Workday Wednesday - September 6th

Workday Wednesday - September 6th

Wednesday turned into a record setting day with temperatures hovering at 32 degrees and higher with humidity. 

We arrived early to beat the heat and got the mowing done first thing. Some weeding was done, but the creeping vines seem to be have held in check. 

The last task for the day was to replace a balky switch at Craig Leigh that sent a passenger car off the rails. Then others arrived during the morning.

All the words you have read above and will read below come from Bernie's keyboard.

 Doug and Doug and Pat were early arrivals.

 A surprise visitor was Dilip’s father.  Dilip arrived to print out the orders for Saturday and brought his father along.  His name is Sitaram.  He has been here since August 14th.  He is 93, turning 94 on Sunday, the day he returns back to India!

Dilip tells us:

I am glad that he could travel even at this age (we have been planning for a while now since the pandemic).  I wanted to bring him to an Ops session but couldn't manage.  I am glad he could come out yesterday and meet Fred and some of you.  As a side note, when we were all sheltering from the heat, Sitaram was in his element, savouring the soaring temperatures!

 

 Joan and Lawrence dropped in. Lawrence is going to make a fuel tank, or something similar to replace the rusty old can that protects the electrical outlet at the end of Culham's Coal Co, coal dock.

 

 View of the coal dock and the rusty old can.

 

 Lawrence is going to replace this rusty old can that protects an electrical outlet with something more pleasing to the eye.

 

 Marcel dropped around to collect a bag that he left last Saturday. Here is the fine looking gentleman with Pat.

 

 Near the end of the morning, we decided to look at the problematic crossover switch from arrival to departure tracks in Craig Leigh. Although the gap is small, the point would not close properly and no matter how much cleaning and persuasion we applied; the point would not make it across. The only option was to replace the switch. Fortunately, Freddie had several new switches and we found one that would fit. Here we see Pat pushing the rail joiners back.  

 

 Pat is in the process of removing the switch. 

 

The offending switch has been removed.

 

Pat has reinstalled the throw mechanism and is tightening it down.

 

Bernie is seen securing the new switch with nails. No more careening passenger cars at CL.

 

 Pat arrived with supplies of soft drinks. It was double duty as he picked up Fred to take him to the Ottawa Railway History Circle.

As for me...I couldn't make the WDWD event at Fred's due to a band commitment.

And look who was there in the studio with me!

Yes...our very own Mr. Pete Conroy from Wolfville, Nova Scotia!

Ron on the drums.

Paul on bass - and he plays those four strings just as well as another well-known Paul on bass!

Bob on lead guitar along with me.

Dave on rhythm guitar.  Sorry about the focus...Dave must've been "Shake, Rattle & Rolling" to the music!

This image was taken Saturday morning at our most recent standard gauge session.

We see Malcolm with Bernie and Pat in the foreground and Pete in back.

Thanks, Bernie for sharing the WDWD pictures and for writing up the story for us!

If it weren't for the folks who come out to maintain the railroad on the Wednesdays, we would suffer far more incidents than we do.

All the best, the WDWD gang of the OVGRS

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada