Session #9 On the RP&M
For Session #9 I assigned myself to the RP&M railway.
Gerry Berrigan joined me as a crewmate and he offered to be conductor so I was the engine driver on this day.
We were thrilled to see a trio of ladies break that 'glass ceiling' as they all operated in the same session - groundbreaking for the OVGRS for sure!
And...it was my crewmate, Gerry, with his creative sense of humour who named this wonderful 'never before seen' photograph - "The Four Belles!"
Indeed...we have Olivia, Felicity, Seanna and our 'bell' that we ring each morning to gather the crew around the lounge for our pre-ops meeting!
Indeed, this was a historic moment for our regular Saturday operations (excluding our invasion weekends) when we had three ladies operating trains...a trio of terrific women!
Felicity arrived early and assisted Bernie and others with the setting out of equipment.
Bernie gets his hands on the 'blower' and clears off the 'right of way' of debris from the trees.
Video footage of Bernie cleaning the debris from the tracks up in Cedar Rock.
Ah yes...a famous cap for sure!
Gerry is the proud wearer of the cap!
Here I am in the cab of engine #27 with Gerry joining me as we depart Nelson Yard bound for the town of Stuart aboard the Nelson Yard-Bell Turn, Train 71-72. We will work Anderson and Rat Portage on the way to our turnaround point.
Seeing as I am crewing on the RP&M which keeps you stationed on the western fringe of Fred's property, most of the video work for this week will be trackside along the Rat Portage & Mattawa seeing as I had very little time to run around the property to check on too much other traffic.
Our other Yardmaster is the stern looking Mr. Van Zijl...aka Henk. Moe is the lucky lad who gets to be photographed with him!
This shirt offers up a great clue as to its owner...
...Mr. Bill 'Sn3' Scobie...one of our Nelson Yardmasters!
Many others arrive early to help set out the gear with the aid of umbrellas which offer up shade...especially when the sun rises above the area where the fence no longer provides relief from the sun's rays.
Sid has brought out his latest steam acquisition. It will handle one of the two passenger runs on this day.
The Pardee & Curtin Lumber Company hails from West Virginia and my research tells me it was formed in 1873 and is still in existence today!
Passenger #1 will depart Craig Leigh in the east at the same time Passenger #2 departs Firgrove in the west. Their pre-assigned meeting point is Glen Hammond near Nelson Yard.
For my ham & cheese wraps I always buy Berkshire Ham!
I have read that Berkshire pork is highly regarded due to its distinct characteristics.
Berkshire pigs have a darker, richer meat compared to regular pork and the fat is heavily marbled, giving it that 'melt in your mouth' texture. Yum yum!
This interesting load is found on the siding at Bellamy.
Perhaps it arrived from the Brewer Cooperage facility down in Peter's Pond.
A quick view of Glen Hammond in the foreground and Nelson Yard in behind offers us a view of numerous cars and trains which will be on the move in short order.
Grant is the designated 'bell ringer' on this day.
With the bell rung, the migration to the patio begins.
The father & daughter dynamic duo of Chris & Olivia will handle with ease all the traffic that trains 301/312/321 will throw their way!
Moe & Malcolm will begin their morning's run in Craig Leigh aboard 301 travelling westbound.
The session is underway and I am able to capture an IPP&W passenger train in the west. Grant is in command of eastbound Passenger 2 out from Firgrove.
And...a very colourful train it is!
Passenger 2 steals away from Firgrove bound for Bell in this video. You will also witness the earlier departure of our RP&M run out from Nelson Yard.
This PEI Railroad steamer supports IPP&W Train 302 - hot on the heels of the passenger run out from Firgrove.
302 makes a video appearance early in this blog entry.
The parade downgrade at "The Ledges" continues with Doug handling the ore train with two locomotives! Brilliant!
Gerry and I are still working the Bud-Lite Gouda spur and are about to cross the junction with RP&M Train 71 seen at the bottom left of the image.
Ore stars on video at "The Ledges"!
And we thought "distributed power" was a modern day invention!
Looking good there Doug!
At Rat Portage our only facing move is lifting one of the cars from the Hamer Manufacturing Facility.
All other sidings here in Rat Portage will be trailing for us as Gerry inspects our train's orders for this location.
I'm in the cab having brought the locomotive onto the far track to gain access into the facility.
The yard here can be just as busy as those on the IPP&W!
Perfect timing! We are in the process of finishing up our work with RP&M 71 as Felicity & Pat arrive town on RP&M Train Rat 61.
They have a small amount of work at Anderson on the Lyon Supply track.
By the time they finish that task we will have departed Rat Portage for Stuart seen way off in the distance by the fence and the umbrellas!
