonment. The first trial trains operated in 1983, and the line opened to the public in 1984. [6] [7]
The S&H initially operated historic CN and Canadian Pacific steam locomotives Numbers 29 and 1009, which had been used in New Brunswick until the early 1960s when both railways completely dieselized. A third steam locomotive, Sydney and Louisburg 42, was used briefly in the early-mid 1980s, but it was quickly removed from service to undergo boiler work. No. 42 was later returned to its owner, the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry. [8] The S&H operated regular coach and dinner tourist trains between Hillsborough and a location halfway between Hillsborough and Salisbury, named Salem, from 1984 until 2004. [9]
On 16 September 1994, a fire occurred which destroyed the engine-house and several engines and carriages within, as well as offices and historical records. [10] [11]
Since 2005 the site became a static museum as the New Brunswick Railway Museum, using the former excursion train as a center-point. [12]
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Canadian Pacific Railway No. 29 is a preserved Canadian A-1e class 4-4-0 steam locomotive. It was built by the Canadian Pacific's DeLorimier Shops in 1887 as locomotive No. 390, before being renumbered 277 in 1905. It was renumbered again to 29 after being rebuilt in 1912. By the 1950s, No. 29 was the youngest of three CPR 4-4-0s that were regularly used on the Norton-Chipman mixed train. After being retired from the Canadian Pacific in 1960, the locomotive was donated to the Canadian Railway Museum in Saint-Constant, Quebec for static display. In 1983, No. 29 was acquired by the Salem and Hillsborough Railway, and it was then moved to Hillsborough, New Brunswick, for further display. It was subsequently restored to operating condition for the locomotive's 100th birthday in 1987. In late 1994, No. 29 fell victim to a shed fire that would put an end to the locomotive's S&H career. Two years later, the locomotive was reacquired by the Canadian Pacific, who moved and cosmetically restored it for static display in front of their headquarters in Calgary, Alberta. In 2017, the locomotive was moved again to the CPR's new headquarters in Ogden yard. Although the locomotive is in good condition, an operational restoration on No. 29 would be expensive.
Polson Logging Company 2 is a 2-8-2 “Mikado” steam locomotive built by Baldwin in 1912. It was originally built for the Saginaw Timber Company to pull logging trains. After that, it went through several ownership changes throughout both the steam era and the preservation era, before it was purchased by caretaker Skip Lichter in 1982. Lichter restored Polson Lumber 2 to operational condition and loaned it to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin. The engine was later removed from service in 2000 to undergo a federally-mandated rebuild. Disagreement over who should cover the restoration costs ultimately led to an arbiter finding in Lichter's favor.
Canadian National 1009 is a preserved Canadian 4-6-0 "ten-wheeler" steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in 1912. It was originally built with 1880's specifications as part of a standard locomotive design to help construct a Canadian National Transcontinental Railway. The locomotive would subsequently serve the Canadian Government Railways, which was later absorbed into the Canadian National Railway. No. 1009's last revenue run took place in the spring of 1958, and it was subsequently donated to the Canadian Railway Museum for static display. Later on, it was purchased by the Salem and Hillsborough Railway with the intention to use it to pull their tourist trains. As of 2023, No. 1009 remains on indoor static display.
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