Session #8 Underway
Yes, we had been battling the long and short range forecasts in the hopes of getting a session in and we managed to sneak this week's train running in under grey skies that failed to open up. Yeah!
Indeed, a slight drizzle came upon us as we were devouring our sausages and guzzling our drinks, but nothing of any consequence showed its face to scatter the masses of hungry operators.
Paul presented Mike with a lovely gift which totally surprised him! For viewers "from away" you will see this nearer the beginning of this posting.
Mr. Scobie made a wonderful presentation that taught us so much. More on that later as well.
Wow! A diesel locomotive that has not been seen in these parts ever before! Len brought out his Great Northern EMD GP30...his latest purchase.
She's a true beauty, Len!
My research indicates these puppies as being delivered to the GN in April and May of 1963 on an order of 17 units.
In keeping with the Geep theme we find CN 1701 "holding its horses" in the Glenn in anticipation of an easterly run across the IPP&W.
Mike's D&H GP38-2 #7316 will toil for the RP&M on this day.
Yet another CN diesel in another classic livery! This puppy will run with Chris and Garry.
Our "cool couple" of Seanna and Steve have brought out one of my all time favourite liveries...that of the Algoma Central. They have their switching underway in the Glen and will depart for points west in short order.
Don't let the "wee" nature of this little fellow fool you...for he can deliver a knock-out punch when it comes to traversing the wide expanse of Nelson Yard while organizing traffic.
For CW&P #4010 holds down the honours in the big yard. CW&P are the initials for the Carleton Woods & Prescott.
Meanwhile, this feller has come a long way from his home in Skagway, Alaska on loan to the IPP&W!
Not to be outdone, we spot another GP30 in Conrail colours at the passenger terminal in Craig Leigh. Malcolm will command all passenger runs this morning.
In the early morning hours the old bread trays containing all the rolling stock make an appearance as the lads and lasses go about the task of setting out the freight cars to their pre-ordained locations all around the railroad.
The trays are labelled with the destination for each grouping of cars to help avoid any mix-ups.
The new town of Stuart holds a rather large amount of traffic.
The nearer track holds traffic for the Charlebois Industry so named for Fred's neighbour who often lends skipper Fred a helping hand.
We find this CN 40 footer in Stuart on the far spur. This longer spur is dedicated to Onuferko Industries named for our dear friend, Andrew.
We appreciate Andrew's commitment to both our railroad and to the people of the Ukraine where he has visited recently.
How about this CNR specimen from an older time and place as well.
Yet another on the spur from the Canadian National Railways.
One more still.
Hmmm...it would seem the CNR has a monopoly in the town of Stuart!
The Milwaukee Road holds a place dear to my heart. When my twin brother and I were youngsters, our dad built a mini HO scale layout underneath our removeable boards of our table-tennis table in the basement. The first diesel I ever saw run on the tracks was an orange and black Milwaukee Road geep!
You've gotta love this paint scheme on the ON! The chevron look first appeared in 1974 and can still be seen to this day on the real railroad and on the RP&M...apparently!
We've begun our blog entry with pics of diesels and standard gauge stock. How about a peak at some of our OVGRS members. Here is Len in front of the storage shed up in Firgrove going about the business of setting out cars in Ralph Yard.
Yardmaster George is in control of the Firgrove area with Len. The two team up in the west end to ensure traffic keeps flowing on and off the railroad as Firgrove is a terminating point for the line.
Paul and Marcel have arrived early to assist in the set-out of cars. With the job now completed, they take a break in the lounge on the patio.
Steve and Seanna make an appearance. We thank Steve for creating the session for us on RailOps and we love Seanna's smile in that great looking T-Shirt with its railroad theme!
It is so nice to see Mark out for our full operations on this day. Mark has a beautiful family that seems to be ever growing! We love the smile, Mark...and the coffee Fred makes ain't too bad either!
And speaking of families...Mason made his first appearance of the season helping Grandpa Henk in Nelson Yard. We catch a photo of Mason ringing the bell to gather all the lost souls who could be found anywhere on the both railroads!
Let's kick things into gear with the ringing the bell on video.
