Sunday, May 19, 2013
Interesting Train Bridges
One of out main bridges in Montreal has been in the news for the last 6 months. It's the Champlain Bridge, named after the French explorer Samuel de Champlain. The bridge is about 55 years old, and our federal government has decided, along with Montreal, and Quebec Province, that it needs to be replaced for safety reasons. So that's how today's post came to be. Also, I pass under magnificent bridge called the Gendron Bridge whenever I cycle along the Lachine Canal. THGe Gendron Bridge is called a Pescule bridge. That's a bridge that can rise, and the Gendron bridge used to. It has huge concrete weights that would act as counterweights when the bridge would rise for ship traffic along the Lachine Canal. The bridge was built in 1913, but in 1958 the Lachine Canal stopped being used for river traffic.
The Lachine Canal had been successfully created in the 1820's after having been attempted many times before. The canal was created to help smooth the route of ships through the Lachine Rapids.
Basically, the canal has a series of closed portions, that allow a ship to rise about 50 feet from the beginning to end. Currently the canal is used as a tourist attraction, as well as allowing private craft to pass through it.
A part of the Lachine Canal close to Lake Saint Louis.
The canal is about 14 KM or 8.5 mils in length. It's main use now is for tourism and cyclists. The City of Montreal has become renowned for having an excellent system of safe cycling paths around the city.
A photo illustrating the height differences in the locks.
THe height variation between Lake Saint Louis and the final downtown Montreal area is about 50 feet. AS a result, a series of "locks" had to be built in order to elevate the canal for ships to move from the lowest to highest elevation.
As the wooden locks are opened, a ship can move to its' next elevation as the heights will be equalized. Right now, the photo above shows you how much different the 2 sides of the canal are in height.
On the left, you can see 5 rows of huge blocks of cut rocks, while on the right you can see 8 rows!
Here's a sample photograph of the Lachine Canal.
The bicycle path is to your left, and the canal is to your right. When I go out for a ride, I take about 2 hours and cycle about 40-45 KM. Certainly not the fastest, but it at least keeps me in "somewhat" of a good shape for being almost 65.
The cycling pathway is mostly for cyclists, although the occasional pedestrians, their leashed doges, skateboarders, and some low horsepower and electric skooters are permitted to use it. The best thing about the pathway, is that there are no cars!
I took the above photos early this morning. I hadn't use my camera in a while, and completely forgot how to use it in the manual mode for exposure. And to make matters worse, I didn't have the instruction manual that I normally carry with me all the time!
This once beautiful Pescule bridge is no longer in use. However, I still marvel at it's great engineering every time I pass under it when I cycle in the summer. It's the 100th birthday of this once-great functioning bridge, and may she - the Gendron Bridge, be around for another 100 years!
Thanks for dropping by,
and have a great restful Sunday,
wherever you may be.
Stacey
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