Invasion of Friends Weekend 2014 Narrow Gauge Operations

Invasion - Narrow Gauge Day

The Saturday morning at Fred's place dawned as clear as the day before with the only difference being we would be running the Narrow Gauge operations instead of the Standard Gauge as we did the day before. 

 I would like to take this time to thank Tom for snapping all of the photographs you will see in this post as I had other commitments on this day.  If you wish to see the photos enlarged, simply click on the image.  To get back to the blog page, simply click in the black area outside the image.  Also, if you wish to see other pics from the other day of the invasion in Ottawa, simply search it out in the blog archive to the right of this page.  To see images from the earlier session at Barry's place in Belleville, you'll have to search in the month of August as that is the time I posted those pics.
(To enlarge an image, click on it and to return to the normal look of the page, click outside the image.)

Fred is happy as a lark seeing how others enjoy running trains on the layout in his backyard!

Yes, today would be devoted to all things steam and to all things "narrow" which certainly pleases those narrow minded individuals in the group!  Big grin!

Steam trains will be traversing the layout on this day as witnessed here on the Rat Portage & Mattawa.

Colourful passenger equipment set out in Craig Leigh ready for the day's run.

Ken's got a firm handle on operations and a firm handle on his throttle.  He's rarin' to go!

Bruce gives us a wave as he gets another tray of cars to bring out to the layout before the session begins.

This young lad sure looks happy.  Who wouldn't be when you get to have fun with trains, especially ones this size!

The crowd gathers around the central table for the morning instructions.

Henk enjoys his morning coffee while all others enjoy the social nature of the hobby.

Fred and Bob are readying some locomotives for the session at the engine house in Craig Leigh.

Paul and Doug are all smiles as they help gather equipment for the ops session.

This Rio Grande Southern is a real beauty to behold as she backs out from the staging track at Craig Leigh.

Yes, there happen to be passengers in this car!  "When can we get the session underway?" they shout.

The 777 is a really cool looking switch engine.

As is the RP&M #1 which is working the east end of Nelson Yard.

I'd love to have a taste of the beer coming from this brewery!

Nice to see some youngsters turn out for the session as well.

Say Henk.  I'm a school teacher.  I have to tell you now that the device in your hand is not a remote control for behaviour in youngsters!  Ha!  No need, as these lads are super kids!

Hi Dave!  We missed you at the Standard Gauge session.  Great to see you out for the Narrow minded one!

You've got to love the green tones in the 455.  What a looker of a locomotive.

"Bean me up, Scotty!" Paul is heard to say on his transponder.

This photo gives you an indication of the crowds who arrived for the session.  What a great day!

This train is westbound as it passes through Spruce which is located along a long peninsula.

Fred loves to watch his friends have fun out along the line.  Here he is sharing some of his knowledge of the operational aspect of the railroad with visitors.

A look into the southwest corner of the layout showcases the built-up gardens and the many high traffic areas that have cleverly been planned out so as not to create too much of a bottleneck.

The Cedar Rock area is relatively new and it presents some interesting operational challenges when you have a lot of work to do here and at Peter's Pond where the line up to this area originates.  It sure is a joy switching out this new facility on the layout.  Lawrence did a great job in building the massive structure pictured here.

Henk is hemmed in with nowhere to go.  Seems like some operators are playing tricks on him!

"How did the two of us get saddled with this job in Nelson Yard?" the two lads are asking themselves.  In fact, Colin and Bernie seem to be having a jolly good time in the shade under the umbrella.

Jane is hard at work in the dispatch booth for a second day making sure the railroad runs as smoothly as possible.

A look at her dispatch board.  The magnetic schematic sure is helpful when keeping track of traffic out on the line.  Doug normally mans this station during weekly ops sessions.

Glen Hammond seems to be a busy location at the moment.  That's Bell to the left and Nelson Yard to the right.  Gord, holding the clipboard to the right, ensures all is okay at Glen Hammond.

There must be some kind of switching excitement at Peter's Pond judging by the rather large audience amassing for a good vantage point.

A brightly coloured locomotive in care of an eastbound train has arrived Peter's Pond.  The dark locomotive in the back is climbing the grade to Cedar Rock.

This Rio Grande Southern is a real beauty.

More interesting activity at Peter's Pond.  Bill, to the left is watching John and Doug as they conduct their moves along the team track.

A meet  is in order and the young lads seem to have everything under control.  

Moe is listening intently to this gentleman's story.  Yes, lots of tales were shared throughout the day, I'm sure!

"Let's see...the foot bone's connected to the...ankle bone....the ankle bone's connected to the..."  No need to worry about Paul...he always has things under control.

It's always great to see Ken back up in Ottawa.  He's a man of great humour!

Some switching going on at Spruce.  That's the facility at Cedar Rock in the distance.

Indeed, Spruce can get to be a busy place along the eastern end of the layout.  Jan is at the throttle at this time.  This image provides a great overall impression of what true train ops is all about on a garden railroad.

Gord and John enjoying a chat while John flips a few burgers and dogs for the hungry crew.

An Iron Wood & Peter's Pond locomotive at Scobie's facility in Craig Leigh.

At Craig Leigh, tall structures complete a lovely looking backdrop in the location where passenger trains are made up.

A close-up view of one of the many beautiful steamers to ply the rails at Fred's layout.

This giant of a steamer pays its dues hauling merchandise for the railroad.  Isn't she a thing of beauty!

Mark and his dad, Bill, share the joys of garden railroading each Saturday morning as they work the large yard at Firgrove each week.

 "Let's see," says Henk to himself, "I'll take one of these, and one of those...oh, yes, that orange one with the green stripes will do as well!"

Running trains helps to build a big appetite and the crew loves to gather for their noonday meal following each session.

Gord's Rat Portage & Mattawa pairing seen on the turntable are "eye candy" to any railroad observer.

A closer look at this gorgeous tandem.

Indeed, the paint scheme is a thing of beauty!

Rick brought out this lovely loco from his stable for the event.

It's a real eye-catcher as well.

Bill ensures things run smoothly as yardmaster at Firgrove

Bruce's engine is that "Little Engine that Could" as it climbs the grade out of Blockhouse heading for Spruce around the bend.

Bruce and Gord shooting  the breeze during a break in the action.

Meanwhile, the ladies enjoy the warm, summer sun over Ottawa.

As mentioned in the post on the Standard Operations, everyone is asked to listen carefully when Colin reviews the safety procedures in the event of a medical issue arising during the session.

We would like to thank Colin for reviewing these important notes with us as part of the morning briefing session.  They are greatly appreciated.

"Now, boys...when you both get older and start your summer jobs, save up your money and buy good ol' Henk one just like this one over here!"  All kidding aside, Henk is so enthusiastic about running trains at Fred's place, his cheerfulness brightens everyone's day!

Nelson Yard with a couple of westbound trains readied for action.

The yard at Glen Hammond with Bell off in the distance.

Here I am with Fred (taken on a different day).  While Fred acknowledges that the railroad is everyone's, there wouldn't be such a fabulous railroad without him at the helm.  As always, Fred, we are all greatly appreciative of all you do for us!

I hope you have enjoyed these photos from the narrow gauge session.  To see the photos from the previous day's session, simply scroll up to the top of the page and click on the link to the right in the blog archive. 

Again, thank you, Tom, for the amazing images! 
Thanks to everyone for following along!  
Mike Hamer - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada