Train Extra 3607 in the Guise of Trains 301

Train Extra 3607 in the Guise of 

Train 301

We submit that the summer of 2020 has been one of the strangest on record...what with the Covid-19 restrictions and the record setting temperatures in July - hottest July in 100 years.  Despite these facts, this has not deterred our ability to enjoy running trains in the great outdoors with a greater number of precautions taken each week.

Seeing the enjoyment on the faces of the lads and lasses during their visit to Barry's in Belleville, Marcel and I decided to try something different for "train running" this week.  We created an "experimental" train ops session.  

We arrived early and placed most of the standard gauge cars to the various towns and classification yards on the both railroads and we encouraged the engineers to run their trains and determine any set-outs and lifts upon arrival in any town or yard.  

Marcel and I asked Bernie and others a number of times to "create" our movements for us when we arrived a certain location so as to make it even more challenging on ourselves.

We wore masks and there was hand sanitizer and paper towels available on the crew lounge table.

With each switching move offered up, I tracked the job for our train on a couple of scraps of paper and then rewrote them in neater print when I got home so that I could share our run with you.

This image shows our train being made up in Craig Leigh and our moves for Mount. St. Helens and Ironwood.
(Remember, you can explode the images by clicking on them and return to this page by clicking outside them.)

Let's focus in on the train before we begin our run.

Douglas Yard in Craig Leigh was populated with some 15-20 cars or so.  Marcel and I quickly selected six cars at random for the train.  

With Bernie continuing his work under Mount St. Helen's (greatly appreciated, Bernie!) we performed the role of Craig Leigh yard master and made up our own train.  We also decided that we would place the cars in the same order as they appeared on the train list.

Marcel and I begin assembling Train Extra 3607.  We will follow the same route as IPP&W Train 301...from Craig Leigh to Nelson Yard.

We pull a string of cars from Douglas Yard as part of the blocking maneuver.

With our six cars in their proper order and placed on the "ready track", Marcel brings our locomotive around to the front of our train.

Union Pacific 3607 is the unit of choice for today's run.

We have verified our consist...and we duly note that we are "6 cars out" from Craig Leigh. The air lines are secured and we await clearance from dispatch (which is us!)...

...and in no time we are on our way under the watchful gaze of yardmaster Bernie.

Off we go!  As they say in the field of aviation, it will be Visual Flight Rules on this day!

Mark and Olie pay us a visit to check out our train.

The rumble beneath the rails has been frequent enough to cause the lower section of the Northland sign to break free from its upper partner!

It was clear sailing into Mount St. Helens and the crew take the siding in preparation for their work.

We verify our list and notice that the Canadian Pacific stock car on the headpin will be the lone set-out here today.

Our list also dictates that we lift a reefer and a bulkhead flat here and that we will be "7 cars out" from Mount St. Helens.

All of the sidings are facing so the work is easy and we are done in no time at all.

As we gain clearance for our train to run westward to Ironwood, we spot Bob giving a wave of the hand.

We have two excited railfans awaiting the passage of our train!

Despite the implications of a Covid economy, it would appear that lading is being handled on a regular basis along the IPP&W.

With Extra 3607 on final approach to Ironwood, Bernie takes a recess from his work to come over and watch how the new siding he designed works in our "experimental" train operations scenario.

So...we ask Bernie to shout out a few set-outs to be taken from our train and a few lifts to be grabbed from the sidings in Ironwood.  We are glad he chose both facing sidings and trailing sidings for this crew.

I quickly drew this schematic of the track arrangement in Ironwood. We have the station track which is the mainline through town and now we have two sidings perfect for allowing the passage of multiple trains.  Trains arriving from Mount St. Helens have two trailing spurs (Ironwood Brick and Windmill) and three facing tracks (Freight Shed, Team Track and Larabie Fuels).

We tackle the trailing Windmill siding as Larabie Fuels will act as a "lead" for our train.  We also have a "lift" from Larabie so this proves helpful.  The green Southern Pacific bulkhead flat carrying lumber will go into the siding at Windmill...

...after we lift the empty Canadian Pacific bulkhead flat from the same siding.  Note the lift at the far end of the string of cars attached to the engine.

