ABSTRACT
Captain William Gibbs McNeill was hired and charged with the constmction of the railroad. The foundation stone of the viaduct was laid on April 20, 1834, commencing an eventful two years of building. The spanning of the vale was accomplished with the use of an earth embankment from just west of the present location of Canton Junction station to a point where the viaduct began. The viaduct is on a slight curve that is banked as well, and anyone on the bridge looking towards the opposite end has difficulty determining on which track a train is approaching. The bridge originally was planned for a single track. The top of the viaduct was rounded by ballast and the rails were placed on the crown. Wilbert H. Jerauld was working on the Viaduct and stepped from the tracks on which an outbound train was approaching and got in the way of the express.
