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342:) were built by mining companies during this time. Geographic obstacles to shipping coal were evident during this age of industrialization with the only suitable harbours being Sydney or Louisbourg; efforts to build harbours on the exposed coast near Glace Bay were rendered ineffective by the weather. Although Sydney had a much more suitable harbour than Louisbourg, the former was frequently choked by heavy
564:
DEVCO continued operation of the railway until 2001, when it closed the Prince colliery, its last underground coal mine. The railway's assets, which included railway track, railway rights-of-way, locomotives and rolling stock, and a coal storage facility and locomotive shops at
Victoria Junction were
394:
DOMCO's railway lines were operated as a department of the company and were rationalized beginning the following year in 1894 when the
International Railway was extended to Glace Bay and Caledonia, permitting the abandonment of a roughly parallel narrow gauge line. In 1895 DOMCO extended its railway
470:
and the dawn of increased mechanization of the underground collieries. The S&L was operating over 116 miles (187 km) of track, 39 miles (63 km) of which was main line, and hauling in excess of 4 million tons of freight, mostly coal; this gave the S&L the distinction of having the
428:
ca. 1900-1925 A view of the road (nearer) and Sydney and
Louisburg Railway (further) bridges at the mouth of the Mira River at Mira Gut. Both bridges had swing spans to allow vessels to travel up the Mira River. After the railway shut down the nearer bridge was demolished and the further bridge was
346:
during the important coal-shipment season throughout the winter months. Louisbourg
Harbour, which had been selected by the French military for its year-round ice-free waters when building Fortress Louisbourg during the early to mid-18th century, again became a valuable port when a railway line was
560:
As part of a regional economic development initiative, DEVCO created a tourist railway named the Cape Breton Steam
Railway, to operate between Glace Bay and Louisbourg. In 1973, the Sydney and Louisburg Railway Historical Society was created by retired employees of that company to assist with the
277:
put the application on hold until the end of conflict in 1815. At that time, the Duke was in financial difficulty and had an agent apply for the mineral rights which the King had authorized, however the paperwork was misplaced. In 1820, King George III died and the Duke faced financial ruin from
499:
in 1962. Hawker-Siddley's DOSCO subsidiary announced in 1965 that its mines had only 15 years of production left and concluded that expense of opening new underground mines in the Sydney Coal Field would be too expensive. The company made its intentions clear that it would be exiting the coal
487:
assume the operations of the Sydney and
Louisburg Railway on Cape Breton Island. The reason for this change was that the S&L had been formed under a provincial charter in 1910, which made it ineligible for federal railway subsidies, while the Cumberland Railway, which had a federal charter,
556:
Although the old S&L was essentially shut down in 1972, DEVCO then revised its plans to try and exploit the remaining deposits to the best of its ability. Thus DEVCO continued to operate modest rail services and add new spurs and other facilities where needed. The line east of Glace Bay to
310:
The GMA maintained a monopoly on mineral rights throughout the colony until 1857-1858 when it relinquished these to the colonial government except for certain areas it had developed surrounding the Sydney, Pictou and
Cumberland coal fields. Between 1858-1870, the GMA opened 19 underground
433:
In 1910, the Sydney and
Louisburg Railway was incorporated to operate all DOMCO railway lines. Note that the spelling of the name "Louisburg" is different from the spelling of the harbour and town of "Louisbourg", which follows the French naming found in Fortress Louisbourg.
478:
in the early 1940s and began to drop dramatically with the advent of internal combustion engines and other sources of heat. Due to the proximity and availability of the fuel, the S&L was one of the last railways in North
America to keep its fleet of coal-powered steam
278:
debts; the same year saw the Colony of Cape Breton Island merged again into the Colony of Nova Scotia. In 1825 the unfinished application was discovered and approved (for all of Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton Island), whereby the Duke signed over the rights to the
561:
tourist railway and to preserve the
Louisbourg station. The tourist railway used former S&L equipment and stations, however by the late 1970s it was proving uneconomic to operate and was closed. The track east of Glace Bay was abandoned at this time.
471:
most freight per mile of any railway in Canada. In addition to freight, the S&L also hauled passenger trains, mainly employees going to work in the mines or coming home; passenger traffic reached a peak of 176,000 revenue passengers hauled in 1913.
553:, though for several years it continued to do business under its old name. With H.S. Haslam as general manager, the company operated 39 miles (63 km) of route with offices at Sydney; at that date it owned 15 diesel shunters and 1,100 freight cars.
