We finished off our first section of this week's train ops with Stu and Carmen about to take their Rail Diesel Car for a spin across both railroads.
We catch up with them in Craig Leigh.
Stu offers a short tutorial of the throttle arrangement for Carmen while Chris wyes the ore train in order to back it into the massive ore dock.
Chris has uncoupled his caboose while Carmen tests out some of the controls on the throttle.
We've radioed dispatch and have been cleared from Craig Leigh down to Mount St. Helens.
Carmen is a pro with the throttle becoming comfortable with its arrangement right away.
Following a station stop in Mount St. Helens, the crew is cleared into Ironwood.
Looks like we have a passenger train riding above another passenger train!
Stu's self-propelled diesel is painted in New Haven livery and numbered 45. The train is Passenger Extra 45.
Passenger Extra 45 keeps pace with Train 15, the Pool Train.
No, it's not a race, but a little research on these self-propelled units tells me that in 1966 the New York Central set a world speed record of 184 mph (296 kmph). "How?" you ask. Simple...they strapped two jets engines on one of their Buddliners! I would imagine the crew that volunteered for that run certainly had the jitters!
Stu and Carmen arrive the eastern fringe of Ironwood while Len awaits his passenger train's exit out of "The Corners."
The NH (New York, New Haven & Hartford) purchased 40 of these units.
Passenger Extra 45 meets 319 in Ironwood.
She's gleaming in the mid morning sunlight.
319's crew heads into the facing spurs while Extra 45 allows its passengers the time to disembark the train and climb aboard.
The New Haven called their Buddliners "Shoreliners."
A look across the property from Spruce over to Nelson Yard shows a great deal of activity on the western end of the railroad.
The crew sails into Spruce.
Stu aligns the turnout for Carmen.
Typically there would be a station stop here, but with no station set out, the crew gets the highball order to proceed to Glen Hammond with a stop at Blockhouse.
In behind, we get a quick glance of the ore train downgrade out of Mount St. Helens.
Yes, lots of activity over that way, for sure.
Passenger Extra 45 enters the canyon between Spruce and Blockhouse.
My research indicates that 398 of these units were built between 1949 and 1962 with most of them found running in the northeast.
Bill oversees the action as the Nelson Yard Master.
Our train climbs out over the gut to the west of Blockhouse.
I am momentarily interrupted from my railfanning of the passenger train and am asked to bring my camera over to Bell. Indeed, bells are ringing loudly at Bell. We have four trains working the area simultaneously! Three are pictured above...Train 20, the short hop down from Firgrove in care of the black and gold CN switcher...Pool Train 15 at the west house track to the right and 311 on Track 4 off in the distance.
We also have 304 entering Bell from the west. We may very well have an RP&M train holding at the junction (out of sight to the right) as they frequent this location often.
The following is a description of the meet from our dispatcher, Doug.
"I remember well the logjams of the trains in Bell...RP&M and IPP&W freights worked the yard and Interchange while passenger mail and express trains #15 and 20 exchanged milk cars and reefers at the house track. Throw in a move to the turntable for the loco on #20 to head back to Firgrove as #21 facing correctly and Bell was a tad crowded. Amazingly, it all went relatively smoothly thanks to some excellent cooperation between crews and, of course, the extra trackage at Bell added over the past year."
I would imagine skipper Doug in the dispatch booth played a role in this smooth interchange of traffic as well.
Indeed, Doug...a tad crowded...
...but very well choreographed!
Lovely!
Passenger Extra 45 rounds the bend at Lilly.
Carmen is well in control of the unit.
In the real world, the majority of these units were used in branch line service or commuter service.
With the decline of the long passenger trains for many railroads these were often the last remnants of passenger service witnessed by railfans and the travelling public.
The New Haven actually went as far as creating a special train of these cars with two locomotives which resembled the RDC's at either end of the train in push/pull service with four Buddliners in between.
Most Buddliners were retired by 1980...
...although a few can be found in use today!
Joel surveys the trackage around Nelson Yard and Glen Hammond...
...and takes detailed notes for our next rendering of our railroad schematic.
Carmen pulls her train along the bypass track...
...and into the station at Glen Hammond.
These cars were built by the Budd Co. in Philadelphia, PA.
Doug, our dispatcher looks on from his perch in the booth after clearing Passenger Extra 45 to Bellamy.
Carmen is thrilled to be underway while all the lads up in Bell sort our their respective moves in behind her.
Station stop at Bellamy.
Looking good!
She's made the junction and is right hand running at Mercer Siding.
I once had the opportunity to ride in a rail diesel car between Esquimalt and Nanaimo on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The engineer let me stay with him in the cab and he even stopped so I could take pictures on the big trestles!
