Railway notes

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The Times is grateful to Bruce Chapman for these two items. Chris Churcher sent him the following report of a rail collision at Bedell in April, 1911.

Rear End Collision

Light Engine Overtakes and Runs into Freight – Two Men Badly Injured

A rear end collision took place on the C. P. R. Thursday morning a mile or two east of Kemptville in which two Smiths Falls men were seriously injured and some rolling stock destroyed. The freight train was in the charge of Conductor Elisha Weedmark with James Asselford as brakeman and was going east. Following it was a light engine returning to Montreal in charge of engineer, W. 0. Dales, and fireman Wallace McCoun. A short distance below Kemptville, at Hayes pit, the engine overtook and ran into the freight. There is a curve on the line just there and the engine was going at high speed. Before it could be stopped, it ran up behind the freight and crashed into the caboose. Both the engineer and fireman jumped and escaped uninjured. Conductor Weedmark and his brakeman Asselworth were not so fortunate. They were in the caboose and were caught in the wreck. Both were terribly cut and bruised about the head face but strange to say no other injuries have so far been discovered. Mr. Weedmark was most severely cut in the head. He had one scalp wound that required thirty stitches to close. Dr. Anderson went down from Smith’s Falls with the auxiliary and brought both men to the hospital. They are both resting comfortably there and it is thought they will recover.

The engine was damaged and the wreck caught fire. The caboose and one car were burned.

F52 heading south to Oxford Station

Craig Stevenson recorded this picture of the Canadian Pacific F52 as it made its way from Bedell to the Harvex-Stranex fertilizer facility at Oxford Station. It’s a reminder that a once-vital railway line is still doing its job today, however limited its role has become.

Railway notes pic – Bedell Jan 29 22

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