Abandoned Train Trestle

Massive wood beams and what must be a million bolts make up this imposing structure, an abandoned train trestle found along a branchline closed decades ago. This is a former Canadian Pacific property in Northern Alberta, put in during the 1920s and witness to its last train in the early 2000s. Or thereabouts – one report says says 2001, another 2003 and yet another 2006-ish. Either way, it’s been a while.

In spite of being out of service for decades, and of course seeing no maintenance in that time, the bridge seems solid and straight. Below one can see some odd metal beams poking out of the ground and these are in fact old lengths of track, put in upstream to help protect it from ice build up or debris. The railway’s are a frugal bunch and kings of recycling.

Railway archaeology is our thing, so we’re always on the hunt for stuff like this when taking roadtrips. There’s so many old trackbeds, a literal spider web criss-crossing the Canadian Plains, that we’ll never run out of options. Old bridges, like the one seen here, are particularly a favourite. Here’s something once so important and now just a strange curiosity spanning this remote valley.

Random RR Archaeology…
Railway Grave (Revisited) and Planned Railway Line Empress Alberta.

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Date of adventure: September, 2020.
Location: Some Backroad, AB.

This abandoned train trestle.

Old rails protect the structure from ice and debris.