Ontario Abandoned Places will be rebranded as Ominous Abandoned Places

Bowman Creek Rail Bridge

Abandoned Railway in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

Jun 13 2014

 |  2078
 |  0
Recent status Abandoned
Location # 10552

Aka Blair Ditch Project.

This rail bridge is a very rare survivor and was built around 1850[ rail line on 1880 maps already]. It was used as a rail bridge as the old maps suggest. It's stone construction would suggest it's much older but supplies were scarce. This stone arch bridge was extremely time consuming and needed skilled workers to build.

Cement was used more as less skill was needed and was faster and so less of the stone bridges were built. The 'Quick Slab' bridge on Blair road now[in background of some pics] is like that. This rail line originated in Berlin off the Grand Trunk Rail line going south through German Mills, Doon and through Blair.

The now Morningside Drive and part of Blair Road now, were part of this rail line. It is very steep to the top on each side[ like a rail line] and very narrow strip on top as well , just wide enough for...... a train[ and electric trains were narrower].

The top of the bridge is/was too narrow for two way traffic and there were no roads here, in this direction, on the old maps anyway. Then after the electric track was done they then used parts of this abandoned rail for roads that were now built. This bridge will eventually crumble and be lost without maintenance. Early settlement here was around 1800. Around 1858 the name Blair was chosen but it had many names before.

It started out as Shinglebridge for the covered bridge over the grand in 1835. It looks like it crossed at the end of Old Mill Road. Lamb's Bridge , Durham and Durhamville were other names before Blair. This bridge is over Bowman Creek and Bowman owned most of the town at the time. Old, fragile, no graffiti, hidden, FM ! The creek goes east /west putting the rail line north/south as it was.

Comments

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9 years ago

Thanks RM ,Phrenzee [ nice winter shots] . No Doom that map is it, . There was only one road into BLair east of this rail line, in this direction, in 1880. The creek goes east /west putting the rail line north/south as it was.

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9 years ago

There were no roads close to the river, just rail line back in 1880 [according to the old maps]and was a narrower electric train and tracks. The roads came much later and mostly from these tracks. The embankment is steep and hard packed as well. Arch bridges are strong forcing it together. Put new and old maps together the rail line fits and no roads near it. Add your pics Doom, any winter ones?

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9 years ago

1881 map still has me guessing...it appears the rail line ran between Blair Road and the river at that time. This bridge is on the other side of Blair Road. Do you have any sites that gives more detail to this history? Hmmm...

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9 years ago

Have shot this many times and looked for history many times also. Wasn't aware it was a rail bridge. Doesn't seem like it ever would have been formidable enough for that. It's pretty small. And it's pretty much on the way to being collapsed now.

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9 years ago

Nice find!