Fredericton Railway Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Fredericton Railway Bridge is a former railway bridge in Fredericton, New Brunswick
, Canada
.
It crosses the Saint John River from the east end of Fredericton's central business district on the west bank of the river to the former community of South Devon (amagalgamated into Fredericton since the late 1940s) on the east bank.
Since 1997, it has been used as a pedestrian bridge and is part of the Sentier NB Trail system and also part of the Trans Canada Trail
. Fredericton markets it as the "world's longest walking bridge."
design built entirely of steel and sits upon 8 concrete piers in the water and 2 concrete abutments, 1 on each bank.
The bridge has a vertical clearance of 7.6 metre for vessels above the navigation channel which runs under the third span from the west bank; this span is a swing span and was used to permit passage of river vessels with a higher air draught. The swing span was last operated in 1976 to permit the passage of barges upriver carrying construction equipment for the Westmorland Street Bridge
project.
"Western Extension" project.
The E&NA "Western Extension" was building the line connecting St. Croix, New Brunswick
with an existing E&NA line from Saint John
to Shediac. Initial surveys of the line east from the International Boundary at Vanceboro
-St. Croix had proposed a route due east from what would become Harvey Station to the Saint John River near Kingsclear
, passing through the west end of Fredericton and crossing to the east bank of the river before continuing along the southern shore Grand Lake
to connect with the Saint John-Shediac line at Salisbury
. This project became such a certainty by the mid-1860s that the city of Fredericton actually moved its entire agricultural exhibition grounds (at great expense) from a location near the present-day York Street Railway Station
to the current location of the Fredericton Exhibition in order to accommodate this railway project.
Further E&NA surveys, along with significant lobbying from the city of Saint John, saw the "Western Extension" project altered to run from Saint John's west end, northwest to Harvey and then west to McAdam, thereby avoiding Fredericton by approximately 40 kilometres (24.9 mi). This line opened in 1869 and forced the construction of the Fredericton Branch Railway
to serve the capital city.
The dream of a railway bridge at Fredericton did not die with the failure of the Harvey-Fredericton-Salisbury route however. Local Fredericton industrialist Alexander Gibson
pursued construction of a railway from the village of Devon where the Nashwaak River
joined the Saint John River (and where Gibson had several mills), upriver to Hartland
, Grand Falls
and Edmundston. Surveys were commissioned in 1866 and he formed the New Brunswick Land and Railway Company in 1870. Construction from Devon to Newburg on the east bank of the river opposite Woodstock
took place from 1871-1873 and from Newburg to Edmundston from 1871-1878.
At the beginning of this ambitious scheme, Gibson incorporated the Fredericton & St. Mary's Bridge Co. in 1871 to construct a bridge across the Saint John River at Fredericton however the capital requirements for the NBL&RC saw the project put on hold for a decade.
The 1880s brought a period of massive ownership consolidation in the New Brunswick railway industry when Gibson's NBL&RC changed its name to the New Brunswick Railway
(NBR). In 1878, the NBL&RC had acquired the Aroostook Valley Railway, followed by the New Brunswick and Canada Railway in 1882, the E&NA's "Western Extension" along with the Fredericton Branch Railway in 1883. Within 5 years, the NBR controlled every railway in western New Brunswick.
Gibson and his partners began construction on the Northern and Western Railway in 1884 and built the line from Devon up the Nashwaak River valley and then the Southwest Miramichi River
valley to the Gulf of St. Lawrence port at Loggieville
. As part of this project, Gibson again proposed to build a railway bridge over the Saint John River and in 1885, he incorporated the Fredericton and St. Mary's Railway Bridge Co.
Construction began in 1887 with the laying of the first foundation stone, assisted by Prime Minister of Canada
, Sir John A. Macdonald
and his wife Lady Macdonald. The bridge was operational in 1889 and was a subsidiary company to the Northern and Western Railway.
On July 1, 1890, the Canadian Pacific Railway
obtained control of the NBR with a lease for 999 years. The CPR obtained trackage rights over Gibson's railway bridge to connect its line to Fredericton with the line from Devon to Woodstock.
