Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Railway
(CB&CNS: 1993 - Present)

by Robert Chant

FOREWORD: This represents a work in progress, eventually I will add more details about the line, operations and equipment as the information becomes available and time permits. (RAC)

The Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia’s mainline was once a secondary line owned by the Canadian National Railway. Canadian National placed the line on the selling block and it was purchased by Texas based RailTex Corporation in October of 1993. Under Canadian National, traffic on the line was in decline, but since the take-over, this has changed. RailTex has purchased new equipment and has taken every step to ensure the future viability of its railway.

The Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway operates between Truro, on mainland Nova Scotia, where it interchanges with Canadian National’s mainline to Halifax, and Sydney, on Cape Breton Island, where it interchanges with the SYSCO (Sydney Steel) Railway and DEVCO (the Cape Breton Development Corporation Railway).

FIG 1: Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia's rail line from
Truro on mainland Nova Scotia, to Sydney on Cape Breton Island.

The railway has two subdivisions: the 116.2 mile Hopewell Subdivision, running between Truro and Havre Boucher, and the 113.9 mile Sydney Subdivision, from Harvre Boucher to Sydney. This mainline runs though some very beautiful areas, for a total distance of about 230 miles. The railway operates one mainline freight train a day in each direction, but there is no VIA passenger service on the line.

The Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway maintains yards at Sydney, the location of their car repair facility; a small yard at North Sydney, for container transfer; Port Hawkesbury, the location of the main office and drop point for traffic going to the Point Tupper spur; Harve Boucher, mainly for storage; and at Stellarton, for traffic going to the Treton spur. The railway has a contract with DEVCO for locomotive maintenance, and the work is performed about one mile east of Sydney, at DEVCO’s Victoria Junction Shops.

Major traffic sources include the coal traffic from DEVCO, heading for Nova Scotia Power’s coal fired generating stations at Point Tupper and Trenton. Steel traffic to and from the Sydney Steel Mill. The mill receives scrap iron in gondolas and ships rails in specially designed rail carriers. North Sydney is the loading point for container shipments to and from the province of Newfoundland.

At Point Tupper there is the Nova Scotia’s Power’s generating station and the Stora Forest Products pulp and paper mill. Trenton is home to a paper mill owned by the Kimberly-Clark Company, the Trenton Generating Station and the old Hawker-Sidley (now owned by a US firm) railway car manufacturer. Connections to the rest of the world are made at the Truro interchange yard that is Canadian National owned and operated.

The Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway has 13 units on its roster; eight M630’s used for mainline power (2003, 2015, 2016, 2029, 2032, 2034, 2035, 2039) and five RS18’s used for yard and local service (3627, 3675, 3716, 3842, 3852). The railway has a contract with DEVCO for locomotive maintenance, and the work is performed about one mile east of Sydney, at DEVCO’s Victoria Junction Shops.

The Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway maintains yards at Sydney, the location of their car repair facility; a small yard at North Sydney, for container transfer; Port Hawkesbury, the location of the main office and drop point for traffic going to the Point Tupper spur; Harve Boucher, mainly for storage; and at Stellarton, for traffic going to the Treton spur.

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©1998 Robert Chant, all rights reserved.