Narrow Gauge Operations - August 22, 2015

August 22nd Train Operations

We gathered on a beautiful late August morning for train ops in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Henk was thrilled to hold the honours of ringing the bell to bring our train ops session to order on this day.  "Hmmm...let's see...how is this done?" he is overheard mumbling to himself.

"Ahhh, yes...that's it!" Henk says to himself..."This is easier than it looks.  Why...I could do this every session!"

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To see other posts from earlier sessions, go to the blog archive on the right side of the page.

So, the lads gather round to listen in on the train ops briefing.  With so many folks away on this day, Mike has chosen to run a train rather than dispatch.  In the image above, we spot Colin in the distance with Bernie, Pat, Moe and Malcolm shoring up the crew for the morning.

Relative newcomer, Chris, has selected the ore train to run.  This is a great choice as it allows him to become more familiar with the "lay of the land" as far as the rail line goes.  The ore train traverses the railroad empire from end to end...first the loads...then the empties train.

Fred offers up some sage words of wisdom and welcome.

It's sometimes difficult getting a shot of a train in dappled shade with an old "point and shoot".  This is my train, number 301 which Bernie, the Craig Leigh/Douglas Yard yardmaster, has already assembled.

Malcolm has signed on to crew the 301 with me.  We've arrived Mount St. Helens, taken the siding  and have already run around our train in order to shunt our setouts into the facing sidings here.  All sidings at Mount St. Helens are facing for westbound trains such as ours.

An overhead look at the clever three-way turnout leading into Mount St. Helens.  It's a breeze to operate, that's for sure!

Below us we spot what must be train 302, our eastbound counterpart taking the sweeping curve into Peter's Pond after departing Bell.  He must've had little work at Bell to have arrived this location in such short order.  

Our train has left Mount St. Helen's and will soon enter Ironwood...

...where we have both facing and trailing sidings to handle.

Love the billboard colours of the narrow gauge equipment.  These two cars are sitting on the team track at Ironwood.

 While working Ironwood, a railfan gains some great views of Spruce located across the aisle, so to speak.  That's westbound passenger train #1.

 We see #1 rounding the big curve out of Spruce.

While still working Ironwood, we turn our backs slightly to see the ore train of loads departing Bell for Peter's Pond.

Downgrade at Watkin's Siding.

Malcolm and I finish up our moves at Ironwood.  Soon, our train will be made up and ready to continue westward to Spruce.

Looking back over the aisle way, we spot Pat working the eastbound 318 at Spruce, our destination.  He departed Glen Hammond earlier in the morning for Craig Leigh.  Pat's train orders tell him that he will later return from Craig Leigh to Glen Hammond as westbound 329.

With no dispatcher on this day, we are running VFR, so we call out to Pat to indicate that we will let him come into Ironwood first.  Being the gentlemen we are, we offer to back our train out of the siding in order to best facilitate Pat's train movements into Ironwood.

Pat's 318 is spotted to the left on the siding where he will be able to conduct his switching moves, and our 301 passes by on the station track bound for Spruce.

This overview shot shows Pat now in Ironwood to the left.  That's Malcolm with our train in Spruce to the right.  One thing is for certain...whoever moves into that huge house that is being built will have a perfect vantage point to watch our train ops sessions!

My "Annie", number 27 moves past the house at Spruce.  Why number 27, you ask?  Well, I was born on May 27th; some of my favourite musicians are members of "Club 27"; 27 is a "perfect prime" ie "three cubed"...and...if you take the numbers from "2" to "7" and add them up...2+3+4+5+6+7...what do you get...yes, 27!

Our train has completed its moves at Spruce and it's downgrade as we round the big curve heading for Nelson Yard.

We've rounded the bend at Lily...

...pierced the great looking trestle...

...and we take our stock car off the train and send it to the caboose track.  Thanks to Colin for coming up with this great idea.  Love the extra switching duties we have upon arrival at the yard!

Hanging out around Nelson Yard offers the railfan some interesting perspectives.  Here we see Gord's locomotive working the RP&M tracks just to the west of the yard.

 Colin does a great job managing things in the busiest of locations along the line.  He doesn't mind, though...as he's in the shade of the umbrella!  Clever lad, I say!

