The Westward Continuation of Train Extra 3607 in the guise of IPP&W Train 311
We continue westward with Union Pacific 3607 contributing its horsepower to our train. This unit began its life as an SD45 and was later rebuilt into an SD40-2.
You will recall we brought our consist from the eastern sector of the railroad to Nelson Yard. This train is spotted to the left in this image.
Andrew worked busily in the large Nelson Yard as yardmaster and will have our new train built up and ready in short order.
In IPP&W terms, we arrived aboard Train 301 and will depart as Train 311. For today, we are simply Train Extra 3607.
You'll recall this image from our last posting. Our train is on schedule with a termination point far to the west in Firgrove.
Marcel continues as our capable engineer.
We are at the junction of the IPP&W and RP&M railroads. We will take the turnout and continue along the IPP&W network.
I'm masked up as we reach Peter's Pond.
I have a little bottle of hand lotion to boot!
We review our work in Peter's Pond and Cedar Rock for today. We have two setouts right here trackside in Peter's Pond and a lift. We will conduct these moves before heading up the branch to Cedar Rock where we will have a couple of set-outs and a couple of lifts...with both trailing and facing sidings presenting a challenge for us.
We verify our work...
...and pose for a picture from a railfan...
...and get down to business!
These orange tacks remind us to "physically distance" from others throughout the day and we thank Andrew for installing them.
We say "good-bye" to Grant and thank him for bringing that gorgeous steam locomotive out once again.
Before we head up the lengthy branch to Cedar Rock, we must determine the placement of our set-out moves before we leave the mainline...as facing setouts must be placed on the front of our locomotive and trailing ones must be placed on the back seeing as we are a westbound train.
(If we were an eastbound drag, the reverse would occur.)
The 3000 horses on this EMD C-C diesel locomotive take on the grade up the branch with ease.
We note a few cars in the aggregates siding which are on our switchlist.
The crew enjoys the breeze found up in Cedar Rock.
They survey the situation as the team backs into the Cedar Rock Crusher siding in order to attack those two lifts.
Job well done, Mike and Marcel...the "M&M" team as dubbed by our good friend, Mark!
We have the two lifts with us so we pull out in order to back the CP boxcar to the aggregates siding as a set-out.
As per regulations, we have protected our train back down in Peter's Pond as we work up in Cedar Rock. We note a westbound drag entering Peter's Pond.
He has run around our train as he approaches the new track work under Mount St. Helens.
A nice looking unit train of coal and hopper cars.
Looking great, Bob!
Throughout the operations Lawrence continued to work around the grounds of the railroad.
We spot him placing rocks at Spruce.
Our Cedar Rock strategy has worked wonders and we are back down in "The Pond" in short order with our lifts.
We will keep them behind our locomotive...
...so we pass our protected train...
...in order to make it back to the front of our train. Typically we would want to keep the stockcar on the headpin, but alas...it's an empty so we will keep the covered hoppers directly behind us on this day.
Running beneath Mount St. Helens we admire the hard work that has gone into ameliorating the situation along this point of the line. "Ameliorating," you ask...well...just because I am now a "retarded...err...retired" teacher...I've gotta keep my mind active somehow! (Big grin!)
At speed...
...in "The Corners."
We are keeping to schedule as we come out of "The Corners" with no work assigned to us at Wellington Lake for our run today.
We verify that there is no work at the lake.
So...we profit from the "non-stop" here as we take on the grade with ease.
We notice the tail end of the ore train has already arrived Bell...
...so we take the crossover onto the yard lead to the east of Bell.
We note that Nelson Yard continues to keep its employees busy off in the distance.
There seems to be a mix of traffic on the ore train today...as their crew take to RP&M rails.
The large locomotive in charge of this train hauls heavier payloads at a lower cost per ton mile.
Trailing up the rear...
...we find the conductor looking over his train.
Stuart Yard in Bell is populated with some traffic as we take Track 3 into the yard.
No set-outs for us at Bell today, but we do have three lifts, two trailing ones at Brunt's Brewery and a facing move for the interchange.
We take on our facing set-out first.
Which means heading to the tail end of our train.
Lawrence looks on from the interchange area.
Bob arrives Glen Hammond as Andrew works the expansive yard at Nelson...named for the late Bud Nelson.
The Doobie Brothers would write a song about this train...
...as she is a "Long Train Runnin'!"
With our facing move complete...
...we take on our two lifts at Brunt's Brewery...the two tankcars.
This new UP power adds up to progress for the railroad...
...as we will not "time out" on this day!
Our orders indicate that we are "7 cars out" from Bell. Verification of our train proves such...
...so we get underway.
Climbing the grade at "The Ledges"...
