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Bear River Bridge
Bear River Bridge
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Mile 12.86 on the Yarmouth Subdivision. Just east of the Bear River station.
At 1640 feet in length, this was the largest bridge on the DAR, and the second longest bridge in Nova Scotia.[1] It crossed the wide tidal mouth of the Bear River.
This bridge, along with the Clementsport Bridge and The Joggins Bridge, were the key challenges in the "missing link" between the Annapolis Royal and Digby and required an investment of over $600,000 by the federal government to complete. The first bridge to carry the railway across the river was a wooden trestle and trusswork bridge. It included a large swing span on the far west end of the bridge to allow sailing vessels passage to the busy timber wharves in the village of Bear River several miles upriver. with a swing span that was completed in 1891. One worker died during its construction after a fall from the bridge.[2] Regular service across the bridge began on July 27, 1891 with trains of the Western Counties Railway using the bridge to connect to the Windsor & Annapolis Railway at Annapolis Royal. The Dominion Atlantic Railway took over the bridge in 1894 after the WCR and the WAR merged to create the new company.
The second railway bridge at Bear River was built in 1913, part of the upgrades to the DAR made by the Canadian Pacific Railway after it purchased by the DAR in 1912. The new bridge was built slightly to the north of the first bridge.[3] and [4] The new bridge was built of steel spans, several which were recycled from older bridges elsewhere on the CPR system and again included a swing span on the west end. The work was led by the DAR's new Bridge Engineer, George Gray Hare.
The bridge was abandoned in 1990 and demolished in 2012. It was documented before the demolition in 2010 by the archaeological firm Davis MacIntyre & Associates.[5]
Specifications
Structure: 1640 feet long in its final configuration[6], it included from east to west:
- One 39-foot Deck Plate Girder Span
- Six 100-foot Deck Plate Girder spans
- Three 156 feet 9¼ inches Deck Truss spans
- One 144 feet 6 inches Deck Truss Swing span
- One 156 feet 9¼ inches Deck Truss span
- One 103 feet 3 inches Deck Plate Girder span
- One 50 feet 1 inch Deck Plate Girder span.
(Span lengths taken from a 1918 profile drawing at File:YA-13.62 Bear River.jpg.)
A hidden feature on the swing bridge were the underwater wooden pilings driven on both sides of the approach to protect the swing span piers from collision damage.
A 32 foot "pepperpot" wooden lighthouse was built beside the west end of the bridge in 1905.[7]
The Clarke Brothers Pulp Mill was built on the east end of the bridge in 1919 but went out of business in 1923. The mill's brick and concrete structure was used for other purposes and remained beside the tracks until the late 1980s.
Wooden Pile and Truss Bridge 1890-1913
Bear River Bridge and adjacent scenes circa 1890s.
East end of bridge, circa 1890s
The Bear River railway bridge in the background, circa 1900, with the old highway bridge on left and the new highway bridge on right.
Photograph of the Flying Bluenose, Train No. 124 crossing the Bear River Bridge, circa 1906.
Colourized postcard of the Flying Bluenose, Train No. 124 crossing the Bear River Bridge, circa 1906.
Bear River Bridge showing movable span opened. Date unknown.
Bear River Bridge, looking east, 1906
Colourized postcard from the Nova Scotia Museum of the eastern end of the Bear River railway bridge.
Steel Plate Girder and Truss Bridge 1913-2012
Bear River Bridge Track Profile
Bear River bridge under construction.
Bear River bridge under construction.
Bear River bridge under construction.
Bear River bridge under construction.
Bear River bridge under construction.
Early view of new steel Bear River railway bridge and Victoria highway bridge, viewed from southwest.
Artist's rendering of Clarke Brothers Pulp Mill beside the Bear River Bridge, circa 1919.
A photographic postcard showing the eastbound Flying Bluenose passenger train crossing the Bear River Bridge, circa 1920.
Bear River Bridge with the Clarke Brothers Pulp Mill in background, Aug. 31, 1920.
