1910 CP Montrose Bridge over Welland River

(Satellite)

Street View, Jun 2023

R.S. Douglas posted five photos with the comment: "The Montrose swing bridge on the Welland River. It's the one that's visible from the QEW."

[ I got the above street view from the QEW.]

Peter Klevan: Four questions: Why the swing bridge at this location? Was there navigational traffic on the river at this point? I know the bridge is no longer operational but is the rail line still in use? Is the bridge similar in design to the one in nearby Welland?

Karen Limardi: Peter Klevan the first Welland Canal traversed this route from the Niagara River to Allanburg. I do not believe the rail line is still in use here. It's very similar to the swing bridge over the old Third Canal in back of GM in Thorold near the golf course.

Dougie Jay: Karen Limardi .. the rail line is still in use. The CP Montrose Yard (at the end of Drummond Road) is still active, the rail line goes to the Norton Plant in Chippawa. The former Michigan Central Line ends just south of Mount Carmel, that's where the trains go then switch onto the Chippawa line.

[Dougie provided several railfan photos of action on this line in the comments.]

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Cathy Conlon commented on Douglas' post, cropped
Just went under it yesterday!

John Dahl posted seven photos with the comment: "Checking out the Montrose Swing Bridge, built in 1910 for the Canada Southern Railway and now only used occasionally by nearby industry. The last time it actually rotated was in the 1930s."

Bruce Maxwell: Way back in the Stand-By-Me days of my childhood, there was a missing railroad tie in the middle of the bridge that we squeezed between and dropped down through the bridge gears to the foundation, where we would sit for hours with our fishing lines in. One day, we popped back out through the hole and suddenly interrupted a photographer and his model, who was sitting on the edge of the bridge in nothing but a seethru bra and panties lingerie combo. He quickly wrapped his jacket around her and the two of them glared at all four of us as we made our way out of the hole and walked up the tracks. Memories!

Jarett Owen: The amount of times I’ve jumped off the top of this bridge is crazy. Easily 40ft drop. Just gotta make sure to jump far enough to the right since where the foundation is it’s only about 3ft deep 😄😄