McLaren’s Creek Bridge
By the 1960s, offering regular passenger service on the Victoria Railway was no longer financially viable due to declining traffic, then in the following decade regular freight service suffered the same fate. Once regular service was no longer offered, freight was still carried on demand, but when the rail line washed out north of Highland Junction, traffic ceased on the northern end of the railway. Then in 1980, the bridge over McLaren’s Creek burned and it was not worth rebuilding, so commercial traffic ended, though a few recreational users travelled the rails on their own vehicles. It would not be long before the rails were taken up.
Once the iron horse no longer visited Lindsay, it was not clear what would become of the railway allowance. Would it be parcelled off and sold or would it join the rails to trails movement? As the decisions were being made about the Victoria Railway in 1993-1994, other regions were making the same choices. Victoria County had acquired the rights to the corridor, and there was a strong political lobby to parcel off the right of way to adjacent landowners. Given the choice, many people would have preferred to purchase a strip of land running through their property, rather than have it become a recreational corridor. The Somerville and District Snowmobile Association worked to persuade County Council to allow it to become a trail.
Money became a pivotal issue in the debate of whether or not to create a recreational corridor. When it was apparent that the County could profit from selling the rail lands, could Council really spend tax payers’ dollars to fund a recreational corridor? A lot of work was needed to transform the abandoned railway into the rail trail. The cost of rebuilding McLaren’s Creek Bridge came to symbolize all the expenses that would be incurred in developing the line. It would cost about $100,000, which was a relatively small sum of money compared to other projects that the County was completing at the time. When SADSA received a grant to cover nearly half the cost and produced a cheque for $55,000 for the balance, then the project could go ahead. The destruction of McLaren’s Creek Bridge had brought an end to the Victoria Railway, then its reconstruction led to the birth of the Victoria Rail Trail.
Today, McLaren’s Creek bridge has become a very popular place to visit. Being one of the most interesting stops either on the Victoria Rail Trail or from Ken Reid Conservation Area, it seems like there is always someone there appreciating the views of McLaren’s Creek. The area is home to many birds and it is a beautiful place to enjoy the sunset. In its reincarnation, the McLaren’s Creek bridge is appreciated by far more people than it ever was as part of the railway.
