Garden Railroading: Session #3 Narrow Gauge Pics From Seanna, Malcolm & Mark

Session #3 Narrow Gauge June 15th

Pics From Seanna, Malcolm & Mark

We have reached the middle of June already and Mother Nature ordered up an excellent morning for train running.

We enjoyed a full slate of operators and visits from a number of dear friends as well.

It was wonderful seeing Seanna's mom, Helen, make it out (from the USA) as well as other members of Seanna & Steve's family plus little puppy.

Chris's daughter Olivia joined Dad in the operations on the day before Father's Day.

We were thrilled to see Chris Vernell join us for the morning as well.

Congratulations go out to Chris for being this year's OVAR recipient of the Herb McEwen award for his outstanding contributions to our great hobby!

Chris sent along this lovely image of his steam locomotive.

In an e-mail sent my way, Chris wrote:

"Hi Mike: Inspired by my day at the IPP&W , I thought I'd send you a pic of my newest loco, a thoroughly bashed Lil Big Hauler converted to battery - rc with a Tenergy lithium pack and Piko receiver in the tender. I gave it a first test run today, and was delighted by its slow steady motion. Chris V

Say Chris, you'll have to bring this little puppy out to Fred's and have her run the full system!

Here is the man himself, OVAR's 2024 Herb McEwen award recipient. Chris has been such a strong ambassador to our great hobby over many decades.

In the image above (taken by Bernie) which I had shared in an earlier blog entry we see Chris's remarkable set-up at the Arnprior Train Show in 2023.

Chris is in the Thomas the Tank vest. His daughters Robin & Vicki help out at the train shows as his wife Maureen has done for many, many years.

The Vernell family have been flagship ambassadors to our hobby instilling a love for trains in the very young and the not-so-very-young!

Indeed, families coming to the train shows will gain the opportunity to have their son or daughter run Thomas the Tank engine around the layout.

This "hands-on" approach offers treasured memories for the visiting families!

It was an honour for me to present the award to Chris this year.

For our friends outside of the Ottawa region, OVAR is Ottawa Valley Associated Railroaders and we hold a dinner meeting on the second Tuesday of each month except for the summer months of July and August. Our membership is well over one hundred strong. At our meetings we enjoy great camaraderie, a fine meal, a great display of railroad related models ranging from locomotives, rolling stock to structures, dioramas and general RR paraphernalia as well as a fine presentation given by local railroad buffs as well as those from around the globe!

This next batch of images come from the lens of Seanna's camera. We find the crew working the sidings at Lilly running atop the Lawrence Watkins Trestle with a boxcar lift in tow.

The crew is aboard Rat 61 and before they depart for Rat Portage along the RP&M RR they will have some work to conduct in and around Nelson Yard.

Rat 61 enters the big yard with the SP boxcar while the crew aboard IPP&W Train 304 works the interchange tracks in Glen Hammond to the left.

Seanna has managed to capture the look over Nelson Yard from the east. It seems all of the action at the moment is at the western throat of the yard in the distance.

With the departure of both IPP&W trains, 303 and 304, Rat 61 has now been cleared into the Glen where they have work to conduct.

Conductor Steve orchestrates their moves while engineer Seanna drives the locomotive.

A railfan's view finds Rat 61's engine still working hard in Glen Hammond while 302 has made Bell on its eastbound journey in the distance alongside the fence line.

Train 61 meets Passenger 2 arriving from the west.

In an image similar to two ships passing in the night, 61 and 2 hail each other with a wave of the hand as they both continue on their journeys to distant places.

It appears Rat 61 is held up at the junction by its RP&M counterpart, the 71-72 Nelson Yard-Bell Turn.

The crew will back up to Bellamy to clear the junction for IPP&W trains. The other train had engine difficulties but had forgotten to inform dispatch of their issues in tying up the RP&M main.

Therefore, 61 had to hold at Bellamy for some time as 71's engine was re-railed and they continued with their work at the trailing Lyon Supply siding.

Seanna has captured Firgrove nicely in this image. You can just make out the Firgrove passenger depot along the fenceline to the left with the engine house seen off in the distance. Ralph Yard holds most of the freight traffic as George does a masterful job in keeping the train consists ready to run!

We spot George's little brute of an engine.

This puppy can haul anything thrown its way!

Here's the man himself - yardmaster George!

The Nelson Yard engine takes the western yard lead to allow Steve & Seanna's later train, number 73 to escape the yard.

Their run will take them all the way to Bell as 73 and will see them return as Train 74.

Thanks Seanna for these great looking pictures of the action you and Steve participated in!

Malcolm sent along this next handful of pics. Here we spot the father/daughter crew of Chris & Olivia with Olivia at the throttle.

Chris is on the hunt for a more appropriate van for the time period we are running on this morning as the former Union Pacific transfer van (lettered for the IPP&W) is a tad too modern!

In the background we see Bruce in conversation with me working my board in the dispatch hut.

Malcolm has managed to find Mr. Scobie setting out equipment in Nelson Yard before the session gets underway.

Pat is moving the bread trays from the right of way and will place them near the foundation of Fred`s bungalow.

Egads...it`s little old me in the dispatch booth! Yikes, the railroad is in deep trouble now!

Malcolm finds Grant listening in on the pre-ops conversations taking place in the crew lounge area.

Malcolm`s train has found Ironwood and they are either shoving this reefer towards the freight house track or lifting it from the area.

Thanks for these great looking shots, Malcolm!

Mark sent along a lovely video of his train traversing the Fred Mills Trestle from which I snipped these next three images.

We see his Two-Truck Shay #5 lettered for the Winona Lumber & Coal Company which Mark believes to have been customized by John Burden - hence the naming of the locomotive. The train is hauling ore loads eastward - bound for the Northland Ore Dock in Craig Leigh.

Mark has tagged on a couple of logging cars custom built by the late Gaston Moreau at the tail end of his train which is most delightful!

Video of Mark's ore drag threading the needle!

To engage the video, click on the white arrow in the center once then once again.

Fred sent the following message my way of the events that took place in the afternoon following our train ops session when Fred's family gathered to celebrate both Fred's and his brother Ted's birthdays which are two days apart.

Happy Birthday Fred & Ted!!!

Mike, here are some pictures of the late afternoon, continuing Party on Saturday, taken by Mary, Ted’s Wife.

The young fellow is our nephew, Robert’s Son. He will be an ideal new engineer on the IPP&W, if he and his Father are interested, in the future.

The train was set up at the last minute by Marcel, Bernie, and others, and was a hit….everyone enjoyed it. Thanks to everyone involved for making My Family’s afternoon a grand success.

Fred Mills