One thing you can never do on the Schreiber Division is "leave it to beaver". If that industrious rodent had its way, there would be no CP Rail main line.

The beaver's hard-working qualities were once recognized in Canadian Pacific's corporate symbol. But when the beavers get too busy in the vast wild country north of the track, they become a dangerous threat.

By re-arranging the water pattern in the bush with their dam-building activities, they may divert the flow to places where the culverts can't take the volume. And by abandoning old dams to build new ones, they leave behind hazards. The dams may suddenly burst and wipe out sections of track.

Assistant Roadmasters patrolling the line keep a sharp eye out for changes in water conditions and beaver activity. They inform local trappers when they observe that a new beaver colony is forming in a place where it might present a problem. The animals are then trapped out.

Often, however, a dam may be several miles back in the bush, at the head of a series of dams blocking the natural flow of water under the roadbed. If the top one gives way, those below it will break, sending a kind of tidal wave charging down to the track.

To guard against this, the assistant Roadmasters make regular helicopter patrols in May and October. They report the location of the dam they spot from the air to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, which arranges to have them harmlessly removed.

But you can't always tell when you have a beaver problem. In one case only the conscientiousness of a section foreman averted what could have been a tragic wreck.

This occurred in May, 1982, 11 miles (18 kilometres) west of White River on the Heron Bay sub-division. While VIA Rail's Canadian was standing in the White River Station, Foreman Mario Tessaro passed up his lunch break to take a look at the water conditions.

He arrived by track motorcar at a stretch of 100 feet (30 metres) where the track was a foot (30 centimetres) under water and the roadbed had been washed away. A beaver dam far to the north had burst.

Mr. Tessaro signalled to stop the Canadian, which was diverted over the CN Rail line. Bridge and Building Master Aime Rossignol and his crew then went to work to build a culvert big enough to handle the deluge that was pouring through the gap in the line.

With every available employee working in the water and mud, Mr. Rossignol and his men constructed and installed a temporary culvert made out of 200 notched ties. This allowed the roadbed to be rebuilt.

Traffic was tied up from 14:30 in the afternoon until 08:30 the next morning. Then man, not beaver, was back in control of the railway again.

This CP Rail News article is copyright 1983 by the Canadian Pacific Railway and is reprinted here with their permission. All photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.