Springhill Junction, Nova Scotia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Springhill Junction is a Canadian rural community in central Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.

In 1872 the Intercolonial Railway of Canada constructed its Truro, NS-Moncton, NB mainline through the area at the persuasion of the Spring Hill & Parrsborough Coal & Railway Company Ltd., creating a diversion several miles to the south of the preferred route running between Oxford Junction, NS and Amherst, NS.

The community received its name in 1877 following completion of the Spring Hill & Parrsborough Railway which ran south to the mining town of Springhill, NS and on to the Bay of Fundy port of Parrsboro. The SP&P changed its name to the Cumberland Railway & Coal Company Ltd. in 1884 and operated under this name until the railway from Springhill Junction to Parrsboro was abandoned on June 14, 1958.

The Intercolonial Railway in the meantime was operated as part of the Canadian Government Railways after 1915 and was fully merged into the Canadian National Railways (CNR) in 1918.

Today Springhill Junction remains a siding on CN Rail's Halifax-Montreal mainline and a flag stop for VIA Rail Canada's Ocean passenger train. The official name still contains the word "junction", despite the fact that the CR&C was abandoned in 1958, making the community a run-through location on CN's mainline.