After 7 laborious years of construction, much of it accomplished by men with shovels and picks, the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) arrived in Quesnel on July 30, 1921, accompanied by much pomp and circumstance. While a railway in the Cariboo was first envisioned in 1891, construction did not actually begin until 1914. The railway operated as the PGE until 1956, when it was renamed the British Columbia Railway. Quesnel remained the northern terminus of the PGE until 1952, when a bridge built across the Cottonwood River allowed the railway to be completed to Prince George. In 2004 the entire railway was leased by the Province of British Columbia to Canadian National Railway on a 999 year lease.
This bridge was built in 1962-64, 42 feet downstream of the original 1921 bridge. Work on piers and abutments was begun in late November of 1962 and completed in late April of 1963. After having to wait for water levels to fall sufficiently, work on the steel for the bridge commenced in mid August of 1963. Painting of the bridge took place in mid July of 1964 and completion was accomplished later in the same year. Demolition began of the old bridge began in late December. A couple of news items concerning the bridge's construction are below.
Standing on a couple of concrete piers in the Quesnel River and concrete abutments at its ends, it remains in constant use by the Canadian National Railway (CN), being on the CN mainline to the coast.
Start Made This Week On New Railway Bridge
Initial work on the construction of the new PGE railway bridge here was started this week and a small Vancouver Pile Driving and Construction Co, Ltd. crew is busy erecting an office and equipment storage sheds A crane and pile driver will be arriving from the coast tomorrow and two crews of bridgemen are expected in on Sunday.
A company spokesman states that local labor will be used to the greatest possible extent. Work presently under way is grading of the bridge approaches where the two abutments will eventually be located.
The new bridge will be located 42 feet downstream from the existing bridge. It will be supported by two concrete piers in the river and abutments on each shore, and will be 607 feet length.
Pile driving is expected to get under way by next Wednesday This will carry the falsework required for the pier construction.
Vancouver Pile Driving will be doing all the sub-structure work in preparation for the steel that will be going in next year.
From the Quesnel Cariboo Observer
Work on the concrete piers and abutments for the new PGE railway bridge here has been completed, and Vancouver Pile Driving Co. is now in the process of cleaning up excess material bebre leaving Quesnel.
Work on the bridge footings was started last fall and continued through the winter. Two heavy concrete piers have been constructed in the river bed and abutments have been put in at both the north and south approaches to the crossing.
Dominion Bridge has the contract for erecting tile steel and this is to get under way some time in June, most likely after the peak high water period has passed.
From the Quesnel Cariboo Observer