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Guysborough Railway and Musquodoboit Railway

By John R. Cameron

The case of the Guysborough railway defies easy classification. It never really operated, though a significant part of it was built. Early versions anticipated a railway from New Glasgow to Whitehaven, a harbour or bay near Canso, thought by some to be the closest part of the North American mainland to Europe. Cutting shipping distances even marginally, was considered of major importance at the time. Later, the railway was proposed to run from New Glasgow to Guysborough. Other proposals looked at a railway from Upper Musquodoboit to Guysborough and the proposed railway was confused with the Musquodoboit Railway. In all cases, the railway itself was intended to provide direct rail access to Guysborough and open up a significant portion of the interior. The existence of the Eastern Extension as a parallel route (if more northerly) and the relative absence of good ports and significant economic activity at the termini meant the railway had no real opportunity for success. Latter day proponents still cite political opportunism as the main reason for failure, since the railway could provide enough traffic, generated by increased economic activity due to the presence of the railway, to pay for itself. While politics undoubtedly played a part in the failure of the project, success on a continuing basis was always unlikely.

The first project along these lines was the Eastern Railway, incorporated in 1870 (c.59) to construct a railway from the Nova Scotia Railway at New Glasgow to Whitehaven or some other convenient harbour on the Atlantic coast. One of the incorporators, Hugh Allen of Montr‚al, was a major player on the national railway scene and later figured prominently in the construction of the eastern extension (New Glasgow to Strait of Canso). The company was to receive substantial Crown lands (50,000 acres in Pictou County, 10,000 acres in Antigonish and 100,000 acres in Guysborough). In 1871, the incorporating act was amended to ensure the railroad would run through Marshy Hope in Antigonish County, or there would be no land grant in Antigonish (c.61).

The Eastern Railway faded away. In 1877 (c.74), the Whitehaven Railway was chartered to connect Whitehaven to the Eastern Extension then being built. The same promise of 160,000 acres of Crown land was made and the company was given the right to build along the north shore from Pictou to New Brunswick, foreshadowing the "Short Line". In 1879, the company altered its charter (c.68) to eliminate the route to Whitehaven and concentrate on the north shore line.

The old Whitehaven was revived in 1886 with new incorporators, a new name (Guysborough and Atlantic) and a new mandate. The company was to build a line from the Eastern Extension (by this time in full operation) to Guysborough, and from Guysborough to a port on the south coast of Guysborough County. An alternative route was to run from the Eastern Extension to the south coast (c.164). One would normally expect a new charter with so many changes. The revival was likely to protect the promised land grant, which was no longer general government policy. The Railways Aid and Consolidation Act did provide a provincial subsidy of $3,200 per mile for any new railway. The charter was amended in 1889 (c.123), adding incorporators including an MLA. The Eastern Extension had become a full-fledged part of the Intercolonial by then.

In 1890 (c.78), a number of incorporators dropped out and the name was changed back to the Whitehaven Railway. A time extension was received. The charter was again extended in 1893 (c.180) and in 1896 (c.106).

The Dominion Eastern Railway was incorporated in 1897 (c.81) to run from Sunny Brae in Pictou County (the eventual starting place for such of the railway as was constructed) to Country Harbour, and from Country Harbour Cross Roads to Guysborough. Country Harbour is a well known undeveloped deep water port. Time extensions were obtained in 1898 (c.130). The share structure was modified in 1899 (c.131).

Then, in 1901, a new entrant was chartered: the Nova Scotia Eastern Railway (c.130). It had the same route as the Dominion Eastern, except for the addition of a route from Guysborough to the Strait of Canso. It was also authorized to co-operate in operations with a railway that might be built eastwardly from the Musquodoboit Valley to the St Mary's Valley where it would intersect the Nova Scotia Eastern. Even today, there is only a very poor connection between the upper Musquodoboit Valley and West River St Mary's. The Musquodoboit to St Mary's route, never built, was entrusted to the recently revived (1901, c.131) Musquodoboit Railway. The two railways merged shortly after.

The Arisaig and Country Harbour Iron and Railway Company was incorporated in 1906 (c.154) to, among other things, build a railway from the East River or New Glasgow to Arisaig in Antigonish County and thence to Country Harbour. The company added "coal" to its name in 1908 (c.134) and extended the time for completion of the railway. A further extension in 1911 (c.106) marks the last legislative notice of a separate route from New Glasgow to Guysborough County.

