Home | Articles | Documents | Events | Sources

Sydney and Louisburg Railway

By John R. Cameron

On Cape Breton Island, the most complete set of railway arrangements was that to connect the city of Sydney with the ice-free port of Louisbourg (spelled Louisburg until 1966, c.97). Here there were railways as early as the 1860s, serving the mines and doing double duty as public passenger and freight carriers. The Sydney and Louisburg was essentially an industrial railway to serve the mines at Sydney, New Waterford (Lingan), Dominion and the various parts of Glace Bay (particularly Bridgeport), Donkin and Port Morien (Cow Bay). The final version of the railway was a Dominion Coal Company enterprise and, when the railway was finally abandoned, it was owned by the Cape Breton Development Corporation (Devco), the owner of the Cape Breton coal mines.

Industrial Cape Breton was in some parts criss-crossed by industrial railways for the mines, the steel plant at Sydney and the two versions of the Sydney and Louisburg that were built.

The Louisburg Railway was incorporated in 1864 (c.36) to run from Louisburg to Cow Bay (now Port Morien) and thence along the northerly slope towards Bridgeport (now part of Glace Bay), Lingan or Sydney. Robert Belloni, the promoter, had extensive coal interests in Cape Breton, including the Block House mine at Cow Bay (1864, c.38). The same year, the International Coal and Railway Company was incorporated in 1865 (c.50) to run from Sydney to Louisburg. Belloni was still involved, as was John Jacob Astor, Jr (perhaps for the glamour of his name). The Block House Mining Company was authorized to guarantee its bonds (c.55). The International Coal and Railway Company was still active in railway ventures (1865, cc.65, 66; 1866, c.115; 1867, c.53).

In 1868, the Glasgow and Cape Breton Railway Company was incorporated (c.53) to build a railway from Sydney to Cow Bay via Bridgeport, connecting the mines but avoiding the difficult crossing of the Mira River. Its charter specifically avoided interfering with the vested rights of the International Coal and Railway Company. Other evidence suggests the International Coal and Railway Company and been running railways from at least 1865, doing duty as a public carrier on a regular basis.

A new Glasgow and Cape Breton (also incorporated in England) was chartered in 1872 (c.71) to connect Sydney and Cow Bay, extended to Louisburg. A new Block House Coal and Railway Company was incorporated at the same time (1872, c.72). The Cape Breton Company was incorporated in 1874 (c.73), also based on an English incorporation, representing an amalgamation of the Lorway, Schooner Pond and Glasgow and Cape Breton companies. This company had authority to build a railway, "the existing Glasgow and Cape Breton railway", to Louisburg.

The next Sydney and Louisburg Railway was incorporated in 1881 (c.73), having taken over the Cape Breton Company. Among the assets taken over were "the line of railway hitherto operated by the said Cape Breton Company, limited, and the lands whereon the same is situated". This railway ceased operation when a storm took out the bridge over the Mira.

In 1886, the International Coal Company, federally incorporated in 1877, having acquired the coal mines in Cape Breton (at Bridgeport) and the railway from the mines to Sydney, formerly of the International Coal and Railway Company, obtained authorization to operate the railway "leading from the mines of the company at Bridgeport to Sydney for general traffic and the conveyance of passengers and freight for hire" (c.145). The company's solicitors apparently overlooked the fact that federal legislation could not then authorize a company to operate a railway wholly within the bounds of the Province and the point had arisen in litigation. At this time, the old Sydney and Louisburg was not running to Louisburg.

Another Louisburg Railway was incorporated in 1891 to run from Sydney to Louisburg (c.127). Among the incorporators was Sir Donald A. Smith of CPR fame, and Hon. Loran E. Baker of Yarmouth, who had his hands in a lot of railway pies in Nova Scotia. Other incorporators were from Sydney and Cow Bay. An amendment (1892, c.84) secured the company a property tax exemption for the railway, a common feature of most Nova Scotia railway statutes that was eventually enshrined in general legislation (and has made it back into today's Railway Act).

The Act incorporating the Dominion Coal Company (1893, c.145) gave it the railway powers commonly possessed by a mining company, plus the specific power to construct a railway between the harbours of Sydney and Louisburg. The Dominion Iron and Steel Company (1899, c.139) also possessed railway powers, and its tracks wandered over downtown Sydney between elements of the steel plant, and from the plant to the piers.

Dominion Coal leased its lands to Dominion Iron and Steel to April 1, 1992 (1903, c.188). The lease is interesting because of its references to the railway interests of Dominion Coal, particularly its railway "commonly known as the Sydney and Louisburg railway". Other interests conveyed included the Sydney and Glace Bay Railway (streetcars). Contracts that passed included coaling contracts for the Intercolonial Railway at Sydney, the Dominion Atlantic Railway at Yarmouth, the Reid companies in Newfoundland (who then owned the Newfoundland Railway), Canadian Pacific Railway at Montr‚al, the Great Northern Railway at Qu‚bec and the Montr‚al Street Railway. Legislation authorized improvements in the Dominion Coal railway, particularly the alignment at Catalone to eliminate a problem with washouts, and raising the embankment at Sydney to 8-1/2 to 10 miles out to reduce the limiting grade between the collieries and the shipping piers at Sydney. The two companies shared at least some officers. The lease was cancelled the next year (1903-4, c.156).

The North Atlantic Collieries were authorized to build a railway between the company's mines at Cow Bay or Port Morien to Louisburg (1903, c.241).

As a result of litigation, the exact tax status of the Dominion Coal Company railway was set out by legislation (1905, c.61). The line from the shipping piers to the cake ovens and a portion of the old Sydney and Louisburg at the coal yard were to be taxable. These portions of the railway were not actually open to use by the general public, and were used exclusively for the company's own purposes. A reduction in the minimum height over the track for Sydney bridges was authorized by 1906, c.159.

In 1910 (c.171), the two Dominion companies effectively merged their rail operations in yet another Sydney and Louisburg Railway. The officers of the railway were to be the officers of the two parent companies. The Dominion Coal Company was authorized to sell its railway to the new Sydney and Louisburg (1911, c.122), which was authorized to buy it (1911, c.155). Another bridge, this time in Dominion, was exempted from the height requirements (1912, c.238).

The Sydney and Louisburg, backed by the strong financial presence of the coal and steel companies and guaranteed coal traffic to Louisburg (at least in winter) continued to run trains into the late 1970s, including steam excursions. The station at Louisburg still stands, although the track is now taken up. It was always an important connecting link between Sydney and Glace Bay. Even in the early 1970s, groceries were delivered to the stores by rail and any interruption in the schedule could mean short rations.

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

[ Article Index ]