Happy New Year OVGRS
2024 is quickly coming to a close...a year that has held many memories for our OVGRS family.
2025 is closing in on us with hope for a better world.
This blog entry will showcase a few scenes from the first three of our train operating sessions this past season.
Let the fireworks begin with this lovely photograph from Nick Olivier.
In 2024 Glen Hammond found itself a newly refurbished station!
On May 25th, Jonah commandeered Train 312 upgrade into St. Helens.
And...on this same date, May 25th in 240 BC, the first recorded perihelion passage (closest encounter) of Halley's Comet was noted as this celestial body spirited very close to the IPP&W (yet to be in existence of course).
And, we take a 'close encounter' view of engine #32 heading east with Craig Leigh as its final destination on this same date.
Still in St. Helens on this beautiful late May morning we encounter Craig Leigh yardmaster Bernie making his run down to St. Helens.
Happy 80th Bernie!!! (December 28th, 2024)
Meanwhile Grant goes about his duties aboard Train 314 having reached the extent of the Cedar Rock Branch.
He is switching out the fuel industries here.
Hey, someone forgot to set out the Sludge Works building that Bruce built!
Later westbound 323 found a home in Cedar Rock with John as engineer.
Still much later in the morning of May 25th, Train 322 is out from Bell destined for Peter's Pond.
It is busy times in Peter's Pond with a meet of three trains in evidence.
322 has arrived the Pond siding while the remainder of Train 322 resides on the Cedar Rock siding as Passenger 4 pierces the two trains.
We're still on May 25th, 2024...but do you remember an important promise made by a very important individual back on this same date in 1961?
(answer to follow a few images down)
Passenger 4 arrives Glen Hammond with Garry at the throttle as Seanna & Steve look on.
Note the last car in Passenger 3's train on the second track over from the right.
Glen Hammond is the designated 'meeting place' on the schedule for the two passenger runs although they could very well meet at other distant locations depending on their timing.
There's a trio of smiles for the camera man!
Visitor Tom checks out the specifics of a locomotive idling away in Nelson Yard.
Yes...on this very same date...May 25th, 1961 President Kennedy made this promise:
"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth."
We catch up with Pool Train 33 about to come off RP&M rails nearing the junction of the two lines.
Video footage taken on May 25th of Train 33 reaching the junction.
The crew leans into the curve on final approach to the Glen.
Video of their approach into Glen Hammond.
Train 313 is spotted high atop the Fred Mills Trestle near Blockhouse.
Train 313 arrives Nelson Yard on video as Pool Train 33 edges out from the Glen.
Two handsome locomotives meet on the big bend out from the Glen and the Nelson Yard approach track.
Video footage of two great looking trains!
Nelson Yardmaster Doug instructs John on his moves in the yard as he moves his train out near the yard throat in order to back down a different track to reach his caboose.
John arrived with Train 313 and will depart aboard Train 323. In this video we see him working with the yardmaster.
A passenger train exits the tunnel beneath Mount St. Helens with a triple meet in Peter's Pond in its sights.
In this video during our first operation of the season we determine that the track on the curve out from under St. Helens will need some addressing seeing as trains encounter difficulties here.
The triple meet talked about here is the one shown earlier in still pictures.
Jonah and his dad, Chris, arrive Spruce aboard Train 321, their third and final trick of the morning.
Video of their arrival onto the siding at Spruce.
While we held our first train operations of the 2024 season on May 25th...the first 'operations of a stellar variety' commenced on the May 25th, 1977 when Star Wars was released, a defining moment in cinematic history!
.jpg)
An amendment to the Statutes of Canada in 1952 established the celebration of Victoria Day on the Monday preceding May 25th.
This holiday remains in place to this day and it marks the beginning of our train operating season at the OVGRS.
I believe that alone is cause for some fireworks, don't you!
Our second session of the season took place on the first day of June, 2024.
Indeed, on June 1st Garry was excited to run his AB pairing of Alco units on the passenger runs this day!
On June 1st, 1831, the North Magnetic Pole was discovered by Sir James Ross.
Locomotives from very different time periods meet to the west of Bell during our second operating session of the season.
June 1st is one month away from Canada Day (July 1st), but the red and white (silver actually) offers up a glimpse of the colourful nature of those delightful diesels!
Red and white is spotted in the distance as Train 301 closes in on its destination of Nelson Yard under the control of John and his Canadian Pacific diesel locomotive.
