Category:Gypsum Trains

Gypsum Trains

The Windsor area contains extensive deposits of the mineral gypsum the main ingredient for plaster and drywall used for building construction. The large quantities of the Windsor deposits and short distance to American markets made the gypsum trade a growing bulk commodity for the Dominion Atlantic Railway soon after it was created. After the Apple Industry collapsed in the 1940s, gypsum became the DAR's largest commodity.

1891 to 1924

Rail shipment of gypsum began in 1891 when a businessman from Staten Island, New York named Jerome Berre King (J.B. King) bought out local the largest Windsor gypsum owner Edward Dimock as well as smaller quarry owners such as Thomas Mosher at Newport Station, expanding to control almost all the gypsum quarries around Windsor. King built a large fleet of barges, schooners and tugs called the Gypsum Packet Company to haul gypsum to his processing mills in Staten Island.(1) To bring the gypsum to the ships he built a short line railway. His largest quarry was at Wentworth. In 1891, the Wentworth Gypsum company was incorporated. In 1893 it was granted the right to build a railway for the mine. When the Midland Line opened in the 1890s, rails were laid from the Wentworth and Mosher Quarries to join the Midland. A short line was also built in 1908 from the Millers creek Quarry to wharves at Newport Landing.(2)

"Digby" at Mosher's Quarry, Windsor circa 1923.

1924 to 1947

In 1924, the J.B. King Company became the Canadian Gypsum Company and its Windsor Operations became the Fundy Gypsum Company.(3) They took over the Wentworth (Dimock's) and Miller Creek (Mantua) mines. Gypsum from the Wentworth Gypsum Company's Wentworth (Dimock's) and Miller Creek (Mantua) mines was shipped from the Wentworth wharf on the Avon River when the facility was free of ice and from Deep Brook on the Annapolis Basin during the winter once Wentworth was iced up. During the summer, gypsum trains also ran to Deep Brook to build up gypsum stockpiles for winter shipments(4), a movement captured in John MacIntosh's photo of No. 999 going from Windsor to Annapolis Royal with a Gypsum train. The DAR used CPR steel framed wooden sided "Big Otis" gondolas for this service.

The gypsum storage shed and dock at Deep Brook.
No. 999 leading a plaster train from Windsor to Annapolis Royal in August 1951. Note the DAR livery.

1947 to Present

In 1947, a new facility was built at Hantsport that could load a cargo ship between tides ending the era of plaster trains to Wentworth and Deep Brook. The service began with the CPR's old Big Otis gondolas. However in 1963, a fleet of 75 steel gypsum cars unique to the DAR arrived, the 352900 gondola series. Usually organized into three consists of 25 cars each they ran as unit trains from the gypsum mines to Hantsport.(5)

There are two mines in Windsor area located on the Truro Spur that used to be the Truro Subdivision (Midland route); the closest and the smaller of the two is Wentworth (Fundy Gypsum Wentworth Dark Quarry) at Dimock, the other at Mantua (Fundy Gypsum Bailey Quarry).

The day used to start in Windsor on the track behind the station. The crew would lift about 20 loads out of one mine, take them to Hantsport and exchange them with a like number of empties, then head to the other mine in Windsor and for loading.

At Hantsport Fundy Gypsum had a 44 tonner that took up to six loads down to the dumper at a time. They would load the Gypsum (in rock form) directly into a ship or story it if necessary if a ship was not yet in port for any reason.

The road crew made three round trips a day, that means if they loaded cars at Mantua in the morning, they would also load the last trip at Mantua and then next morning they would first load at Wentworth and finish the day there... the first mine run would alternate between the two mines.

There are about four hours when the tide is high enough to float the ship and load, Fundy Gypsum loads 40,000 tons of gypsum in under three hours... said to be the fastest loading facility in the world for this sort of thing. Of course they can do this twice a day. Shipments go to the States, would appear either Jacksonville FL, or a place in Alabama, could be both. On a side note, once or twice a year - in the summer when there was no risk of the gypsum freezing in the hopper cars - about a dozen cars are (or were) loaded at one of these mines into CN open hoppers to be sent to Ontario for use in tooth paste.

The cars have two gates on the bottom of the cars, the length between the trucks. It's an air dump system that allows all the cars to be unloaded at once, as long as they have their hoses connected. There is a large long shed that cars are moved into for loading at the Mantua facility.

This operation is still going on today. They are building larger ships and going to expand the facility to increase the operations. Keep in mind that "Fundy Gypsum" is an American company, US Gypsum. The two mines in Windsor and loading facility in Hantsport are all owned by the same American company.

The 2008 Canadian Trackside Guide lists Fundy Gypsum as having two 44 tonners and three 25 tonners. Two 25 tonners have been retired for a few years and are in their junkyard (off rail on oil pads).

Note in David Othen's 1982 photo at Mantua the loco has extra flags. In the CP era before 1990, gypsum trains ran as extras. Flags were not needed after the new Canadian Rail Operating Rules were instituted in 1990.

In the CP era, a 44 tonner was used at the unloader in Hantsport. W&H had an RS-23 assigned there for awhile, and most recently, a CEMR leased GP-9. The track to the unloader has a pretty sharp curve as it leaves the mainline and crosses Foundry Road, a town street.

The gypsum cars were built by NSC in 1963, IIRC. There were originally 75 or 76, enough to make three sets. Since W&H can't maintain its tracks, they have had many wrecks and lost a number of cars. Consequently, train lengths have decreased.

Gallery

Double-header gypsum train crossing the Avon River at Windsor, circa 1950. 2nd engine is no. 999.
S-3's No. 6560 & 6561 pulling plaster train near Windsor on August 28, 1956.
S-3's No. 6560 & 6561 pulling plaster train near Windsor on August 28, 1956.
Nos. 6560 & 6561 leading gypsum train passing Halifax mixed train at Windsor Water Tower on August 28, 1956.
No. 8135 wayfreight waiting for empty plaster train to pass in Windsor in August 1959. Note boxcar No. 259118.
Plaster train crossing Avon River Bridge en route to quarries on July 20, 1967.
Plaster quarry train on the Avon River Bridge at Windsor, NS on July 20, 1967.
Plaster train crossing Avon River Bridge on July 20, 1967.
Tail end of plaster train crossing Avon River Bridge at Windsor on July 20, 1967.
Three SW1200RS with No. 8131 leading with No. 8136 & No. 8139 powering the plaster train at Windsor on Aug 16, 1977.
Gypsum train westbound climbing out of Avon River Valley at Falmouth on August 17, 1977.
Mo. 8133 and No. 8139 arrive at Mantua with empty gypsum cars in January 1992.