What a difference an "A" made

23 – Town tour of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

23A – via Imber to Warminster Station





Yesterday, we stopped in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island... a town stated to have a population of 36,000.  As compared to 28,000 for Melksham... and less than Chippenham.  But as the state capital for centuries, and as the centre for a very large rural area, it feels and acts so much bigger. There were three cruise ships in - our "Aurora", the Zaandam and the Norwegian Gem ... tours of the local town, coaches out to see the house where Anne of Green Gables was set.

For the bus enthusiast, here are a few more pictures:











Prince Edward Island no longer has a rail service - it closed in 1989 all along the island, together with the branch down from Royaly Junction to Charlottetown, the extension over the bridge south from there having gone as long ago as 1951.  And there is zero pride in its history - it seems to have been swept under the carpet as an embarrassment.  The line has been turned into a cycling and walking trail and I have a couple of pictures (and a map) taken off interpretation boards.  Please excuse the poor quality - the train picture is a faded dark grey on light grey from a board about urban foxes.







And the railway now... in the Charlottetown suburbs







And the... only ... hardware remains I found

 
Some maps of the PEI system from my previous source for your info.
1) System as of 1882
2) System as of 1917
3) System closure

Andreae (1997) ‘Lines of Country: An Atlas of Railway and Waterway History in Canada’, Boston Mills Press, 228 p, ISBN 1-55046-133-8.