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Until 1885 there was no railway bridge across the St. John River to link together the east and west sides of Saint John. The builders of the Western Extension line, on the west side of the city, had intended to build a bridge but it was considered too expensive. In 1870 residents of the west side (known as Carleton) formed the Carleton, City of Saint John Branch Railroad Company. The company was created to build a 3.51 mile line from the terminus of the Western Extension line, near Fairville where the bridge across the river was to have been built, to the west side docks. This would allow freight to be moved across the river by ferry. The following year the line was finished and the line was leased that year by the Western Extension Railway. The construction of a railway bridge across the Reversing Falls in 1885 eliminated the need for a ferry to transport freight and passengers across the river. The line changed hands several times and eventually the line was purchased by the city and leased to Canadian Pacific who in turn built two deep water wharves on the line.

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City of Saint John railway lines
19th Century
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada


Credits:
New Brunswick Railway Museum