Exploring Victoria’s Abandoned Railway Trestles

We are very fortunate in Victoria and on Vancouver Island, that many of the old railway lines have been preserved and converted into amazing biking and walking paths.  As well we have the remnants of the old E&N (Esquimalt & Nanaimo) rail line which, while not presently in use, is still largely intact and waiting for someone to revitalize, hopefully for some kind of rail use.

Vancouver Island is quite hilly and mountainous, so there are some pretty spectacular trestles and bridges still in existence, some of them old wood trestles including  the Kinsol trestle near Shawnigan Lake.  The Kinsol is one of the tallest free-standing and most spectacular timber rail trestle structures in the world. At 187 metres in length and standing 44 metres above the Koksilah River.  For more information on the Kinsol Trestle click this link:  Historic Kinsol Trestle

For more information on the Galloping Goose trail near the Sooke Potholes where you will find access to the Todd Creek and Charter’s Creek Trestle, check out our post: The Galloping Goose Trail

Located right in the heart of Victoria, crossing the Selkirk Waterway is the Selkirk Trestle, built by the Canadian National Railway. Construction began in the winter of 1916/17 and completed in 1919. This trestle is now part of the Galloping Goose Trail.  This trestle originally had a manually operated lift section to allow the passage of boats.  The drawbridge section is still in place but it was raised and fixed in place and the other sections of the trestle were inclined up to meet it.  This still allows smaller boats to pass under the structure but it can  no longer rise to allow larger vessels or sail boats to pass without lowering their masts.

Charter’s Creek Trestle, part of the Galloping Goose Trail, near the Sooke Potholes, Sooke

Todd Creek Trestle, part of the Galloping Goose Trail near the Sooke Potholes in  Sooke, BC

Mile 66 Trestle,on the Cowichan Trail, crossing the Cowichan River

Kinsol Trestle, part of the Cowichan Valley Trail, crossing the Koksilah River near Shawnigan Lake

Kayakers approaching the Selkirk Trestle.

The Selkirk Trestle, part of the Galloping Goose Trail