The lounge is full...but where's the beer? "Too early for that, Mike!" I hear someone say..."Check back in half an hour!" responds another with a strong sense of humour!
With the trees towering over the Cedar Rock Branch as a backdrop, these "sexy six" are wondering what Fred will come out with next!
No...it's not skipper Fred. It's dispatcher Mike receiving a lovely gift wrapped present as Father Fred looks on!
Our great friend and knowledgeable expert in all things electronic, Paul Norton, has surprised Mike with this wonderful gift of a 40 foot boxcar.
What makes this so special is the fact that Mike is an HO scale modeler of the Boston and Maine railroad and this is a large scale B&M car!
Mike rushes over to give Paul a huge hug of appreciation as the lads look on with great smiles!
Later in the morning following the ops session Mike sets it out on the Lawrence Watkins Trestle. This is fitting as Mike's middle name is Lawrence...Michael Lawrence Hamer!
Here's Mike and Paul enjoying the camaraderie found at Fred's each Saturday morning.
This is one of the most special surprise gifts I have ever received Paul. I love it and the memory of this moment will stay with me forever!
Here is the Large Scale car placed in behind one of my weathered versions of the same car in HO scale resting atop a small bookshelf in my B&M crew lounge!
This image showcases a pair of "Bluebirds" (GP9's) hauling an outbound train from Boston, Massachusetts northward to Portland, Maine on my B&M HO scale layout which interchanges with the Maine Central. Note the similar 40-foot boxcars in tow behind the power on this train.
And now...for yet another fine presentation from our very own Mr. Bill 'Sn3' Scobie decked out in a wonderful tie! Bill has been supporting a group overseas who are keeping the history and memory of the World Wars alive so that the sacrifices of the many brave men and women who served will never be forgotten.
Bill has received his yellow tie and this lovely note from the group in appreciation of his contribution to their cause.
In bringing to life the weekly historical events from the World Wars it is the group's hope that someday we will be able to find peace throughout the entire world of humanity.
Here are the autographed images sent Bill's way showcasing some of the folks who work diligently at "TimeGhost" history.
Enlarge the image (by clicking on it) to read Bill's letter of recognition for his contribution to the cause.
Thank you Bill for this fine presentation!
Bill's yellow tie and his Galloping Goose shirt.
Bill also sent along this message my way via e-mail.
Mike, I am sending three parts from Youtube showcasing the efforts of Time Ghost History. The first one is our studio that tells
us who they are, where they are and more.
Copy and paste the link below into your computer's browser to watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSI9fOzCwEc
The second one is extensive coverage of week 257 of the war.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gm-64jO3cw
The third is part one of the 24 hour D-DAY special. Have fun watching!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0AKc7xxQQk
Finally, here is what their mission is as taken from their Youtube channel.
Welcome to TimeGhost. We make chronological historiography so that future generations can learn the lessons of the past with free, independent, educational historical documentaries. History does not happen in a vacuum (really, check inside your vacuum cleaner) and so in our videos we are dedicated to conveying the entire spirit of a moment or era. This is the Zeitgeist of an era, or TimeGhost in bad translation.
Let's examine some video from the session along with snippets garnered from the moving pictures. Here we see Bill and Doug making use of Mike's diesel seeing as he is dispatching. They are spotted entering the western throat of the yard as they proceed up the ladder to their designated train as built by the Nelson Yard crew.
Listen in on the teasing and all round fun we have as Yardmaster Henk gives the RP&M crew a piece of his mind due to the volume of their locomotive being bothersome to him. It's all in good jest, we say...as seen in this fascinating video footage.
With their consist on the head pin, RP&M 71 gears up.
Bill is at the throttle and he follows his train as it heads out of the yard with an aim to reach Anderson.
We find Malcolm guiding Passenger 2 into Bell along the station track. He is the first train on the roll on this day.
Following Malcolm's departure he heard Mike tell Steve and Seanna that Mike would be doing a "no-no"...that is crossing a train on the pedestrian steps as the train is moving.
I guess you could say that I was "caught in the act". Malcolm's note to me accompanying the image was...you better watch out for Seanna's screwdriver! Yikes!!! He's right!!!!!
