Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge is a 100 ft (30.5 m) long railway
bridge crossing the St. Croix River
from St. Croix, New Brunswick
, Canada
to Vanceboro
, Maine
, United States
. A deck truss design, it is owned and operated by the New Brunswick Southern Railway
.
and Governor General of Canada
Lord Lisgar
on the completion of the European and North American Railway
(E&NA) between Bangor
, Maine and Saint John
, New Brunswick.
Railway bridges at this location endured divided ownership from 1871 until 1974. The New Brunswick portion of the E&NA was reorganized as the Western Extension and later folded into the New Brunswick Railway
. The Maine portion of the E&NA was leased to the Maine Central Railroad
in 1882. In 1889, MEC granted operating rights over its tracks, Mattawamkeag to Vanceboro, to the Canadian Pacific Railway
. In 1955, MEC purchased the E&NA from its shareholders and in 1974 sold the "joint" line, including its portion of the Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge, to the CPR. On January 1, 1995, the CPR sold the line to the New Brunswick Southern Railway
.
The through truss bridge was replaced with the current deck truss design in the mid-20th century.
across the then-neutral United States territory.
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
bridge crossing the St. Croix River
St. Croix River (Maine-New Brunswick)
The St. Croix River is a river in northeastern North America, in length, that forms part of the Canada – United States border between Maine and New Brunswick . The river rises in the Chiputneticook Lakes and flows south and southeast, between Calais and St. Stephen...
from 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...
, 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...
to 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...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A deck truss design, it is owned and operated by the New Brunswick Southern Railway
New Brunswick Southern Railway
The New Brunswick Southern Railway and Eastern Maine Railway form a 189-mile railway system operating a former Canadian Pacific Railway mainline between Saint John, New Brunswick and Brownville Junction, Maine....
.
History
The first railway bridge over the St. Croix River at this location was opened in October 1871 by U.S. President Ulysses S. GrantUlysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
and Governor General of Canada
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
Lord Lisgar
John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar
John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar, Bt, GCB, GCMG, PC was the second Governor General of Canada, in office from 1869 to 1872.-Biography:...
on the completion of the European and North American Railway
European 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....
(E&NA) between Bangor
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
, Maine and 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...
, New Brunswick.
Railway bridges at this location endured divided ownership from 1871 until 1974. The New Brunswick portion of the E&NA was reorganized as the Western Extension and later folded into 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...
. The Maine portion of the E&NA was leased to the Maine Central Railroad
Maine Central Railroad
The Maine Central Railroad Company was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated a mainline between South Portland, Maine, east to the Canada-U.S...
in 1882. In 1889, MEC granted operating rights over its tracks, Mattawamkeag to Vanceboro, to 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...
. In 1955, MEC purchased the E&NA from its shareholders and in 1974 sold the "joint" line, including its portion of the Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge, to the CPR. On January 1, 1995, the CPR sold the line to the New Brunswick Southern Railway
New Brunswick Southern Railway
The New Brunswick Southern Railway and Eastern Maine Railway form a 189-mile railway system operating a former Canadian Pacific Railway mainline between Saint John, New Brunswick and Brownville Junction, Maine....
.
The through truss bridge was replaced with the current deck truss design in the mid-20th century.
1915 sabotage attempt
On February 2, 1915, Lt. Werner Horn, a German army reservist, bombed the international railway bridge crossing the St. Croix River from Vanceboro into Canada in an unsuccessful attempt to sabotage the CPR line across Maine; it was alleged that the railway was being used to transport materielMateriel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
across the then-neutral United States territory.