New Westminster Bridge: Difference between revisions

New Westminster Bridge
New Westminster Bridge
Coordinates	49°12′29″N 122°53′39″W / 49.208167°N 122.894204°W
Carries	1 railway track
Crosses	Fraser River
Locale	New Westminster ; Surrey
Owner	Government of Canada
Maintained by	Canadian National Railway
Characteristics
Design	Swing bridge
Rail characteristics
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Electrified	No
History
Opened	1904
Location

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The New Westminster Bridge (also known as the New Westminster Rail Bridge (NSRW)^[1] or the Fraser River Swing Bridge) is a swing bridge that crosses the Fraser River and connects New Westminster with Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

The bridge is owned by the Government of Canada, operated and maintained by the Canadian National Railway, with the Southern Railway of British Columbia (SRY), Canadian Pacific Railway, and BNSF Railway having track usage rights,^[1] as do Amtrak's Cascades (with service to Portland and Seattle) and Via Rail's The Canadian (with service to Toronto).

History

The New Westminster Bridge was constructed in 1904 and was originally built with two decks. The lower deck was used for rail traffic while the upper deck was used for automobile traffic.

Crossing the river prior to the construction of the New Westminster Bridge required using the K de K ferry^[2] which would dock at the present day neighbourhood of South Westminster (formerly the historic community of Brownsville) located in the city of Surrey.

The toll for the upper bridge was 25 cents^{[citation needed]} and created quite an uproar for farmers who found out quickly that by taking their livestock across on foot would cost them a quarter a head but if they put them in a truck it cost a quarter for the whole load.

The bridge was the preferred method of transport across the Fraser until the opening of the Pattullo Bridge in 1937. The upper deck was removed and the bridge was converted exclusively for rail use. On May 29, 1982, a significant fire broke out on the New Westminster Bridge.^[3] On 28 November 1987, a barge struck the bridge. The resulting legal action of Canadian National Railway Co. v. Norsk Pacific Steamship Co. became a leading Supreme Court of Canada decision.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b "Greater Vancouver Gateway Council - Lower Mainland Rail Infrastructure Study" (PDF). City of Vancouver. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
^ "Bo P275 - ["K de K" steam ferry on the Fraser River]". City of Vancouver. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
^ "New Westminster Bridge fire with tugboats attending". City of New Westminster. May 29, 1982. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
^ "Case summary". www.taylorfrancis.com.

External links

Media related to New Westminster Bridge at Wikimedia Commons
Archival photos of the bridge from the New Westminster Public Library

This article about a specific bridge in Canada is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

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[:0-1] "Greater Vancouver Gateway Council - Lower Mainland Rail Infrastructure Study" (PDF). City of Vancouver. Retrieved March 10, 2016.

[2] "Bo P275 - ["K de K" steam ferry on the Fraser River]". City of Vancouver. Retrieved November 27, 2017.

[3] "New Westminster Bridge fire with tugboats attending". City of New Westminster. May 29, 1982. Retrieved December 27, 2019.

[4] "Case summary". www.taylorfrancis.com.

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 The toll for the upper bridge was 25 cents{{Citation needed|date=November 2017}} and created quite an uproar for farmers who found out quickly that by taking their livestock across on foot would cost them a quarter a head but if they put them in a truck it cost a quarter for the whole load.
-The bridge was the preferred method of transport across the Fraser until the opening of the [[Pattullo Bridge]] in 1937. The upper deck was removed and the bridge was converted exclusively for rail use. On May 29, 1982, a significant fire broke out on the New Westminster Bridge.<ref>{{cite web |title=New Westminster Bridge fire with tugboats attending |url=http://archives.newwestcity.ca/results.aspx?AC=NEXT_RECORD&XC=/Results.aspx&BU=http%3A%2F%2Farchives.newwestcity.ca%2Fsearch.aspx&GI=&TN=internet&SN=AUTO5562&SE=879&RN=66&MR=100&TR=0&TX=1000&ES=0&XP=&RF=WebStartDate&EF=&DF=WebFull&RL=0&EL=0&DL=0&NP=255&ID=&MF=GENERICENGWPMSG.INI&DT=&ST=0&IR=1243&NR=0&NB=0&SV=0&SS=0&BG=&FG=&QS= |date=May 29, 1982 |publisher=City of New Westminster |accessdate=December 27, 2019}}</ref>
+The bridge was the preferred method of transport across the Fraser until the opening of the [[Pattullo Bridge]] in 1937. The upper deck was removed and the bridge was converted exclusively for rail use. On May 29, 1982, a significant fire broke out on the New Westminster Bridge.<ref>{{cite web |title=New Westminster Bridge fire with tugboats attending |url=http://archives.newwestcity.ca/results.aspx?AC=NEXT_RECORD&XC=/Results.aspx&BU=http%3A%2F%2Farchives.newwestcity.ca%2Fsearch.aspx&GI=&TN=internet&SN=AUTO5562&SE=879&RN=66&MR=100&TR=0&TX=1000&ES=0&XP=&RF=WebStartDate&EF=&DF=WebFull&RL=0&EL=0&DL=0&NP=255&ID=&MF=GENERICENGWPMSG.INI&DT=&ST=0&IR=1243&NR=0&NB=0&SV=0&SS=0&BG=&FG=&QS= |date=May 29, 1982 |publisher=City of New Westminster |accessdate=December 27, 2019}}</ref> On 28 November 1987, a barge struck the bridge. The resulting legal action of  [[Canadian National Railway Co. v. Norsk Pacific Steamship Co.]] became a leading [[Supreme Court of Canada]] decision.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781843145790/chapters/10.4324/9781843145790-45 |title =Case summary |website=www.taylorfrancis.com}}</ref>
 ==See also==