Garden Railroading: Review of Session #9

Session #9 Narrow Gauge Re-Visit

I continue with my review of this past summer's sessions with a look back at Session #9.

These images have not been seen previously on the blog as I had taken so many that day.

I hope this stirs up memories of the "Summertime" here in Ottawa - where "The Living is Easy"!

"Steam was the Cream" of the day!

We catch an eastbound in the hole at Ironwood awaiting clearance to St. Helens while the morning sun continues to rise on its daily journey.

Seanna brings Passenger 2 to a station stop in the fabled area around St. Helens where the morning temperatures are always cooler.

No white stuff in this image - it is definitely summer weather!

301 has found some work to conduct at Spruce. It would appear they are dealing with the trailing team track siding at the moment.

An early generation diesel holds down the assignment on its westerly run across the Spruce Sub.

The crew are discussing their moves at the moment.

A rare sight is this large engine switching out the various industries in Ironwood en-route.

Pat and Robin crew 303 where they must take a trip up the Cedar Rock Branch during their first assignment of the morning.

Careful consideration is taken by the crew back down at the junction as there is no runaround capability to be found up here in Cedar Rock!

The crew has things under control and they will be heading back down the branchline in due course.

Doug is on his second trick of the morning aboard Train 313. He started out in Glen Hammond with Train 304. Upon termination in Craig Leigh he and crewmate Bill headed back west where they are now spotted in Ironwood holding for a meet with the ore train.

Video footage around Cedar Rock and across the Spruce Subdivision.

The Lumber Pine Company locomotive is loaned out to the IPP&W and is found in ore service on this morning.

Ore empties head on through Spruce.

An eastbound is working the west end of the yard (geographical east) and the main will be cleared momentarily.

All clear for the empties to continue on their journey.

Video revival - lot of action in these events.

This "mean machine" enters the eastern vicinity of Nelson Yard.

The crew bypasses the big yard and hauls into Glen Hammond.

The ore train of empties is the star attraction in this video segment.

The Uintah Railway steamer has found a good home for the summer along the route of the IPP&W.

Indeed the locomotive soldiers on for another day - this time aboard Train 313 dealing with the big curve out from Ironwood.

Bernie & Kris deliver traffic to Spruce while working Train 312 having left Nelson Yard bound for Craig Leigh.

More large video action on the Spruce Sub.

IPP&W and RP&M operations include a Pool Train servicing both railroads on a weekly basis.

Pool Train 33 finds Bell around 10:20 in the morning.

Some headend traffic will be dealt with here.

The crew slow to a stop on the main.

Video of the arrival of this illustrious train.

Our ore empties have departed Glen Hammond and the crew is underway through the junction.

There must be a "service interruption" along the Bell Sub as the ore train detours onto RP&M rails.

Ore train video action.

This crew has fought traffic on the IPP&W main to find relief along the bucolic branch leading up to Cedar Rock.

Back in Nelson Yard with a fully loaded ore train, Bob & Mark touch base with Nelson Yardmaster, Garry.

We have enjoyed something new in the showroom this past season as Chris brought out his Prince Edward Island steam locomotive to run on the RP&M and the IPP&W.

Taking a rest from active duty for a brief moment, we find George in conversation with a smiling Sid.

The ore traffic exits stage right as 301 enters the scene.

Passenger service will be improved once the house track is installed leading over to the depot at Spruce. Currently, the turnout is in place and the town of Spruce awaits the work crew to get busy laying track the following Wednesday.

Everywhere one looks in Fred's backyard they see train activity. This crew was held briefly at Mercer Siding and has been cleared through the junction and on into Nelson Yard.

Our endcab CP diesel has encountered engine difficulties and #27 is brought in to rescue the run for the crew now aboard 322, their third trick of the morning.

Number 27 takes the glide slope on approach to Bell from the west.

Engineer Dilip is enjoying the moment!

While this steamer certainly has seen better days, she still proves her worthiness for the railroad.

Video along "The Ledges".

322 makes its presence known at Bell.

The crew takes the ladder down into the yard.

322 meets Pool Train 33.

Now, if this is later in the morning, then we may be referring to our passenger run as Train #1 instead!

Freight and passenger crews exchange pleasantries at Bell as captured so well on Mike's video.

And take a look at who is in the vicinity at the same moment in time - why, it's Darth Vader!

More video to the west of Bell.

The ore train departs RP&M rails and finds a home on IPP&W iron.

