MSTS Kentville Yard

[downeastrailfan]

Hi Paul,

The cars must have been unloaded in Kentville as you mentioned. I understand the rails north of Steam Mill were lifted after the line's abandonment on Dec. 31/61. At first, I thought you were suggesting rail service to Canning in the 70's!

[Paul Charland]

Hi Matt,

Well that is what I was suggesting! The consist just said the destination of the cars was Canning. There are a lot of cars destined for Aldershot and Kentville, not sure why the Canning cars were not just destined for the Kentville team track if the rail were gone at that time.

Paul

[fergusontea]

I think I found an error in Mike's very handy map of the CVR. Cavendish is listed as Fundy Fertilizer. I believe the facility south of it, which he has listed as "Feed Mill" is Fundy Fertilizer. It was not in use and for sale two summers ago. There were lots of Blackberries along the ROW, and I picked a couple buckets. If you look at my photo taken from the N. Aldershot Rd. taken in 1993, the Fundy was there in the distance and possibly Cavendish in the foreground. I'm quite sure the "Grain Center" was built after the tracks were removed because it now blocks the ROW. http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?tit ... _track.jpg

Actually, I mislabeled Cavendish because, when I was younger, it used to be called "Fundy Fertilizers". We used to pick up fertilizer for the farm there.

The feed mill used to be Purina, or some such thing; there's a nasty smell of rotting soybean meal out back there now but nothing else is going on. The rails and unloading pits are still there, too.

The grain center was actually built before the tracks were removed as they were bringing grain, fertilizer and feeds up the line when I was a kid. After the track was removed, the grain center expanded onto the former mainline. Also, if you go out back, you can see the gate in the fence which allowed a grain car through into the grain center compound. We took some of our grain there one time to be dried. I don't recall if the tracks were still there at that time.

-mike

[downeastrailfan]

Hi Mike,

I don't see the grain centre in my photo. I'll have to stop by sometime and have a look around. Thanks for the clarification.

I had a look on Steve Boyko's website at DAR employee timetables. The Aldershot wye was in place in 1973, but not listed in the 1988 version. So, at some point, trains must have pushed either going to Steam Mill or returning to Kentville. I would like to see photos (and/or video) of this operation.

[downeastrailfan]

Ron's phone number is 902-245-2019. I wish he would get online and on our site because he has many, many excellent photos and stories. Ron saw the first RDC test run, and rode the last Via run (which is on the video). The video is nothing short of awesome, seeing trains in places where there hasn't been any for a long time. He filmed the final three weeks of Via operations, both on board and track side. He also shot the last freight run from Middleton returning to Kentville with 1274, two tank cars and van 434061. It is 2 hrs, but he has 7 hrs worth of raw footage. His plan is to make a new version. Last time I talked with him, he was having trouble with his non-computer DVD burner.

I scanned some of his station pics, which are on the NS Railway Heritage Society site. I hope to scan many more of his pics for our project.

Hi Paul and Steve,

I have a VHS of Farewell to the Little Train in the Valley by Ronald Haight of Bloomfield NS. Ron filmed from the front of the RDC for most of the DAR route 2 weeks before VIA stopped running.Would this help but it needs to be put on a CD. He may have copies to sell but I don't have his address as I purchased it from him in 1990.Andrew