New Brunswick Railway Museum
The New Brunswick Railway Museum, owned and operated by the Canadian Railroad Historical Association, New Brunswick Division, is a Canadian tourism museum located in Hillsborough, New Brunswick. It was formerly known as the Salem and Hillsborough Railroad (S&H).
| Salem and Hillsborough Railroad | |
|---|---|
| Locale | New Brunswick, Canada |
| Terminus | Salisbury Hillsborough |
| Commercial operations | |
| Built by | Canadian National Railway |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Preserved operations | |
| Reporting mark | SHRR |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | (?) |
| Closed | 1970s |
| Preservation history | |
| 1982 | Opened |
| Headquarters | Hillsborough |
| 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 CN Rail 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 S&H initially operated several historic CN and CPR steam locomotives which had been used in New Brunswick until the early 1960s when both railways completely dieselized. The S&H operated regular coach and dinner tourist trains between Hillsborough and a location halfway between Hillsborough and Salisbury, named Salem, from 1982 until 2004.
In 1994, a disastrous fire occurred as a result of an arson attack on the railway's engine shop in Hillsborough, destroying or damaging several locomotives and historic freight and passenger cars. The rebuilding effort took many years, during which time the volunteer base began to dwindle.
Since 2005 the site became a static museum as the New Brunswick Railway Museum, using the former excursion train, historical specialized maintenance equipment and several exhibit buildings with numerous railway artifacts.
The New Brunswick Railway Museum is open during the summer season and other times by request.
The museum is affiliated with: CMA, CHIN, and Virtual Museum of Canada.
