Published Dec 12, 2025Last updated 8 hours ago6 minute readFrances Venoit operates the little train on the Christmas Village display at the Middleton Railway Museum. The public will get a chance to check it out Dec. 20 and 21 from 1-4 p.m. during the museum’s annual Christmas at the Station. Photo by Lawrence Powell /Annapolis Valley RegisterArticle contentThe scent of steam heat, coal smoke, and snow-damp wool coats filled the Middleton Railway Station around Christmas in 1955, when extra cars, crowded waiting rooms, and the sharp cry of the whistle marked the season’s rhythm – and trains were the only sure way home for the holidays.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentDavid Hankinson believes that rich railway legacy is worth sharing, and on Dec. 20 and 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. the station will be open to visitors, and the big steam locomotive will be pulled up beside the platform, just like in the old days. And yes, there will be hot chocolate and treats for the kids.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentBut the big draw might just be the giant Christmas village with working model railway running through it. The giant model railway of the Annapolis Valley, housed in the freight shed, will also be in operation.Article content“In days gone by, the railways were community lifelines for goods and people movement throughout the Valley,” said Hankinson, chairperson of the Middleton Railway Museum Society (MRMS) board.Article content“Young people coming and going to college and jobs in the city, others travelling for medical treatment to larger centres of the province. And – of course – home for Christmas.”Article content David Hankinson, chairperson of the Middleton Railway Museum, stands by the steam locomotive in front of Middleton station. He says the area’s rich railway history is worth remembering. The public is invited to Christmas at the Station Dec. 20 and 21. Photo by Lawrence Powell /Annapolis Valley RegisterArticle contentArticle contentFull of emotionArticle contentFamilies waited anxiously at the station for loved ones.Article content“Railway stations were full of emotion,” Hankinson said. “Joy, sadness, anxiety, anticipation, especially during the Christmas season.”Article contentBill Linley, railway historian and member of the MRMS board, said the Middleton Station is set in December 1955.Article contentArticle content“That year, traditional steam-powered trains still plied Dominion Atlantic rails from Truro and Halifax to Valley points and beyond to Yarmouth.”Article content Middleton Railway Museum Society chairman David Hankinson, right, and board member and railway historian Bill Linley at the grand opening ceremony in June. Photo by Jason Malloy /Annapolis Valley RegisterArticle contentArticle contentLinley also said the Digby boat from Saint John, N.B., contributed significantly to passenger traffic, bringing home those who worked, studied, or lived in Quebec, Ontario and beyond.Article content“The trains brought family and friends home from distant schools and workplaces,” he said. “Winter storms were not a factor as the land-bound trains always arrived, not always on time if the weather was severe, but arrive they did.”Article contentArticle contentMiddleton stationArticle contentThere was a lot more happening at the Middleton Railway Station than people might think leading up to the holidays. It was a busy place.Article content“Not only did the trains bring passengers, but also (the Dominion Atlantic Railway) express parcels – think the Purolator of yesteryear – and the Royal Mail,” said Linley. “Special cars for mail and express were hauled just behind the steam locomotive. Efficient mail clerks received, sorted and delivered mail and parcels at each stop.”Article contentArticle contentArticle contentArticle contentLinley’s description of the railway in the 1950s could be right out of a movie. Every town and village along the railway was impacted by rail service.Article content“On the fly, at smaller communities, an on-board hook would snatch the outbound mail from a trackside holder – a mail crane – while a clerk dropped a leather mailbag to a waiting postal worker for local delivery,” he explained. “At larger stops, a baggage man would unload your checked baggage on a waiting wagon that was pulled to the station by the station agent.”Article contentArticle contentMountains of parcelsArticle contentAnd all those Christmas presents?Article content“Men would open the express cars and grab mountains of DAR-shipped parcels to hand to customers at the station or hold for local pickup or delivery,” he said. “Some trains were delayed during the holiday season as the volume of parcels and mail to be moved increased sharply.”Article contentArticle content The large model railway at the Middleton Railway Museum will be operational during the museum’s annual Christmas at the Station Dec. 20 and 21. Photo by Lawrence Powell /Annapolis Valley RegisterArticle contentLinley said extra cars were quite often added to trains to accommodate additional passengers wanting to go home for the holidays.Article content“On peak days around Christmas and New Year’s, additional trains, called sections, such as Second Train 95, were often run closely together to handle all the passengers wanting to travel,” he said. “Older cars were pressed into service. They often carried a pungent, musty odour: a combination of infrequent use, the warmth of steam