November Antics Part Three

 November Antics Part Three

We still have plenty of pics and vids to share from our November train running sessions.

Let's take yet another gander at Grant's car...a 37 Chevy Sedan!

Check out this cool looking interior!

How about that 350 engine!

We love it, Grant...as much as you do!

You will recall our November antics where we had a number of operators out running their trains.  From left to right we have a train belonging to Pat, Grant and Marcel.

Mark had this CP beauty out.

Doug came with this steam locomotive.

Pat's sweeper car!

Lawrence had the Christmas train out in anticipation of good old St. Nick's arrival!

Passengers from long ago passing passengers from a more modern era.

Pat and Lawrence...all masked up.

These next three images will be less clear as the trains were moving and I "snipped" the images from my video of the moving trains.  Lawrence is seen holding in Ironwood...

...as Grant steams by at speed.

Love the colours in this image.

Video footage of the meet (or pass) between the two trains.

Click on the white arrow once...and then again to view.

Earlier, Grant had navigated the rails between St. Helens and Ironwood.

Passing by the forested area...

...and beneath the great structure at Ironwood Brick.

Some previously viewed footage of Grant's train.

Grant's locomotive passes through Spruce...

...and leans into the curve to the west of town.

Video footage of Grant's passage along the outskirts of Spruce.

Grant plies the rails at Blockhouse...

...as Paul hauls into Nelson Yard in the distance.

The Brennan Gap is spanned by three bridges in this heavily congested neck of the woods.

We view the passage of these two trains at Brennan Gap.

A little while later...

...our sweeper car...

...clears the rails over the same trackage the previously two trains passed.

Pat is earning his keep with the "sweep" on the railroad!

Now...to really mix things up...

...I'm at the same location...

...but on a later date in November.  Yes, just this past Saturday.  And...no...the sound on the following video is not mixed up at all.  As I follow Moe's diesel downgrade over the Patrick Brennan Bridge, Pat himself is working Nelson Yard immediately behind me...with his steam locomotive.  Yes, it is his steam engine making all of that wonderful noise...not Moe's switch engine!

This rail footage sees Moe descending the grade from Lilly to Blockhouse while Pat works Nelson Yard in behind the videographer.

Here's the shot Bernie got of me going to great lengths to snag the video footage you had just seen.

Can you tell it's fall?

I can...because the caboose has turned orange!

Doug chuckles as he ambles by alongside his train now riding RP&M iron.

Indeed...it is fall...after all!

Marcel is on a caboose hop all dressed up in yellow!

Coming around the bend in a blur.

Marcel passes his own passenger train in Spruce.

Let's check out that action!

Doug brings his train through Mercer Siding.

An earlier meet of two steamers.

Looking good, lads.

Three trains share the tracks in Bell.

Lovely, I say!

Why...it must be a convention!

Moe comes over to check things out.

Pat has already turned the sweeper on the turntable and now proceeds with his locomotive along Track 3 in search of the "armstrong" to turn his steam engine.

Doug sets out his CP diesel...

...to go along with Paul's CP Geep.

Pat is once again on the turntable in Firgrove.

We finish off this posting with a few still images from back in early November.  Remember Lawrence's Christmas train?

Here is the passenger car he was pulling.

Moe in the foreground with Mark out back.

Grant's hauler coming around the bend to the east of Spruce.

A short little hop.

Doug, on the move.

Grant pierces the the trestle.

Moe, Doug and Paul checking out the comings and goings in Nelson Yard.

Mr. Marcel.  He wrote to me to say that he and his lovely wife are back home safe and sound in Arizona and both are healthy!  Yeah!  We'll miss you, Marcel, but keep in touch!

While I own some Fender electric guitars, a Gibson electric and a Martin acoustic guitar, this axe I am holding is near and dear to my heart.  Yes, it has my surname on the headstock...it's a Hamer guitar!  Many well-known musicians play Hamers.  When Billy Joel performs, he is on the piano for most songs, but he gets out his Hamer guitar for a couple of tunes.  Glen Campbell played a Hamer 12-string electric...and boy, could he ever play that thing!  Hamer guitars are made with great attention to detail in Chicago.

I'll leave you with a few musical bars from a great Crosby, Stills and Nash song.

...called "Just a Song Before I Go".

We cover this song in our band and my good friend, Wayne, sings it for us.  I just do the guitar licks and solos...which you can hear in the video below.  (In the video I inadvertently mentioned Neil Young's name.  He wasn't with the other three during the recording of the song.

This is for my music buddy, Wayne!

(I pre-recorded the rhythm track moments before and kicked it in for the video using my foot switch.)

One more song I will share with you comes from the creative genius of Carlos Santana...entitled "Oye Como Va".

Loosely translated, Oye Como Va can be thought to mean "Hey, how's it going" or, as some say, "Listen to how my rhythm goes."  No matter the translation...it's one heckuva song!

Mike playing Carlos Santana's Oye Como Va...rhythm and lead guitar.

David Crosby was previously a member of The Byrds.

Stephen Stills was previously a member of Buffalo Springfield.

Graham Nash was previously a member of The Hollies.

To listen to the actual song, copy and paste the link below into your browser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UoneXjfBC0

Thanks for taking the time out from your day to read this blog entry!  Rest assured, I have plenty of pics and videos from this season and past seasons to continue to share with you.

Also, if your are working on a special railroad project and would like to share it with the rest of us, just send it my way and I will create a blog entry for you.

Have a great day everyone!  Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada