From Stadacona to the REM · Drawing 13 of 36
A bridge over the river
1859
In 1859, trains could cross the St. Lawrence at Montréal on Victoria Bridge. At the time, they travelled inside a large iron tube supported by stone piers.
Look together
Does the train go over the bridge or inside it?
An idea to try
Build a bridge between two chairs with a board or a piece of cardboard, then test it with a toy. Talk about what makes a bridge strong.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
Built from 1854 to 1859 for the Grand Trunk Railway, Victoria Bridge carried trains across the St. Lawrence at Montréal. Its original structure was tubular. The ceremony with the Prince of Wales took place on August 25, 1860; that is distinct from the first crossings in 1859.
The drawing evokes the old tubular bridge, not its present structure. Find the piers and the tube’s entrance.
Sources and context (2)
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.
- Encyclopédie du MEM — Le pont Victoria, « huitième merveille du monde »
- Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec — Pont Victoria
Source review: 2026-09-19. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.