The Saint Croix–Vanceboro Railway Bridge is a Google Map showing aerial photo of Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge
/ref> railway bridge crossing the St. Croix River from St. Croix, New Brunswick, Canada, to Vanceboro, Maine, United States. A deck truss design, it is owned and operated by the New Brunswick Southern Railway.

Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge USGS

History

The first railway bridge over the St. Croix River at this location was opened in October 1871 by U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant and Governor General of Canada

Lord Lisgar John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar (31 August 1807 – 6 October 1876) was a British diplomat and politician. He served as Governor General of Canada (1869–72), Governor of New South Wales (1861–67) and as Chief Secretary for Ireland (1853–55). ...

on the completion of the European and North American Railway (E&NA) between

Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Penobscot County. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's 3rd-largest settlement, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121). Modern Bangor ...

, and Saint John, New Brunswick. Railway bridges at this location endured divided ownership from 1871 until 1974. The New Brunswick portion of the E&NA was reorganized as the Western Extension and later folded into the New Brunswick Railway. The Maine portion of the E&NA was leased to the Maine Central Railroad in 1882. In 1889, MEC granted operating rights over its tracks,

Mattawamkeag Mattawamkeag is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States, located where the Mattawamkeag River joins the Penobscot River. The population was 596 at the 2020 census. The village of Mattawamkeag is in the southwest part of the town. Railr ...

to Vanceboro, to the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

. In 1955, MEC purchased the E&NA from its shareholders and in 1974 sold the "joint" line, including its portion of the Saint Croix–Vanceboro Railway Bridge, to the CPR. On January 1, 1995, the CPR sold the line to the New Brunswick Southern Railway. The through truss bridge was replaced with the current deck truss design in the mid-20th century.

1915 sabotage attempt

On February 2, 1915, Lt.

Werner Horn The 1915 Vanceboro international bridge bombing was an attempt to destroy the Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge on February 2, 1915, by Imperial German spies. This international bridge crossed the St. Croix River between the border hamlets of ...

, a German army reservist, bombed the international railway bridge crossing the St. Croix River from Vanceboro into Canada in an unsuccessful attempt to sabotage the CPR line across Maine; it was alleged that the railway was being used to transport materiel across the then-neutral United States territory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge Railway bridges in New Brunswick Railroad bridges in Maine Canada–United States bridges International bridges in Maine Canadian Pacific Railway bridges in Canada Maine Central Railroad Truss bridges in the United States Truss bridges in Canada Metal bridges in the United States Metal bridges Buildings and structures in York County, New Brunswick Transportation buildings and structures in Washington County, Maine