Mission BC Railway Bridge

Over the Labour Day long weekend, I went to help Wayne retrieve his kayak after a three day solo paddle down the Fraser River. The boat ramp we used is right next to the Mission BC Railway Bridge. While we were unloading his camping gear, a freight train with a Canadian Northern engine crossed the Fraser River on it's way eastbound.

The original bridge was built in 1891, and was the only railway crossing over the Fraser in the lower mainland until 1904. In the beginning, it shared it's span with car traffic traveling between Abbotsford and Mission. A parallel car bridge was subsequently built to reduce the lengthy waits that could occur for automobile passangers.

A bridge tender mans a central swing span 24/7 to allow tall boats, tugs, barges and ships to pass the bridge on their way up and down the Fraser River. Fortunately, Wayne didn't need that service. -- Margy