Season's Greetings

 Season's Greetings 

Hey folks, the calendar page has just been turned and we find ourselves in the month of December.  Hard to believe that the year has flown by so fast!  

It was great that we managed to be able to get in a dozen or so operating sessions this season with pretty much a full contingent of operators attending each one!

It is my wish that you and your family enjoy a safe and relaxing month of December as we enter the holiday season.

 I shared this photo with you last year.  It is one of my favourite shots taken from my trip out west aboard "The Canadian" well over a decade ago.  Our family took the same trip the following year!

"The Canadian" is tucked up beside the station platform with the VIA units on the headend.  We added an additional dome car (for a total of five) for the trip through the Rockies.  

Yes, that is the Rocky Mountaineer in the background with the predominantly white units and we also catch a Canadian National freight entering the yard at Jasper, Alberta.

This image was shared last season as well.  The photograph was taken at our December "in person" OVGRS meeting at Fred's place in early December a handful of years ago.

A number of interesting locomotives adorn Nelson Yard on this cool December morning before the snows arrived.  Of course, as Mother nature will have it, she offered a deluge of snowflakes just as I was snapping the picture!  (Big grin!)

This image shared with the group a few years back was taken on my HO scale railroad.  This past year I was blessed to be able to share my model railroad on the Capital Region Model Railroad Tour.  

This Boston and Maine train is travelling inbound to Boston (southwards geographically) and is about to tiptoe onto the New England River Bridge in the state of Maine.  The train will stop in my city of North Dover, New Hampshire before continuing south to the big metropolis of Boston.

Charls Gendron custom detailed, painted and lettered my RS3 locomotive for which I am most appreciative.  The date is May 27th, 1958...the date of my birth.

Please enjoy a safe, healthy and relaxing December everyone!

All the best, Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

From Malcolm...Mike - here is a photo I took of the water tower at Wakefield in February 2014. At the time there was hope the Wakefield Steam Train might run again. 

Thanks for sharing this lovely and "hopeful" image, Malcolm!

From Johnny Chuff Chuff and Noelle...Here, to all, something Christmassy to delight you:  Simply copy and paste the link below into your computer's browser!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ix9VIbAQLo

Thanks, Johnny and Noelle for the lovely gift of music to brighten the season!

Marcel has sent along a greeting in fine fashion.  He actually found a bank of snow in Arizona.  He writes..."Alas! I was able to find a snowbank that hadn't melted yet. Oh boy! Winter is going to be early this year. LOL!"

Thanks, Marcel, for the humorous greeting!

Fred sends along this greeting for the gang!

Indeed, this past year  was quite momentous for the OVGRS!

Three cheers for Father Fred!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. 

(my annual snow scene photographed on my N-scale layout). 

Chris E.

Steve sends along his wishes for the Christmas Season.  He tells us that he has been assisting with this project on the "Willy McKnight Hurricane" at Vintage Wings on and off since 2006.  Steve informs us that she will be flying in the spring of 2022. 

Copy and paste the link below to learn more about the project!

https://www.vintagewings.ca/hurricane-mk-xii?fbclid=IwAR2Tz1bAJNhBV81RAY8XGi-Nn_SHwN_6WzL15GKikbG-LxC7mapV33YZQ7o

Steve also wishes to share these "Greetings for the Season from throughout the years" from others at Vintage Wings.  You will see some fine aviation images with lovely seasonal messages.  

Simply "copy and paste" the link into your computer's browser.

https://tomato-hibiscus-5kcf.squarespace.com/stories/christmas-greetings-over-the-years

Steve also sends along this link to a wonderful aviation-themed story entitled "The Shepherd" as read by Alan Maitland on the CBC many years ago.

Copy and paste the link below into your computer's browser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2_bLEqmBi0

Hey, I managed to spot Steve's handsome "mug" amongst the huge crowd of volunteers at Vintage Wings with this snippit being a mere fraction of the full image!

Thanks, Steve, for sharing this with us.  I will post the other images you included in your e-mail to me in a later blog entry...most likely just after Christmas.

PS.  Barry sent me this note from Belleville after reading our recent posting from Steve at Vintage Wings.

"Mike, I don't know if your are aware - that Doug Hayes has also been a volunteer at Vintage Wings.  Doug used to have his own plane, and several large airworthy model airplanes."

Henk and José send along their wishes for the Christmas season and beyond.  Henk informs us that the image shows the steam tram Medemblik - Hoorn taken in November 2021 in Holland.  

Thank you for sharing, Henk and José!

"Merry Christmas to all of our friends in the OVGRS!"

Barry and Bonnie offer up. 

Thanks, Barry and Bonnie!

From Neil:  My best wishes to the OVGRS members along with a picture of my way of keeping Christmas "on schedule"!

Merry Christmas to all.  Neil Lowes 

Moe sends along some Christmas cheer on behalf of his family to our greater OVGRS family which includes a lovely video montage.

Copy and paste the link below into your computer's browser to see Moe's lovely Christmas video montage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvu9cYUd4us

Mark sends along his Christmas wishes our way via a couple of reindeer friends dressed in red.

As the song goes..."You know Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Ollie and Matthew, Donner and Blitzen..."

In Mark's own words..."Please enjoy these photos of recent “snow clearing operations” on our small deck layout." 

Ollie and Matthew hand operated the snowplow for a while before we hooked it up to the “little-engine-that-could” Porter for some more fun.

And...what fun they had, Mark!

You would think it was Christmas morning itself judging by the joy felt all around!

"HO HO HO" puffs the little Porter!

To see video footage of the action, simply copy and paste the two addresses below into your computer's browser.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/htkdf7s3j6b8p1f/HandPlow.MOV?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2k7ap91e847decb/ReadySetGo.MOV?dl=0

  Mark offers up, "Merry Christmas to all our OVGRS members and their loved ones!"

Thank you so much, Mark and family, for these wonderful images from the season.

We wish all of our OVGRS families the best for the Holidays and a great new upcoming year!!

Gaetan & Nicole 

Looks like a very Merry Christmas in Mark's household.

Leo adds another gift to this remarkable family!

Thanks so much for posting, Mark.

Merry Christmas to all.

From Steve ad Seanna

"The Microtrains "12 Days of Christmas" cars (preceded by the Hannukah car). Also, Zeno the cat wondering what is this fascinating moving thing that has appeared."

In response to Moe's e-mail which read, "Very nice little layout. Also, impressed that Zeno did not attack the train."

Seanna replied with this image and message, 

"Zeno is more or less trustworthy while we are there.  For the rest of the time, we have built the train an enclosure for protection from feline attack by Zeno and his 2 buddies."

Thanks to all who sent images and stories!

Merry Christmas everyone!