More Coming Our Way From Session #7
Hey gang...it was fun for me creating that last blog posting from the five images Dilip sent my way.
I was lucky enough to find some video footage to supplement Dilips's "fun fotos"...or is it...Dilip's "phun photos"...hmmm...I'll have to look that one up! Hehehe!
At any rate...what follows is a bushel full of other pics and vids I took from the most recent session. Enjoy!
There is a very special location found somewhere just above the 45th parallel where steam locomotives never have to go to their final resting place in the scrap line.
Whether this place is real or whether it is in the fictitious imagination of a kind gentleman we call Father Fred...it is a special spot on this home we call planet earth.
No gravesites for these steamers who have been kept in majestic condition over the intervening years since the diesel locomotive transplanted the steam brethren on rails across America and throughout the world.
No rust is found on this billboard reefer...although a visit to Father Fred's workshop is in order to replace some of those missing grab irons. No problem as Fred keeps the fleet in working order through both the train running season and over the winter hibernation.
Indeed, Friar Fred is a true lifesaver keeping the lads and lasses of the OVGRS suitably entertained at all times.
Folks gather in spades to run the trains or simply to pay Fred a visit.
Smiles abound during our weekly sessions.
Aha...like a Greek God...Father Fred has a master list for everything - a time and a place for all of the freight cars.
He's a keeper in our books!
And...like a Greek comedy...we certainly have our share of comedic actors in our midst! 😎
The lads are like young boys rediscovering their youth each time they visit the railroad!
And...speaking of comedians...Henk has brought a big smile to the face of Sir Patrick!
As if by magic, most traffic is spotted at the respective sidings and industries far in advance of the denizens of the city having awakened!
Over in the western end of these magical lands we find George and Len getting down to the business at hand.
Even with our sunny dispositions we find that it sometimes rains on our parade as evidenced by the water atop this storage bin.
No problem at all as the cars are kept very dry. We do, however, apologize to the workers in the west end for the muddy situation that seems to have resulted!
Let's get to some video snippets. We find an eastbound making headways into Spruce...
...while Bernie and Mike reach the nether reaches of Cedar Rock.
Some video work at Spruce and across the aisle in Cedar Rock.
Nothing delights railfans more than meets of opposing trains and one such meet has been set up by dispatch here in "The Pond".
Our train is protected in the siding as oncoming 311 arrives Peter's Pond. Bernie crawls along the main in anticipation of the turnout being given his way by the crew of the oncoming train.
Steam meets steam - just like in a dream!
Peter's Pond meet footage on video tape.
Dilip manages to railfan the train he is running! That takes a slight of magic seeing as he has to be in the cab of the locomotive and squatting trackside at the same time!
His train finds daylight out from Clarke Canyon at the local pedestrian crossing.
Heading beneath the eastern throat of Nelson Yard.
The train finds its way up to Blockhouse.
Doug instructs Dilip on the procedure for passenger trains entering Nelson Yard/Glen Hammond territory on this video package.
Pool Train 33 arrives Glen Hammond in the midst of action on either flanks in Bell and Nelson Yard.
Chief dispatcher Doug and my sidekick Bernie follow the action as Dilip gets on his high horse and heads out from the Glen.
A man after Mike, Dilip is an ardent railfan of the IPP&W and RP&M railways.
Things settle down once more in the environs of the dispatcher.
Dispatcher Doug is teasing the yard crew in this video segment of the action near his hut.
It's a combination of roles for our RP&M crews.
One mission of theirs is to switch out the Fallentree Mine on behalf of the ore train.
Andrew and Moe have things well in control.
The good old Blockhouse of which a small handful can be seen along the Rideau River system.
Video efforts at Fallentree Mine.
To view some of the Rideau Canal blockhouses, copy and paste the link below into your computer's browser.
https://www.northamericanforts.com/Canada/Ontario/Rideau_Canal/Rideau_Canal.html
We follow with continued efforts by Moe and Andrew as they switch out the mine.
Into and out from the darkness beneath the mine's overhang.
The lift is done.
Still more video footage of their work.
The sun shines whenever Paul arrives the property. We are so fortunate to have such an amazing lad in our midst!
Do we love trains? Now, Mike...that's a "No-Brainer"!!! 😄😃😁😀😎
Bill sports the coolest of clothing each week...be it the T-shirts or the crazy hats!
Now here's a world-class train buff, our dear friend Malcolm. Malcolm volunteers in a multitude of ways in the world of railroading up here in Ottawa. We appreciate all that he does for the community!
Hmmm...looks like a few grab irons are required for this white and black puppy as well!
A new track will be installed here reaching over to the station. It will be the house track at Spruce. For the time being, the nearest of the three sidings substitutes in its place.
Chandler's Sludge; as craftily created by our great friend from south of the border, Bruce Chandler!
More of the same Sludge Works facility located up in Cedar Rock.
Here is the manifest for the train Bernie and I will start off the morning with...Train 303. Our orders will take us From Glen Hammond through to Bellamy, Peter's Pond, Wellington Lake, Bell Junction and finally our terminating point in Firgrove.
Our train is pointed in the "going away" direction on the second track over. Train 304 is on the near track heading the way of the camera.
