In 1853 the Grand Trunk Railway wanted to build a suspension bridge across the Niagara River. Many believed it wasn't strong enough and opposed the idea. Conception, development and construction of the Railway Suspension Bridge over the Niagara River was done by John A. Roebling, who went on to design the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.
There were two stone pylons at either end to support four iron cables, with the railway deck above carriage floors. After four years of work and the grief of 2 workers dying in 1854, the $450,000 Suspension Bridge was opened on March 8, 1855. The first train to cross the bridge was the ?London?, which weighed 23 tons, more than most trains at the time. It carried the Great Western Railway and the Erie & Ontario Railroad trains. For the next 25 years an average of 25 trains a week crossed the bridge.
The original Suspension Bridge lasted from 1855 to 1877, when officials decided to rebuild due to heavier loads on trains, more crossings and larger trains. They hired Leiffert L. Buck, an American engineer for the design of the new bridge. It used steel instead of wood, with slender pylons, steal beams and trusses. These changes were finished by 1886 with little disruption to the ongoing railway traffic.
Read more about the Niagara Suspension Bridge [offsite]
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