529:, or DEVCO, was established to operate the mines in the interim, while phasing them out throughout the 1970s and, at the same time, develop new economic opportunities for the surrounding communities. On March 30, 1968 DEVCO
378:
On February 1, 1893 DOMCO was incorporated and it acquired or purchased all coal mines and railway lines between Sydney and Louisbourg on the south side of Sydney Harbour. The conglomerate came to own a variety of both
335:
407:
neighbourhood, opening in 1901; this was in direct competition to a rival steel mill that was built by SCOTIA at the same time on the north side of the harbour at Sydney Mines. In 1908 DOMCO built a spur to
483:, with 31 on the roster during the 1950s and over 400 employees; the S&L began to dieselize in 1960 however, the last steam locomotive wasn't retired until 1966. In 1961 DOSCO had its subsidiary the
364:
511:
announced J.R. Donald would head a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Cape Breton coal industry, with hearings held in 1965 and 1966. The Donald Commission recommended that a federal
463:(ICR) having built into the area in the 1890s. Following DOMCO's construction of the railway link between Sydney and Louisbourg in the mid-1890s, freight volumes rose sharply.
303:
793:
455:
S&L generally served the DOMCO area to the south of the harbour, while the Old Sydney Collieries had its own small industrial railway which interchanged to the
573:(SCR) which continues to operate a 22.5 km (14 mi) short line transporting coal from the international coaling piers on Sydney Harbour to the coal-fired
339:
319:. In addition to the GMA, many independently owned collieries opened in the Sydney Coal Field after 1858, including several US-financed operations at
515:
be established to acquire and manage DOSCO's coal operations, with the aim being to slowly wean the Sydney area economy off the coal industry.
798:
416:
areas in the 1910s. During the early part of the 20th century, DOMCO's railway lines were considered to be among the most modern in Canada.
452:, or DOSCO, in 1930; SCOTIA and DOMCO remained separate BESCO/DOSCO subsidiaries, with SCOTIA being reorganized as Old Sydney Collieries.
249:. Upon taking control of Ile Royale, Britain renamed it to Cape Breton Island and merged the territory into the Colony of Nova Scotia.
569:, a Canadian multinational energy holding company based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. By 2003, the remaining railway was operating as the
437:
In 1914, the steel mill built by SCOTIA at Sydney Mines was closed, however the integrated mill at Sydney continued to expand, using
266:
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qualified for federal railway subsidies. The road did business as the Sydney & Louisburg Division of the Cumberland Railway.
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system south to Louisbourg, following a route further east than the previous 1877 attempt. In 1899, DOMCO financed the
359:
Large-scale industrialization came to the Sydney Coal Field when two large conglomerates were formed in the 1890s: the
650:
From 1973 to 1979 Locomotive 42 ran on the Cape Breton Steam Railway, a tourist line between Glace Bay and Louisbourg.
768:
739:
445:
262:
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273:, to be granted the mineral rights to Nova Scotia (then only the peninsular portion), however events such as the
198:
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367:, or SCOTIA (in 1900). The latter was a successor to the GMA and focused its activities on the north side of
368:
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347:
built from the mines at Reserve to Louisbourg in 1877. This line was poorly built and was soon lost to a
520:"Future planning should be based on the assumption that the Sydney mines will not operate beyond 1981."
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279:
574:
541:
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375:, whereas the former was a merger of various independent companies on the south side of the harbour.
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With coal and steel fortunes flagging, DOSCO was purchased in 1957 as a wholly owned subsidiary of
320:
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DOSCO's coal mines and the S&L, settling with Hawker-Siddeley for a payment of $ 12 million.
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30 minute movie of S&L Railway Operations from 1960s (starts 30 second in, after a short ad)
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lines, as well as various harbour facilities and coal mines. DOMCO immediately set about to
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and Cape Breton Island, reducing Nova Scotia to just its peninsular territory. In 1788,
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in the Sydney Coal Field, with most production destined for export to the northeastern
287:
56:
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and locally produced coal as a fuel. In 1920, SCOTIA and DOMCO/DISCO merged to form
298:
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line that ran around the west side of Sydney Harbour; the federal government-owned
274:
205:. The railway uses a slightly different spelling for the town of "Louisbourg".
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Mining employment reached a peak on Cape Breton Island immediately prior to
30:
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In 1784, Britain split the Colony of Nova Scotia, creating the colonies of
148:
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In response to a vast public outcry in industrial Cape Breton County, the
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and further spurs were built in the Port Morien, Birch Grove, Donkin and
348:
226:
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60:
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sold to 510845 New Brunswick Incorporated, a wholly owned subsidiary of
480:
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238:
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Mining of the Sydney Coal Field can be traced as far back as 1720 when
194:
312:
441:
343:
182:
734:. Sydney and Louisburg Railway Historical Society, Sydney, N.S.
