Session #13 Pics from Mark, Dilip & Steve
Three of our OVGRS members have graciously sent me images from our most recent operations at Fred's place.
Session #13 saw a host of trains running during our narrow gauge operations but not all power was of the steam variety as you shall see.
This blog entry will also showcase a few images from Rideau Hall where Lisa and I went to sign the Book of Condolence for Queen Elizabeth.
I had a blast crewing with three of Mark's children, Gabriela, Matthew and Oliver.
You can enlarge the images by clicking on them and return to the default look of the page by clicking outside them.
Hey, Mark...this would make a great album cover when the three of them become famous musicians in the future..."The Shumelda Trio"!
Fred, Mark and I instructed our three young friends as to the rules governing expectations of train operators and with a dad (Mark), an uncle (Fred) and a teacher (Mike) they adhered to the expectations beautifully!
Mark captured Henk and Robin in the early hours setting up Nelson Yard.
Mark captures me capturing the young operators.
We depart Glen Hammond with Gabriela at the throttle and Mike with clipboard in hand. Our White Pass diesel adds a splash of colour to the scene.
Let's capture a video of the train as it departs the Glen bound for Blockhouse.
To activate the video, click on the white arrow once, then again.
Pat looks on as Mike railfans his train!
Mark glimpsed Passenger 32 in his peripheral vision and managed to snag this "red" photograph!
You can't help but smile when you are running trains!
Chris and Ralph check car numbers in Glen Hammond before setting out aboard Rat 62.
Gerry (in the brown shirt) along with crewmate Pat (sitting) are underway out from the Glen with Passenger 32 while our locomotive is seen at ground level as we drill the siding at Blockhouse.
Some more great video action sent in by Mark!
Our train, 304, has reached Spruce and we decide to tackle the facing Spruce Spur first but we do have a few lifts off the trailing sidings as well.
Ollie keeps occupied in a careful manner with a couple of vehicles of differing scales.
Gabriela controls the throttle with grace and elegance as we tackle that facing siding having run around our train and having placed our setout on the head of our locomotive.
Uncle Fred is enjoying watching the action as Gabriela has returned along the main to head back into the siding where she has tucked a lift off the facing spur onto her train ahead of the caboose.
Mike thinks to himself..."Gee, this is the best engineer I've crewed with all season!"
Editor's note: All of Mike's crewmates have been awesome and Gabriela joins the illustrious list!
With our work accomplished at Spruce we have been given clearance to head into Ironwood.
Much later, we reach Mount St. Helens where this video captures us switching out the many trailing sidings located here.
Back in Ironwood, Mike railfans once more as Gabriela tucks a car into the siding at Larabie Fuels.
Matthew and Ollie watch the action from their elevated perch as the passenger train travels through town.
We also had a lift at Larabie as well as a set out at Windmill which we handled earlier.
Upon arrival in Douglas Yard, we meet a couple of "relics from the past"!
We have uncoupled from our train and Gabriela runs around the perimeter of the yard and heads over to the wye to turn the locomotive in readiness for our second run of the morning. The run will be Train 313 which Doug has made up for us. Incidentally, the Doug you see in this image is none other than our very own Doug Matheson, the lad who Douglas Yard is named after.
Bob works Ironwood Brick with the ore train as Mike and Gabriela continue with their efforts in town.
More video of their work.
Thank you so much, Mark, for sharing the above images and video footage! Greatly appreciated. It was with much joy that I was able to run the trains with the three children!
For my third run of the morning I was able to be conductor with Eric as engineer. Eric is the son of my bandmate and great friend, Gerry (a wicked guitarist). After showing Eric the intricacies of the throttle, we were underway with my steam locomotive. I will share pics and videos of that run along with many other images from the session in a later blog entry this week.
Here's Gerry, my bandmate. Glad you and Eric could make it out, Gerry!
These next photos come our way from Dilip. The crew lounge table is full to the brim with delightful items Henk sent along to share with us as well as crew lists on clipboards.
Uncle Fred is telling one of the operators which town and which industry to place a car as located on his master list.
Fred is the head man at the table!
Bill and Doug, two of the three dispatchers that handle the train movements along with Mike.
Steve and Seanna have repaired the lighthouse. When they got it home, it was working beautifully...so they determined the problem was with the wiring here on Fred's property which they are dealing with in the above image.
Our two SLD leaders, Grant and Malcolm.
The busy-ness of Nelson is captured so nicely by Dilip's camera.
Thanks so much for the great looking images, Dilip.
And...speaking of Dilip, here is the man himself as captured from Mike's lens.
Steve e-mailed me this image and titled it, "Traffic Jam at Bell This Morning". Steve and Seanna are running 302 out from Firgrove, so their train is the one facing us on the second track over from the aisle, Track 3. The other facing locomotive must belong to the RP&M crew aboard the 61-72 turn. Garry and Paul would be crewing that train. The locomotive #14 spotted entering the picture at the bottom has to be Train 303, the Glen Hammond to Firgrove run with Doug and Dilip in charge. My presumption is that they have been cleared into Bell with the understanding that the RP&M crew will be backing their train into the Interchange area. 302 residing on Track 3 typically is cleared into Bell onto Track 4 unless 4 was busy with the RP&M movements. The train in the lower part of the image is a westbound and would typically be cleared into the yard on Track 3. Indeed, congestion throws a monkey wrench into the good intentions of our capable dispatchers at times!
On Friday, Lisa and I headed over to Rideau Hall.
We wanted to sign one of the Books of Condolence for the Queen.
We spotted this tree Princess Elizabeth planted on the grounds of Rideau Hall on a visit to Canada before she became Queen.
A lone black ribbon and flowers sit at the base of the tree.
Two other black ribbons assist visitors in locating the tree.
It happened to be the first tree on the grounds of Rideau Hall to turn colours.
We found a second tree she planted long after she became Queen Elizabeth.
Another black ribbon...
...and flowers.
I had a rather pleasant surprise this past week.
While reading through some old Model Railroader Magazine issues which Henk brought out the week before...
...I came across this image in the "Trackside Photos" area of the magazine.
Look closely at the name on the tugboat of this great looking modelled scene from Greg Shinnie of Full Steam Ahead models. Greg is based in Huntsville, Ontario I believe.
Years ago, he e-mailed me indicating that he wanted to name a tugboat on his layout after me seeing as I love modelling seaside scenes. Of course, I gave him the "go-ahead" to do so. I just hadn't seen the tugboat in the magazine press. Greg did send me an image of the vessel many years ago when he first built it. I have ordered many kits from him in the past...although I don't think he is running the business anymore. The Michael Lawrence Hamer tugboat is very special to me indeed!
Just a quick update on my latest project, the FSM "Seafood Emporium" build. The section to the right is a recent add-on as part of the series of adjacent, yet attached structures.
It's the maintenance area of the structure where a great deal of detailed items will eventually reside.
The same shot as the previous one under different lighting conditions.
The addition on the left is the office area with its smaller peaked roof similar to the area to which it is attached.
I completed both peaked roof sections with corrugated roofing overtop shingles with some of the shingles exposed. There is still much to do on this build including adding a shed attached to this side of the clock tower, a water tower atop the larger peaked roof as well as a huge billboard sign atop the upper flat roof. I'm really enjoying the many challenges this kit offers up!
Here is a very special person to me...and to everyone! Father Fred! (Picture taken by Dilip)
Thanks again for allowing us to descend upon your property, Fred, to allow us to enjoy the friendship and great spirit of railroading each week.
All the best, Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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