Cameron Lake Trestles - Episode 1: History & Fire

Описание: Part 1 in a series of videos documenting my thoughts as I review and show highlights of the various photographs and videos that I made at the 4 trestles above Cameron Lake, during 12 hikes between the years 2019 and 2025. My final visit was in March 2025.
This area is between Mile 13 and 15 on the former Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway's Port Alberni Subdivision, on Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada).

The Wesley Ridge wildfire (fire number V71145) started near Cameron Lake on July 31, 2025, and this fire ended up destroying three of the trestles and damaging a fourth. The wildfire also threatened a community on the other side of the ridge, but no homes or other buildings were lost.

The significant change to the historical railway landscape caused by this wildfire is my motivation to produce this series of videos.

I am thankful to my friend Maynard Atkinson for the use of some of his photographs for this video.
I am thankful to the BC Wildfire Service for their excellent detailed website and gallery of photos.

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My own photo album from my March 2025 visit is linked here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/1320134...

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I like to see how the inactive railway grade and structures are impacted by nature and time. There has been no train activity here by the E&N Railway since early 2002.

This railway is owned by the Island Corridor Foundation (ICF). The railway was previously owned and operated by RailAmerica and by Canadian Pacific (CP).
In the pre-fire era, various physical and political obstacles would have needed to be cleared, and partnership relationships established, in order for trains to have run here again.

Disclaimer for the pre-fire era when I visited:
Walking on any industrial property, including a railway and its structures, exposes you to various risks, and more so if the property is unmaintained. This is not a park or a trail. This requires good situational awareness and alertness, knowledge of the location and its hazards, personal responsibility, and a good assessment of the risk that you are exposing yourself to.

For the current post-fire era, any visit would be very dangerous, because of the combination of typical post-wildfire hazards in a steep-slope area, as well as the partly-destroyed remnants of an industrial corridor.

I am curious to see what changes might happen with this part of the railway corridor in the coming years.

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BC Wildfire Service update on 2025-08-16:
The Wesley Ridge wildfire (V71145), located adjacent to Cameron Lake, is now classified as Under Control. This status reflects significant progress, but crews will remain on-site to continue patrols and extinguish hotspots. As this remains an active worksite, please continue to avoid the area.
Even after a wildfire is contained, hazards can persist for months or years, including:
• Danger trees that may fall without warning
• Ash pits that stay hot and hidden below the surface
• Unstable soils and terrain
• Increased risk of landslides or rockfalls
• Damaged or uneven trails
• Higher water runoff, which can cause flooding or debris flows

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0:00 - Context Introduction
0:56 - History of this Railway Subdivision
2:30 - Trestle History
3:06 - 4 Lakeview Trestles
4:00 - Summary of Eras
4:43 - Wesley Ridge Wildfire
6:05 - Fire Damage to Trestles
8:11 - The Future
8:56 - My Video Series
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