Steps of Foreign Soil: The Reversing Falls Bridge

Monday, September 13, 2010

The Reversing Falls Bridge

This seems to happen to me a lot. When I get hired for a job I am told that I will be sent into the field quite a bit to see how thing are done, but then, once I get into the job I am too busy with my in-office stuff to ever get to go out. This happened at my last job, the one before that, and even now. The difference is that at New Brunswick Southern Railway, though I have not really been sent out to the field, I have still managed to go out into the field to see the gangs work.

I was supposed to go out with the bridge gang a while back to see what they do. Needless to say, that never really happened, but when I heard they were working on the Reversing Falls Bridge I decided that I ought to go and see it. It is not far on the office, and I drive over the car bridge over the falls twice a day.

A few days ago I asked the bridge foreman if they were working on the Falls Bridge. They were. I told him I was coming out. I worked my shift and then got into Jerusalem on the way home. We drove, but instead of crossing the bridge, we pulled off to where the NB Southern trucks were parked.

I threw on my safety vest, grabbed my camera, and headed for the bridge.

Building Bridges

I like bridges. I guess I am supposed to like bridges, I am after all a civil engineer. I am glad I got to go. The Bridge Foreman gave me a tour of the site and showed me what they were working on. He showed me what needed repairs, why, and what had been repaired in the past. We walked passed the old bridge piers and walked beyond the raised rails to the cantilevered centre span.