The ERRS is having some very important maintenance done on the High Level Bridge this week. PNR railworks is replacing almost 100 Bridge Timbers. In honour of the last of the original 1913 Bridge Timbers coming off the High Level Bridge, here’s some photos of the Bridge, and a bit of history.
The High level Bridge opened in phases during the second half of 1913, after 3 years of construction. As originally built, the lower deck featured two driving lanes and sidewalks on each side; the top deck featured a streetcar track on each side, and a heavily-built track in the middle for CPR’s trains running into downtown. This middle track is what the streetcar runs on today.
Nowadays we have qualified contractors maintain our infrastructure, but money was tight in the 90’s when we were getting on to the bridge. A major task was stringing new overhead wires on the original 1913 poles. The penultimate photo shows our crew at work on the bridge, using a zoom boom driven on the ties across the top of the bridge to access the poles. At the time, the "Great Divide" waterfall was still active. It put out enough spray to soak our guys working on the top of the bridge!
The ‘rail ties’ (actually called Bridge Timbers) on the High Level Bridge are special. The timber support the rails; there’s no structure directly beneath the tracks. The timbers bridge the ~10’ gap between the beams of the upper deck, carrying the streetcar tracks down the middle of the bridge. This is how all 3 original tracks on the bridge were built; in fact, some of the ties on the High Level Bridge are original, dating to 1913. The last of these will be replaced this month, before they deteriorate.
The bridge timbers on the High Level bridge are massive 10”x15” solid timbers treated to survive the harsh extremes of Edmonton's prairie climate. The timbers are not attached to the bridge individually; they are bolted together into frames, supporting short lengths of track. These frames are attached as units to the bridge. To replace an individual timber, the whole frame must be detached, the bad timber removed, new one attached, and the whole frame reinstalled on the bridge. This very labour-intensive task was originally performed by ERRS volunteers, but we were quick to contract it out once we could afford to do so!
Another interesting thing in these photos is the guard rail—the second set of rails inside the running rails. These rails do not carry any weight, but are there to catch our wheels in the event of a derailment, preventing a streetcar from fully derailing. These rails are a common and effective safety feature on tracks that curve or cross bridges. The guard rails on the High level bridge are old stock from CPR’s ownership; much of it was originally manufactured in 1913, although installed on the bridge much later.
Approximately between April 26 and May 7 (look out for signage with exact timing), PNR is replacing almost 100 ties on the High Level Bridge, with work happening overnight. This will take the last of the aging original (1913!) ties off the bridge, and replace them with new wooden ties with an expected lifespan of over 50 years, at a cost of $340,000. If you want to help us in this project, you can donate via our website; or come take a ride. Service on our High Level Bridge line starts on May 17, and continues until Thanksgiving Monday!
The two historic colour photos of streetcars crossing the High Level Bridge were generously shared with us by the Seashore Trolley Museum, and taken by Foster Palmer in 1949-1950.