282:, a wholly owned subsidiary of one of the Duke's creditors: the
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234:
214:
63:
732:
Tracks Across the Landscape: The S&L Commemorative History
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222:
419:
186:
623:, pp. 264-265. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1972.
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Louisbourg fell into disuse as older mines were closed.
354:
761:"A Chronology of the Sydney and Louisburg Railway",
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794:Transport in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality
775:
403:on the south side of Sydney Harbour in Sydney's
336:Glasgow and Cape Breton Coal and Railway Company
729:
640:. Nova Scotia Communities, Culture and Heritage
197:, the S&L operated in the eastern part of
252:
233:, France ceded its remaining territories in
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208:
661:
540:
423:
420:1910ā1968, S&L through boom and bust
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221:pried coal from exposed seams along the
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397:Dominion Iron and Steel Company Limited
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595:"Sydney and Louisburg Railway Station"
545:Sydney & Louisbourg Railway Museum
756:Sydney & Louisburg Railway Museum
448:, or BESCO, which was reorganized as
355:1890sā1910, creation of conglomerates
799:Narrow gauge railways in Nova Scotia
718:Narrow-gauge railways in Nova Scotia
599:Canadian Register of Historic Places
334:Several small railways (such as the
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549:The S&L was reorganized as the
527:Cape Breton Development Corporation
495:, whose assets were transferred to
450:Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation
189:from various mines to the ports of
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365:Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company
14:
820:
749:
634:"More Locomotives: Locomotive 42"
306:. Span of 300 feet (91.4 m).
294:1858ā1890, organizing and merging
690:"Sydney & Louisburg Railway"
662:MacDonald, Ken (14 April 2018).
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446:British Empire Steel Corporation
399:, or DISCO, which constructed a
29:
500:mining business within months.
638:Nova Scotia Museum of Industry
613:
474:Coal production peaked during
363:, or DOMCO (in 1893), and the
1:
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621:Jane's World Railways 1972-73
784:Defunct Nova Scotia railways
429:converted to carry the road.
179:Sydney and Louisburg Railway
171:187 kilometres (116 mi)
20:Sydney and Louisburg Railway
7:
711:
288:Rundell, Bridge and Rundell
10:
825:
304:Mira River Railroad Bridge
280:General Mining Association
253:1763ā1857, mining monopoly
163:63 kilometres (39 mi)
575:Lingan Generating Station
181:(S&L) was a Canadian
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155:to standard gauge 1910-11
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16:Historic Canadian railway
730:Campbell, Brian (1995).
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209:1720ā1763, early efforts
140:3 ft 6 in
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497:Hawker Siddeley Canada
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307:
219:Fortress of Louisbourg
185:. Built to transport
47:Glace Bay, Nova Scotia
804:Mining in Nova Scotia
619:Henry Sampson (ed.),
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461:Intercolonial Railway
457:Intercolonial Railway
427:
361:Dominion Coal Company
301:
525:On July 7, 1967 the
265:authorized his son,
136:several disconnected
571:Sydney Coal Railway
505:Minority government
340:Cape Breton Railway
86:Sydney Coal Railway
21:
670:. SaltWire Network
577:, owned by Emera.
547:
507:of Prime Minister
485:Cumberland Railway
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199:Cape Breton County
70:Dates of operation
57:Cape Breton Island
19:
763:Work Through Time
513:Crown corporation
229:. Following the
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809:Coal in Canada
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664:"Age of steam"
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476:World War II
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405:Whitney Pier
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385:narrow gauge
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373:Sydney Mines
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321:New Victoria
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271:Duke of York
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176:
168:Track length
149:narrow gauge
43:Headquarters
493:Avro Canada
481:locomotives
468:World War I
439:Bell Island
389:standardize
349:forest fire
227:Port Morien
203:Nova Scotia
98:Track gauge
61:Nova Scotia
778:Categories
724:References
401:steel mill
338:, and the
325:Bridgeport
245:under the
239:New France
195:Louisbourg
414:Broughton
153:converted
92:Technical
78:Successor
712:See also
442:iron ore
381:standard
151:systems
117: in
38:Overview
371:, near
344:sea ice
243:Britain
183:railway
112:⁄
738:
699:24 May
674:24 May
644:24 May
605:24 May
327:, and
302:1876 -
284:London
269:, the
235:Acadia
215:French
191:Sydney
160:Length
64:Canada
53:Locale
581:Notes
567:Emera
313:mines
225:near
223:coast
736:ISBN
701:2020
676:2020
646:2020
607:2020
383:and
237:and
193:and
187:coal
177:The
241:to
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