Background

The Bytown and Prescott Railway opened the first line into Ottawa in December 1854.  It passed through Kemptville.  It wasn’t until thirty years later that another railway was built through this area when the Canadian Pacific Railway, masquerading as the Ontario and Quebec, built its main line, now the Winchester subdivision, between Smiths Falls and Montreal.  The CPR had to cross the Bytown and Prescott, by then the St. Lawrence and Ottawa, just south of Kemptville.  This is the story of the crossing of the two lines.

Early protection

On 29 September 1886 the Canadian Pacific Railway, technically the Ontario and Quebec Railway) wrote to the Secretary of the Railway Committee  The letter submitted for approval a plan showing the manner in which the CPR proposed to intersect with its rails the rails of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Railway in Oxford township. The plan is dated 17 Sep 1886 and shows Kemptville Junction.  The two lines cross at an angle of 77 degrees 56 minutes and there are connections in the north west and south west quadrants.  A signal is located at the diamond and there are signals on each line 1500 feet out in each direction from the diamond.  This was a pretty rudimentary form of protection.

 

The Winchester subdivision was double tracked some twenty years later.  From Kemptville Junction to Smiths Falls was opened on 22 July 1908[2], and from Finch to Kemptville Junction was opened on 2 September 1908 [3].  Even after this time the very basic form of train protection was provided by two non-interlocked distant (stop signals) on the Prescott branch (the St. Lawrence and Ottawa was now part of Canadian Pacific), north and south of the crossing, and by a home semaphore at the crossing equipped with two signals governing traffic on both branch and main lines.  These were so arranged that only one line could be cleared at the same time.  The signals were operated by the station staff.  The distant semaphores were respectively 1485.5 feet north of the diamond operated by double wires and 1508 feet south of the diamond and operated by a single wire.

By 1912 the junction was known as Kempton.

An interlocking is installed

With rail traffic increasing heavily the Board of Railway Commissioners became concerned about the safety of non interlocked crossings such as this one.  Should a train miss a warning signal the possibility of a serious accident was very real.  There was thus a general move to provide full interlockings at such locations.  Plans for an interlocking machine at Kempton Junction were approved in February 1919.[4]  This 40 lever machine [5], with 34 working levers and 6 spare, was inspected by Mr. A.A. Belanger, Assistant Engineer of the Board on 9 June.  At that time, railway companies could use such new installations before a Board inspection, but only by bringing each train to a complete stop and flagging it over the crossing.  Following the inspection, an order was issued on 12 June 1919 [6], which authorized the railway to operate its trains through the interlocking without first bringing them to a stop.

The interlocking was a much safer form of train control because the junction was fully signalled and interlocked and derails were provided.  Warning of the approach of trains was given by annunciator bells.  The switches and derails were operated by cranks and bolted by their respective traffic levers which formed approach and route locking.  The machine was housed in a purpose built tower (18 feet by 29 feet 2 inches).  Although shown as Kempton in correspondence with the Board at that time, instructions to train crews issued in May 1919 [7] refer to Bedell Crossing.

 

Removal of the derails

In February 1932 the railway applied for permission to remove the derails and the Chief Operating Officer of the Board, Mr. G. Spencer inspected the plant on 17 February.  He found the plant to be efficient and well maintained but went on to say:

“A southbound passenger train stopped with the engine and baggage car on the crossing and the northbound way freight came in and after switching and getting its train together stopped on the crossing to allow a small quantity of way freight to be unloaded into the freight shed which is just north of the crossing.  Both these operations would be exposed to a train on the main line which might fail to stop at the home signals respectively east and west of the crossing, the stopping point for which, at the present time, is just short of the derails presently located in the tracks; and under the proposal, it would be the home signals 50' to 60' east and west respectively of the derails in the track.

“The derail in the Prescott line south of the crossing is 166' away from the crossing, placed there in order to shorten up the distance that passengers transferring to or from the main line trains are required to walk, as against the standard location of 500' usually provided.  The location of this particular derail was agreed upon when the plant was interlocked some years ago, when the train on which  I travelled to Bedell, after it had detrained its passengers, when the stop was first made, as described above, moved south until its rear end cleared the derail, otherwise the route could not have been given to the westbound fast mail, with which connection was made, and is made every day.

“The savings would be only in the wages of two trackmen now employed when necessary only to keep the derails clear of snow. These are additional men called out when snow conditions make it necessary. One works from 4.00 pm. to midnight and the other from midnight to 8.00 am., during the balance of the day the regular section crew include the clearing of the derails in their day's work.  There would be some saving in the maintenance of the derails and the interlocking connections by which they are operated but this would probably be hard to determine.  

“I am against the removal of derails .  Should the decision be to approve the company's application, I would suggest that the south distant signal on the Prescott line be made operative instead of fixed as at present and the home signal south of the crossing be put out to a distance of 500' from the crossing of the eastbound main line.”

Although the railway complained at the expense of maintaining derails they were denied permission to remove them [8].  However, the railway was very tenacious and on 25 October 1937  wrote a further letter to the Board:

“In 1932 we applied to remove the derails at Bedell.  At that time we were unable to say just what saving we would effect by the removal of the derails.  Since that time we have kept a record and it has been found that three additional sectionmen are required during four months of each year at a monthly rate of $85.00 each which amounts to $1,020 per year for labour to remove snow from the derails and pick ice and snow from between the main line rails from the derails to the diamond, which cannot be removed with flanger or snow plow on account of the guard rails.

