Garden Railroading: Session #6 "Second Section"

Session #6 "Second Section"

A Standard Gauge July Morning!

We enjoyed running our fleet of modern equipment on the 16th of July this summer. Colourful diesels delighted the crews and the railroad ran like a charm.

I want to thank Pat and Bernie for forwarding me some of the pics they had taken over the last week from both the Wednesday work session and the Saturday train running session.

I had fun filling the green space in our opening photo submitted by Pat...so I came up with the story of an amazing biblical event that scholars have yet to unearth!

Apparently a team from The History Channel will be visiting to unearth this hidden gem, the "Eighth Wonder of the World!"

Remember, you can enlarge the images by clicking on them. Return to the default look of the page by clicking outside them.

And...this was the original image as sent my way from Pat.

Pat captured Marcel throwing the turnout back to the main after departing the eastern lead at Nelson Yard.

At another time and place, the structures at Blockhouse bear witness to the passage of the ore train carrying MT's.

The Armour Yellow of the Union Pacific diesel is spotted through the walkway at Lilly.

Pat's final pic finds his train heading eastbound (geographical westbound) at Mercer Siding.

Thanks for the great looking pics, Pat!

Let's segue over to Bernie's shots. Here we are the Wednesday before the session.

The Wednesday team's work area for the entire morning and on into the afternoon.

Pat is always cutting us up with his great sense of humour...but not with this Skilsaw!

Lawrence, Pat and Mike with lots happening.

Photographer Hamer snaps yet another pic of the action!

The old workbench that typically holds our carrying cases is built solid as a rock!

At least we are in the shade here!

Over here, however, is another story...for we are all found in full sunlight as we work.

Pat finds some shade.

Teamwork and camaraderie!

I can see better with my glasses off for close-up work as Pat takes a short breather.

Our other Pat deals with the issues at the Spruce end of the big curve.

Bernie's images continue in on to Saturday.

When Bernie unloaded all of the trays which had tags for Craig Leigh, he later realized that some of the trays also had Nelson Yard tags.

As Bernie indicated, we have to be just as careful packing up at the end of the session as we do while setting up ensuring all trays of cars are tagged properly.

My crewmate, Ralph, drives up from Cornwall for our sessions! It's really great to have you aboard with us, Ralph!

Bernie snapped these couple of pics from our pre-ops briefing.

I'm in the shade in back with Doug...

...where I turned around to snap this image of the Bernie man!

Thanks for sharing all of your pics with us Bernie!

I snapped this image off the back of one of the boxes which holds a large scale locomotive.

The lads focus in on Father Fred.

Being a standard gauge session, we find the modern looking freight cars.

The ore dock in Firgrove holds five ore cars with loads.

302's power on this day is Steve and Seanna's GP9 TH&B unit.

The power for our ore run belongs to Marcel.

Very colourful Marcel especially with the IPP&W caboose painted in like colours!

The silhouette indicates the pedestrian crossing as being "railfan friendly" as we observe the passage of 303 westbound.

Some interesting rock formations form the tunnel entrance as the train disappears under Mount St. Helens.

Some video action of the proceedings.

Remember: To engage any of the videos simply click on the white arrow in the center of the image once, then again a second time.

Exiting the tunnel, our train finds daylight in the verdant landscape known to locals simply as "The Corners".

The green British Columbia boxcar is camouflaged nicely in this location.

"The Corners" certainly is another video friendly locale!

At the same instance we find Passenger 32 taking to the new trackage between Spruce and Ironwood.

Some passenger video on the new curve for your enjoyment.

The yard in Rat Portage begins to fill up.

Ralph Yard hosts a variety of rolling stock with 302's consist spotted on the ready track in the distance over in Firgrove.

Train 304 faces east while the caboose aboard 303 brings up the rear on its train that faces west.

Neil will commandeer 304 throughout the morning.

It's the penalty box once more!

The excess of cars in Douglas Yard is in evidence in the above photo.

Lots of variety seen here.

Pat and Steve await their run aboard 301 out from Craig Leigh.

303 is "three cars heavy" as it ascends the grade at "The Ledges". We would've had a fourth in the mix but, alas, our lift out of Brunt's Brewery was AWOL.

Paul's diesel locomotive runs along the fence line where the newly trimmed foliage does not intervene at all...thanks to Pat and Bernie and the workday Wednesday crew!

George has lined us up into the arrival track at Firgrove.

Let's check out the video of the ascent at "The Ledges".

Bernie sorts the cars at the eastern end of the line.

Craig Leigh in the morning light.

Firgrove, also in the morning light.

How about Nelson Yard!

Another view of Douglas Yard.

A low angle railfan shot!

The ore dock at Northland.

Grant's great looking shirt acts as a second sun up in the sky to illuminate the scene for us!

And...what a seen it is at the western end of Bell.

IPP&W Train 314 snakes down the ladder as RP&M Train 61 begins its work at the Interchange.

The parallel "double ladder" dreamt up by Henk along with the far turnout on RP&M rails has finally allowed two trains to work in the neighbourhood of the Interchange unimpeded.