Malcolm also sent my way this image taken of his train sailing through Watkins Siding with an imminent station stop at Wellington Lake.
Malcolm also shared this video of the later Pool Train arriving Spruce outbound from Craig Leigh, St. Helens and Ironwood.
The lead unit of the Pool Train sneaks up to Spruce on its return journey over the both railroads.
This will be the second station stop in Spruce for the crew aboard the passenger service on their trip "around the block".
The parade is officially underway with Train 40 working east from Firgrove to Bell.
RP&M Train Rat 61 has backed out from Nelson Yard and heads for Glen Hammond as we note 304 departing the Glen in the distance and the yard crew engine holding at the yard throat.
Peering over Nelson Yard we find Mark railfanning his train as it pierces the trestle east of the Glen.
It's an almost empty yard in the Glen where moments earlier it was teaming with trains and other traffic! At this point in time there are eight trains "alive" on the dispatch board.
The yard crew now has Nelson all to themselves.
With trains having departed the environs around Nelson Yard, things appear to be running smoothly!
The efforts of four crews can be seen in this image including 302 and 71 up in Bell and Stuart, 61 in the Glen and the yard crew's engine on the far track in the expansive yard.
Video montage of the area.
Seanna "tags" a set-out from her consist. The real railroad crews do the same - only they use chalk to mark the side of the cars they are to remove from their train.
Malcolm brings Passenger 2 to a stop deep in the yard.
Steve and Seanna surveil the surroundings which will keep them busy following the departure of the passenger run.
Over in Bell the crew of 302 gets down to business.
They must first contend with Len who is in the process of uncoupling a baggage car from his train.
Pat is all smiles as he feels Len is pulling a "Hamer" move - i.e. "I just have this one more move to complete..." 👍😎👍
A glance to our right finds Bellamy being visited by the passenger train.
Humourous times on video!
Our little yellow tyke keeps things on the move in the big yard.
Passengers are now aboard in Bellamy.
Bernie awaits Malcolm's arrival before departing for Rat Portage.
Let's get back to some regular camera images. These are not in any specific order which the videos were. Nelson Yard does not disappoint railfans who like a wide palette of freight cars.
Steve and Seanna work their train early in the morning in the Glen.
Number 168 will gain the fancy of many railfans lining the route of the rails as the train heads west.
Our ever-present umbrellas do their job nicely in keeping the sun at bay.
Rat 61's crew gets down to business assembling their train.
The yard appears totally organized at this point in time.
We've already seen a video of this train along with some snippets of photos but it's fun to visit Len's train power once more.
Arriving Bell near Stuart.
Here is that meet of Passenger 2 with the crew of 303.
303's crew gives a wave to railfans and to occupants of the end car on the passenger run.
Train 40 now becomes Train 41 as the crew seeks clearance to depart Bell and head back up to Firgrove.
My dispatch board sees many trains underway at this point. Eastbound trains are numbered as evens and westbounds as odds. On my board, thanks to Chris for pointing out, the eastbound trains have white markers and the westbounds are black. Hadn't ever noticed that before and I've been dispatching the railroad for years! D'uh Mike! 💤💤💤
Up in Spruce 304 is found drilling the trailing tracks.
The crew aboard 304 reaches Ironwood in due course where they meet 301's team of operators.
Garry continues with his efforts aboard 301 with crew partner Chris.
The next few videos and video snippets showcase how ingenuity on the railroad between crews and dispatch can help solve bottleneck issues. Here we have RP&M Train 73 in the care of Bernie and Andrew wanting "out" from Nelson Yard and the yardmaster has asked them to "get on their high horse" and high tail it away!
Unfortunately there was no way "out" heading forward as the RP&M crew (Doug and Bill) aboard returning Train 72 from Stuart and Rat Portage (to Nelson Yard) was busy switching Anderson while holding their train along the RP&M main as per their instructions...thus creating a logjam in the big yard. To add fuel to the fire, the Nelson Yardmaster was already contending with the arrival of two IPP&W crews at the same time.
Yes, for those who have acted as yardmasters here will say..."running the big yard is very much an experience of feast or famine"! Indeed, quiet solitude interspersed with the (something) hitting the fan!
