Peace River Bridge - Peace River, Alberta
Posted by: 
T0SHEA
N 56° 14.384 W 117° 18.007
11V E 481398 N 6232802
This truss bridge is the only railroad bridge across the Peace River for many miles. It is still in operation, now by Canadian National Railway. Until 1968 this was the only bridge across the Peace of any kind in this area.
Waymark Code: WMGAR5
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 02/06/2013
Views: 1
This 1,736 foot bridge was actually built by the Edmonton, Dunvegan & British Columbia Railway, with completion coming about in November of 1918. It consists of 11 spans, 2-70' deck plate girders, 2-80' deck plate girders, 6-200' deck trusses and 1-200' through truss.
As there was no road bridge at that time, it was built with wood deck planking to allow motor vehicles to pass over the bridge.
A little history from: (
visit link)
"The Canadian Northern Railway first proposed a line to "Peace River Crossing" in 1911. Not to be beaten to the prize and allow the competition into "his" territory, John Duncan McArthur (owner of the Edmonton, Dunvegan & British Columbia Railway and the Alberta & Great Waterways Railway), in 1913, sought and received a charter to build the "Central Canada Railway" from McLennan on the E.D. & B.C. to Peace River. Construction started right away but didn't proceed very quickly due to the fact that most of the energy and the few assets J.D. had were being concentrated on getting the E.D. & B.C. to British Columbia somehow (his overall plan was to connect Winnipeg to the Pacific on a northern route... a real visionary... but without enough money). The rails finally reached the Heart River Bridge in December of 1915 and, once the bridge was completed, regular service to the depot was initiated in May of 1916.
McArthur's plan to thwart his competitors worked and when the Canadian Northern saw he was serious about this endeavour they put their own plans to reach the Peace Country on the back burner. Meanwhile, financing for the Peace River Bridge was secured and initial groundwork started in January of 1917. The Canadian Bridge Company began construction of the bridge itself in May of 1918 and it was completed on November 8, 1918.
Now that he was across the river, construction could continue on the C.C.R. (the railway not the band!) with the goal of eventually reaching Fort St. John, B.C."