Brilliant, that...Henk!

We slither through the traffic and slow to a stop on Track 3 in Bell.

Oh...looks like that milk car at the west house track is impeding the mainline...we'll have to move it over to Stuart Yard until such time one of the other two cars is lifted.

(Perhaps lengthening the house track on our Workday Wednesday would ameliorate the situation if three cars are destined there at any time.)

The western end of Bell as captured on video tape.

Sid relaxes outside the dispatch hut.

There's always some interesting traffic in St. Helens.

MT's on the move at Mercer.

Love that tail end.

We catch up with Steve and Seanna in Cedar Rock at the end of the branch drilling the crusher.

Because their long hood is facing geographical east in Cedar Rock, it would be facing geographical west down in Peter's Pond meaning that their train must be eastbound 302 out from Firgrove earlier in the AM hours.

Seanna directs engineer Steve while our other Steve works with Pat down in Peter's Pond. The fellows down there will not have to run up the lengthy Cedar Rock branch at all today on both their trips into the Pond as they began their day as 301 out from Craig Leigh.

Because we run three tricks throughout the session, this means that only three of the four assigned IPP&W trains will head up into Cedar Rock.

The "planners" of the session have come up with the arrangement that for each trick one train only works the Pond while the other only works Cedar Rock...and they can do so by keeping out of each other's way in great fashion!

Much thanks go out to Steve and to Lawrence for arranging the sessions on the computer for us!

Love the shade in Cedar Rock as witnessed on the video!

Pool Train 33 takes to RP&M rails with Dilip in control.

The Pool Train is closely followed by Train 72 of RP&M vintage.

It's down the slope for the crew.

We catch up with Neil in Ironwood.

Again, because he is "long hood forward" this must be Train 304 out from Glen Hammond earlier in the morning.

He is running around his consist to get some switching done.

Entering the newly laid trackage on the curve.

Ironwood video work.

Rat 62 is ready to depart Rat Portage...and, in good time as 72 will arrive in mere moments.

The crew aboard Rat 62 have completed their assignment in Rat Portage (The Stanley Cup winning town of early last Century) and are returning back to Nelson Yard.

The Comber Chair Factory in the background adds a splash of colour to the scene.

The tail end exits yard limits.

Henk shares some images with George during a wee break in the action.

Rat Portage video footage.

RP&M 72 bottoms out at...well...errrr...Pratt's Bottom (long story) as the crew descends into darkness beneath Firgrove with Rat Portage on the agenda next.

They are tailed by Pool Train 33...hmmm...our Rat train had better move over in Rat Portage to allow him to pass!

Engineer Dilip is in full control as he gives a wave to this railfan.

Following a quick station stop, the train will pass by the flag stop known as Ferndale out in the front yard before proceeding into Rat Portage.

Let's follow the two trains in this video segment.

Lots of crews waiting their turn to get into the Pond.

Pat is down at ground level checking out the coupler on one of the cars in his train.

Seanna gets a kick out of his rerailing abilities.

"Those dang couplers!" Pat is heard to say!

We find the ore train exiting Peter's Pond.

It's a consist of MT's.

Love the matching tail end!

Some video work of Marcel and Pat's train departing the Pond.

We follow the ore train from Peter's Pond up to Watkins Siding.

Nestled in behind Ironwood Brick.

On approach to Wellington Lake.

Meeting my train at Watkins.

Our train has been holding the siding for some twenty minutes as we waited for Peter's Pond to clear but I indicated to our newest OVGRS member, Ralph, that this affords us time to grab a drink, socialize in the crew lounge, watch the action of other crews and for me to video some of the trains in far off towns and sidings.

More ore train video for you to enjoy!

I'm aboard Train 314 up in Cedar Rock at the end of the branch. We had a considerable amount of moves to complete here after waiting a considerable amount of time to enter the vicinity with the traffic patterns we were presented with.

Spruce keeps the crews busy with the enhanced sidings put in last season.

Steve and Seanna have sailed into Spruce aboard their second trick of the morning, Train 312.

That lovely station at the terminus in Craig Leigh.

Marcel has brought the ore train into Glen Hammond.

He will now make his way over to the Fallentree Mine to pick up some more ore cars as Paul, Ralph and I swing our diesel over to one of the far tracks in Nelson Yard in order to pick up our new train, Train 324, our third trick of the day.

324 threads the needle at the Fred Mills Trestle as Grant works Lilly in the distance.

Love that shirt, Grant! I want one!

Neil has 313 working the spur tracks at Spruce on his second trick of the morning.

Bernie continues with his efforts in Douglas Yard.

Here's our handsome ore boy, Marcel!

And...speaking again of Marcel, here he is bypassing Nelson Yard and heading into Glen Hammond. He will then head over to the Fallentree Mine to lift a few more cars.

Paul, Ralph and I were held at Mercer Siding by the Nelson Yard crew for some time. We are finally cleared into the big yard as Paul brings our train, 314, across the junction tracks.