The Northern and Western Railway was renamed to the Canada Eastern Railway
in 1890 and was purchased in 1904 by a federal Crown corporation the Intercolonial Railway (ICR) to give the railway access to the provincial capital. The ICR operated the line from Fredericton to the Miramichi River valley as well as the Fredericton railway bridge. The ICR was merged into the Canadian National Railways (CNR) in 1918.
The original bridge was heavily damaged by ice and flood waters in the spring freshet
of March 1935. CNR replaced it with the current structure which was officially opened by federal Minister of Transport
, the Honourable C. D. Howe
, on August 6, 1936. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of local citizens to celebrate the restoration of rail service across the river which had been severed 17 months earlier.
Rail traffic in Fredericton declined during the post-war
era as new highways were opened and shippers converted to trucks. The decline in traffic resulted in a decline in service which was apparent by the 1980s. Railway deregulation
in the late 1980s and early 1990s saw CPR's Canadian Atlantic Railway
subsidiary abandon freight service through Fredericton, including its trackage rights on CN over this bridge in November 1993. CN abandoned its Nashwaak Subdivision, including the Fredericton Railway Bridge, in 1995 however an emergency shipment of coal
to the heating plant at CFB Gagetown
was authorized over the track as the final freight train through Fredericton in March 1996.
; this conversion to pedestrian and cycling use saw the bridge deck planked over and safety guardrails installed. Today the bridge is a popular part of the Sentier NB Trail and is a component of the Trans Canada Trail
.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
It crosses the Saint John River from the east end of Fredericton's central business district on the west bank of the river to the former community of South Devon (amagalgamated into Fredericton since the late 1940s) on the east bank.
Since 1997, it has been used as a pedestrian bridge and is part of the Sentier NB Trail system and also part of the Trans Canada Trail
Trans Canada Trail
The Trans Canada Trail is a proposed corridor in Canada. The creation of the trail was announced as part of Canada's 125th anniversary celebrations in 1992. It is expected that when complete, it will be the longest recreational trail in the world...
. Fredericton markets it as the "world's longest walking bridge."
Structure
The bridge consists of 9 spans crossing a distance of 581 metres (1,906.2 ft) over water and was constructed in 1936. It is a through trussTruss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
design built entirely of steel and sits upon 8 concrete piers in the water and 2 concrete abutments, 1 on each bank.
The bridge has a vertical clearance of 7.6 metre for vessels above the navigation channel which runs under the third span from the west bank; this span is a swing span and was used to permit passage of river vessels with a higher air draught. The swing span was last operated in 1976 to permit the passage of barges upriver carrying construction equipment for the Westmorland Street Bridge
Westmorland Street Bridge
The Westmorland Street Bridge is a bridge crossing the Saint John River in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.-Structure:Opened in 1981, the Westmorland Street Bridge is an extension of Westmorland Street in Fredericton's central business district and connects with Route 105 in Nashwaaksis, a...
project.
History
A railway bridge had been proposed in the Fredericton area since the 1860s after an initial survey by the European and North American RailwayEuropean and North American Railway
The European and North American Railway is the name for three historic Canadian and American railways which were built in New Brunswick and Maine....
"Western Extension" project.
The E&NA "Western Extension" was building the line connecting St. Croix, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
with an existing E&NA line from Saint John
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
to Shediac. Initial surveys of the line east from the International Boundary at Vanceboro
Vanceboro, Maine
Vanceboro is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States. The town was named after landowner William Vance. The town is located at the eastern terminus of Maine State Route 6. Vanceboro is across the St. Croix River from St. Croix, New Brunswick, Canada, to which it is connected by the Saint...
-St. Croix had proposed a route due east from what would become Harvey Station to the Saint John River near Kingsclear
Kingsclear, New Brunswick
Kingsclear is a Canadian rural community in York County, New Brunswick.Located on the west bank of the Saint John River, 20 kilometres west of the city of Fredericton and opposite Keswick Ridge, the community includes several cottage areas along the Mactaquac Headpond and a residential subdivision...
, passing through the west end of Fredericton and crossing to the east bank of the river before continuing along the southern shore Grand Lake
Grand Lake (New Brunswick)
Grand Lake is a lake in central New Brunswick, Canada, approximately 40 kilometres east of Fredericton; and the province's largest freshwater lake...
to connect with the Saint John-Shediac line at Salisbury
Salisbury, New Brunswick
Salisbury, New Brunswick is a Canadian village located in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.The village's population meets the requirements for "town" status under the Municipalities Act of the Province of New Brunswick; however, its municipal status has not been changed.-History:Salisbury first...
