Second Section for Ops Session #10
As promised, this is the second section of pics and videos from our most recent session.
As mentioned in the first section for this week, we outlasted Mother Nature this time around.
To our friends out in the broader landscape, like many of you, we have been experiencing unpredictable weather all summer long with no lengthy high pressure or low pressure systems hanging about for days on end. Rather, we get days of both sun and rain making family plans and OVGRS plans uneasy to control.
A strange phenomenon occurs every Saturday morning in a special neighbourhood in Ottawa...that is, trains take to the rails. Conrail 2236 is given the assignment on 301 on this day.
Algoma Central 168 leads RP&M 71 out of Nelson Yard.
Later in the AM hours, the ore train confronts a busy Nelson Yard as the yard crew continues to build and break down consists.
Having lifted the loads from the Fallentree Mine on the outskirts of Nelson the ore train awaits clearance out from the yard.
Ontario Northern colours are found in Ironwood aboard 304.
The western end of Ironwood holds an even eight cars at the moment.
301 has already dealt with St. Helens and Ironwood before making Spruce.
Sandwiched between their van and the remainder of their train, the crew aboard GP30 2236 handles their chores at Spruce.
John finds himself in the Garden of Eden...or at least Fred's garden anyway. He is enjoying following the progress of the ore train under his care with crewmate Chris.
Grant and Dilip are well established for the moment up in Cedar Rock aboard 302.
Awaiting the "all clear" sign the crew aboard 304 readies themselves for the long road ahead.
Bill continues to set out equipment in advance of the session.
Wearing that classic two toned livery of maroon and cream, TH&B 73 toils for the Rat Portage & Mattawa today.
Brunt's Brewery is teeming with traffic at Bell.
Our former train master discusses items of interest with our current train master!
John will crew the ore train while Marcel will handle the passenger service with both crews beginning their day at the other end of the line in Firgrove.
"Yellow bird...up high in banana tree!"
"Did train 301...leave you with no one..."
A seasoned veteran who worked on the real railroads now works for our real large scale version!
Great to have you aboard, Marcel!!!
Another glance at the new trackwork up in Cedar Rock.
The Cedar Rock siding houses a train at the moment. Heading east, this must be Train 302.
Robin is our "Solitary Man" aboard Rat 61.
Our trusted yard masters up in Firgrove...George & Len!
The Firgrove switcher on this day is a Great Northern GP30 brought out by Len.
There's no clean carpet down in Peter's Pond with two trains working the area with the potential of more passing through at any moment in time.
The crew of the train on the left will be heading up to Cedar Rock while those pulling the nearer consist will remain in the lower area of town.
311's crew determines their moves and set the turnouts accordingly.
Yup...it looks pretty busy down here...a railfan's delight!
Paul is our very capable yard master up in Craig Leigh.
Passing by the icing platform he will be handling some facing traffic.
Indeed, this triple dome tankcar has been designated for interchange with Doug Matheson's large scale railroad and is heading to the interchange now.
Doug operates a gorgeous large scale railroad in a lovely woodlawn setting at his home along the Rideau River. The cars don't interchange in reality ...but they do on paper!
Looking good, Paul!
Douglas Yard in the shade of "Big Tree"!
Train 33 kicks up the ballast on its westward journey.
My oh my...it's kicked up "all" of the ballast as there seems to be none left! 😆
Love the RS3 Marcel!
Three diesels share an image here!
Video efforts to the east of Ironwood.
301 skitters out from Spruce.
The crew has the bell ringing as it passes the station platform.
The westerly run takes the curve that leads them to the precipice of Clarke Grade.
Nothing sparks a railfan's imagination more than catching three diesels in three different liveries on three different trains!!!
Spruce along with some triple action video outside of Ironwood!
This image showcases the crew aboard 301 moments before their departure out from Spruce.
While not known as a large yard, with five parallel tracks at certain points it certainly takes on the appearance of one.
Malcolm and Pat follow their train as it goes about its switching.
A great crew, they will have their work done in little time and will soon be on their way.
Spruce video.
Robin navigates the junction aboard his RP&M train.
The tail end clears and he notifies dispatch that he is through the junction.
In hot pursuit, 311 crosses the threshold.
Junction video.
We catch up Paul shoving that same triple dome tankcar past Douglas Yard.
It is relatively quiet in this corner of the railroad at the moment.
