Namewaminikan River Bridge

Kinghorn Station Namewaminikan River Bridge Kinghorn Pit

The Namewaminikan River Bridge (pronounced NAM -eh -wah – MIN – ih -kan), or Sturgeon River Bridge is located west of Kinghorn Station at Milepost 145.2/44.4. It is sometimes referred to locally as the “44 Bridge.”

The bridge is a 366-foot, 26 bent wood trestle bridge. It was last rebuilt circa 1985.

In August 1990 there was a significant derailment at the bridge. The rear 12 cars of eastbound train 336-21 (Extra 9584) left the tracks, with several cars coming to rest in the river. The bridge and 528 feet of track were damaged, which took 3 days to repair and cost nearly $400,000. There is some debate on the cause of the derailment, with the official investigation suggesting speed, with other sources suggest dragging equipment or thermal misalignment, more commonly known as “heat kink.”

For more information on the area, please read this account written by historian Edgar Lavoie: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Bridge

Derailment