New Brunswick Railway Museum

The New Brunswick Railway Museum,[1] owned and operated by the Canadian Railroad Historical Association, New Brunswick Division, is a museum located in Hillsborough, New Brunswick consisting of the railway's line last remaining steam engine.[2][3] It was formerly known as the Salem and Hillsborough Railroad (S&H) before the rails were superseded by Highway 114.[4][5]

Salem and Hillsborough Railroad
LocaleNew Brunswick, Canada
TerminusSalisbury
Hillsborough
Commercial operations
Built byCanadian National Railway
Original gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Preserved operations
Reporting markSHRR
Preserved gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Commercial history
Opened(?)
Closed1970s
Preservation history
1982Opened
HeadquartersHillsborough
Website
New Brunswick Railway Museum

The Salem and Hillsborough Railroad was formed in 1982 by a group of volunteer railroad enthusiasts and retired railroad employees. They took possession of a section of former Canadian National branch line trackage which ran from CN's Moncton-Saint John mainline at Salisbury east to just beyond the village of Hillsborough, approximately 20 miles (32 km) away. CN had operated this subdivision to service a gypsum quarry until the late 1970s when the quarry was closed, resulting in the company applying for abandonment. The first trial trains operated in 1983, and the line opened to the public in 1984.[6][7]

The S&H initially operated historic CN and Canadian Pacific steam locomotives Numbers 29 and 1009, which had been used in New Brunswick until the early 1960s when both railways completely dieselized. A third steam locomotive, Sydney and Louisburg 42, was used briefly in the early-mid 1980s, but it was quickly removed from service to undergo boiler work. No. 42 was later donated to the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry.[8] The S&H operated regular coach and dinner tourist trains between Hillsborough and a location halfway between Hillsborough and Salisbury, named Salem, from 1984 until 2004.[9]

On 16 September 1994, a fire occurred which destroyed the yardhouse and several engines and carriages within, as well as offices and historical records.[10][11]

Since 2005 the site became a static museum as the New Brunswick Railway Museum, using the former excursion train as a centerpoint.[12]

See also

References
  1. "Hillsborough rail museum turns cars over to paint ball business". CBC. 2015-07-17. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  2. Eiselt, H. A.; Eiselt, Marianne (2002-04-19). Discovering New Brunswick. Formac Publishing Company. pp. 43–44. ISBN 978-0-88780-556-1.
  3. Pitt, John (2008). USA by Rail. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 298. ISBN 978-1-84162-255-2.
  4. Brown, Ron (2015-08-08). Rails to the Atlantic: Exploring the Railway Heritage of Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces. Dundurn. ISBN 978-1-4597-2879-0.
  5. Leadbeater, Chris (2018-09-19). "North America's unsung autumn alternative to New England". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  6. "Railway an attraction for train buffs, tourists". The Expositor. 1983-11-14. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  7. "Project gathers steam". North Bay Nugget. 1983-11-16. p. 13. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  8. "More Locomotives". Museum of Industry. 2013-03-19. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  9. "Salem & Hillsborough Railroad – David Othen – Traingeek – Trains and Photography". Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  10. McDougall, Tom (1994-10-07). "One of Canada's oldest locomotives, No. 29 survives blaze, likely to be historic showpiece". Times Colonist. p. 66. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  11. "Historic equipment worth millions: Police suspect arson in New Brunswick railway fire". The Gazette. 1994-09-18. p. 6. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  12. Magazine, Trains (April 2009). Tourist Trains Guidebook. Kalmbach Publishing, Co. p. 273. ISBN 978-0-87116-273-1.
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