Allan Water is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in the James Bay

James Bay

James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...

 drainage basin

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 in Unorganized Thunder Bay District

Thunder Bay District

Thunder Bay District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The district seat is Thunder Bay....

 in northwestern

Northwestern Ontario

Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the Canadian province of Manitoba, which disputed Ontario's claim to the...

 Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

.

Course

The river begins at the community of Allanwater Bridge at the confluence of the two branches of the Brightsand River

Brightsand River

The Brightsand River is a river in the James Bay drainage basin in Unorganized Thunder Bay District in northwestern Ontario, Canada.-Course:...

: the western branch arriving as the outlet from Kawaweogama Lake and the eastern branch arriving as the outlet from McEwan Lake. The Canadian National Railway

Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....

 Canadian National Railway

Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....

 transcontinental

Transcontinental railroad

A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...

 main line

Main line (railway)

The Mainline or Main line of a railway is a track that is used for through trains or is the principal artery of the system from which branch lines, yards, sidings and spurs are connected....

 over a bridge at the point of confluence, and is the location of Allanwater Bridge railway station

Allanwater Bridge railway station

Allanwater Bridge railway station is located in the Allan Water area of the Canadian province of Ontario, just west of where the railway line crosses the river Allan Water over a truss bridge. This station is currently in use by Via Rail...

, served by Via Rail

VIA Rail

Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....

 transcontinental Canadian trains.

The river flows north and splits into two channels, then recombines, takes in the right tributary Nemo River and reaches Brennan Lake. The river leaves the lake east over Brennan Falls to Granite Lake, and then leaves that lake north over Granite Falls. It continues north over Black Beaver Rapids, Little Sturgeon Rapids and Sturgeon Rapids to reach its mouth at Wabakimi Lake on the Ogoki River

Ogoki River

The Ogoki River is a river in the Thunder Bay and Cochrane Districts of Ontario.The river flows northeast from lakes west of Lake Nipigon to Ogoki, where it joins the Albany River which empties into James Bay. The river is 480 km in length...

. The Ogoki flows via the Albany River

Albany River

The Albany River is a river in Northern Ontario, Canada, which flows northeast from Lake St. Joseph in Northwestern Ontario and empties into James Bay. It is long to the head of the Cat River, tying it with the Severn River for the title of longest river in Ontario...

 to James Bay.

With the exception of a short stretch at the start, the river lies within Wabakimi Provincial Park

Wabakimi Provincial Park

Wabakimi Provincial Park is a wilderness park located to the northwest of Lake Nipigon in the province of Ontario, Canada. The park contains a vast and interconnected network of more than 2,000 kilometres of lakes and rivers...

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