With the other IPP&W train wanting "in" and holding in the far distance behind the Fallentree Mine, the Yardmaster instructed their crew to hold up momentarily.
The result was to have Train 73 adroitly reverse out of Nelson Yard and head into Glen Hammond thus creating an opening.
We see Bernie with train 73 on the extreme left track in the process of backing up allowing yardmaster Henk to bring in 72 who are finishing up their work at Anderson in the distance to the right.
While all this was occurring, Malcolm circumvented any problems by having his passenger train take the by-pass track into the station at the Glen as per train orders.
With 73 exiting the yard and 72 now allowed in, this meant that the RP&M main was now clear.
Once clear the final turnout, 73 can now make its way forward into Glen Hammond and head on to Bellamy, then through the junction and on into Rat Portage - a move made possible because 73 has no work to conduct at Bud Lite located just outside the yard.
Continued video of these movements.
Here we spot 73 on the roll into the Glen.
73 parallels the passenger consist.
The yard continues to go about its business.
A continuation of the situation on video.
With all said and done...yardmaster Henk offers up a "Sermon on the Mount" at the far throat of Nelson Yard.
His sermon goes something like this:
"Blessed are the train crews that arrive Nelson Yard when no other crews are around for theirs is the Kingdom of Nelson!"
312 gets underway once 311 has tucked in on the A/D track.
Still more video.
312 makes the trestle over the gut.
We now witness RP&M 72 arriving Nelson Yard thus completing the scenario of how ingenuity between all the crews and dispatch managed to offer an assist to the very capable Nelson yardmasters who were handling two incoming IPP&W trains at the same moment in time.
This proved to be a very interesting and highly entertaining moment in the morning between Bernie & Andrew aboard 72, Doug & Bill aboard 73 and our dispatcher Mike.
Of course, our two yardmasters, Mason and Henk were wonderful players in the experience as well!
I would like to thank Doug for recommending we talk of this incident which as Doug mentioned;
"It kept Nelson Yard fluid at a busy moment in time!"
Train 41 has completed its work at Bell and is spotted on its return journey home.
A lovely low angle view of the action.
The crew will make Firgrove in no time at all.
Train 41 video followings.
We go back in time to an earlier moment in the session and we find ourselves at Spruce.
Train 304 makes headway with their moves along the relatively recently installed trailing siding tracks.
With their work near completion they will swap locations with the crew aboard 301 over in Ironwood as spotted in the distance.
Video efforts at Spruce.
The swapping of locations commences as 304 enters the western outskirts of Ironwood.
The team track appears loaded on this day.
The crew of 301 is finishing up their switching and will be ready to haul out in short order.
CN meets CN.
The addition of the new siding a while ago has helped alleviate congestion at this location and it offers greater flexibility for dispatch to keep trains on the move rather expeditiously.
Swapping of places video work.
We hear the roar of the passenger train in the distance as it makes the grade at Clarke Hill.
The inclusion of the new siding here allows 304's crew to run around their train to work the Ironwood Brick industry on this side of town while the crew of 301 conducts their moves on the other side of town. This siding came as a result of Bill and Bernie putting their heads together one day.
Mark is pleasantly surprised to watch both crews working independent of each other near the eastern end of town.
Bravo to the Workday Wednesday crew of volunteers who spent a few days working on this siding!
Video moments in Ironwood.
The work continues at Ironwood.
It would appear we will be staging another one of those fun and creative "triple meets" with the arrival of Passenger 2.
It's not "Malcolm in the Middle"...why - it's "Malcolm Up Front" in the cab that is...with a smile on his face!
Continued video work around Ironwood.
We have a situation here where the train in the siding has lifted cars from Ironwood Brick and the train's length is now longer than the passing track...thus impeding the forward progress of the passenger train.
To get around the problem we choreograph what is known in railroad parlance as a "saw-by" maneuver.
The passenger train approaches the encroaching wayfreight and comes to a stop. The length of the passenger consist has cleared the siding turnout behind it.
With the turnout now clear, the wayfreight can move forward and pull out on the main thus clearing its tail end which was the impediment.
The "saw-by" movements as witnessed in this video footage.
This image captures 304 backing out from the siding.