The crew tracks through the same trajectory as 322, only to take Track 4 rather than Track 3.

Steve observes the developing action.

Our conductor gives us a wave hello!

Continued video footage in the area.

A triple meet has been choreographed nicely by the handsome dispatcher/photographer! Heh heh!

Ore empties are on the move once more.

Time to clear the passenger train out from Bell.

We know definitively that this is the Pool Train as the crew has selected RP&M rails for their continuation of the journey.

Still more Bell video.

Earlier in the morning, 311 is found down in Peter's Pond.

The Pool Train is working in Spruce.

Seanna conducts a station stop.

Arrival at Spruce depot.

Visitors from afar have made it out to view the action.

And...what action there is - so much so that it can all become a blur at times - but we don't mind at all!

Uncle Fred entertains the newbies!

Bernie & Kris have 312 in Spruce while Doug & Bill work 313 over in Ironwood still relatively early in the session.

311 enters Bell on Track 3.

A glance at the interchange tracks in Glen Hammond finds a variety of traffic as is usually the case in Nelson Yard.

The eastern throat of Nelson Yard.

Passenger 1 has departed Bellamy bound for Peter's Pond.

The crews never rest on their laurels...they attack the jobs at hand in each town.

Operations are perfectly staggered to keep crews busy with little waiting time for others - well, that's the goal anyway! 😎😋😎

A blurry image of the Pool Train having exited Fred's backyard for a brief sojourn out front.

Blurry video to accompany the photograph!

Train 33 has just treated its passenger to a view out front!

Reaching Rat Portage, the crew crawls to a station stop.

The water tower dominates the scene.

They meet an RP&M train down in Rat.

Rat Portage video work.

313 is given orders to divert to Glen Hammond momentarily due to congestion in Nelson Yard.

The lads focus on the turnouts.

The view from my dispatch booth oversees Glen Hammond and Nelson Yard and what a busy pair of railroads we run!

Activity galore!

Video footage from near the booth.

The ore train rolls out from Nelson.

313's crew waits patiently before they are able to conduct a reverse move and enter the yard.

Video fun around Nelson!

This venerable locomotive reaches the Fred Mills Trestle.

In the distance we catch one of our RP&M crews drilling the facility at Lilly atop the Lawrence Watkins Trestle.

The view at Lilly.

More rare video footage.

Yardmaster Paul is observant in the big yard.

As is Chris with his RP&M work.

Pat looks in on the proceedings...

...while his crewmate, Robin, awaits clearance into the big yard after being held at Mercer Siding.

Continued video of the action.

The mt's reach Spruce.

That's one long drag Bob & Mark are carrying behind their locomotive.

The ore train snakes around the bend at Spruce on video.

More ore images from another time.

Close up view in the Glen.

Our RP&M friends return back to Nelson Yard.

The yard engine holds on the yard lead.

A meeting of the minds of greats!

A very relaxed looking Nelson Yardmaster!

In my earlier posting I shared a few images of the resurrected covered bridge I worked on in HO scale.

The walls had faded quite a bit in their barnyard red tone.

I wanted to spruce up the walls a little bit so I started by painting them a light brown colour.

I then began layering on a wash of black acrylic paint.

There was no flooring or track for the bridge and I had no more lengths of wood in my inventory so a heavy white cardboard offered a substitute for the flooring. Here I am using my square and X-acto blade to score the planking. I am confident this will work!

The planking has now been painted and weathered and I am using my weights to hold the track in place. I have also painted and weathered the black track ties and the sides of the rails.

It's coming along!

Some old dowels substituted for bracing which will not be seen when looking into the bridge. I did weather the dowels later though!

Before I glued the bridge walls to the flooring I added two lengths of stripwood indented slightly from the outside.

These lengths of leftover basswood will offer some structural integrity for the walls to be adhered to.

These weights are so handy for so many purposes. Here the heavy weight is keeping the walls in place as the glue sets between the wall and the floor. I'll leave this overnight to dry.

Time to glue the roof in place.

Then the cupola.

Finally, time to work on the name plaque. I printed out Adriana's name in three sizes in the same font. This offered me a bit of variety when it came time to selecting the perfect size for the end walls of the bridge.

I cut out Adriana's name on paper and glued it to a piece of styrene which I had painted black. This offered up a border of sorts. I also used a brown pencil crayon to shade the sign somewhat as I felt the white was too stark. There is a slight warp to both end walls but I put it as "the bridge is aging"...but not Adriana! 😃😄😀