heat, and the lingering smoke that permeated the cars. Many folks along the line remembered the staggering crowds of the war years, a short decade ago. Gas rationing had often meant that the train was the only way to travel during the Second World War.”Article contentArticle contentChristmas trainsArticle contentLinley said that although there were overnight trains between Yarmouth and Halifax, most passengers wisely chose to travel on the speedier day trains that linked these communities and connected with the Digby boat.Article contentArticle content“Eastbound Train 95 paused at Middleton at 12:07 p.m. while its westbound counterpart, Train 98, stopped at 2:04 p.m.,” he explained. “The pause was brief, a couple of minutes, just long enough only to water the steam locomotive while passengers, express, and mail were exchanged. Railway employees worked diligently to ensure that the train left on time at the appointed hour as stated in the timetable.”Article content This little train runs through the large Christmas Village display at the Middleton Railway Museum. The museum will hold its annual Christmas at the Station Dec. 20 and 21 from 1-4 p.m. Photo by Lawrence Powell /Annapolis Valley RegisterArticle contentChildren, ever present and wide-eyed with expectation of Christmas, hooted with excitement as the train screeched to a halt with a grinding of steel brakes on steel rails, said Linley.Article content“Many Middleton townsfolk would gather in the coal-fired warmth of the waiting room before the arrival of the trains, hoping to be the first to greet homecoming family or perhaps secure an enveloping hug or even a kiss from a returning romantic partner,” Linley said. “Others came to share the radiating joy as the crowds ebbed and flowed on and off the waiting train.”Article contentArticle contentPainting a pictureArticle contentHe describes the probable scene at the Middleton Station platform in 1955.Article content“The steam locomotive panted softly in the falling snow, while the cars were often wreathed in steam from loose connections on the steam lines linking them to the engine ahead,” he said.Article content“Two sharp toots signalled all aboard, and the engine huffed mightily as it pulled the cars away for Yarmouth or the city. Travellers peeked expectantly through frosted windows to catch a last look at those waving goodbyes from the snow-specked platform.”Article contentArticle contentOpen houseArticle contentThe Middleton Railway Museum’s Christmas at the Station will include hot chocolate and treats for the children, a model railway will be running, the station waiting room and office will be decorated, plus there will be a mailbox for Santa, model railway sales, and outdoor displays.Article contentThe big attraction will be in the completely restored waiting room where a large Christmas village scene, complete with working train, has been set up.Article contentArticle content“This display alone is worth the visit,” said Hankinson. “If you weren’t in the Christmas spirit when you came in, you will be when you leave.”Article content Middleton Railway Museum Society board chairperson David Hankinson and wife Linda stand with a giant Christmas village scene complete with working train. The display was donated to the museum by Linda’s sister Gloria Stephens of Halifax. The display is set up at the museum and visitors can take a close-up look at it on Dec. 20 and 21 from 1-4 p.m. during Christmas at the Station. Photo by Lawrence Powell /Annapolis Valley RegisterArticle contentArticle contentChristmas villageArticle contentFor many years, the Christmas Village scene now on display at the museum has been displayed in Gloria Stephens home in Halifax. Stephens is the sister of Hankinson’s wife Linda. The sisters come from a railway family.Article content“Their father Carl Webb had a long career, beginning as part of a section crew maintaining the track in the Westchester area of Nova Scotia,” said Hankinson. “He progressed to the role of crane operator based out of Halifax and worked on building many bridges and clearing train wrecks in the Maritimes and Quebec.”Article content This is a scene from the giant Christmas Village display at the Middleton Railway Museum. The public is invited to Christmas at the Station Dec. 20 and 21 from 1-4 p.m. Photo by Lawrence Powell /Annapolis Valley RegisterArticle contentWebb operated a self-propelled crane with an attached caboose.Article content“Both Gloria and Linda recall time spent living in the caboose with their parents on summer breaks,” said Hankinson. “Gloria is unable to continue the assembly of the village and has donated the components to the Middleton Railway Museum Society.”Article contentArticle contentArticle contentDid you know?Article contentThe Middleton Railway Museum, located at 61 School St., boasts two steam locomotives and tenders, a 1940s boxcar, a wooden caboose, and two industrial engines.Article contentInside, the waiting room and office have been restored, and the freight shed houses a model railway of the Annapolis Valley – from Windsor to Annapolis Royal. The model railway also includes Port Wade and Clementsport.Article contentThe museum has been completely restored on the outside as well. The museum’s latest project was building an authentic tool shed from 1908 blueprints that will house speeders, or small track maintenance vehicles, that are also being restored.Article content
Remembering the festive season of old at Middleton Railway Museum
