Orangedale,Grand Narrows,Iona Cape Breton NS(The Rankins Orangedale Whistle)Aug 5/09
Orangedale is a Canadian rural community located in Inverness County, Nova Scotia.
Founded by Orangemen who settled in the vicinity of the Denys Basin of Cape Breton Island's Bras d'Or Lake, Orangedale was a small farming and fishing community until 1886 when the Intercolonial Railway of Canada mainline from Sydney to Point Tupper was constructed. Orangedale became host to a Victorian-period 2-storey wooden railway passenger station and became the preferred stop for many passengers heading to and from northern Cape Breton Island.
Orangedale in Nova ScotiaThe community developed into a small railway service centre, with the majority of its residents being employed by the railway. The ICR was absorbed into the Canadian National Railways in 1918 and in 1993, CN sold the line to Sydney to the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway. Passenger rail service stopped following the January 15, 1990 budget cuts by VIA Rail Canada.
In 1988 a group of community volunteers formed to save the original ICR station from being demolished. Today it is part of an extensive railway museum.
The Rankin Family's record hit Orangedale Whistle pays homage to the community's role in Cape Breton Island's transportation history.
Grand Narrows (An Caolas Mór)(2001 population 15) is a community in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is at 45°57′24″ N, 60°47′32″ W.
Origin of Name
The name comes from the Grand Narrows of Bras d'Or Lake, formally known as the Barra Strait.
History
The community came to prominence during the 1880s after the Intercolonial Railway built its line from the Strait of Canso to Sydney, crossing the Barra Strait between Iona and Grand Narrows by a bridge, still in use, which is the longest railway bridge in Nova Scotia. Grand Narrows became a major transshipment point between rail and waterborne passengers and cargo. A hotel was constructed and became a popular resting spot, Canada's first prime minister Sir John A. Macdonald was among its guests.
A passenger and vehicle ferry service was operated by the provincial government across the Barra Strait to Iona until a highway bridge was opened in October 1993. There is but one route of travel through Grand Narrows; a gravel road called Derby Point which runs along the shoreline for approximately 3 kilometers. Most of the residences in the tiny community are summer homes for families who are based in industrial Cape Breton.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Cape Breton Steam Railway (The Wye at Port Morien Train Station)
Examining the wye at the Port Morien train Station Cape Breton Nova Scotia.
46°07'44.22 N 59°53'09.13 W Repton 30926 and #42 ran this line in the 70s.
S&L Railway Museum Louisbourg Cape Breton
While doing research on the fortress in Louisbourg Cape Breton Nova Scotia we came across this railway museum on the way in to Louisbourg.Its a must see while in louisbourg a lot of great artifacts Marconi ww2 rail in Cape Breton and much more.
cbns.ca
Riding VIA's Bras d'Or Part 3 Canso Causeway to Iona 8 October 2002
VIA's Bras d'Or was a summer tourist train that ran from Halifax to Sydney on Tuesdays returning on Wednesdays. It began in 2000 and operated for five years. In Part 3 of this video we see the train (VIA#618) between the Canso Causeway and Iona. Video both from one of the dome cars on 8 October 2002 and from lineside is included. The train crosses the Canso swing bridge and enters Cape Breton. It then travels along the shore of the Canso Strait to Port Hawkesbury where there is a crew change. VIA#618 then climbs up to River Denys before descending to Orangedale for a stop at the station museum. After crossing Ottawa Brook trestle it runs along the shores of the Bras d'Or Lakes to Iona and the historic Grand Narrows bridge.
Louisbourg Cape Breton Nova Scotia (July 7/09)
Louisbourg Cape Breton Nova Scotia (Music By Lennie Gallant Which Way Does The River Run)
History
The town's name was given by French military forces who founded the Fortress of Louisbourg and its fortified seaport on the southwest part of the harbour, in honour of Louis XV. The French fortress was demolished after its final capture in 1758 and the site was abandoned by British forces in 1768.
Subsequent English settlers built a small fishing village across the harbour from the abandoned site of the fortress. The village grew slowly with additional Loyalists settlers in the 1780s. The harbour grew more accessible with the construction of the second Louisbourg Lighthouse in 1842 on the site of the original French lighthouse destroyed in 1758. A railway first reached Louisbourg in 1877, but it was poorly built and abandoned after a forest fire. However the arrival of Sydney and Louisburg Railway in 1894 brought heavy volumes of winter coal exports to Louisbourg Harbour's ice-free waters as a winter coal port. The harbour was used by the Canadian government ship Montmagny in 1912 to land bodies from the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
Incorporated in 1901, the Town of Louisbourg was disincorporated when all municipal units in Cape Breton County were merged into a single tier regional municipality in 1995.
Economy
Louisbourg's economy is dominated by the seasonal tourism industry and seafood processing. The depletion of ground fish stocks has negatively affected local fish processing operations in recent decades.
In the 1960s Parks Canada completed a partial reconstruction of the Fortress of Louisbourg. Today this National Historic Site of Canada is the town's dominant economic engine, employing many residents and attracting thousands of tourists every year. The fortress holds large scale Historical reenactments every few years to mark important historical events and attract visitors to the town. The most recent in July 2008, commemorated the 250th anniversary of the first British siege victory over French forces in July 1758.[1] The town's more recent history is preserved at the Sydney and Louisburg Railway Museum located in the restored railway station in the centre of town.
Annually, the community hosts the Louisbourg Crab Fest.[3]. A large golf course and residential resort is under development near the community. Designed by Nick Faldo, the resort is expected to open in 2010[4].
Louisbourg is home to the Louisbourg Playhouse, a theatre company operating in an Elizabethan theatre that was used as a prop in the live action 1994 Disney motion picture Squanto: A Warrior's Tale.
Population 1265
From Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Cape Breton Railways: An Illustrated History
Presentation describing this book from Cape Breton University Press.
Cape Breton Rail Line - CTV News Story
Sept. 23rd 2014
SL 1 Clip
Sydney & Louisburg Ry- Nova Scotia coal
VCCAPS Community Showcase: Grand Narrows Railroad
Why was Cape Breton's Railroad put through Central Cape Breton? Who was H. F. MacDougall? Listen in and discover a key piece of our Victoria County past.
Highland Heights Inn, Iona, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada
Come join us in the dining room for one of our home-cooked meals. While you are here, make an evening or two out of it and stay in one of our newly renovated rooms.
Looking for a special place to nourish the soul and delight the senses? Discover the Highland Heights Inn in beautiful Iona, Cape Breton.
(800) 660-8122
highlandheightsinn.ca
Last Train Rollin' in Cape Breton
This is the only active train line still running in Cape Breton. Off shore coal is loaded at the piers in Sydney harbour and hauled to a local power generating plant. All other rail lines have been abandoned.
Salem - Hillsborough Railroad Museum Tour.m4v
A fun virtual tour of the New Brunswick Railway Museum - 50's style
Rankin Family - Feel the Same Way Too
Left to right: siblings Jimmy, Cookie, Raylene, Heather; John Morris Rankin on piano
Howie MacDonald - fiddle
Scott Ferguson - drums
John Chaisson - bass
Ray Montford - guitar
I tried my best to enhance the audio from the TV station's low-fidelity mono - hope it works on your speakers.