The Musquodoboit Railway, which was built and remained in operation for many years as a CNR branch, was first touted as the Halifax and North Eastern in 1887 (c.53). This railway was to run east from Halifax Harbour, through the Musquodoboit to Dean Settlement, crossing there to the Stewiacke River valley near Newton Mills to connect with the Intercolonial at Glengarry. This route in the Stewiacke valley would roughly parallel the Stewiacke and Lansdowne's proposed route a few miles to the west. Then, from Glengarry, the railway was to run down the valley of the Middle River to Westville. Since the promoters, like virtually all railway promoters of the day, had grandiose visions, they had added "also an extension and branches running into and through the counties of Guysborough and Antigonish, and connecting, if deemed advisable, with the Eastern Extension railway, or any other railway" to their routes. The main emphasis was on the line between Halifax and Newton Mills. This railroad, which showed a realistic view of route possibilities through empty country, died on the vine, possibly as a result of action by its better-connected competitor, the Stewiacke and Lansdowne.

Nine years later, the Halifax and Guysboro' was incorporated to connect Halifax and Guysborough by way of the Musquodoboit Valley (1896, c.83). Incorporators came from all along the route, even the suggested extension to Canso. An extension the next year (1897, c.86) was accompanied by a route change suggesting more emphasis on the connection to Canso.

In 1898, the Musquodoboit Railway was incorporated (c.126). It was to run from Windsor Junction through the Musquodoboit Valley (possibly paralleling the Old Guysborough Road) forty miles or thereabouts to Parker's Corner on the Sheet Harbour Road. Alternatively (as eventually built), it would run from Dartmouth east to Musquodoboit Harbour and up the Musquodoboit Valley to Parker's Corner. It was allowed to run easterly, although, as built, it never did.

This company was revived in 1901 (c.131) (it had failed to meet the two-year time limit in its original charter) and was extended from Parker's Corner easterly into Guysborough County through the St Mary's Valley to connect with the proposed Nova Scotia Eastern. It was also authorized to lay out a branch line to Sheet Harbour. It was guaranteed running rights over the Nova Scotia Eastern to Guysborough (1901, c.130). To what extent the apparent co-operation between the two railways was voluntary and to what extent it was government imposed is unclear.

Real progress appears to have started in 1902. The Musquodoboit and the Nova Scotia Eastern were merged as the Nova Scotia Eastern (c.136), with the consent of the shareholders, with all of the rights and privileges of both railways. The new routes included those contemplated by its predecessors and a branch line to Truro. Halifax County, noting that construction had begun, voted $5,000 towards right of way costs and obtained the necessary legislation to borrow it (1902, C.59). Nothing was to be paid, though, until the railway was complete and in running order. At this time, the focus seemed to be on the line from Windsor Junction.

The new railway contracted with the province February 3, 1903 to build the line and receive a higher subsidy, a total of $5,000 per mile. The authorizing statute (1903, c.1) recited the company had provided satisfactory evidence it could complete the job. The railway would run from Dartmouth easterly through the Musquodoboit Valley to Melrose in Guysborough County (District of St Mary's, north of Sherbrooke), then via Cross Roads, Country Harbour to Guysborough and the Strait of Canso, with a line from Melrose to New Glasgow and a line from Cross Roads, Country Harbour to deep water at Country Harbour proper. The subsidy would be paid in stages as the various sections of the railway were completed: Dartmouth to Musquodoboit, then to Melrose, then to Cross Road, Country Harbour, then to Guysborough, then to the Strait of Canso, and for the New Glasgow and Country Harbour branches. Advances were allowed if completion was guaranteed. The government retained the right to buy the railway if the company failed to operate it. The entire proposal covered about 200 miles of railway. Corresponding changes were made in the corporate charter (c.213). A brief extension was granted at the next session (1903-4, c.138), nine months of breathing room.

A further extension is 1905 (c.129) implied the company had not done well. Even the deadline for filing right of way plans had to be extended. The legislature, in an unusually tough mood, continued the railway for only a few months and provided for it to be turned over to someone else who would actually build it.

In 1906, the province was authorized to substitute at $12,000 per mile loan for the direct subsidy in order to get a railway built between Halifax and Guysborough (c.1). A new company, the Halifax and Eastern, was incorporated to do the job (c.161). Interestingly, one of the incorporators was Hugh Allen (of the Montr‚al shipping family) who had been involved in the construction of the Eastern Extension thirty years before.

The railway was vaguely described: Dartmouth to Guysboro', with a line to New Glasgow and to tidewater at Country Harbour. The loan limit was raised to $13,500 per mile in 1911 (c.28), with authority to come back to the legislature for more money, but the economic conditions of the First World War effectively ended hopes of finishing the Guysborough end of the line.

The history of the Musquodoboit Railway, that was actually constructed, and the Guysborough Railway, which was only partly built, managed to get mixed up with each other since, to Halifax eyes, at least, they seemed to be going in the same direction. This confuses any attempt to deal with them separately, even though they were very different projects.

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

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