. This project became such a certainty by the mid-1860s that the city of Fredericton actually moved its entire agricultural exhibition grounds (at great expense) from a location near the present-day York Street Railway Station
York Street railway station
The York Street Railway Station is a former Canadian Pacific Railway station located on York Street in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.The station opened in 1923 and is a brick structure with sandstone trim; it is distinguished by a tapestry brick patterning which is rare in Fredericton...
to the current location of the Fredericton Exhibition in order to accommodate this railway project.
Further E&NA surveys, along with significant lobbying from the city of Saint John, saw the "Western Extension" project altered to run from Saint John's west end, northwest to Harvey and then west to McAdam, thereby avoiding Fredericton by approximately 40 kilometres (24.9 mi). This line opened in 1869 and forced the construction of the Fredericton Branch Railway
Fredericton Branch Railway
The Fredericton Branch Railway is an historic Canadian railway that operated in New Brunswick.-Incorporation:The Fredericton Railway Company pre-dated Confederation and was incorporated in 1866 to build a railway line from the European and North American Railway's "Western Extension" at Hartt's...
to serve the capital city.
The dream of a railway bridge at Fredericton did not die with the failure of the Harvey-Fredericton-Salisbury route however. Local Fredericton industrialist Alexander Gibson
Alexander Gibson
Alexander Gibson may refer to:* Alexander Gibson , botanist and forester in India* Alexander Gibson , Scottish conductor and music director* Alexander Gibson , Canadian industrialist...
pursued construction of a railway from the village of Devon where the Nashwaak River
Nashwaak River
The Nashwaak River located in west-central New Brunswick, Canada; is a tributary of the Saint John River. It is 113 kilometres long. The river rises from Nashwaak Lake and flows south and east through uninhabited land and rapids to the village of Stanley...
joined the Saint John River (and where Gibson had several mills), upriver to Hartland
Hartland, New Brunswick
Hartland is a town in Carleton County, New Brunswick, Canada.Hartland is situated on the Saint John River in the central-western portion of the province in the agricultural heartland of Carleton County. It is the hometown of two of New Brunswick's premiers during the 20th century: Hugh John...
, Grand Falls
Grand Falls, New Brunswick
Grand Falls is a Canadian town located in Victoria County, New Brunswick.Situated on the Saint John River, the town derives its name from a waterfall created by a series of rock ledges over which the river drops 23 metres.-Geography:Grand Falls is located in the valley of the St...
and Edmundston. Surveys were commissioned in 1866 and he formed the New Brunswick Land and Railway Company in 1870. Construction from Devon to Newburg on the east bank of the river opposite Woodstock
Woodstock, New Brunswick
Woodstock is a Canadian town in Carleton County, New Brunswick located on the west bank of the Saint John River at the mouth of the Meduxnekeag River, 92 km west of Fredericton and close to the Canada – United States border and Houlton, Maine.- History :Woodstock was settled by Loyalists...
took place from 1871-1873 and from Newburg to Edmundston from 1871-1878.
At the beginning of this ambitious scheme, Gibson incorporated the Fredericton & St. Mary's Bridge Co. in 1871 to construct a bridge across the Saint John River at Fredericton however the capital requirements for the NBL&RC saw the project put on hold for a decade.
The 1880s brought a period of massive ownership consolidation in the New Brunswick railway industry when Gibson's NBL&RC changed its name to the New Brunswick Railway
New Brunswick Railway
The New Brunswick Railway was a historic Canadian railway operating in western New Brunswick. Its headquarters were in Woodstock.The original NBR lines were built to the narrow gauge of...
(NBR). In 1878, the NBL&RC had acquired the Aroostook Valley Railway, followed by the New Brunswick and Canada Railway in 1882, the E&NA's "Western Extension" along with the Fredericton Branch Railway in 1883. Within 5 years, the NBR controlled every railway in western New Brunswick.
