Crews blasted all five remaining pillars of the Weymouth train trestle simultaneously at 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning - 22 Feb 2012 Karla Kelly.

Falling - 22 Feb 2012 Karla Kelly.

Still falling - 22 Feb 2012 Karla Kelly.

Fallen - 22 Feb 2012 Karla Kelly.

22 February 2012

Historic Weymouth Train Trestle Falls

Weymouth Nova Scotia - A small crowd of spectators with cameras and binoculars in hand waited along Weymouth's waterfront to witness the village's historic train trestle take its final plunge at 9 a.m. this morning, Wednesday, 22 Feb 2012.
 
Workers had warned nearby residents that the final blasting process would happen late Tuesday afternoon but the preparations took longer than expected.
 
The crew set a new time of 7:30 a.m. but then waited until the tide was on its way up before setting off the charges at 9 a.m.
 
It took months to complete the bridge nearly 100 years ago. Today the whole thing fell in a matter of seconds after a blast took out the remaining five pillars including the pier that supported the swing-arm.
 
The dismantling process began back in August 2011 and was expected to take three months. It turned into a six-month project and, there is still lots of work to do.
 
Although the blasting appears to be complete, a mangled mesh of rusted steel and concrete in the Sissiboo River waits for the R.J. MacIsaac Construction workers to clear away.
 
Many had hoped the trestle bridge would be used as part of the walking trail on the old rail bed. That never materialized when engineers discovered the structure was not safe. They discovered wear and tear of the abutments and pillars was even greater below the water level.
 
The trestle over the Sissiboo River was built in 1914 to replace an earlier wooden trestle that was built when the line from Yarmouth to Digby opened in 1879.
 
Dominion Atlantic Railway operated the line from the early 1900s until 1990 when rail service ceased and the tracks were taken up.
 
Once the debris is cleared from the river, the demolition crews will turn their attention to the Bear River train bridge.
 
Karla Kelly.