We catch a glimpse of a full Nelson Yard pre-ops.
The administration of the railroad invests in all types of engine power and this little brute has not disappointed the staff in the least!
Indeed...all available resources come to the fore when revenue making is the goal of the day.
Freight shipments make their way east while the paying public travels west at Mercer, a location where one finds a geographical anomaly with regard to direction.
Video tales at Mercer Siding.
314 kicks up its heels while crossing the junction.
With sights set on the big yard at Nelson the train slows to a crawl.
And fortunately it did...as the leading truck jumped the rails at the frog of the previous switch! (Note the green arrow)
Derailment video.
Back on track - literally - we make our way into the yard along the red line.
Lots of work is taking place in the somewhat congested yard...but with a clear alley, we are happy to complete our second trick of the morning following a rather lengthy wait at Mercer Siding.
Skipper Bill uncouples us from our train while Henk will deal with our caboose - grabbing it and placing it on our next train out.
Nelson Yard video.
With a new consist and the same van on back, we have trundled out of the yard and reach the mainline in no time.
Our train defies gravity as it hovers out over Brennan Gap atop the Fred Mills Trestle!
Finding "terra firma" once more we approach the big curve at the end of the peninsula.
Rounding the bend at Lilly finds us changing direction once more. There will be many more direction switches before we terminate somewhere known as Craggy Lee in the "Far East"!
Bridge video work.
Looking back in time...we find folks listening in on the pre-ops discussion.
Seanna assists Steve with his throttle cable in the distance.
It's three of one rank and two of another - a full house!
Fred is happy to see a large turnout!
Here's the man himself!
One of our many creative carrying cases.
Our train has "made the grade" and will terminate shortly at the western end of the line.
Upon our arrival, Train 40 will make its way down to Bell as the Bell Hop!
Ralph Yard sparkles with a sunny disposition at this time in the morning.
Rat Portage is alive with RP&M traffic.
While temperatures, fire and rain have been described by the National Weather Service as "biblical" in many areas of North America, here in our patch of the continent we have been more or less spared...so far! Train 312's crew handles their trailing movements at Ironwood.
While over in Spruce, one of the crew members aboard 313 is found conducting some weeding of "divines"!
Malcolm warns us of our turnout which is still closed at the far end of Spruce. We appreciate the warning.
Eastbound and westbound revenue service meet at Spruce.
Spruce meet with a divine video!
The power aboard 324 shows its face on the big curve into Ironwood.
The team track is teaming with traffic on this fine orange and yellow morning!
Being a short line railroad, there is still plenty of activity for railfans to take in should they choose to head this way.
324 arrives hot on the tail of 312!
Ironwood meet as spotted on video.
With the stone wall as a backdrop, the industrious passenger train is not stonewalled at all!
For...she makes the grade with ease...
...and all opposing traffic must make way for her!
Dilip railfans his own train once again!
Pat and Malcolm check out what's happening over in Cedar Rock before they get underway out from Spruce.
"Look up...way up!"
Continued video efforts in the area.
Dispatch has given us clearance up to Mount St. Helens so Bernie "blows his horn" and we get underway.
The lovely Ironwood Brick facility looms tall in the background and dwarfs our train in "mega" fashion!
We follow the lip between Ironwood and St Helens as we make our way east with two town locations left to visit.
We say "au revoir" to Ironwood as we welcome St. Helens ahead of us.
Did we say..."Look up - way up" once before?
Video of Bernie and his train!
301 steams into Spruce along the siding track.
304 reaches the eastern tip of Ironwood.
301's crew assesses their situation in Spruce.
Malcolm has things in control as he and Pat begin their switching in Ironwood before departing for St. Helens.
Spruce activities.
A later look at Spruce finds eastbound 302 hard at work.
The Nelson Yardmaster's switcher enjoys the challenge of making up outgoing trains and breaking down incoming ones.
Here she is chugging away at the western end of the yard.
The Nelson crew and its compatriot RP&M crew manage the area in a highly productive manner.
Andrew's locomotive holds over on the far track awaiting its next assignment. She's a beauty Andrew!
I leave you with two images of another passion of mine - playing guitar. Here I am with my brother-in-law, Mike, who sadly passed away ten years ago from pancreatic cancer, the same cancer that took my sister two and a half years ago. This image of Mike playing my Fender Stratocaster and me playing my Gibson ES339 was taken at Mike's home in Oakville, Ontario where he had been a pharmacist for many decades. He passed away eight months after his retirement.
"F" cancer I say!
Some folks in the OVGRS collect large scale train locomotives. Mike and I collect guitars! From left to right...my Martin D35, my Gibson ES339, Mike's Fender Telecaster, my Fender Stratocaster, Mike's Rickenbacker, Mike's Ovation acoustic. Since that time I have amassed an even larger collection! Yikes! (I can only play one guitar at a time though)
And...back in the train yard...we say "farewell" with this previously viewed image of Dilip, Fred and Felicity.
Oh my...what fun we have enjoyed trackside this week!
There is still plenty "in the can" for yet another blog entry from this session so be sure to keep a lookout posted!
All the best, the entire OVGRS clan up here in Canada's National Capital
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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