Taking the curve.
Reaching the interchange track at Northland where cars that go there are destined to head over to Doug's Northland Railroad (on paper at least as mentioned earlier).
Alas, my video taken here was too large to fit in the blog but I wanted to share the images with you anyway!
All we have here are a bunch of headless bodies and a few trains in the image!
Judging by the track arrangement in this aerial view and the angle of the cars, some creative maneuvering should be taking place at any moment.
My B&M blue and black car which Paul so graciously presented me has added length to 302, but nothing beats the ingenuity of our IPP&W crews!
A note of thanks to the favour "granted" me by...yes..."Grant" and Dilip for including the Boston and Maine car in their train even though it was not officially on their train register. Mike just wanted to see it running in a consist!
Yet another saw-by is occurring before this railfan's eyes!
Saw-by video down in the Pond.
Congestion city...but organized congestion!
The lads are always so collaborative!
Now we see their heads! 😍
Marcel checks his watch! Hehehe!
Train 33 pulled by the CP road switcher departs "The Pond".
Final Pond video tape.
With that last meet now complete, 302 reaches Mercer Siding.
A colourful consist indeed!
They've been granted authority to enter Nelson Yard so dispatch has given the crew the green.
Mercer Siding video footage.
The crew passes the depot at Bellamy.
Their tail end has cleared the junction trackage.
They come in on a yard track as the ore train is currently residing on the arrival/departure track.
Nelson Yard approach video work.
With 302 safely tucked in, the crew aboard the ore train can now run around their consist.
Through the western yard throat.
In reverse.
Ore train video in the big yard.
The yard switcher on this day is D&H's EMD GP38-2 #7316.
The yard crew collects the van off the incoming IPP&W train.
They pull out to the yard ladder.
In short order Mike will have the van placed on the rear of their outgoing train, number 312.
Caboose retrieval as shown in this video.
Shoving back onto the rear of Train 312.
The yard has evolved as it should throughout the session.
Video work in the big yard.
With the departure of Train 312, Mike and Bill get down to business blocking further traffic in the yard.
Does Heinz really have 57 varieties? I guess it does!
At the yard throat.
Still more video work.
Doug, Sid and Pat look on as Grant adjusts things at ground level.
Two tankcars are found on this train.
Another glance at Nelson Yard.
The ore train rumbles through The Pond as Gerry and Doug continue with their efforts here.
The main will be cleared in no time at all.
Two CP reefers.
313 is spotted in Ironwood.
The pool train drives past the deserted station at Spruce.
313 holds the siding at Spruce.
313 has terminated in the vast Nelson Yard. The crew will continue their westerly trek as Train 323.
Our RP&M crew have returned aboard Train 72. They are currently working Anderson.
"Hey Mike...take our picture will ya!!!" the lads cry out.
No, it's not the Kingston Trio...why...it's the Nepean Trio! 🙈🙉🙊
Railfan passengers aboard the CN Rail Diesel Car reminisce when Blockhouse enjoyed a siding containing two or three interesting freight cars...but all that has disappeared. The station stop is a brief one here.
Seeing as many people who visit our OVGRS blog live in other places around the globe I like to take time out every now and then to show off our fair city of Ottawa. We are in Confederation Park here with a native totem pole welcoming visitors.
In the summertime, Ottawa offers outdoor dining spaces for tourists and locals alike to enjoy the many parks and interesting locations around the capital and this Bistro in Confederation Park is just one of them.
Our newly revamped National Arts Centre (NAC) is right in the heart of the downtown area.
In the distance we spot the Chateau Laurier.
This is one of our renowned railroad hotels situated across from our War Memorial monument.
My family and I are visiting Parliament Hill for a tour of the West Block, the East Block and the Senate which is located in the original Ottawa train station.
For this blog entry I will focus on the West Block which now houses our House of Commons which has been moved out of its home in the Centre Block due to on-going renovations that will take over ten years to see to reach completion.
This lovely flower bed is located on the wide sidewalk along Wellington Street, made famous in the news recently for the lengthy trucker's convoy blockade. I am in total agreement with the re-opening of this major thoroughfare.
One of my favourite buildings in downtown Ottawa located on the south side of Wellington Street.
It reminds me so much of the buildings I model on my railroad circa 1950's...although I presume this structure is much older than that!
Let's focus our attention on the West Block of Parliament.
