Warneford

Beardmore Station Warneford Station Fairloch Station

Warneford Station, originally known as Blackwater Station (after the Blackwater River), was located west of the community of Beardmore, Ontario at Milepost 25.6/75.3.

It is not known for certain, but the name may have been changed (there was already a Blackwater Station in southern Ontario) to honour Reginald Warneford, a British aviator with the Royal Naval Air Service and a recipient of the Victoria Cross in 1915. The stations at Jellicoe and Hogarth were also renamed during World War I for well-known servicemen.

The siding here was likely removed before 1970s. Approximately half a mile west of the station, at a sharp bend in the grade, was 2500-foot through spur to a ballast pit (known officially as Pit Track KI-38).

In 1946, a section of the railway just east of the station, between Mileposts 24.9 and 25.2, was completely re-routed at the request of the Brompton Pulp and Paper Company. Here the grade crossed from the south bank of the Blackwater River to the north bank and then back. The paper company complained that the trestle bridges across the river impeded the rafting of logs, so the trestles were removed and a new grade completely south of the river was constructed. The old grade is still visible on satellite maps. You can read about the work done below (Courtesy of J. Smith).

BTC Volume 35 (19450401-19460331) pp171-181

Post 1946 Grade & Warneford Station

Pre 1946 Grade

There are several videos of the grade and realignment around Warneford in the playlist below.