Job well done crew, as the bulkhead flat with log loads now resides at Windmill.  Note how our engine is sandwiched between two cars, one of which was the lift from Larabie - the tankcar.

Later, we will spot an Ontario Northland 40' boxcar onto the two boxcars on the far track and we will deposit a tankcar to Larabie on the track which can barely be seen in the bottom righthand corner of the image.

Marcel and I are enjoying the challenge Bernie set out for us...

...and we actually feel rather comfortable in our masks if you can believe it.

We once again thank Bernie for his efforts this morning as he sacrificed train running to continue upgrading the line below Mount St. Helens.

From Ironwood, I turn around to capture this image of cars on the sidings over in Spruce.

We continue our work unabated as an ore train trundles by along the station track.

The White Pass locomotive captures this photographer's attention.

Mark and Olie are running the train...

...into Spruce...

..where they come to a stop for a wee break!

We have completed our assignment in Ironwood...

...and await clearance into Spruce.

This will make for a very colourful meet!

Glorious!

White Pass & Yukon diesel locomotive #108 is an Alco - Montreal Locomotive Works six axle engine.

Extra 3607 arrives Bell with its eye on the siding.

We sashay alongside the ore train...

...to create this meet that has been shared before.

Who says railroading is not colourful?

With the departure of the ore train we hold the siding for a meet with Paul's CP local in Spruce.

We will have one set-out and two lifts here as determined by Bernie.

But first we let Paul travel on through along the main.

Aha...that "triple meet" in Ironwood.  Notice that the ore train had chosen to conduct a reverse move to head back to Ironwood as the engineer decided to switch out the Ironwood Brick facility.

Bob meets us in Spruce...

...as Grant works Cedar Rock across the aisleway.

The Union Pacific bulkhead flat is one of our lifts.

It is being included on our train after we had first placed another car, the Ontario Northland 40' Boxcar within the consist behind the tankcar in order to protect our tail end van.

The Ironwood Brick facility has attracted four ore cars on this day.

With our efforts complete at Spruce, our train tunnels its way to the lowest point on the railroad near the pedestrian crossing.

Climbing upgrade at Blockhouse brings us into daylight for a short while.

Extra 3607 will arrive Nelson Yard in short order where the first leg of its journey will be complete.

Bob heads eastbound to Glen Hammond.

Our Nelson Yard locomotive for the morning is this beauty.

Bob has passed through the Glen and is on his way to Spruce.

Marcel breaks off our train and heads to the tail end...

...to remove our caboose from our arrival train in order to place it on our impending departing consist...

...while Andrew finishes up assembling our cars for our outgoing train.

The CP "Spans the West" 40' boxcar is the last car required for our train.

Our new train is the red block as designated by the red poker chips...and the train we just brought in is to the left.

We arrived with seven cars and will depart with five.

During regular operations, the consist on the left (set-outs) would have been IPP&W Train 301 and the block of cars on the right (lifts) would be IPP&W Train 311.

Marcel deposits the van to our tail end.

He will then take the A/D track to arrive at the headend of the train.

We set out on the second leg of our journey aboard Train Extra 3607, now in the guise of the regular IPP&W Train 311.

Check in tomorrow for the account of this next run where we will take you further west down the line into Peter's Pond, Cedar Rock, Wellington Lake, Bell and Firgrove.

Before we leave you...here are a few pics Marcel sent from Barry's session.

We find his train readied in the big yard in Ottawa.

She's one bright and colourful train, Marcel!

Marcel also sent me these next three images from some of the train activities he enjoys in Arizona.  Here's Marcel's message...

This is one of my playgrounds in Arizona. The gentleman walking away has now passed away and this exact replica of CNR 6060 was custom- built for him by a fabricator in Oregon. Gerry Smolyk ran this locomotive only twice before he passed away after a return of his cancer.  

I had the privilege of being with him on the second voyage which lasted about 3 1/2 hours over a 165 acre layout, featuring 8 different subdivisions which would take 8 to 10 hours to do if you ran them all.

He is dearly missed by all at the Maricopa Live Steamers. 

Thank you, Marcel, for these amazing images!

That's all for now folks!

All the best, Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada