Workday Wednesday August 3rd

Workday Wednesday - August 3rd

The workday Wednesday crew were "hard at it" this week lengthening the spur siding into the cooperage down in Peter's Pond located near the patio.

 They also investigated the notion of adding one more passing siding in Ironwood to help alleviate the congestion found there.

The lads worked diligently.  I arrived a little later in the morning and really didn't do any work at all...just brainstormed with the crew a number of options as to how we could create an operating session with far fewer operators available this week due to mid-summer holiday/vacation time for many in the group. 

A handsome lad he be's!

Oh...he's got competition in the handsomeness department!

Here we are in the neighbourhood of the cooperage.

Pat is toiling hard leveling out the patio stones.

Lawrence, the IPP&W head of the engineering department is very wise...he protects his knees at all costs! 

Some border stones go in.

Getting there!

Looking good lads!

Pat, with freshly shorn hair, enjoys a well-deserved break!

"A-Har Maties"...Fred is heard to say!

Just some of the tools of the trade when dealing with our turnout cables.

Landscaper Bernie is all smiles...

...while head gardener, Pat, conducts some weeding of the right-of-way.

Bernie's been at it with the label maker!  Stuart Yard is named after Stuart Moxley, an early member of the clan who was instrumental in bringing remote control to our outdoor hobby.

Even Bell Station is labelled...although my camera failed to discern the black printing from the white background.

All tracks are now fully labelled in Bell at both ends of the expansive yard.

A new choke cable is in place to throw the switch for the cooperage.  Fred is a busy lad indeed!

Bernie sets the depot in Ironwood at its potential new location.

I love the look of stations located on a curve in the tracks!

Looking good there Bernie!

Lawrence gets the black garden roll out and fills in the space just in behind the cooperage.

These next pics came from Bernie's camera and he's managed to catch me as part of the work crew.

Lawrence is hard at work.

I must confess...I barely did any "physical" labour on this Wednesday...the other lads did all of the work.

My labour was of the "mental" variety in trying to come up with a way for us to run trains this Saturday with a "below minimal" number of operators due to vacation times mid-summer.

Alas...we have decided in the end to cancel Saturday's session due to the forecasted 40 degree humidex readings for the day.  Luckily the overcast nature of this day allowed us to get work done in much cooler temps!

Bernie had a good idea of actually bringing out some freight cars from the shed in order to determine the length of the new siding that may go in at Ironwood.

With his TH&B diesel locomotive and a van, he managed to scrape five cars together here.

But, with a slight relocation of the turnout...

...a train of six cars is passable at this location.

This takes into consideration an appropriate distance from each turnout to allow for car clearances.

I'm liking it!

As always...a great note of thanks go out to the regulars in the Workday Wednesday bunch!

Their efforts allow the railroad to run smoothly...like a baby's bottom!  Big grin!

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