The movement of two or three car lengths was all that was enough to open up the route for our passengers to squeeze by.
Passenger 2 escapes Ironwood while off in the distance in the corners another IPP&W train will soon make an appearance.
The escape from Ironwood as captured by Mike's lens on video.
Indeed, that's Train 303 exiting "The Corners" making headway into Wellington Lake in this three-train image.
The crew slows in order to take the siding at Watkins.
Do you notice something amiss in this photo? Look closely. Yes, the tail end of 303 is buried somewhere deep beneath Mount St. Helens...a (sometimes) common occurrence.
The crew makes Watkins Siding. A maintenance of way team will have to rescue the stranded cars deep in the tunnel way back down the line!
Three train video work.
The work continues in Ironwood for 301's crew.
Four lads observe the action as both crews handle chores at the same time...a common sight here.
301 appears ready to rumble.
301's is cleared to run to Spruce as 304 holds on the siding track.
The wet noodle is recognized by both railfans and "none foamers" as a railroad logo for Canadian National...which is the ideal plan for any logo designer - ease of recognition!
We say farewell to the crew aboard 301 as they disappear off into the distance and make headways to Spruce.
And...the crew aboard 304 is quite content to have Ironwood and environs all to themselves!
Final video from their meet in Ironwood.
304 is seen in the distance from my perspective through the trees.
Let's check back in on some still photos from other places throughout the session once more. We find Passenger 2 up in Mount St. Helens greeting some sort of orange buoy.
Just a wee berry!
Malcolm conduct his station stop in "The Mount" before tackling the long grade up to the wye on the outskirts of Craig Leigh.
302's crew has reached Cedar Rock and have found the end of the branch with its myriad industries. Moe and Pat are really enjoying themselves on this fine day of train running!
In another part of the world entirely two RP&M crews reach Rat Portage.
Bernie and Andrew are finishing up their work here as Bill and Doug wait their turn to get into the area in the distance.
Rat trains see an interesting mix of power on any given day and this TH&B Geep does not disappoint.
The crew makes use the team track near Comber Chairs to access the tail end of their train.
We always enjoy seeing the little red transfer caboose out on the road.
A Grand Trunk Western 40-footer is on the far track in the yard.
Mike is thrilled to spot yet another B&M car on the siding outside of Hamer Manufacturing!
It would appear the Firgrove crew have 314 all set to go as the crew of 303 must have just arrived town seeing as their van is already on their train. Yes, we are blessed to have knowledgeable and experienced yard masters in our midst who man our three large yards.
We find young Mason with Grandpa Henk relaxing in Nelson Yard so I decide to conduct an interview.
Interview video footage.
Mason explains to the videographer just who is in charge!
We get the record straight from Mason in this interview video.
With the packing up of locomotives into their designated carrying cases, I conclude the session is over.
The cases come in a wide variety of forms.
Each case protects the locomotive beautifully in transit.
Paul is a great helper on the railroad. Even though he ccmes to visit Father Fred and all our OVGRS friends as a dedicated observer, he is always one of the first to lend a helping hand when starting out in the early morning or when finishing up shortly before or after the noon hour. Your contributions are greatly appreciated Paul!
Father and son...with the son chauffeuring on the day! A lovely image!
We couldn't let Seanna get away without a photo of this lovely lady in that great looking T-Shirt! Great running today with hubby Steve, Seanna!
The bi-coloured Lillies are in full bloom adding a further touch of rust to the "rust" garden's appearance!
Yes indeed, folks come from far and near to run trains in Fred's backyard each Saturday morning.
His driveway fills up quickly.
And...we do a pretty good job of filling up the road.
Fred's neighbours are great and totally understanding of the fact that...sometimes...adults just have to be kids again and relive their childhood memories - as we do on our Saturday mornings!
Fred is in the midst of saying just how much fun the session was as I snap this image with Bill and his very special tie sitting in behind.
Thanks, Fred, for another great experience running trains on the good ole IPP&W and RP&M.
I still have a ton of pics and video footage from the session so be sure to check in later in the week for yet another entry on the blog.
All the best from Mike, Bill, Fred and the entire OVGRS clan
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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