The WHRC route between Windsor Junction and New Minas is part of CPR's (and DAR's) former Halifax Subdivision.

The section east of Windsor to the gypsum quarries at Wentworth Creek and Mantua was built as the Midland Railway and opened in 1901.

Hantsport has one of the fastest ship loaders in the world due to its location on the Avon River, which was affected by the incredible tidal range of the Bay of Fundy.

The fluctuating water level meant that bulk carriers could not stay at the dock longer than 3–4 hours for fear of touching bottom.

No freight train has operated west of Hantsport since the line was embargoed, however, WHRC has not applied to Nova Scotia's railway regulator (the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board) to formally abandon the line; a formal abandonment would permit WHRC to scrap the infrastructure and sell the property.

The 2008-2009 economic downturn reduced residential construction activity in the United States, which was the primary market for gypsum exported from Hantsport.

Parent company USG announced the permanent closure of Fundy Gypsum along with the Hantsport loading facility in late 2011.