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Atlantic and Inland Railway

by John R. Cameron

The Atlantic and Inland Railway Company of Nova Scotia, Limited, was incorporated by Nova Scotia Statute 1893, chapter 153 to build and operate

"a line of railway, commencing in or near the town of Liverpool, in the county of Queens, via Indian Gardens to Brookfield and Caledonia, and also a line from some point in the county of Queens to Annapolis, in the county of Annapolis, or to Halifax city, or to connect with any line of railway extending into Halifax, or to connect with Lockeport or Shelburne, in the county of Shelburne." (s. 2)

Its incorporators mentioned in the statute (s.1) were Alfred W. Moren, merchant, Liverpool; James C. Inness, merchant, Liverpool; John F. Selden, merchant, Liverpool; Isaac V. Dexter, merchant, Liverpool; Allan Tupper, manufacturer, Milton; John H. Harlow, manufacturer, Milton; James C. Cushing, merchant, Caledonia; Nelson F. Douglas, merchant, Caledonia; John E. Freeman, manufacturer, Harmony; W. S. Croker, farmer, Brookfield. This is one of the few railway incorporations that appears to have been entirely locally generated. Most others include lawyers and promoters whose names are familiar from other ventures.

At the time of the incorporation, Liverpool was pushing for a rail connection with somewhere (the incorporators covered all the bases), but a railroad through to Annapolis Royal probably got the most attention.

The incorporating statute was similar to the standard version used at the time.

47. This Act shall cease and determine if effective work shall not be begun within two years, and a line from Liverpool, via Caledonia, to Annapolis or New Germany, completed within four years from the date of passing.

Nothing was done pursuant to this charter. A line to Annapolis would connect with the railways that shortly became the Dominion Atlantic, and a line to New Germany would connect with the Nova Scotia Central which connected Middleton with Bridgewater, Mahone Bay and Lunenburg.

Another attempt was made in 1896. The Atlantic and Inland Railway Company, Limited, was incorporated by Nova Scotia Statute 1896, chapter 86. The similarity of names was deliberate, and shows that the earlier version of this railway did not get off the ground. The incorporators included many of those from 1893: Moren, Seldon, Harlow, Tupper, Cushing and Freeman. There was new blood, too, all from the area to be served. The proposed route was much the same, except the line to Shelburne and Lockeport was dropped, and a terminus at Springfield, Annapolis County (on the Nova Scotia Central) was authorized.

The most interesting part of this statute was the provision that it was to go into effect July 15, 1896, "provided the Nova Scotia Southern Railway Company, limited, shall not have commenced effective operations on their line from Liverpool to Indian Gardens by that date". Thus, the statute is a spur to the Nova Scotia Southern to get moving or lose its franchise, likely all that the incorporators were interested in. The Nova Scotia Southern was a subsequent name for the Annapolis and Atlantic. Both the Coast Railway and the Liverpool and Milton Tramway were originally required to wait on the Nova Scotia Southern, and both eventually built routes for which the Nova Scotia Southern had originally held the charter. Such was not the case with the Atlantic and Inland, however, which never laid track.

[SOURCE: A Legislative History of Nova Scotia Railways, by John R. Cameron, 1999.]

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