Portions by Art Clowes
Kent Junction, fourteen miles north of Adamsville, is where the Kent Northern, a 26.5 mile line to the village of Richibucto, had its wye junction with the Intercolonial Railway. The promoters were hoping to make millions hauling coal from mines along the Intercolonial to the harbour at Richibucto. Originally promoted by the Northern Railway (of New Brunswick), they spent nine years funding and constructing their line that was officially opened for traffic on November 1, 1883. This line was laid with iron rails that had been released from the Prince Edward Island Railway when they laid steel rails in 1882. The Kent Northern as it was locally known was later officially designated by this name and stayed independent until September 1, 1929 when it became part of the Canadian National Railway.
News items from late 1885 state that a branch line extended from Richibucto approximately 5 mile northward to St. Louis. This branch was operated until just before 1900 when it was abandoned. Indications are that passenger service on this branch was with a combination car on the end of freight trains. The line was constructed by one of the Brown family connected with the Kent Northern.
On May 20, 1918 the federal government made provision to acquire the Kent Northern for $60,000 to be absorbed into the Canadian Government Railways system.
CN’s Richibucto Subdivision, 26.5 miles from the Newcastle Subdivision to Richibucto was officially abandoned December 3, 1984 and the track was removed during 1986.