Last December, on our way back from a trip to Quebec City, Michael and I stopped in New Denmark, New Brunswick to check out the fascinating Salmon River Trestle Bridge. I snapped this photo:

This past weekend, just over a year later, we returned to the area to explore the abandoned Blue Bell Tunnel, and then popped back over to the trestle bridge, where I managed to get a few more snaps against a brilliant blue winter sky.

About the Bridge

The Salmon River Trestle Bridge, is a towering railway bridge spanning the Little Salmon River valley in New Brunswick, Canada. Construction began in 1910 and was completed in 1911. The bridge was designed by the National Transcontinental Railway to avoid steep grades while crossing the valley.

The trestle is a marvel of engineering, built using 6,346 tonnes of steel and employing a travelling crane system for construction. At the time of its completion, it was the second-largest railway bridge in Canada, a title it still holds today. The bridge’s imposing structure, with its multiple spans and significant height, has made it a landmark in the region.

The Salmon River Trestle continues to be an integral part of the Canadian National Railway’s Montreal-Halifax mainline, carrying freight and passenger trains across the valley. Its historical significance and engineering prowess make it a fascinating piece of Canadian railway history.

To learn more about the bridge, check out this CBC story: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-denmark-salmon-river-trestle-1.6551446