Albion Mines

Company History: Opened in 1839 toward the end of railroading’s contraption era, Albion Mines Railway ran from coal mines in Stellarton and New Glasgow, Nova Scotia to a pier on East River at Dunbar’s Point, 6 miles away. The railway’s first locomotive Samson was built in England and shipped to Nova Scotia disassembled. Samson’s engineer controlled the locomotive from the back as you would expect but the fireman and his firebox were at the front. The coal tender was pushed in front. It was the 1840’s when the contraption era came to an end and most new steam locomotives resembled what we recognize today with the cylinders and smokebox at the front, then the boiler, firebox and cab followed by a tender. The railroad closed in 1886 and most of the line was removed by 1889. However, less than a mile of the original route remained in service for other owners until 1961. It’s likely the Albion Mines Railway name was unofficial and the railway was technically part of the General Mining Association.

Brief History: Canada is a North American country stretching from the U.S. in the south to the Arctic Circle in the north. Major cities include massive Toronto, west coast film centre Vancouver, French-speaking Montréal and Québec City, and capital city Ottawa. Canada's vast swaths of wilderness include lake-filled Banff National Park in the Rocky Mountains. It's also home to Niagara Falls, a famous group of massive waterfalls.