Enjoy the story of Nova Scotia’s railway at the Musquodoboit Harbour Railway Museum on Route 7. Exhibits feature the history of the railway on the Eastern Shore, as well as some local history, and include posters, tickets, maps, photographs, lanterns, uniforms, dishes, communications equipment, and much more, all displayed within this Canadian Northern Railway station of 1918.
Don’t miss the rare ex-CN GE 44-tonner and the unique mail crane, CN caboose, and pump cars outside on the old railway tracks! The museum also houses the local Visitor Information Centre, and Whistlestop Craft Shop. On the grounds will you can grab a bite at The Bandwagon Food Truck, a beer at Sober Island Brewing, and an ice cream cone at the Polar Express Ice Cream Shop. The museum grounds are also home to the local Musquodoboit Harbour Farmer’s Market, every Sunday morning.
The Musquodoboit Harbour Heritage Society owns and operates the Musquodoboit Harbour Railway Museum on behalf of the community.
Architecturally, the Musquodoboit Harbour Railway Museum is an excellent example of twentieth-century railway station design. Railway stations were constructed for the convenience of the passengers and featured nicely furnished waiting rooms, freight sheds, ramps, platforms, and living quarters for the railway agents. At the turn of the twentieth century, the architectural styles of railway stations began to change from the large vertical brick buildings with tall gables and pitched roofs to low horizontal wood frame structures. Those built between the late 1800s and early 1900s were long low buildings with broad flared hipped roofs underpinned with large brackets. Other features of this style include the string course that wraps around the building emphasizing its horizontal form. The Musquodoboit Harbour Railway Museum is an excellent example of these architectural design elements.