TH&B Geep #73 hauls ore through Watkins Siding and on into Bell.
Sid is in charge of the train as the unit runs long hood forward.
On June 1st, 1860, the first post office to open in Canada was established in what is now Thunder Bay, Ontario.
(Image not of that office)
Doug's Northland Railroad F-unit is spotted on an outer siding at Nelson Yard.
We find Garry's unit #2023 heading west through Ironwood.
The train has slowed to a station stop with the depot located on the big curve on the western fringe of town.
John & Mark are running 311 as they work the trailing siding at the resort town of Wellington Lake.
Our RP&M crew backs out of Nelson Yard in order to enter Glen Hammond proper.
Video of their reverse move.
The crew are happy to find the Glen 'all to their own'.
Their arrival in Glen Hammond is captured on Mike's video.
Passenger service arrives the lower Peter's Pond area.
Peter's Pond passenger video evidence.
In the previous video I gave the train number as #33.
In actuality Garry is driving Passenger 3 at the moment.
Passenger 3 slows to a stop in this video shot at Peter's Pond.
We capture a roof shot of John's CP diesel at Ironwood.
John & Mike chat with each other as the video rolls.
321 curves past the camera man at Spruce.
321 aims for Glen Hammond, its terminating point as the train exits Spruce in this video.
The train is reaching the end of it journey for this day.
Our video continues with Train 321 nearing the end of its run. Indeed, many trains were run on June 1st, 2024.
In 1882, the Salvation Army officially began operations in Canada on June 1st.
The Army follows founder William Booth's philosophy of providing both "soup and salvation".
Doug & John enjoy a conversation as the 'post ops' BBQ has offered up some yummy delights.
We had to wait from the first of June until the 15th of the month until we were able to run trains again as rain washed us out on the 8th.
We were able to get our third session of the season in under sunny skies.
Train 304's power has backed onto its consist and the crew will be underway once the pre-ops meeting finishes.
On this day in history in 1991 - June 15th - Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Philippines, the second largest volcanic eroption of the 20th Century.
The ash plume hampered air traffic for quite some time afterward.
Ralph displays his wonderful carrying case as he readies for the operations. On this day he will run the ore train with Mark.
As always, we hold our pre-ops safety briefing.
The crowd listens in as others have a few words to add to the meeting.
We crane our ears to hear over the laughter which often rises during the gathering!
Garry shuffles out from the yard with Passenger 1 while taking video of his efforts as he steadies his phone. He is underway in the east on the Spruce Sub.
While off to the west on the Bell Sub, Pat Brewer runs 302 out from Bell.
Pat brings Passenger 2 toward Wellington Lake.
304 descends the grade at Blockhouse.
Nelson Yardmaster Bill instructs Olivia on which track she must take to get on her new train.
She has just brought in 314 and will depart with 324.
Indeed, the big yard is big on operations!
.webp)
On this date, June 15th, 1944 Tommy Douglas's CCF government was elected in Saskatchewan.
In 2004 he was named "The Greatest Canadian" in a CBC Television program based on a survey of viewers.
As the Premier of Saskatchewan, he was known as the "Father of Medicare".
Seanna and Steve work the town of Stuart with their RP&M train.
Pat hauls passengers through the great trestle.
His train reaches a rather busy looking Glen Hammond!
Fred holds court with our most recent OVAR McEwen Award winner, Chris Vernell in the crew lounge.
On June 15th, 1891, Sir John Abbott was sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada following the death of John A. Macdonald.
Our blog creator, Mike, attended John Abbott College in Montreal before studying at McGill University!
Paul's Rio Grande Southern steamer holds court in Douglas Yard.
With a near empty Nelson Yard, Train 313 has a vast array of tracks to be brought in on by the yard masters.
It was great seeing Seanna's mom out enjoying our activities!
Ditto, Seanna's other family members!
Ruff Ruff!
Bruce & Bernie bring a brace of reefers into Peter's Pond.
They work the trailing sidings in the lower Pond area.
With the June 15th session now 'put to bed' it's grub time!
"Beer Day Britain" has been celebrated since June 15th, 2015.
The date was chose because the Magna Carta was sealed on the 15th of June, 1215.
Clause 35 of the Magna Carta reads: Let there be throughout our kingdom a single measure for wine and a single measure for ale and a single measure for corn, namely 'the London quarter'.