Gibson and his partners began construction on the Northern and Western Railway in 1884 and built the line from Devon up the Nashwaak River valley and then the Southwest Miramichi River
Southwest Miramichi River
The Southwest Miramichi River is a Canadian river in New Brunswick.The river has its origin in Carleton County, at Miramichi Lake in the Miramichi Highlands . Its two branches join near the village of Juniper, NB...
valley to the Gulf of St. Lawrence port at Loggieville
Loggieville, New Brunswick
Loggieville is a Canadian suburban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick. The community is located at the mouth of the Miramichi River on the southern bank where the river estuary discharges into the bay...
. As part of this project, Gibson again proposed to build a railway bridge over the Saint John River and in 1885, he incorporated the Fredericton and St. Mary's Railway Bridge Co.
Construction began in 1887 with the laying of the first foundation stone, assisted by Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
, Sir John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
and his wife Lady Macdonald. The bridge was operational in 1889 and was a subsidiary company to the Northern and Western Railway.
On July 1, 1890, the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
obtained control of the NBR with a lease for 999 years. The CPR obtained trackage rights over Gibson's railway bridge to connect its line to Fredericton with the line from Devon to Woodstock.
The Northern and Western Railway was renamed to the Canada Eastern Railway
Canada Eastern Railway
The Canada Eastern Railway, originally known as the Northern and Western Railway, was a railway line operating in New Brunswick, Canada, running from Loggieville , to Devon . The line linked various communities along the Nashwaak and Southwest Miramichi River valleys.A joint venture of...
in 1890 and was purchased in 1904 by a federal Crown corporation the Intercolonial Railway (ICR) to give the railway access to the provincial capital. The ICR operated the line from Fredericton to the Miramichi River valley as well as the Fredericton railway bridge. The ICR was merged into the Canadian National Railways (CNR) in 1918.
The original bridge was heavily damaged by ice and flood waters in the spring freshet
Freshet
A freshet can refer to one of two things:* A flood resulting from heavy rain or a spring thaw. Whereas heavy rain often causes a flash flood, a spring thaw event is generally a more incremental process, depending upon local climate and topography...
of March 1935. CNR replaced it with the current structure which was officially opened by federal Minister of Transport
Minister of Transport (Canada)
The Minister of Transport is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's transportation regulatory and development department, Transport Canada...
, the Honourable C. D. Howe
C. D. Howe
Clarence Decatur Howe, PC , generally known as C. D. Howe, was a powerful Canadian Cabinet minister of the Liberal Party. Howe served in the governments of Prime Ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King and Louis St. Laurent continuously from 1935 to 1957...
, on August 6, 1936. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of local citizens to celebrate the restoration of rail service across the river which had been severed 17 months earlier.
Rail traffic in Fredericton declined during the post-war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era as new highways were opened and shippers converted to trucks. The decline in traffic resulted in a decline in service which was apparent by the 1980s. Railway deregulation
Deregulation
Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or...
in the late 1980s and early 1990s saw CPR's Canadian Atlantic Railway
Canadian Atlantic Railway
The Canadian Atlantic Railway is a historic Canadian and U.S. railway that existed from 1988 to 1994.The CAR was created in September 1988 as a business unit of CP Rail System to serve the Maritime Provinces and state of Maine...
subsidiary abandon freight service through Fredericton, including its trackage rights on CN over this bridge in November 1993. CN abandoned its Nashwaak Subdivision, including the Fredericton Railway Bridge, in 1995 however an emergency shipment of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
to the heating plant at CFB Gagetown
CFB Gagetown
Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, referred to as CFB Gagetown is a large Canadian Forces Base located in southwestern New Brunswick.- Construction of the base :...
was authorized over the track as the final freight train through Fredericton in March 1996.
Rail trail
CN transferred ownership of its properties, including the bridge to the provincial government and the structure was converted to a pedestrian and cycling bridge using federal and provincial government funding as a "millennium project" for use as a recreational rail trailRail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
; this conversion to pedestrian and cycling use saw the bridge deck planked over and safety guardrails installed. Today the bridge is a popular part of the Sentier NB Trail and is a component of the Trans Canada Trail
Trans Canada Trail
The Trans Canada Trail is a proposed corridor in Canada. The creation of the trail was announced as part of Canada's 125th anniversary celebrations in 1992. It is expected that when complete, it will be the longest recreational trail in the world...
.