Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Middleton To New Germany old Train Line


I took a ride on the old rail line today and was impressed with some of the nice areas I came across. Obviously some of the areas were blasted out to bring in the train lines.



Here is a little history on the rail line from the web.

The railway between Bridgewater and Middleton — built in the late 1880s by the Nova Scotia Central Railway — in 1923 was owned and operated by Canadian National Railways but was still often called the N.S.C.R.

For about fifteen kilometres upstream from Bridgewater this track closely followed the east bank of the LaHave River in Lunenburg County, and in many places was only a metre or two above the river's normal water level.  In late winter and early spring, when rain caused the river ice to break up, it was not uncommon for ice blockades to form here and there along the river.  These temporary ice dams formed quickly and could cause the river water to rise two or three metres in a few hours.  At such times the railway track was often under water and trains had to be cancelled until the water went down.

The Caledonia train operated six days a week from Caledonia to New Germany and Bridgewater in the morning, returning in the afternoon.  The Middleton train operated six days a week from Bridgewater to Middleton and return.  Both trains travelled along the N.S.C.R. track between Bridgewater and New Germany, and both had to be cancelled if that track was impassable.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Harbourville on the Bay of Fundy

This is the hamlet of Harbourville, a small fishing village located 12 kms north of Berwick in the Annapolis Valley. Home to a few B&B's, a fish market, and restaurant. We walked along the shore enjoying the calm Bay of Fundy and sunset. click to enlarge the picture.