Kentville Railyard

The Kentville railyard was located between the Cornwallis River and Kentville's Main Street. It consisted of a freight yard, terminal tracks, a coach yard and industry spurs. Long a dominant feature in the town of Kentville, the yard was in operation from 1868 until 1993.

The freight yards in Kentville were located south of the the roundhouse and machine shop. The yard tracks fanned out from switches located at the level crossing of West Main Street. The yard tracks consisted of: four shunting sidings to the north of DAR the mainline, North 1, North 2, North 3 and North 4; and four shunting tracks located to the south of the mainline, South 1, South 2, South 3 and South 4. The freight yard also contained the Kentville Track Scale. A siding and lead track connected the various yard tracks.

North of the freight yard, a ladder track provided access to the terminal tracks serving the various DAR shops, such as the turntable and roundhouse, machine shop, car shop, repair shop, the Kentville Water Tower and Kentville Coaling Tower. A coach yard was located between the car shop and the station with several spurs serviced by steam lines to heat stored passenger cars. The ladder track led to the Cornwallis River Bridge and continued as the Kingsport Subdivision. Spurs serving various industries led off the yard track at various points, most significantly, the "Back Road Spur" which served multiple industries along River Street.

DAR railyard in Kentville, 1950s.

DAR railyard in Kentville, 1970s.

D.A.R. railyard in Kentville on June 21, 1987.

Kentville including D.A.R. railyard.

D.A.R. railyard in Kentville, 1974. This drawing is difficult to read but is proportionately correct and was scanned at 200 DPI. The images below although not proportionally correct because they appeared photographed, not scanned, are the same map in sections and very readable with additional notes to explain some of the original notations on the map. The two buildings immediatley east of the roundhouse are the machine shop and blacksmith shop.

Railyard in sections

The above drawing is difficult to read but is proportionately correct and was scanned at 200 DPI. These images although not proportionally correct because they appeared photographed, not scanned, are the same map as above in sections and very readable with additional notes to explain some of the original notations on the map.

These images are just begging to be put on CAD. If anyone can help this way or advise what the proper way to set up a CAD file for land mapping is so others can do the tracing, please let us know. See this message thread on our forum: http://dardpi.ca/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=18#p49

Entire Map - low res. Same as above large map.
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
Section 6
Section 7
Title Block
No. 2665 departs Kentville leading Train No. 95 through the Kentville Railyard. Visible is sanding tower and the roof of the Machine Shop store shed, August 1951.
Kentville Railyard and P. R. Ritcey spur east of the Station, July 1958.
Kentville Railyard looking east from the base of the coal tower July 1958.
Kentville Railyard looking east showing the boiler plant, car shop, freight shed, coaling and sanding towers and machine shop, July 31, 1958.
CPR diesel No. 8135 passes through the Kentville Railyard past the south side of the machine shop and past the track scale, 1961.
Kentville Railyard looking west with the coal tower on the left and the roundhouse in the very back and car shop to the right, 1967.
Kentville Railyard with Kentville Station to right, Feb. 14, 1976.
The Kentville Railyard with Coaling Tower and stored MOW equipment, circa Feb 1976.
Kentville Turntable in front of Roundhouse with Kentville Railyard in background, May 5, 1976.
Looking out from the Kentville Turntable into the Kentville Railyard - 6th May 1976
Kentville Railyard, May 31, 1976.
An SW1200 brings a covered hopper from the CVR Spur into the Kentville Railyard, 1990.
The Kentville Railyard in its final years of operation with fuel cars for CFB Greenwood; a covered hopper for Steam Mill Village & MOW cars parked at the car shop with the roundhouse in background, 1990.
Kentville Railyard composite photo with the Kentville Coaling Tower, Kentville Car Shop and the Kentville Repair Shop, October 1990.
Composite panorama of the Kentville Railyard with the Kentville Track Scale in the centre & the foundation of the Kentville Machine Shop in the foreground, 1990.
South side of the Kentville Railyard looking west with the Kentville Track Scale with the Canada Foods Plant, October 1990.
Kentville Railyard looking east from the West Main Street crossing with the Canada Foods Plant, the Kentville Roundhouse, and the Kentville Car Shop, 1992.
The Kentville Railyard and the Kentville Roundhouse, October 29, 2005.
The Kentville Railyard and the Kentville Roundhouse after removal of all tracks, June 25, 2007.