“In order to effect the above mentioned saving and also to eliminate the hazard created by the derails I beg to renew our application for permission to remove the derails at this point.”

Note that the railway referred to derails as a hazard! Permission was granted on 4 November 1937 [9]with the proviso that the speed of trains operated over the diamond on the Prescott subdivision should not exceed 20 mph.  The railway, maybe concerned that the Board would change its mind, completed the changes on 23 November!  The plan shows the same 40 lever machine with 30 working levers, 6 spare levers and 4 spare spaces.

Increasing train speeds

In 1941, the railway requested authority to run its passenger trains on the Winchester subdivision at 50 mph over the crossing.  The Board Signal Engineer, D.M. Neill, reported on 30 July:

“The interlocker involved is a full electro mechanical plant with electrical home and distant signals with track circuits and detector locking on the Winchester sub. and electrical home and distant signals with track circuits and detector locking on the Prescott subdivision in one direction and electrical home and fixed distant signals in the other direction without track circuits.

“With a spacing of 8,900 feet and 3,170 feet for the distant signals on the Winchester sub. together with track circuit and detector locking , I see no reason why it will not be safe to operate passenger trains from a signalling point over this interlocker on the Winchester sub. at 50 mph with safety as, with the above distances, there is ample time for a train travelling at 50 mph when passing a distant signal to stop before reaching its respective home signal.”

The Board approved the increase in speed in August 1941 [10].

In December 1957 Canadian Pacific wished to increase the speed of Winchester subdivision freight trains across the diamond to 50 mph. from 35 mph.  A Board Inspector found that each rail was anchored in the direction of traffic on nearly every tie ¾  mile each side of diamond on the Winchester subdivision and was heavily rail anchored to about the home signal on the Prescott subdivision. About three feet of slag ballast had been placed under the diamond. Two ties, about ten feet long and bolted together, had been placed under the rail in line with the Winchester subdivision which should make it better for tamping under diamond.  The diamond was in good condition and all bolts appeared to be tight.  New double shoulder tie plates and pads would replace heavy sheet steel under manganese corners when they were received.

At that time, traffic on the Winchester subdivision had about 6 passenger trains and 15-24 freight trains per day.  Bedell station, 300 feet east of the diamond, was the first open telegraph station east of Smiths Falls during night.  Many trains stopped for orders or slowed down for clearances so not all of the freight trains would be running at high speed over the diamond.

The improvements made to the diamond crossing were such that freight trains could use it safely at higher speeds and authority to run all trains on the Winchester subdivision at 50 mph. was given in January 1958 [11].  Trains on the Prescott subdivision continued to be restricted to 20 mph. over the diamond.

Removal of the diamond

The next change was the removal of the diamond in 1967 [12].  Freight trains to or from Ottawa were then be routed from or to Smiths Falls and any traffic for Prescott was delivered from Smiths Falls. The operator (tower man) was retained and all main track switches concerned with the movements to and from the Prescott subdivision were operated by the tower man and interlocked. 

There were some detailed technical alterations. The signal 5,460 feet north of the junction switch was changed from inoperative to an interlocked signal with a yellow or red indication only.  Also yard limits were extended from 1 mile north of Bedell to mile 28.9, Kemptville, to enable the switcher from Smiths Falls to work at Kemptville.

The diamond was removed on 2 Oct 1967 and the signal changes were completed on 12 Oct 1967 [13].

Conversion to Automatic Block Signalling

The changes made in 1967 reduced the duties of the operators to lining the switches for infrequent movements on to the Prescott subdivision on which traffic became very light.  By 1969, this was usually one movement a day and it was decided to convert the switches to hand throw worked by train crews and to eliminate the operators. 

Of course, the CPR needed permission from the regulator, now the Canadian Transport Commission.  The CPR wrote to the CTC on 25 June 1970 requesting authority to convert to Automatic Block Signalling and to change the switches to hand throw operated by train crews who would request permission from the dispatcher before entering the main line.  Block indicators would be installed and minor changes made to the signal aspects to comply with ABS rules.  On June 25 1970 a signal inspector and the district operations inspector made a joint inspection of the plant to see whether the changes could be made.  To their consternation, they found that the changes had already been made on 31 October 1969.  Their joint report to the Directors of Engineering and Operations makes much of the need for the railway to request permission before making such changes and adds, almost as an afterthought, that the system was functioning as intended at the time of the visit and the system was operationally sound. 

A stern letter was sent from the Secretary of the CTC on 24 July 1970 to which the railway replied on 25 August.  The railway, rather lamely, claimed to have mislaid the plans and regretted that the application was not made to the CTC at the proper time. Nobody seems to have picked up on the fact that the changes were made only 9 days after the date of the plan so it is unlikely that permission could have been obtained in that short time.  The CTC took its time in issuing the order authorizing the changes.  This did not come until  2 November 1970 [14] and CPR thus had operated it, technically, illegally for just over a year!

So this completes the story of Bedell.  The former Prescott subdivision is but a shade of its former self.  Northbound it is known as the North Prescott spur and extends 2.4 miles to Kemptville.  Southbound the South Prescott spur runs 5 miles to Oxford.  The passenger trains no longer run but there is a great deal of freight activity.  So next time you are railfanning in the area spare a thought for a crossing which has had a very interesting history.