Yarmouth Subdivision

One of the DAR's three mainline subdivisions, the Yarmouth Subdivision was acquired from the W. C. R. with the merging of the W. & A. R and the W. C. R. in 1893 to form the D. A. R. The D. A. R. incorporated it into the W. & A. R. trackage and started the Yarmouth subdivision at Middleton. After the leasing of the D. A. R. to the C. P. R. and the reassignment of subdivisions in 1918, the Kentville Subdivision was created by shortening the Halifax subdivision to Kentville and shortening the Yarmouth subdivision to Annapolis Royal. It ended at Yarmouth with an interchange to the Halifax and Southwestern Railway. The subdivision was built in stages starting in 1874 and was abandoned in 1990.

1874-1879 - The Western Counties Railway built the line from Yarmouth to Digby.

1891 - The Canadian federal government completed the "missing link" in the line from Digby to Annapolis Royal.

1893 - The Dominion Atlantic Railway is created and the Annapolis Royal to Yarmouth line becomes the Yarmouth Subdivision of the DAR.

June 28, 1988 - CP Rail applies to the National Transportation Agency to abandon all trackage west of Kentville to Yarmouth.

July 13, 1989 - the NTA concludes in Decision No. 350-R-1989 that CP Rail's trackage from Kentville to Yarmouth is uneconomic. In Order No. 1989-R-182 also issued that day, the NTA dictates that operation of this trackage be abandoned 1 year from this date.

January 15, 1990 - VIA Rail Canada discontinues its Evangeline passenger train service from Halifax to Yarmouth.

March 27, 1990 - CP Rail formally abandons the Kentville Subdivision from Kentville (mileage 4.6) to Annapolis Royal (mileage 58.4) and the Yarmouth Subdivision from Annapolis Royal (mileage 0.0) to Yarmouth (mileage 86.6), a total distance of 140.4 miles.