Some great looking loads are spotted in and around the yard, as well.

In the distance we see Henk has boarded another train and is arriving Bell from Firgrove.

Chris is having a ball commanding the ore train as it rounds the bend at Bellamy Junction and heads into the siding at Mercer.

Back in the yard, Colin keeps things under tight control with this little 44 ton brute.

Gord continues his shunting work with his RP&M steamer.

 Here's a vantage point I had never noticed before.  Bringing my camera lower down to track level at Nelson Yard, I see that Malcolm has placed my steam locomotive on our new train, number 311 while the yards at Glen Hammond and Bell rise in the distance.  An "artsy" shot, I say!

We are now train 311 out of Nelson Yard bound for Firgrove.  Malcolm and I have changed roles.  I'm driving the train and he's the conductor/brakeman.  Here, we are taking the crossing at the diamond at Bellamy and about to enter the siding at Mercer before heading into Peter's Pond.

From Peter's Pond, we look off in the distance to see Fred relaxing at the table in the shade.

From our vantage point in Peter's Pond, we spot Bernie taking Pat's return train, number 329, from Craig Leigh to Glen Hammond after completing his work in the yard at Douglas.  He's over at Mount St. Helens here.

He's enjoying the shade, for sure.

Malcolm and I must head up to Cedar Rock.  This affords me the opportunity to railfan Spruce which is located across the aisle from Cedar Rock.

That's a short little train in Spruce.  Love the boxcar with the canoe logo which Paul pointed out to me in an earlier thread.

From my vantage point, I see Chris bringing the ore train upgrade into Mount St. Helens while Bernie takes a glance over to Ironwood which will be his next destination.

Henk is all smiles as he arrives Peter's Pond just as Malcolm and I are finishing up our work there.

Fred has walked over to join in the camaraderie and the action.

Why are Pat and Henk so amused?

Ah...yes!  It's Promontory...

Well...at least garden railroad style!  Indeed...a posed shot!

Again, being the gentlemen we are, Malcolm and I choose to back out of the main to allow Henk to come in to Peter's Pond on the appropriate track.

We run around his train.

Love capturing images of "meets".

I also enjoy the colourful nature of narrow gauge operations.

Moe taking a breather outside of Spruce.

Paul doing the same outside Cedar Rock.

Love this shot of the ore train in its entirety between Ironwood and Spruce.

Through Spruce along the station track.

Through the trestle to the east of Nelson Yard.

Into Nelson Yard.

Once again, Gord and Colin have done a magnificent job at Nelson Yard.

Paul swats a bug away as Chris takes the ore train westward to Peter's Pond...a similar shot from the one I took a few frames back.

 Some more colourful selections of rolling stock on this narrow minded morning!

Still some more.

Yet, some more!

Malcolm guides 311 through the yard at Bell.  He's bound for Firgrove.

Arriving Firgrove.

Firgrove is also known as Ralph, named after the late Ralph Dipple.

Colourful passenger equipment in Ralph.

At Glen Hammond, Pat and Henk share some stories.

Seems each one has a train in either direction.  They're just having a ton of fun!

Love the look of the steam equipment.

As well as the colourful cabeese!

Glenn Hammond sure can be a happening place!

I'm running my engine light from Ralph across the entire railroad back to Craig Leigh.

There's still some action coming into Glen Hammond.

With ever so colourful equipment.

And...ever so colourful characters, right Bernie and Moe!

Nice emblem on the tanker.

The plants at Peter's Pond offer a splash of colour to complement the brightly coloured rail cars.

Nice to see some "easy to read" labeling beginning to adorn the layout.  Thanks, Bernie!

Another fine example of a narrow gauge car.

Great looking tankcar in Douglas.

The Lake Nipissing car in Craig Leigh.

Fred is silhouetted as he chats it up with Malcolm.

While Bernie runs the number 10 into the stable.

He really enjoyed using this steamer to work the yard in Craig Leigh.

So, I guess you can say that it's got his name on it from now on!  Hehehe!

Tucked safely into bed.

This closes off another account of a great morning of running trains on Fred's layout with wonderful friends and great camaraderie!  
Thanks for checking in! Mike Hamer - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada