Truro Subdivision "The Midland Line"

The Mantua derailment on May 30, 1982.

The Truro Subdivision ran from Windsor to Truro and ran on tracks built by the Midland Railway Company. Completed in 1901, the line was purchased by the DAR in 1905 and became the DAR's Truro Suddivision, although it was commonly referred to as the "Midland Line" by train crews and the public. The sudvision produced substancial gypsum traffic as well as some lumber and agriculture traffic. Following gentle river valleys, the line enjoyed easy grades and mild curvature. It was heavily used by the DAR for westbound interchange traffic at Truro as it avoided the extra miles, steeper grades and delays of sending westbound cars into Halifax.

The line was considered profitable because it avoided the extra miles and delays of routing though Halifax however with traffic still on the decline in the 1970s and 80s, some feel the CPR took advantage of the Mantua derailment to reduce the sub to a spur as far as the gypsum mines at Mantua and send the low volume of interchange to Halifax.

Unscheduled trains that ran after scheduled Train No. 21 and Train No. 22 ceased operations on September 27, 1979:

May 30, 1982 - 8139 bound for Truro derails at Mantua between mile post 4 and 5 because of a sun kink in the track. After the cleanup, trains continued to run 3 times a week until June 21, 1982.

March 23, 1983 - 8133 went to Kennetcook as a work extra 1 load lumber and a van. Engine and van returned to Windsor.

March 30, 1983 - 8139 went to Kennetcook to retreive empty lumber car and returned to Windsor. Section crews stopped maintaining the sub on this day as well.

June 20, 1983 - Work extra 8133 and van left Windsor at 8:45 am for Truro and picked up 7 cars of ties interchanged from CN (there is a tie plant in Truro area). It returned at 16:25 to Windsor. This was the very last train to go to Truro.

Original Midland Railway Co. Equipment

Aerial Photos of Line

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  Dunn's Corners to South Maitland, West

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  Dunn's Corners to South Maitland, East

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  South Maitland to Prince Port Road

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  Prince Port Road to Old Barns

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  Old Barns to Truro

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  Aerial photo of Truro with the Truro Roundhouse in foreground and the Truro Subdivision tracks in the far left, August 28, 1931.

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  Aerial Photo of Truro from 1974.

Other Images of the Subdivision

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  Front of a Passenger Time Table/postcard for the Midland Line under the name Midland Division, indicating a date soon after the DAR purchase, circa 1905.

Articles

• Scotian Railroad Society, News February 1976 (A Day on the Midland)
• Atlantic Advocate February 1984 - The Last Run of a Mixed Train
• CTC September 27, 1979
• Truro Daily News April 28,1959
• Rolly Martin Country Online Blog about Truro Sub