Bruce and Bernie who are crewing 301 have been asked to lift the ore loads for the incoming ore train and place them on a siding at Ironwood.
Video of their much appreciated efforts with the ore cars.
Video footage of 314's passage.
Trains are on the go in this video.
Yet another train passes the same spot.
301 progresses toward Nelson Yard in this video shot.
301 meets Pool Train 33.
The meet is seen on video.
Train 33 is underway along one of the longest stretches of track without a siding.
Train 33 stars in video format.
Marcel works the western end of Ironwood aboard 313.
Video down in Ironwood.
An RP&M train enters Nelson Yard as 311 departs.
Video activity in and around Nelson Yard as 324 has departed the big yard and pierces the trestle across the broad gap in the distance.
324 takes to the pedestrian crossing.
Video of 324's progression across the railway.
Passenger activity at Bell.
Bell video.
324 reaches a fairly well occupied yard in Ironwood.
324 takes to Ironwood in this video effort.
Passenger 3 reaches the outskirts of Glen Hammond.
Train 3 as captured on video.
311 crosses over to the near track which will offer the crew access in on Track 3.
Video of 311's entrance into Bell from the east.
Glen Hammond begins to take on the look of the big Nelson Yard.
Busy Glen Hammond as captured on video.
My apologies for the odd 'groan' as I threw my back out a few minutes before the most recent videos! Yikes!
Well that's it from me for now with regard to our outdoor antics during the first three sessions of 2024.
It's now time for me to devote my efforts to the many machines I have to build for a sawmill which Doug & I are working on in O scale.
This machine is the "edger" that cuts off narrow pieces of lumber. It is nearing completion.
Here is the base for the sawmill with a number of details already completed.
A lower angle view.
The log in the distance is on the log carriage.
It will ride the rails and run through the main saw blades on the double blade husk seen in green in the distance.
Doug and I are awaiting the arrival of the large blades.
The cut lumber will roll along the live rolls and some pieces will be pulled over to the edger in the foreground.
The view from a different angle.
Yet another view of the progress.
A final view.
Seeing as we are not running trains in the great outdoors I satisfy myself running my HO scale Boston & Maine layout with interchange with the Maine Central.
In the above video an inbound train to Boston steps across the New England River Bridge at Haney Gorge.
We railfan the same train at Marshall Cut named for my good friend Trevor Marshall.
This video showcases the short train with, yes, a tank car behind the locomotive.
The train passes by the interlocking tower that governs the junction of the two railroads.
We see in the video the same train that had departed Portland, Maine a few hours earlier.
In this video we see the crew crossing Stanley Bridge over the Salmon River before taking to the crossing of Boundary Road on the outskirts of North Dover, New Hampshire.
The train has just left the state of Maine 'behind in the rear view mirror' on the far bank of the river.
This video finds the crew passing the F.B. Hamer building where twin strollers are manufactured seeing as Mike is a twin.
The Ukrainian flag will fly atop the facility until the war ends.
The crew sweeps around the broad curve in town before heading into the tunnel located under the main street of the upper portion of North Dover as this video demonstrates.
This video shows how the large Phillips Furniture Factory dominates the landscape as the company shares a siding with the GST Demolition Company.
This low angle video showcases my efforts a couple of years after I got into the hobby.
Well, that's all for now. Look for more blog entries to come in the new year.
As the fireworks go off on this New Year's Eve we celebrate all that we have accomplished trackside this season.
We remember with the deepest of fondness our dear friend, Lawrence, who passed away on May 1st, 2024.
Lawrence lives on in our hearts as we have so many wonderful memories running trains with him and working trackside alongside him.
Thanks for taking the time out of your busy days to read through our fun blog entries!
Oh yes, I have made a few new year's resolutions.
I resolve to remain in my dispatch booth for the entire duration of our operating sessions for the upcoming 2025 season!
I resolve to forgive those who forget to radio in to dispatch for clearance to depart any town or siding location along the line!
I resolve to forgive those crews who do not inform me that they have cleared the junction!
I resolve to not abide by my resolutions! 😎😀😎
Of course, we are always ever so thankful for our very own "Father Fred" as we enter a new year of running trains along the route of the IPP&W and RP&M railways!
It is always with great fondness that we are able to gather and enjoy each other's company!
Here's to greater health and happiness in the New Year of 2025!
We are the OVGRS of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
