Canadian Railroads > Windsor & Hantsport Excursion in 1999

After renting some VIA cars for a "shippers' special" in 1996, the WHRC decided to get into the excursion business.  They acquired two open cars with bench seating from the Great Smoky Mountain Rwy. and a former CN Dayniter coach from VIA, and started running trips in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia on weekends, when the gypsum mines weren't working.  After the  first season, the passenger equipment was sent to the Derby Shops in Maine (WHRC was owned by Iron Roads, who also owned the BAR and former Canadian Pacific west of Brownville Jct.) to be repainted into a pseudo-CP maroon and grey scheme.  Excursions generally ran on Saturdays and Sundays, although that was reduced to just one day per weekend nearer the end.  A typical trip started in Windsor, and went west to Hantsport, with a stop at Grand Pré National Historic Site and then a longer stop in Wolfville.  The return trip would pick up people who had opted to spend time at Grand Pré, and then return to Windsor later in the afternoon.  

In the early 2000s, coincident with deteriorating track conditions west of Hantsport, the excursions were discontinued.  One open car was cut down to just a flatcar, and used to move heavy machinery between the two mines and Hantsport, eliminating the need for special road permits.  The Dayniter and van were parked by the Windsor station, on the stub of the old main line, which had once gone through downtown Windsor, instead of across the causeway.  

But on June 27, 1999 things still looked prosperous as the train curved through Falmouth with RS-23 8019 trailing, at Horton Landing with 8036 leading, and then the return trip at Horton Landing again with 8036 trailing this time.

GTD

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That certainly is somethhing unusual.
Thanks for the interesting posting.
ALLEN

Geoff, what year did this excursion train stop running?

Lee Hower - Sacramento

The last excursion that I remember was in the Fall of 2000 (I remember it because I lost my tripod!). Unlike most of the other trips, this one went east from Windsor to Mt. Uniacke and return. I suspect that by that date the track west of Hantsport wasn't up to carrying passengers, but that's just speculation.

The banner on the station in Windsor advertising the excursions stayed up for a few more years, but they didn't actually run any trips.

GTD

Posted from Mobile Safari

CORRECTION:  I just checked my database of slides, and the last passenger excursion that I shot on the WHRC was in July of 2003, so quite a bit later than I had thought.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/21 18:03 by cn6218.

Darn.  I was there in May 2003.

Lee Hower -Sacramento