Kinsol Trestle

Kinsol Trestle

Kinsol Trestle, Shawnigan Lake, B.C., Canada Cowichan Valley B, British Columbia, Canada The Kinsol Trestle is a wooden railway trestle located on Vancouver Island north of Shawnigan Lake in the Canadian Province of British Columbia. It provides a spectacular crossing of the Koksilah River. Completed in 1920, its dimensions measure 44 m (144 ft) high and 188 m (617 ft) long, making it the largest wooden trestle in the Commonwealth and one of the highest railway trestles in the world. It was built as part of a plan to connect Victoria to Nootka Sound, passing through Cowichan Lake and Port Alberni, when forestry had gained some ground on Vancouver Island and a more efficient way to transport the region's huge, old-growth timber was needed. The line was started in 1911 by the Canadian Northern Pacific Railway (CNoPR) and while it was designed by engineers, it was built by local farmers and loggers, with investment funds from the Canadian Western Lumber Company, which was the largest lumber company in the world at that time. The trestle was never completed by the CNoPR, and the line only reached Youbou before construction was terminated. The CNoPR was taken over by Canadian National Railways in 1918, and its line and the trestle were completed in 1920 as part of the "Galloping Goose" rail line. The last train to cross the Kinsol was in 1979, and the trestle was abandoned 1 year later. CN's rail service on Vancouver Island was abandoned in the 1980s and the right of way given to the provincial Ministry of Transportation. The right-of-way has been incorporated into a recreational trail system affiliated with the Trans-Canada Trail network and the Kinsol Trestle is now mainly a tourist destination.

Lester Lightstone