The new Dominion Atlantic...

CP Rail created ‘Canadian Atlantic Railway’ in 1988, an administrative unit consisting of non-profit making lines east of Montreal. The line in Nova Scotia between New Minas and Windsor Junction was bought by Iron Road Railways creating ‘Windsor and Hantsport’ in August 1994...

This is another of my ‘what if’ TerraTransport blogs, and wouldn’t be as rich without the input of both Andrew and Chris, thank you both. I’m going to share a little of the route overview and a potted history of the early days of the W&HR, before considering what might have been...

The route leaves Canadian National's Bedford sub at Windsor Junction, and travels North West before reaching Windsor where the branch to two gypsum quarries at Miller’s Creek and Wentworth, owned by Fundy Gypsum. The shops were moved here from Kentville under CAR ownership in 1993. In 1993 the end of line was Kentville but with steel bridges ageing and subject to deferred maintenance the line beyond New Minas was abandoned before the end of the year. 

RS23 at Hantsport. Steve Arnot photo.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1843146

Windsor and Hantsport began operation in 1994 with a motley collection of ex CP RS23s and the ex CP gypsum hoppers. Clearly the focus was on the gypsum trains to the rapid loader at Hantsport on the bay of Fundy, although mixed freight continued to be handled to a number of customers on the line beyond Hantsport.

A trio of W&HR RS23 at Falmouth. Geoff Doane photo.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1429797

In 2002 the Windsor and Hantsport’s parent company was struggling...

Wait? In our parallel world TerraTransport was privatised in 1995, the fledgling short line looked like a great addition to the previously ex-CN collection of routes under their control...

Several Iron Road Railways routes filed for Bankruptcy in 2002, and TerraTransport successfully took control of the short line adding it to it's growing portfolio of systems across Atlantic Canada.

TerraTransport invested heavily in the gypsum operation, undertaking a tie replacement and track rehabilitiation program on the arterial mainline between Windsor Junction and Windsor. The gypsum hoppers built by Canadian Pacific designed for rapid unloading at Hantsport (to support quick loading of ships due to the horrendous tidal conditions) are nearing 40 years old. TT tags on to National Gypsum's order of 132 new rapid unloading hoppers with Johnstown America, by placing an order for 75 hoppers (replacing the original CP hoppers one to one), delivered in June 2003. The operation was named 'TerraTransport Dominion Atlantic' in a nod to the historic operator of the railway.

The Johnstown car: The initial livery included green ends to the hoppers that looked superb when running as a unit train. More recently they have been refurbished and now sport a simpler green logo on silver grey hopper.

Traffic sources:

Considering the two branches that diverge at Windsor independently, it is clear that gypsum is king, and that was what attracted Terra Transport to invest so heavily in Dominion Atlantic.

Miller's Creek branch (Fundy Gypsum):

Gypsum

- Miller’s Creek to Dartmouth

- Wentworth Road to Dartmouth

New Minas branch:

Soya and grain 

- Port Williams serving two local companies

- New Minas Co-op feed mill

Vegetable oil

- Frito-Lay at New Minas

Building supplies

- Merchant in Hantsport uses a team track in the small yard.

Thirteen grain cars standing on the siding at Greenwich, Nova Scotia, waiting to be unloaded, 25 May 2005. Ivan Smith photo.
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WHRgrnwch-20050525.jpg#mw-jump-to-license

Timings:

As Dominion Atlantic began operation in 2002, initially gypsum trains continued to use the loader at Hantsport whilst the new facility in Dartmouth was being built and the mainline to Windsor Junction rehabilitated. Local traffic between Windsor Junction and New Minas operated just once a week, to allow the maintenance work to be undertaken without interruption .

Following completion of the upgrade in spring 2003 the gypsum trains run daily, initially using the National Gypsum facility at Wright's Cove before the new Fundy Gypsum terminal opened in late 2003. The daily trains collect any cars destined for Windsor and beyond from the TerraTransport yard at Windsor Junction (shared with Dartmouth Terminal) returning those from Windsor destined for further afield. 

The branch to New Minas is operated twice a week, usually Tuesday and Friday, with trains leaving Windsor around 10.30, returning around 16.00.

Locomotives:

As mentioned previously, the operation has two very different characters that have very different motive power requirements.

Initial operation in 2002 was with a pair of borrowed TT-HSW U18Bs on the gypsum trains from the quarries to Hantsport. TT's takeover corresponded with a downturn in the US building trade, which although initially of concern, meant that reduced train lengths were easily within the capability of the light footed U18Bs. 

Now, the heavy daily gypsum trains across both Dominion Atlantic and Dartmouth Terminal operate with a fleet of 10 ex-CN GP40-2LW, these work out of Dartmouth Terminal's shops.

With reduced demand for the U18B on Halifax South Western a pair of these locomotives were permanently transferred, based at Windsor to operate the branch traffic to New Minas. 

The nomadic U18B found a home from home on the New Minas branch,

Today, gypsum trains run daily from the quarries through to a new terminal in the Dartmouth basin, whilst the line from Windsor to New Minas continues as a sleepy branchline serving a handful of customers. This contrast makes the rejuvenated Dominion Atlantic a rail fan's delight...

Extended play:

Reports like this are an interesting parallel read to what is unfolding in our ‘TerraTransport’ story...

Chris mentions:

That is one heck of a parallel. I agree with the philosophy. Clearly, CN learned from it’s experiences with Terra Transport both when TT was a part of their operation and into the future of working with them. 

What isn’t talked about in the article is that chorus of moving the car A-B-C. In other shortline stories the issue is like: the customer likes working with us at both ends (the last mile) in A or C and we have a good relationship with the Class 1 (“B”) but we’re struggling to coordinate the entire trip and tracking a car A-B1-B2-B3-C is frustrating. If this was a truck, one driver would just hook on and take it all.

One thing TT could also do is act like a single agent representing different customers. For example: in the TT empire (Moncton, Truro, Halifax) we serve at least eight farm/animal feed dealers. TT could work with Co-op or Purina and receive all those local dealer’s cars as one block from CN then individually peel off the cars locally. It’s a way TT gets to act like a much bigger railroad than it is...

This is all a wonderful commentary, and I feel we’re edging closer to creating a home for all these stories where more can contribute and add thoughts ideas and reflections. For now, your comments are valued, so let me know what you think?

You can use the TerraTransport ‘label’ to find everything here on the subject.