Sydney & Louisburg Railway Museum
7330 Main St B1C1P5 Louisbourg, NS, Canada

6 RU Louisbourg radar site was one of eight in eastern Canada that monitored air traffic during World War 2 from 1942-1945. It was located 2 miles from Louisbourg, NS , up Terra Nova Rd., and was known locally as the" Old Airport". Managed by the Royal Canadian Air Force base in Sydney, NS, 80-100 men were stationed there during its operation. The site included an administration building, cook house and dining room, guard house and barracks that included sleeping quarters, a hospital and games room. There is not much left of the station, now located on private land. One building was purchased for $644 in 1947 to become part of the Louisbourg Legion. Another building was purchased and set up on Kent St. in Louisbourg.

First pay stub received by Leo Evans in 1949. Leo worked on the S&L for many years, and dedicated so much time as a museum volunteer.

Have any fishing stories? Clara Dennis, one of Nova Scotia's first travel writers, spent time in Louisbourg in the 1930s capturing the lucrative commercial sword fishing industry through captivating photographs. Louisbourg saw hundreds of boats in the harbour at this time, bringing upwards of 400 swordfish a day to the Lewis and Company Wharf in the warm summer months. Photo from the Clara Dennis collection held by NS Archives.

A powerful photo of tragedy, courage and perseverance. On June 7, 1976 five separate wildfires burnt 9,800 acres in northeastern Cape Breton. The brunt of the damage was felt in the community of Main-A-Dieu, where 17 structures, trailers and boats were destroyed, leaving several families homeless. Among the losses were the Glebe House and the Immaculate Conception Church, shown here. The town was almost taken off the map, if not for a team of dedicated firefighters from the local area.

I think there might be a few of these still kicking around the island.

Always lots of interesting S&L pics and facts out there ... thanks for sharing ...

List of railway workers - 1907, Glace Bay Adamson John locomotive fitter h Main Arnold A.J. station agent S&L Rwy. bds Bridgeport Bates William M. laborer S&L Rwy. Power house res. Sterling Bert George fireman No. 4 Colliery Caledonia...Continue reading

Thinking about Harvey MacLeod and all he has done for the S&L Railway Museum over many years. A former locomotive engineer on the S&L, he was also part of the fabric of our museum, from guiding decisions to captivating everyone's imagination through his amazing storytelling. His passion has been such an important part of our inspiration, and how we share a part of ourselves with the many people that come to visit from all over the world. He will be remembered for how much he gave back to his community over his life, and honoured through the stories our little museum continues to tell. Sincere condolences to the MacLeod family.

Louisburg postcard 1910.

This S&L train, nicknamed the Broughton Flier, is shown in 1916 transporting soldiers from the Cape Breton Highlanders 185th Battalion, who recruited, organized and trained out of the now ghost town of Broughton, Cape Breton during WW1. They would then proceed to Aldershot, NS before heading overseas to take part in the war effort, arriving in Great Britain in October of that same year. Photo from the Roderick Jackson collection

Rail construction and completion in 1950 for the spur line to the fish processing plant. From the Huntington Diaries Sept. 9, 1950: "At Louisburg today, the Underpars and railway spur along Commercial Street, which was completed early last month, was used for the first time, when an engine and box car of the Sydney and Louisburg Railway ran over the line to the site of the proposed Fish Plant. The engine was number 42, driver Frank O'Keefe, fireman Archie MacVicar, conductor Malcolm Henry MacDonald, trainmen Charles Dickson and Charles Bagnell. "

Someone shared this great photo on another site ...

Huntington photos of the construction of the fish processing plant in Louisbourg. The contract was awarded to the Foundation Co. Ltd. in 1950 and construction began shortly afterward. An extension of the S&L Railway to the site started in 1949.

Happy Sunday! Here is a picture Huntington took of Louisbourg from Havenside. It really shows how much of a presence the coal pier had at the time on the waterfront.

Huntington photo of ships transporting coal and steel from the busy Louisburg Harbour.

Huntington photo of the Louisbourg waterfront from the trestle of the coal pier.

Guglielmo Marconi arriving by train to Table Head, Glace Bay July, 1902.

Opening of the visitor center at the Fortress of Louisbourg June 25, 1978. The Governor General, Premier, Mayor George Lewis, Katharine McLennan, Superintendent Kohn Lunn, John Fortier, many others.

Louisbourg from West Louisbourg.

It was a lovely afternoon to reinstall the plaque for the ‘Two Bills’ on the bench at the S&L. Hopefully next summer the benches will be filled with tourists telling yarns about their trip to the museum.

Road race on Main Street, Louisburg on Victoria Day. Date unknown.

"As a national resource of primary value, Louisbourg was one of the first sites the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada discussed. While everyone agreed that the fortress ruins and their artifacts must be protected, this was a complicated task because Louisbourg's original town site had been sub-ided into privately owned lots for over a hundred years -- and Canadian law permitted owners full right to control their property and its contents. Ottawa sent Geological S...urvey of Canada to define the exact nature of the problem. Further action was then suspended while various groups decided what to do -- and how to pay for it. Matters moved slowly despite protests from a group of influential maritime supporters that Louisbourg "was one of the most important [historic sites] in Canada, and its present condition was a disgrace." In May 1924 the property that had originally belonged to Kennelly -- about 1/5 of the original site -- was acquired by the Parks Branch. With this, Louisbourg was proclaimed a National Historic Site in 1926. Four cairns containing placques were immediately installed around the harbour. By 1928 the federal government had set aside funds to expropriate the remainder of the property." Eric Krause.

First car dealer in Louisburg.