A year or so back, the new Millenium line of Vancouver's Skytrain opened. Among other features, the new trains have large "view" windows front and back with a seat placed squarely in front of each for those who like the thrill of riding the front end of a speeding train.
"Aha", thought I when I first got my digicam, "what a good place to take pictures!" Unfortunately, most times either the seat has already been grabbed by some little kid (or an adult kid), or the window has more bug splats than the family car after the long drive home from the cottage. I did manage to get a few clear ones (or at least ones clearable with Photoshop). This one was the best.
It was taken a little before the train reached Columbia station, and shows three bridges crossing the Fraser River. The three have completely different styles, so I looked up bridge types to find out more.
The lower one (for rail traffic) is a truss bridge (relatively simple to make, can support large weights), and has a pivoting central part to allow river traffic to pass. The closer of the other two, the Pattullo bridge, is an arch bridge (classic, sturdy, needs firm ground at the ends), and carries vehicle traffic. The last, carrying Skytrain traffic, is a cable stayed bridge (light weight and economical, not good in wind but good in earthquakes). As we're expected to have a "big one" sometime in the (hopefully distant) future, that last is good news for us Skytrain commuters.
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