Both RP&M trains star in this video.
Across the aisle from us in Rat Portage is the town of Firgrove where I spot Len turning his locomotive on the 'Armstrong' table.
Turntable video work up in Firgrove.
RP&M 71 makes quick work of the grade between Rat Portage and Stuart out from the location affectionately known as Pratt's Bottom - coined by Colin Churcher seeing as the station stop is located at the bottom of the grade.
Video of Train 71's progress out from the bottom of the grade.
My research has dug up these facts around the name Pratt's Bottom.
Pratt's Bottom is a village in Greater London, England within the borough of Bromley.
A "bottom" in this context means a valley or hollow, and the Pratt's were a noble family once seated in the area.
Conductor Ralph checks the turnout that will guide he & Sid up to Firgrove with Passenger #1.
There's engineer Sid!
We share pleasantries as Gerry & I proceed into Stuart where we will arrive Track 4 in Bell.
Video of Ralph & Sid on departure out from Bell.
Here we are rolling in on Track 4.
Love those billboard reefers!
With our work completed at Stuart, we have headed over to the interchange yard in Bell and have now blocked our departing Train, RP&M 72 spotted on Track 3 at the moment.
I spin around to snap this image of IPP&W rails in a relatively empty Glen Hammond and a busy Nelson Yard. Our new umbrellas not only offer shade from the sun - they offer colour to our images!
RP&M 72 arrives back in Rat Portage.
We once again say "hello" to our very capable friends, Len & George, who work Ralph Yard across the aisle from Rat Portage.
Gerry & I are now in Glen Hammond while our RP&M counterparts, Felicity & Pat are in Bell sharing space with the crew of 311, Malcolm & Moe.
Busy Bell.
These crews work in very close proximity to each other.
With the inclusion of a parallel yard ladder at the west end of Bell, both crews are able to conduct their work separate from each other!
Rat 71 slithers down the inner ladder at Stuart.
An array of colours showcase the glory of railroading in the steam years.
Video evidence that it is not only modern railroading that is a-splash in colours...railroading in olden days rivals that of recent times!
71 meets 303 at Bell/Stuart.
Clear evidence of the success of the double ladder.
Ladder video work on behalf of Mike.
My reference to 'Murphy's Law' was in response to Garry's mentioning of just about every spot and lift he & Bernie encountered happened to be placed 'beyond' other traffic on the various sidings - meaning much more switching involved!
Both crews are conducting trailing switching moves, Train 303 at Brunt's Brewery in Bell and Train 71 at the Onuferko Siding in Stuart.
Bell/Stuart video efforts.
Parallel running.
Continued video work.
Reds. greens & yellows brighten our day!
Make that more of an orange tone!
Yes, we do get in each other's way...but only in jest as heard on this video!
Here we assist Bernie & Garry with one of their lifts off the Interchange Track seeing as their locomotive is far off in the distance at the other end of the yard.
In this video I mention the assist with one of their 'facing' moves...when in fact it is really a 'trailing' one.
Pat & Felicity play 'hide and go seek' with Mike & Gerry at the tunnel entrance down in Rat Portage.
With a short break near the end of our RP&M action, I was able to come across a few crews who were just finishing up their runs as well.
Here we are in Spruce near the crew lounge patio where Steve & Seanna's train is drilling the sidings with their facing moves.
The additional tracks installed here in recent years offer us a variety of operating conditions.
Garry & Bernie are on the home stretch with their work in Ironwood almost complete.
Olivia & Chris arrive Ironwood with third trick Train 321 as they hold momentarily till the yard is free.
Paul takes a breather in the crew lounge seeing as all trains related to Craig Leigh have been dealt with.
We spot the "Three Stooges" - well...one anyway!
With the ops complete, the operators have placed the trays of cars into the storage bins on the property.
Little Marcus is excited about trains!
His train works Rat Portage under his very own power! 😀😍😎
Jill & Bernie are proud grandparents!
As for me - rarely pictured in the blog...that's me in back with the black shirt waving my hand at a retirement party for a teaching colleague!
The lady in blue was our librarian for decades at my elementary school and I had the honour of leading her retirement song with my guitar.
Being a part of a teaching staff has been so rewarding for me over my 40 years in this most honourable of professions...and I always enjoy celebrating the careers of my colleagues.
And...speaking of most honourable of careers, Fred has devoted his life to making the world a better place.
Over the years he has volunteered to help young people through social work - giving of his precious time to help others turn their lives around.
And Fred, you truly make a difference in the lives of all of us at the OVGRS!
On behalf of Fred we hope you always find happiness in everything you do especially when it helps others find happiness!
We are the OVGRS of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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