Kinsol Trestle

The Kinsol Trestle, also known as the Koksilah River Trestle, is a wooden railway trestle located on Vancouver Island north of Shawnigan Lake in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Completed in 1920, its dimensions measure 38m (125 ft) high and 188m (614 ft) long, making it the largest wooden trestle in the Commonwealth of Nations and one of the highest railway trestles in the world.

It was built as part of a plan to connect Victoria to Nootka Sound, passing through Cowichan Lake and Port Alberni, in support of the forest liquidation activities of the lumber companies. It was not built, as some mistakenly believe, to serve any nearby mines. It was named after the nearby Kinsol Station which, in turn, took its name from a nearby mining venture grandiosely named “King Solomon Mines”, a very small mining venture that produced 18,000 kg of copper and 6,300g of silver (from 254 tonnes of ore - hardly enough to fill 3 rail cars) over the period 1904-1907 .

The line was started in 1911 by the Canadian Northern Pacific Railway, with investment funds from the Canadian Western Lumber Company, which was the largest lumber company in the world at that time, but never completed, only reaching Youbou before construction was terminated. The CNPR was taken over by Canadian National Railways in 1918. The last train to cross the Kinsol was in 1979. In the Victoria area, the old rail bed is now the popular Galloping Goose Regional Trail.

Preservation effort

The trestle has sat dormant since CN's rail service on Vancouver Island was abandoned in the 1980's, with the structure slowly deteriorating. The right-of-way has been incorporated into a recreational trail system affiliated with the Trans-Canada Trail network and the Kinsol Trestle now resides mainly as a local tourist destination.

Due to the deteriorated structure of the Kinsol Trestle, the bridge is not usable by walkers or bicyclists on the Trans-Canada Trail and it is in danger of being torn down by the local authority, Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD), because it potentially poses an environmental concern and danger to the public.

This has created some disagreement in the community. Some community groups are trying to raise money to preserve the trestle for its historical and possible tourism value, whereas other inhabitants simply want to repair the break in the Trans-Canada Trail as quickly and cheaply as possible (currently there is a 8.5 km long detour through difficult terrain to get to the other side).

The Kinsol is situated on land that is owned by the BC Ministry of Transportation and Highways. BC's provincial government is concerned about the potential liability posed by the bridge as a result of its current state of disrepair, and has pledged $1.5m towards demolition of the trestle. A further $1.6m has been made available to establish this important link in the Trans-Canada Trail.

The CVRD held a special meeting on June 7th 2007 to determine the fate of the Kinsol. During this meeting the CVRD Board received presentations from a local firm that specializes in building conservation: Macdonald & Lawrence Timber Framing Ltd proposed a conservation strategy that would see the bridge fully-restored for pedestrian use as part of the Trans-Canada Trail network. M&L claim that it is possible to repair the bridge for less than the estimated cost of removal/replacement, and that once restored it may be preserved 'in perpetuity'.

On September 20, 2007, the CVRD voted to move ahead with a feasibility study of the Kinsol Trestle. Three firms had responded to the CVRD request for proposals for restoration and the Vancouver firm Commonwealth Historic Resource Management Limited won the contract. Commonwealth has joined forces with Macdonald and Lawrence, the local timber construction firm that proposed a conservation strategy in June, 2007. M&L is local in the sense it is established in Cobble Hill (a community close to Shawnigan Lake and the Kinsol), but is world renowned and has built many unique structures in Great Britain, received a commendation from Queen Elizabeth for its work in restoring Windsor Castle following the disastrous fire, restored the the British explorer Shackleton's shack in the Antarctic and other unique restoration projects. In November, 2007 Gordon Macdonald and his team completed a major inspection of the trestle, drilling hundreds of test holes. The final report shows that 80% of the major timbers are still sound and that it is entirely feasible to restore this magnificent structure. M&L's report comprised the major portion of Commonwealth's report presented to the CVRD on January 23, 2008. The Board members were indeed impressed and voted overwhelmingly to have Commonwealth proceed with Phase 2 of the study that will include a detailed plan of restoration, including costs.

Controversy

Few will argue the merits of restoring the link across the river, but many are wondering whether the huge costs of restoring it to its original form is justified. This is hardly a historic structure, considering it is less than 90 years old and operated for less than 60.

The amount of heavy timbers required to support a fully loaded logging train can hardly be justified for a recreational trail crossing designed for bicycles and pedestrians. The huge trees felled for the original have long disappeared from the area, and replacements would have to be obtained from the few remaining old growth stands on the Island. The creosote that was used to preserve the original timbers is no longer allowed in environmentally sensitive areas, and alternatives pose their own problems. Ongoing maintenance costs would be considerable.

The alternative is to build a modern, light-weight suspension bridge - one that could easily be just as spectacular as the trestle, while providing equal or better views of the incredible natural scenery. Such a structure (metal or concrete) could be designed to be safer and require significantly less maintenance.

Gallery

ee also

*Cowichan Valley Regional District

*Shawnigan Lake

External links

* [http://www.kinsoltrestle.ca/ Kinsol Forum]

* [http://www.tctrail.ca/home.php Trans Canada Trail Home]