Last week to ride the road train!
This is the last week in 2016 to ride the road train around Tatamagouche! The last service will be departing at 4pm on Saturday October the 8th.
Thanks for all of your support throughout the year!
Labour Day Parade
Come and join us to help celebrate the Labour Day Parade on Monday September 5th in support of the Tatamagouche Fire Department!
Looking for Volunteers
VOLUNTEER TOUR GUIDES REQUIRED
Anticipated Start Date : As soon as possible
Seeking enthusiastic and knowledge individuals to deliver a fun & interesting commentary to visitors riding the Tatamagouche Road Train
(Knowledge of local history would be an advantage)
Times to suit your schedule
Please email Dave Gunn for further information
or call 902-657-2742
The Train is Up and Running!
The Tatamagouche Road Train had it's first run today! It's now off and running every 30 min from Foodland starting at 11am - last journey is 3:30pm.
Thanks to Halterm Container Terminal for their help!
Established in 1969, Halterm Container Terminal Limited has made a name for itself offering fast and supremely flexible service to global shipping line customers, the masters of the largest containerships in the world. Halterm Limited is located in Halifax, Canada, a harbour with natural deep
water and a perfect location to handle ultra large container ships with a terminal capability as yet unmatched by other east coast ports.
The Tatamagouche Road Train Society’s new community train was brought to Canada aboard the 'CSCL Oceania'. This vessel is one of the largest container vessels ever to call Halifax, with a length of 334m and is capable of carrying more than 8000 twenty-foot shipping containers. Upon hearing the story of the arrival of the road train, Halterm Container Terminal Limited staff and members of the International Longshoreman’s Association, were keen to speed the little train on its journey to Tatamagouche and so, using the largest ship-to-shore cranes on Canada’s east coast, with a height of over 76 metres, the new road train was brought ashore in Halifax.
Happy travels for the town of Tatamagouche.
The train is finally here!
The train was finally loaded onto a truck in Halifax today and is now en-route to Tatamagouche!
The Train has arrived in Nova Scotia!
The ship was called CSCL Oceania and was loaded in Shanghai China on the 1st April and arrived Halifax 2nd May.
Track the Train!
The Tatamagouche Road Train has shipped!
You can track its progress via the following link here.
Not long to go now....
The Train is complete!
The Tatamagouche Road Train has been built!! The photo below shows Jerry Chen the manager we've dealt with in China and Gordon Kennedy from New Brunswick who is working in Shanghai and went to see the train finished outside the factory.
Shipping soon!
History
TATAMAGOUCHE ROAD TRAIN
Tourism is the single largest industry along the North Shore of Nova Scotia and Tatamagouche forms the heart of this area. Tatamagouche is a thriving, exciting and vibrant community with some spectacular vistas over the Waugh River estuary and in to Tatamagouche Bay.
The Tatamagouche Trails Association has created a wonderful trail along the old Inter-Colonial Railway bed forming part of the Trans Canada Trail. This trail follows the river edge to Tatamagouche Bay with wonderful scenes along the way. However, this trail is little known to the travelling public and is therefore under-used and is a hidden gem.
Three year’s ago, Tatamagouche in Bloom Society (of which I was president), in conjunction with the Parks and Recreation Department, Colchester County, decided it would be an excellent idea to provide transport to Nelson Memorial Park along parts of the old rail bed. The park is difficult to reach if you don’t have your own transport and are unable to walk along the trail. The village of Tatamagouche is built on a slope with all roads leading to the water. Many people within the village can walk down but struggle to get back up again so do not have the opportunity to take part in village life as they would like to. As stated in one of the doctor’s letters, many of his patients are trapped in social isolation and the road train would remove this isolation and enable the elderly to have freedom of use of the village without depending upon friends and neighbours.
It was suggested that a ‘road train” would be a great idea. The vehicle would look like a train but would run on rubber tires. The idea was expanded upon, and it was suggested that not only could it be driven along the trail, it could also travel through the village and stop at several places along Main Street and into the residential areas where it would be most appreciated.
The excitement and enthusiasm grew within the community. It was decided this could be a sustainable mode of transport for the whole village on a regular scheduled basis, with particular interest to seniors who cannot get out to do their own shopping or rely on others to take them to doctors appointments, the Pharmacy etc. Permission was granted by Tatamagouche Trails Association to use the trail for this purpose and grants were applied for and pledges were given by various organisations and individuals throughout the area in support of the train. So far, $99000 has been raised.
This is a very unique project, the first of its kind in Canada and apart from helping local people it will encourage tourism to the area which in turn will benefit everyone. It is planned to be a hop on hop off service by donation and advertising space will be made available on a rotational basis. The train will be purpose built to an established design consisting of a diesel 2 seat locomotive pulling a 28 seat open style coach. It is proposed to be a sustainable long term project with funding through donations, advertising, and grant applications. The train will be fully licensed and insured as required by law.
The train could also be used for special functions such as transport for the Oktoberfest which takes place every September in Tatamagouche; the Labour Day Parade; Atlantic Training Centre special events and any other special functions throughout the season. It would also help promote the Farmer’s Market and Creamery Square complex.