...means we have but a short distance to travel...
...before we terminate in Firgrove. Yes, we drop seven cars here.
Marcel comes up with a great strategy. I choose to put away all of the cars from the west end of the railroad in the large shed in Firgrove. He will drive his train back to Craig Leigh and "lift" any cars onto his train that he finds along the route which have not been put away. That's actually a safe way of packing up as people aren't traipsing around the railroad getting in each others' way carrying the trays.
A few remaining shots I've managed to grab following the termination of our train include Bob's long train returning to Nelson Yard.
Lawrence and Bernie have created this tunnel on the eastern access to the route beneath Mount St. Helens.
Its purpose is to dissuade operators from walking in this area to throw the switch leading into Mount St. Helens at the Craig Leigh end...a choke cable will be installed for the purpose.
Marcel encounters a "clear alley" as he has been picking up cars along the route to be placed in trays at the eastern end of the line.
I love this gondola!
Bob arrives Craig Leigh.
Thanks for bringing this Santa Fe beauty out today, Bob!
Marcel continues his eastern "sweep"!
It's a big consist but it's nothing Marcel's locomotive can't manage.
The "Sweep Train" is a great idea, Marcel!
Say...remember when I shared the image of the horse painted in the light tan colour. Well, Johnny and Noelle are horse lovers and Johnny sent me a great e-mail offering critical advice on the painting of horses. I took his advice and repainted the horses in a chestnut colour with "off white" for the anklets and the blaze along the face (horse on left). I then applied a mixture of Pan Pastels (Burnt Sienna "Shade, Burnt Sienna and Raw Unber).
After which I brushed on a coat of "Gloss Medium" when both horses colours had been fully addressed.
Johnny is right...a healthy horse is a horse whose body "shines". I would like to take this time to once again thank Johnny for the great advice!
(I took care so as not to create the shiny look on any parts of their apparatus.)
These are the three colours of Artists' Pastels I used from left to right...Burnt Sienna Shade, Burnt Sienna and Raw Umber.
My next project for the machine shop diorama will be...
...putting together this farm wagon from Berkshire Valley Models. It is made up of white metal castings.
We continue westward with Union Pacific 3607 contributing its horsepower to our train. This unit began its life as an SD45 and was later rebuilt into an SD40-2.
You will recall we brought our consist from the eastern sector of the railroad to Nelson Yard. This train is spotted to the left in this image.
Andrew worked busily in the large Nelson Yard as yardmaster and will have our new train built up and ready in short order.
In IPP&W terms, we arrived aboard Train 301 and will depart as Train 311. For today, we are simply Train Extra 3607.
You'll recall this image from our last posting. Our train is on schedule with a termination point far to the west in Firgrove.
Marcel continues as our capable engineer.
We are at the junction of the IPP&W and RP&M railroads. We will take the turnout and continue along the IPP&W network.
I'm masked up as we reach Peter's Pond.
I have a little bottle of hand lotion to boot!
We review our work in Peter's Pond and Cedar Rock for today. We have two setouts right here trackside in Peter's Pond and a lift. We will conduct these moves before heading up the branch to Cedar Rock where we will have a couple of set-outs and a couple of lifts...with both trailing and facing sidings presenting a challenge for us.
We verify our work...
...and pose for a picture from a railfan...
...and get down to business!
These orange tacks remind us to "physically distance" from others throughout the day and we thank Andrew for installing them.
We say "good-bye" to Grant and thank him for bringing that gorgeous steam locomotive out once again.
Before we head up the lengthy branch to Cedar Rock, we must determine the placement of our set-out moves before we leave the mainline...as facing setouts must be placed on the front of our locomotive and trailing ones must be placed on the back seeing as we are a westbound train.
(If we were an eastbound drag, the reverse would occur.)
The 3000 horses on this EMD C-C diesel locomotive take on the grade up the branch with ease.
We note a few cars in the aggregates siding which are on our switchlist.
The crew enjoys the breeze found up in Cedar Rock.
They survey the situation as the team backs into the Cedar Rock Crusher siding in order to attack those two lifts.
Job well done, Mike and Marcel...the "M&M" team as dubbed by our good friend, Mark!
We have the two lifts with us so we pull out in order to back the CP boxcar to the aggregates siding as a set-out.
As per regulations, we have protected our train back down in Peter's Pond as we work up in Cedar Rock. We note a westbound drag entering Peter's Pond.
He has run around our train as he approaches the new track work under Mount St. Helens.
A nice looking unit train of coal and hopper cars.
Looking great, Bob!
Throughout the operations Lawrence continued to work around the grounds of the railroad.
We spot him placing rocks at Spruce.
