Mr. Chaulk’s book was on my year-end reading list. The title, R
ailroaded: The Untold History of Halifax's Rail Cut, is a bit misleading, in my estimation. Chaulk tells the story of the creation of the Halifax Ocean Terminals, a massive project that took years to complete (arguably, it has never been “completed”), cost probably a couple of billion in today’s dollars, displaced hundreds of people and changed the face of the city forever. The rail cut was an integral part, but only part, of the story. Together with the Explosion, the Ocean Terminals project was probably the most impactful event in the city’s history. While I’d quibble with the claim that its story is “untold,” there’s no doubt most Haligonians are unaware of its significance, even as they navigate around it on their daily commutes.
Chaulk clearly sympathizes with the “naysayers,” the vocal minority who spoke out against the project when it was announced in the fall of 1912. They included about a third of city council, some municipal officials, including city solicitor F.H. Bell, and the Liberal-aligned
Morning Chronicle, whose editorial writers derided the project as “vandalism.” Chaulk opines that the creation of the Ocean Terminals led “to the disappearance of one of the most scenic parts of the peninsula. …We still cope with it today, and it has grown bigger and uglier over time.”
There’s no doubt, as the author documents, that Robert Borden’s Conservative government – Borden was also the MP for Halifax -- drove the project through without meaningful consultation with citizens or the city, that the expropriation process was unfair and that contractors gave little regard to trifles like safe blasting practices. But it is also clear that it was well supported by business and civic leaders, even as some of their own properties were threatened or devalued by the construction.
Chaulk doesn't offer a realistic alternative. Doing nothing was not an option. Sitting on the shore of one world’s greatest natural harbours, Halifax was stagnating in the early 20th century. The marine facilities were crowded into the narrow strip of shoreline between Cornwallis Street to the south and Richmond to the north, jammed together with the naval dockyard, major industry and rail works. A commission led by Frederick Cowie examined four possible alternatives. One involved relocating the naval dockyard, a non-starter with the feds and with the British Navy, which retained rights. Two schemes involved relocating the docks to the Dartmouth side, either at Tufts Cove or Eastern Passage. Both would be disruptive, considering the business was mostly on the Halifax side and moving people and goods across the harbour or around the basin would be inefficient and costly. The advantages of locating in the south end, nearer to the mouth of the harbour, are undeniable.
Chaulk documents the human cost of the development, identifying the 238 property owners who were compensated for the expropriation of their properties and naming the streets that disappeared or were truncated by the work. While many of the properties lost were modest working-class homes, a number were grand historic structures. Notable among these was the Oaklands estate, built by William Cunard, second son of the steamship mogul. The president of the Board of Trade swooped in to buy it from its then-owner for the princely sum of $1250. While contractors were attempting to move it on the night of Dec. 28, 1914, the building somehow caught fire and was destroyed. All that remains are the original estate gates and former gatehouse at 1124 Robie Street.
The lost Oaklands estate house. Source:
Old black and white pictures of Halifax on Facebook
The book does shine light on one mystery that long perplexed me, the dead end of Robie Street’s grand south-end boulevard, and the abrupt termination at Jubilee Road of the Connaught Avenue boulevard. Chaulk reveals that the original plan had Connaught continuing along the broad curve of the rail cut until it intersected with Robie. Robie was to bridge the rail cut and join with Francklyn on the other side. Why the works were never completed is unclear, although it’s probably not unreasonable to suppose that toney residents of Marlborough Woods, Maplewood and area were unenthusiastic about having a major thoroughfare dump commuters into their neighbourhoods.
Excerpt of c 1930 map showing Connaught Avenue intersecting with Oxford Street and Robie Street. Missing is the proposed bridge between Robie and Francklyn Streets.
Source: Bob Chaulk,
Railroaded: The untold story of Halifax's rail cut (Nimbus, 2025)
While the author gripes about the inconvenience of navigating the rail cut’s 15 bridges and the noise of passing trains, he gives little acknowledgement to the impact of the Ocean Terminals to Halifax and to the nation. It is impossible to overstate the importance of this infrastructure to Canada during World War II alone for the transport of goods, military materiel and people, including troops. That said, Chaulk’s book is well worth reading for anyone interested in the historical perspective on planning and development in Halifax.
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