The above picture I took at the Qualicum Beach station north of Parksville, BC on the island. We were visiting my good friend Marty Phillips, a former Ottawa model railroader.
An artsy shot I snapped of the VIA Rail Canada pairing.
My family actually travelled out west on The Canadian in two successive years, 2005 & 2006. Too much fun!
Back to our train operations. Stu and Carmen pull into Peter's Pond.
Note the bold stylised logo of an upper case N over an upper case H. This, along with a bold red, black and white livery on most of the New Haven's locomotives was designed by the artistically-trained wife of the president of the railroad, Lucille McGinnis. Her husband, Patrick, went on to lead the Boston and Maine shortly thereafter. Just has she had determined the New Haven required a new and bold image, the process was repeated at the Boston and Maine with the bold interlaced blue, black and white lettering of the B&M.
This image from my HO Scale layout showcases Lucille Mcginnis' artistic design with the interlaced B and M on the new "Bluebird" image for the railroad which appeared when the B&M introduced their new GP9 series of diesel locomotives.
The GP9's replaced the aging FT's on the B&M. This image showcases an FT unit in the earlier Minute Man scheme.
Back to the garden! We catch a glint of the sun's rays before Extra 45 enters the dark depths below Mount St. Helen's.
In "The Corners."
Behind Ironwood Brick and beside the siding at Wellington Lake.
Station Stop at Wellington Lake.
Across the grassy aisle, I catch 312 rounding the bend into Spruce.
Steve has brought out his CN beast of a unit.
Paul, Steve and I were looking at this engine before the ops began. That longer extended platform could hold a "barn dance" we felt... it is so big!
The ore train westbound at Spruce.
312 meets the ore train.
304 holds the siding at Watkins while Passenger Extra 45 climbs out of Wellington Lake.
Lots of meets!
Alone again.
Into Bell.
We catch RP&M 67 working the interchange tracks.
Love that blue locomotive belonging to Brian.
Stu observes the scenery around Bell.
Our passenger train continues its westward journey...
...as RP&M 67 finishes up its work. When Brian and Lawrence have completed their moves here at Bell, they will return down RP&M rails as RP&M 68.
Extra 45 has been cleared onto RP&M rails.
Stu follows in the shade.
Slowing for a station stop at Pratt's Bottom.
The underground railroad!
Malcolm and George confer on the make-up of Train 328.
Exiting the tunnel at Rat Portage.
A handful of passengers get off the train here.
Malcolm calls over to me to say that our train is almost ready to roll.
I snap a few more quick pics of this wonderful Rail Diesel Car.
Looks like Nelson Yard is still making up trains. Steve and Seanna will be departing with Rat 71 in short order.
We're crossing the junction where I say farewell to Stu and Carmen. I thank them for the glorious ride I experienced aboard New Haven Shoreliner 45.
Then I head back to Firgrove where I see four tankers in Ralph Yard.
Our power for 328 is this rarely photographed Delaware and Hudson unit.
George has our train on the ready track so we head across the turnout to back onto our consist.
George gets the throws for me.
On the train Malcolm radios dispatch for clearance from Firgrove to Bell.
We're underway!
My conductor, Malcolm.
It really is "Blue on Blue!"
The crew admires the scenery from atop the iron at "The Ledges."
We are offered Track 4 in Bell.
This will allow us to engage the interchange tracks.
Malcolm has me all twisted so that I am low enough to be in the picture with this rarely seen locomotive.
We've run around our train and will deposit a couple of cars at a facing siding.
Malcolm uncouples the setouts at Brunt's Brewery, named after our famous Invasion visitor, Ken Brunt.
Yes, Bell is a hive of activity. We meet the ore train here.
No problem as we are safely tucked in on Track 4 while we run back along Track 3.
We handle some setouts and lifts from Stuart Yard. On the railroad, Stuart Yard is the single long track just beside the main station track that runs the length of the entire yard. It can hold a mighty amount of freight cars.
I look over to yard master Bill.
While I spot my buddy, Bill...yes, another Bill...in the crew lounge.
With our work complete, Malcolm contacts dispatch for clearance eastbound to Peter's Pond. Here we are at Watkins.
As our train is about to navigate the depths below Mount St. Helens, we spot 314 working above us.
Moments earlier, I grab this shot of this elusive locomotive in "The Corners."
Below Mount St. Helens.
Thanks, Malcolm, for being a great crewmate!
Arrival in Peter's Pond.
Working up in Cedar Rock.
Stu stands proudly beside his New Haven Shoreliner.
Thanks to Stu and Carmen for taking "this passenger" on an adventure of a lifetime!
As always, thank you to Fred for hosting such a fun-filled morning of train ops!
All the best, Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