Our Cedar Rock strategy has worked wonders and we are back down in "The Pond" in short order with our lifts.
We will keep them behind our locomotive...
...so we pass our protected train...
...in order to make it back to the front of our train. Typically we would want to keep the stockcar on the headpin, but alas...it's an empty so we will keep the covered hoppers directly behind us on this day.
We love the carvings from Fred's brother, Ted.
Running beneath Mount St. Helens we admire the hard work that has gone into ameliorating the situation along this point of the line. "Ameliorating," you ask...well...just because I am now a "retarded...err...retired" teacher...I've gotta keep my mind active somehow! (Big grin!)
At speed...
...in "The Corners."
We are keeping to schedule as we come out of "The Corners" with no work assigned to us at Wellington Lake for our run today.
We verify that there is no work at the lake.
So...we profit from the "non-stop" here as we take on the grade with ease.
We notice the tail end of the ore train has already arrived Bell...
...so we take the crossover onto the yard lead to the east of Bell.
We note that Nelson Yard continues to keep its employees busy off in the distance.
There seems to be a mix of traffic on the ore train today...as their crew take to RP&M rails.
The large locomotive in charge of this train hauls heavier payloads at a lower cost per ton mile.
Trailing up the rear...
...we find the conductor looking over his train.
Stuart Yard in Bell is populated with some traffic as we take Track 3 into the yard.
No set-outs for us at Bell today, but we do have three lifts, two trailing ones at Brunt's Brewery and a facing move for the interchange.
We take on our facing set-out first.
Which means heading to the tail end of our train.
Lawrence looks on from the interchange area.
Bob arrives Glen Hammond as Andrew works the expansive yard at Nelson...named for the late Bud Nelson.
The Doobie Brothers would write a song about this train...
...as she is a "Long Train Runnin'!"
With our facing move complete...
...we take on our two lifts at Brunt's Brewery...the two tankcars.
This new UP power adds up to progress for the railroad...
...as we will not "time out" on this day!
Our orders indicate that we are "7 cars out" from Bell. Verification of our train proves such...
...so we get underway.
Climbing the grade at "The Ledges"...
...means we have but a short distance to travel...
...before we terminate in Firgrove. Yes, we drop seven cars here.
Marcel comes up with a great strategy. I choose to put away all of the cars from the west end of the railroad in the large shed in Firgrove. He will drive his train back to Craig Leigh and "lift" any cars onto his train that he finds along the route which have not been put away. That's actually a safe way of packing up as people aren't traipsing around the railroad getting in each others' way carrying the trays.
A few remaining shots I've managed to grab following the termination of our train include Bob's long train returning to Nelson Yard.
Lawrence and Bernie have created this tunnel on the eastern access to the route beneath Mount St. Helens.
Its purpose is to dissuade operators from walking in this area to throw the switch leading into Mount St. Helens at the Craig Leigh end...a choke cable will be installed for the purpose.
Marcel encounters a "clear alley" as he has been picking up cars along the route to be placed in trays at the eastern end of the line.
I love this gondola!
Bob arrives Craig Leigh.
Thanks for bringing this Santa Fe beauty out today, Bob!
Marcel continues his eastern "sweep"!
It's a big consist but it's nothing Marcel's locomotive can't manage.
The "Sweep Train" is a great idea, Marcel!
Say...remember when I shared the image of the horse painted in the light tan colour. Well, Johnny and Noelle are horse lovers and Johnny sent me a great e-mail offering critical advice on the painting of horses. I took his advice and repainted the horses in a chestnut colour with "off white" for the anklets and the blaze along the face (horse on left). I then applied a mixture of Pan Pastels (Burnt Sienna "Shade, Burnt Sienna and Raw Unber).
After which I brushed on a coat of "Gloss Medium" when both horses colours had been fully addressed.
Johnny is right...a healthy horse is a horse whose body "shines". I would like to take this time to once again thank Johnny for the great advice!
(I took care so as not to create the shiny look on any parts of their apparatus.)
These are the three colours of Artists' Pastels I used from left to right...Burnt Sienna Shade, Burnt Sienna and Raw Umber.
My next project for the machine shop diorama will be...
...putting together this farm wagon from Berkshire Valley Models. It is made up of white metal castings.
The drive from my home in Alta Vista to Fred's home in Nepean takes us past the experimental farm along Baseline Road...
...where there are two large fields of sunflowers in full bloom at the moment.
So, Lisa and I drove back the next day...
...to check the field out!
Lilly didn't know what to make of it all...but it sure is pretty colourful!
Thanks for checking in everyone!
Have a lovely day, Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Thanks for checking in everyone!
Have a lovely day, Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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