Garden Railroading: Inaugural Session for 2017 (Part One)

Before our Inaugural Train Operating Session in the garden for 2017 could commence, there was an unveiling ceremony.

Folks are wondering if it is a new line side structure for the railroad!

Aha! If Henk has anything to do with it, it must be related to food!

And...the cover is off!

Quite the audience.

Henk explains how all the lads and lasses pitched in on the purchase of a new BBQ for our post-ops lunches.

And...quite the dandy it is!
Note regarding images...if you wish to see any image in larger format, simply click on the image.
To return to the default page setting, click outside the enlarged image.

Garry, Pete and Malcolm are happy train souls awaiting the first session of the year.

As is the young and handsome, Paul!

The first session is standard gauge...and what a diesel delight we have on this day!

Indeed, diesels of all colours and stripes!

You've gotta love the green and gold livery on this gem of a locomotive.

An all blue salute to the blue sky day we encountered this morning.

A duo of F's holds the point on Passenger 2.

Love the sergeant stripes on this CN puppy.

The TH&B makes an appearance.

As does the D&H.

The Algoma Central adds to the colour of the day.

A CP road switcher.

With another CP brother.

As always, the morning starts with the setting out of cars to the layout.

Colin surveys the car list while Paul, Gord and Henk discuss the morning's activities at Nelson Yard.

Lawrence checks his list as Steve sets out cars in Mount St. Helens.

Garry hauls another tray from storage.

A bread tray can hold five cars.

A series of bread trays at the eastern terminus at Craig Leigh.

That's Douglas Yard in the background.

A typical train order sheet.

The organizational set-out sheet used pre-ops.

The Crew Sign-Up sheet which indicates yard masters, train crews and dispatcher.

Seanna is working on some electrical items pre-ops.

That's Craig Leigh in the background.

Bernie, Doug and Pete are all ears as Henk and Fred offer some words of advice before the session begins.

Yup, we have a good crowd on this day.

Gord works Nelson Yard ensuring all cars are spotted to the proper industries and the proper tracks for future trains which will be heading out.

Paul manages the east end of the yard along with Gord.

Steve blocks his train in Glen Hammond. He and Seanna will be in charge of 318, the eastbound freight from the Glen to Craig Leigh. They will later return westward as trains 303 and 313. Yes, we have elongated our ops session giving many of the operators 50% more work!

Colin, along with Gord and Paul ensure Nelson Yard is kept in tiptop shape throughout the session.

To the left, Henk and Brian run the RP&M train out of Glen Hammond.

Paul and Pete are about to board train 301 in Craig Leigh.

With my D&H diesel on the head end, this one will be beauty to railfan.

They are cleared out of the yard with a destination of Nelson Yard where they will become 311 and will head to the western terminal of Firgrove. They will then return to GLln Hammond as 328. Again, that's a 50% increase in train appointments for the crews.

301 has arrived Mount St. Helens and has run around its train to begin drilling the facing industries at this location.

Passenger 2 heads eastbound into Peter's Pond with 301 above.

Paul and Malcolm discussing their moves at Mount St. Helens.

We catch up with Lawrence and Steve aboard train 302. They have departed Firgrove earlier in the morning and are now in Bell. With the locomotive on the western end of a cut of cars, they are either crossing the main line to handle the facing spur at Brunt's Brewery or selecting a car from the cut on the Stuart Yard tracks.

That's one lovely looking diesel locomotive!

At the eastern throat of Stuart Yard in Bell.

Along the bordering fence line.

Aha! Here are the two lads, Lawrence in behind and Steve up front.

Love the "S" curve appeal!

Later, we spot the crew observing their moves at Peter's Pond.

Where they head up to Cedar Rock.

They meet 311 in the hole at Mercer Siding.

Taking the diamond, Steve will discuss clearance into Nelson Yard when he reaches yard limits in short order.

We spot an RP&M transfer departing Glen Hammond.

Into Bellamy, the RP&M crew begins their work.

No need for a throttle for Henk. He simply gives a wave of the hand with the new technology available out on the market and his train moves in the direction in which he points.

Works every time. All the crews will have invested in this new hand technology by the end of the season.

Thanks to Malcolm for this great image of Henk and Brian working the interchange area at Bell.

Thanks to Malcolm as well for this Pic of Henk and Brian's train at Bell.

Doug signed on to Passenger 2. He enjoys running passenger traffic.

We see his train making a station stop at Bell.

Those sure are handsome F-units Doug!

At Watkins Siding.

Tunneling below Mount St. Helens.

Finding daylight on approach to Peter's Pond.

Across the diamond and at the station in Bellamy.

Arriving Glen Hammond.

Eastbound at Lilly.

With the tail end piercing the trestle.

Another lovely "over-under" shot out of Blockhouse.

Rounding the curve into Spruce.

We catch up with Pete and Garry at Peter's Pond.

They are working westbound train 327 from Glen Hammond to Firgrove.

When they eventually reach Firgrove, they will return and traverse the entire railroad as trains 304 and 314.

A lovely CN "green and gold".

Thanks to Garry and Pete for tidying up track 3 at Bell and moving cars to the Stuart Yard track!

At the western end of Bell where the IPP&W interchanges with the RP&M.

It looks like Pete and Garry have already arrived Firgrove and are now on their downgrade return to Bell at "The Ledges", now Train 304. It would appear we have a young railfan in our midst. Welcome to the railroad, Devon!

Arriving Bell. Pete now handles the switchlist while Garry controls the train.

The view outside my dispatch booth.

Another view taken from inside my dispatch hut shows Steve and Seanna working the yard at Glen Hammond preparing train 318. Gee, my booth windows are really clean!

318 is on the roll at Lilly.

Rounding the bend into Spruce.

They meet 301 at Spruce.

Seanna handles both duties while Steve has disappeared to repair a technical issue somewhere on the railroad.

That's one lovely Algoma Central unit you have there, Seanna and Steve.

Charls Gendron custom painted it for this wonderful couple.

Steve is back and immediately gets down to business at Spruce.

Their eastbound train is later cleared into Ironwood.

A nice "going away" shot of the unit.

Charls did a spectacular paint job on this unit!

Doug is now in command of Train 15, the Pool Train.

He departed Craig Leigh and has passed through Mount St. Helens and is now on his approach to the station track in Ironwood. Devon is enjoying all of the train action!

Train 15 with bells ringing arrives Ironwood.

Through Spruce and now downgrade into Blockhouse and later into Glen Hammond.

Train 15 has completed its work in Glen Hammond and continues westbound into Peter's Pond on IPP&W trackage.

The train is later spotted outside of Rat Portage on RP&M iron awaiting the green light back across the diamond and into the Glen once more.

We must thank our yardmaster Bernie for ensuring trains were ready to roll at Douglas Yard.

And yardmaster Paul in Firgrove. (This was a shot from last year as I failed to capture a shot of Paul during this session...me bad!)

And...of course, our yardmaster and yard assistants in and around Nelson Yard and along the RP&M...Colin, Gord, Paul, Henk and Brian! (not all pictured)