A postcard of the Clarke Brothers Pulp Mill at Bear River soon after it opened, circa 1921.
"President's Special" crossing the Bear River Bridge with locomotive No. 537 and business cars "St. Andrew"; "Wentworth" and "Thorold", July 18, 1937.
Eastbound mixed train on the Bear River Bridge with refrigerator cars, circa winter 1937.
Train No. 95 pulled by Locomotive No. 2552 crossing the Bear River Bridge with the ruins of the Clarke Brothers Pulp Mill to left, circa 1950.
The Bear River Bridge with ruins of the Clarke Brothers Pulp Mill in the background, Dec. 1950.
Train No. 98 led by No. 2617 on the Bear River Bridge on July 3, 1954.
Train No. 98 on July 3, 1954.
Train No. 98 on July 3, 1954.
Train No. 98 led by No. 2617 on the Bear River Bridge approaching Bear River station on July 3, 1954.
Train No. 98 led by No. 2617 on the Bear River Bridge approaching Bear River station on July 3, 1954.
The second highway bridge in 1956 showing the swing span open for the passage of ships.
Dayliner No. 9059 crossing the Bear River Bridge eastward in August 1959.
Bear River Bridge, looking west, Summer 1960.
Bear River Bridge with highway bridge to the left and lighthouse to right, Summer 1960.
Bear River Bridge, looking west with the former Clarke Brothers Pulp Mill in foreground, Summer 1960.
Bridge in 1960s showing ruins of Clarke Brothers Pulp Mill.
Swing Bridge section at low tide cerca 1968.
Bear River Bridge with an RDC on it, Summer 1969.
Swing bridge over the Bear River at Bear River, NS August 5, 1973 with ruins of Clarke Brothers Pulp Mill.
Bear River Bridge from the cab of an RDC on June 13, 1979.
No. 1272 gently eases across the Bear River Bridge in the winter of 1988.
No. 1272 makes its way East across the Bear River Bridge in the winter of 1988.
No. 1271 leads an Eastbound freight across the Bear River Bridge in 1989.
A hi-railer makes its way east across the Bear River Bridge in the late 1980s.
The abandoned bridge in 2008 after line closure, taken from east end looking west -Hwy. 101 on the left.
Bear River Bridge, facing east on September 1, 2011.
Bear River Bridge, facing west on September 1, 2011.
Bear River Bridge, facing west on September 1, 2011.
Bear River Bridge west end of bridge on March 22, 2012.
Bear River Bridge on March 22, 2012.
Bear River Bridge on March 22, 2012.
Bear River Bridge on March 22, 2012.
Bear River Bridge on March 22, 2012.
Bear River Bridge on March 22, 2012.
Bear River Bridge facing east on March 22, 2012.
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References
- ↑ The Intercolonial Railway's Grand Narrows Bridge in Cape Breton at 1,700 feet was slightly longer. Vanessa Childs Rolls, "Building the Grand Narrows Bridge was No Simple Feat", Cape Breton Post, Saltwire Network, June 27, 2020
- ↑ Barry Moody, A History of Annapolis Royal: A Town with a Memory, Nimbus (2014), page 143.
- ↑ DOMINION ATLANTIC RAILWAY. PLAN SHOWING REVISION OF LINE AT BEAR RIVER BRIDGE, May 1, 1912. Item (linked). 71/5705 CA. RG2M 71/5705, Library and Archives Canada.
- ↑ DOMINION ATLANTIC RAILWAY. BEAR RIVER BRIDGE. MASONRY PLANS OF PIERS, Oct 24, 1913. RG2 71/5705, e010775547 Library and Archives Canada.
- ↑ "Digby & Annapolis County Rail Bridges", Past Projects, Davis MacIntyre & Associates Archaeological Consultants
- ↑ Memorandum of General Information on the Dominion Atlantic Railway, Feb. 17, 1969, page 16, Dominion Atlantic Railway, Library and Archives Canada HE2810 D7 D7 fol.
- ↑ List of Lights, Canadian Dept. of Transport, 1941, p. 39.
