At Bonnie's and Barry's in Belleville

 Thursday, August 16th found the group travelling to Belleville, Ontario to visit Barry and Bonnie's lovely large scale layout.

Operations were of the diesel variety.
To see some great video "drone" footage our good friend Moe took copy and paste the link below into your browser.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdJ_0YsZZu8&feature=youtu.be

When I arrived five minutes after ten, the crews were already busy assembling their trains in the yard at Boyce.

Umbrellas were already set up to protect us from the heat of the sun's rays.

Barry and Bonnie have done a masterful job on their property.

Yummy looking tomatoes.

Diesels in all colour choices.

Multiple unit operations.

CN representation.

CP as well.

Rolling stock review.

Some great looking loads.

Brilliant colours.

The "hopper" twins.

Moe and Bernie begin their work.  Moe is already underway with Henk on Train 811 (out of view) while Bernie is the Belleville yard master.

There's Henk off in the distance with Train 811.

Tom has driven up from his home in Pennsylvania for the day's operations.  We catch him with Doug aboard Train 821.

John and Fred enjoy a relaxing moment.

Pat and Dale have Train 841 in Cumberland.

Paul makes up half of the crew of Train 801.

Doug knows where a cool seat can be found.

Where he can watch the action at Boyce.

Steve and Alex arrive with some goodies for Barry.

801 has departed Boyce and will end up at Belleville much later in the morning.

Rounding the bend at West Bend.

Into Orleans.

Paul crosses over the pedestrian crosswalk while his crew mate, Garry, and Moe look on.

Garry is conductor aboard 801.

They arrive Trista Centre.

Through Shaanenville.

Drilling the industries at Shaanenville East.

Meanwhile, Pat and Dale are found rounding the big bend on their approach to Cumberland now aboard 842.

They meet an opposing train.

The crew work the yard in Cumberland.

Later, in Orleans.

Here's Pat.

Here's Dale.

Later, aboard 841, we find them drilling the tracks at Kamarron City.  

Tom and Doug find themselves in Cumberland from this previously seen image.

Later they work Hayes Fuels.

With its plethora of tanker traffic.

Indeed, those domed tankers are real beauties.

A close-up shot of a great looking car.

Garry and Tom examine the roadbed between Hayes Fuels and Kamarron City.

Doug and Tom bypass Shaanenville.

I find myself in Belleville aboard my CN road switcher while Bernie works the yard with his TH&B Geep.

I'm out of Belleville destined for Boyce aboard Train 831.

My nicely weathered unit.  Thanks, Chris!

Working Shaanenville East.

This is a facing move for me.

It's here where I look across at the trackage below Shannenville East and spot Train 842.

Fred has the best seat in the house.

By the waterfall.

As he watches my train exit the tunnel.

 

And enjoys the sound of the rushing water.

I'm through Kamarron City.

I've set out and lifted some tanker traffic at Hayes Fuels.

Love the broad S-curve.

Near the front of the property on approach to Trista Centre.

Here's Tom.

Garry and Fred.

Moe and Henk off in the far distance.

Camaraderie abounds.

Haven't seen Bernie in a while.

Ah...there he is!

He managed to sneak out of Belleville yard.

To steal his way around the railroad.

Love the TH&B Geep, Bernie.

Arriving Cumberland.

Some more great looking examples of large scale rolling stock.

I've always appreciated the appearance of this paint scheme.

This one too!

Rolling stock in Boyce.

A New England railroad.

You made this New England modeller happy Barry!

Cars at industries at Shaanenville East.

A view from the other side of the peninsula.

Barry keeps friends entertained.

Bernie and Garry.

Some of the ladies in conversation.

Paul, John and Doug.

Johnny Chuff-Chuff!

John and Col. Joe.

Henk's back.  But...where had he been?

Aha! On a little sojourn trackside.

For some one-to-one railfanning!

Nice shots Henk!

A shot from the roadside.  Below is a link to some video footage from Henk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rryyuGmFvgA&feature=youtu.be

Pat, Barry and John enjoy lunch under the two large canopies John brought along with him.

Very much appreciated, John!

Bonnie walks on by as Tom, Steve, Alex and Bernie enjoy some tasty nourishment.

Garry, Paul, Doug, Moe and Henk chow down!

John visits Fred.

What, a UFO!

It's no UFO...why it's Moe!

(I'm a poet and I don't know it!)

She's airborne.