The West Block plays host to our temporary House of Commons.
The construction workers did a fantastic job in re-creating the visual flavour of the House!
The glass roofing is not attached to the structure at all. In fact the House is located in what was a courtyard. When this massive construction job is completed, this area will most likely once again be re-opened to the sky and become a courtyard once more.
Why the colour green in the House of Commons, you may ask?
The answer I learned from our tour guide is that green is the cheapest colour to recreate in the dyes used in the material. Interesting!
The stonework has always appealed to me.
Looking down from above outside the House we see the portrait paintings of some of our Prime Ministers...two of the more recent ones spotted here
We find portraits of Prime Ministers of long ago outside the House as well.
Our tour guide was most informative.
Before they take on their role as guide they are given thick binders full of information they must convey. And...to think...some offer to act as guides for all three locations, the West Block, the East Block and the Senate! That's one heck of a lot to digest!
I've always loved interesting doors and the door to the House does not disappoint!
Nor does the stained glass!
Your blog author Mike used to create stained glass trinkets for Christmas presents long ago so he understands the intricacies of such creative work.
Simply brilliant...in more ways than one!!!
Flanked by our Canadian Flag and two of our renowned Prime Ministers, this makes for a lovely image.
When Jean Chretien had his portrait done he insisted on this plain yellow background. The reason...yellow is the favourite colour of his wife and his daughter!
John Diefenbaker.
Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
The mace symbol above the door.
The most special room for me is the chamber that houses the Books of Remembrance. These national treasures have written in them the names of our fallen who served in the many wars overseas.
Each day an employee dons white gloves and turns one page in each Book of Remembrance.
When my daughter, Alison, worked at Veterans Affairs her team came up with the idea of touring the WWII Book of Remembrance around the country so elderly vets who could no longer travel to Ottawa could visit the book to see the names of their comrades who lost their lives in the war. A special climate controlled viewing box was set up in each location across the country - be they Legislative houses or military bases. Wherever in the country Alison flew with the book, a second airplane seat was purchased for the book as it could never be out of her sight...similar to the gentleman who travels with Lord Stanley's Cup. The Book of Remembrance was carried in a specially designed wooden box.
Here is my daughter Alison with Loreena McEnnitt, the well-known Canadian singer. In 2014, Loreena McKennitt was appointed as the new honorary colonel of the RCAF by the then Minister of National Defence, Rob Nicholson. Previous to this appointment she was the honorary colonel of 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron located at 17 Wing Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The architecture in the opening lobby where the tours begin and end is wonderful.
The tourist shop.
Here we see a section of the West Block following our tour. Don't let the blue skies fool you...as mere hours later Ottawa experienced a huge thunderstorm which flooded many parts of our fair city.
Indeed, the West Block is a beautiful portion of Parliament Hill.
While walking over to the East Block for our second tour (which I will share in a later entry) I spotted this worker transporting yet another slab of stone to be carved or installed in the huge renovation.
A glance back at the buildings on the south side of Wellington Street.
This information was found on one of the wall barriers protecting the public from the large trench in front of the Centre Block.
Most informative.
A craftsman working his trade.
Initial drawings...
...turn into this result.
Computer aided technology.
One of the many gargoyles on the hill.
A peek above the retaining wall shows the Peace Tower. A new flag is raised every single day on Parliament Hill. Ordinary citizens of our fine country can get in the queue to receive the flag of the day...although the waiting period is a number of years...over 100 years in fact! I won't be around to see it!
The Centre Block with the cranes doing their thing!
Meanwhile, back at Fred's where the session is trailing off, the good old barbecue will be fired up in short order.
But...before one can eat, one must assist with the packing away of the rail cars. We catch Gerry in the act..."I wanna burger...I wanna burger...I wanna burger!!!" he keeps repeating to himself with each tray he brings to the shed!
John and Chris engage in railroad conversations.
Steve packs away his beautiful Ontario Northland diesel in its specially designed carrying case.
I interrupt his packing to nab this shot of the diesel tucked into bed with one more Velcro strap requiring Steve's attention.
Great craftmanship all around, Steve!
Here's the handsome lad himself!
And another handsome lad - Brother Fred!
It's been a blast of a morning thanks to all the great personalities and thanks to this very special man!
All the best, Mike, Fred, Steve and the entire OVGRS crew
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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