In Cayuga Ontario there are four bridges still standing in the immediate area. Two of the bridges cross roads while the two larger bridges cross the Grand River. Estimates are that these bridges were first erected in and around 1901. There were three lines that crossed the grand. The visible Southern bridge carried one line while the Northern bridge which is hidden from view carried two lines across the Grand. Maintenance ladders and access points still remain. It is possile that the second bridge in Cayuga was constructed years after the first crossing as the two bridges share no similarities from one another and yet are only two miles apart.
The wooden railway ties visible on the southern bridge are no longer visible on the northern bridge.The entire bridge is now covered in poured gravel. At the Western bank of the bridge a makeshift "no tresspassing sign" signifies the end of the line. At one time trains passed through this area frequently, now a small house and farm sit along the former railway line. Scattered throughtout the area are various pieces of this once complex railway line. Metal spikes, clamps, wooden ties, rail can all be found if one searches. Where graffiti marks the roadway crossing the two trestle bridges in Cayuga are void of any markings. Quietly I can hear chatter and the noise of beer bottles as a small inflatable boat full of vacationers quietly moves down river.
In West Monstrose, the stone pillars are all that remain. Marked as the kissing trail by locals in Waterloo, the West Monstrose crossing now sits as a major obstable for trail users. The large gap along the trail forces local hikers, moutain bikers and ATV riders to detour across a major roadway to keep traveling north along the trail. There is no warning that the trail is about to end as all that marks the abrupt ending of the trail is a chain link fence.

Cross at your own risk

Depending of what trail your on, fragments of the past can be found depending on where you look. Rail spikes, decals, buried rail, burned rail ties, hidden access ladders scatter the trails. The year 1901 stamped on the Cayuga road crossing reminds that the bridge was originally manufactured well over a 100 years ago by the The Great Canadian Bridge Company. Just north of Waterloo a rusting metal rail displays "1923 OH CANADA" proudly showing its Canadian heritage. All along the line north of Waterloo towards St Jacobs, the railway plates show dates from 1941, 1922. 1950. 1934 and so on.


The five pilars sit quietly as the Grand River passes through West Montrose Ontario just north of the Waterloo. Trail riders have to detour across a busy highway to keep traveling.
The brilliant rust of the steel tretles is exposed in Chesley. Now a central pedestrian crossing, the Chesley bridge is complete with a white picket fence, entrance lamps and a marked path. 
Along the Cayuga crossing, damaged railway ties can be found all along the crossing reminded of the open hazard of the crossing the bridge. An old rusted metal rail is buried in the gravel along the path. Underneath the central part of the crossing a small make shift campsite has been set up by locals. ATV tracks are visislbe in the thick brush adjacent the track. On the northern side of the river, a small fishing area complete with cleared brush and a hidden path in six foot high brush serves local fisherman.
There is a lack of graffiti in most areas along the trails. Nowhere in Cayuga, Chesley or Paisley etc did I find any graffiti from locals. The only place that I did find some grafitti was on the dark underside of the northern concrete pier in Elora. Whether the local township removes any grafitti was not aswered by officials. In Chesley nearly every inch of the metal is now covered with brillliant reddish brown rust.
     On the North side of the Chesley crossing, a hikers trail allows visitors a good close up of the bridge foundation and the rusting trestle. Getting close to the foundation allows visitors to take view of how important this crossing was for the Grand Trunk Railway. About a 100 yards east, a historic plaque outlines what the local area was like at the turn of the 20th century. Just up the river, and the ruins of an early water mill still remains.


Cross at you own risk. Lack of maintenence and repair. The wooden ties in Cayuga need replacment. One wrong step and a 50 foot drop awaits. The concrete baracades have been moved allowing unrestricted access to the bridge. Please use at your own risk.