Drawing a crowd.

More folks come to see what's up?  Up in the air that is!

After lunch, crews begin the second wave of trains or complete their morning runs.

Paul and Garry begin their run in Belleville aboard Train 802.

Nice looking caboose.

They are soon ready to depart.

Meanwhile Mike and Doug have finished up their work at Trista Centre.

They will take the bypass track at Kamarron City to allow Garry and Paul into the same location on the mainline track.

811 enters the tunnel.

Garry, Doug and Paul wait.

"Headlight!"

Clear of the tunnel.

811 meets 832.

We are then able to proceed to Shaanenville.

Through the tunnel.

Over the girder.

Through Shaanenville.

Mike's car is waiting at Belleville to drive he and Doug home once they put the train to bed.

Mike (little old me) with my crewmate, Doug.

"We're having a great time, Barry!" Mike is heard proclaiming.

Rather than hop in the car at Belleville, the crew runs the power over to the wye outside Boyce and grabs a cab back to their car.

Mike and Doug had earlier begun their run aboard 832 with this CN road switcher holding the honours.

CN meets CN.

Past the row of houses.

Past the botanical gardens.

Into Orleans...with new power.  Yes, there was service interruption when the CN locomotive came to a sudden halt.  (It had been running all morning and finally ran out of its battery charge.)

An overhead shot of Barry's TH&B power.

832 is on its approach to Cumberland.

Where the crew meets an opposing Canadian Pacific train.

Through the S-curves.

At the pedestrian crossing.

In the shade.

Round the bend.

Looking good.

Taking the crossovers at Juliana Junction.

Bypassing Hayes Fuels.

Near the front of the property.

Through another crossing.

Into Trista Centre.

Mike's smart and he's kind too...he's the engineer and he leaves all of the bending down to Doug as we know that when we grow older we need to do our calisthenics on a regular basis.  (Big grin!)

Switching out St. James Flour.

Out of Trista Centre.

Back at Kamarron City.

Where we had let Garry and Paul come in ahead of our departure.

We catch up with Pat in the afternoon aboard Train 842.

He meets our train at the trestles.

Heading into the tunnel.

Waiting for clearance into Trista Centre.

Say "hello" Pat!

"Now it's my turn," Pat is heard saying to himself.

Working the tracks in Trista Centre.

Noelle and Bonnie say hello.

The bumblebees ensure there will be more flowers next year.

Lovely gardens, Bonnie!

Looking over the flowers toward Hayes Fuels.

With their sidings full of tank cars.

I spot a CN train in Orleans.

Tom is at the helm and he runs through to Cumberland where he met Paul and Garry aboard Train 811.

Another CPR train at Kamarron City.

Lovely locos.

Garry and Paul enter Orleans.

On their way out of Orleans.

Approaching the trestle.

Through the trestle.

Heading toward Boyce.

With some work to be conducted at West Ben.

Working the West Ben sidings.

Train 811 arrives Boyce.

Entering the big yard at Boyce.

I head back in time to check in on my train.

I'm out from Trista Centre.

Bypassing the crossovers.

As the Doobie Brothers sang, she's a "Long Train Runnin.'"

Taking the cutoff to Cumberland.

Bypassing the peninsula at Shaanenville East.

Snaking through the curves into Cumberland.

I'm already through Orleans.

Passing the botanical gardens.

The locomotive is a beauty.

As are the gardens.

We catch up with Steve, Alex and Tom.

Tom is running this CN diesel.

While Steve controls the head unit.

They do a great job keeping their engines running as a tandem.

Into Cumberland.

They split the units to work Trista Centre.

Love the waterfall Barry!

Love the landscaping, Bonnie!

Your property is so inviting.

Refreshing too.

St. James Flour in Trista Centre.

Rolling stock review.

They are all gorgeous specimens, Barry.

Nicely weathered to boot!

Bonnie enjoys listening to the stories Fred, Bernie and Moe share.

The lads are keeping her entertained.

Great popsicles!

It's all quiet now.

Lazing in the shade.

Too much fun.

A great group.

Henk always keeps us entertained.

Stories.

And more stories.

Even more still.

When you get a group of railroaders together.

You're bound to have fun.

Thanks, Barry.

The sun rose on your railroad and we all had a wonderful time.

So, as we reach the tail end.

It's time to say good-bye for another year.

Thank you so much Barry and Bonnie in Belleville!

Til next year!

Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada