Garden Railroading: Views From Session #14

A Look at Session #14

After a long day of work on both the Tuesday and the Friday of the previous week, the work crew met with the greater group of OVGRS members for Train Ops on the last Saturday in September.

(Many workdays would take place the following week!)

Indeed, September 28th blessed us with great temperatures, solar friendly skies and 21 operators in attendance.

Diesels ran the show on this day although we had a few renegade steam locomotives make an appearance.

Our newly refreshed benchwork and subroadbed looks great in the early morning light.

A view from the far end.

Bread trays filled with cars for Douglas Yard and the Craig Leigh environs rest atop the Northland Ore Dock.

Cars bound for Peter's Pond, Cedar Rock, St. Helens, Ironwood & Spruce are splayed out in trays atop old outdoor lunch tables located between Cedar Rock and St. Helens.

Here we find cars awaiting their roles for Bell/Stuart.

Glen Hammond traffic is eager to escape the trays and get rolling along the railroad!

Each bread tray has a colour-coded tag indicating the destination for the cars it holds.

These cars finished their run during the previous session (for their gauge) in Glen Hammond, so they were packed away in the Glen Hammond tray.

Where cars terminated from the previous session is where they begin their journey for the following one.

Ralph & Pat are busy setting out cars using the checklists given.

The tray tells the location; the checklist tells them the industry or siding to which they are to be placed.

There's a 'hello wave' from the lads for our readers/viewers!

We spot Ralph railing a car in Spruce.

T-Shirt Time! Must be Mr. Scobie!

It certainly is...you handsome lad you!

With the tracks having been lifted in Craig Leigh, this is the extent of the line for today.

Many tank cars adorn the interchange track at Northland.

This is the shared track between Fred's IPP&W and Doug Matheson's Northland Railway.

Here's skipper Paul. He will handle Craig Leigh and Douglas Yard for the session.

Pat & Ralph keep placing cars around St. Helens, Peter's Pond, Cedar Rock, Spruce & Ironwood.

Many others are doing the same at the various other locations around the railroad.

One of the many carrying cases which operators use to cart their locomotives to Fred's.

This one came from Lawrence's collection and houses Bernie's TH&B locomotive.

Two more cases...with the colouful one belonging to Steve & Seanna which holds their TH&B diesel!

Here is Seanna wearing her lovely railroad related T-shirt.

Cars of all colours and varieties adorn the sidings along the routes of the IPP&W and of the RP&M.

This pair is found on the team track down in Peter's Pond.

These three are located on the Lyon Supply track at Anderson; not far from the junction of the two railroads.

The sun is in the perfect location here!

The fuel that Fred provides for us helps to keep us going!

Bob, Garry, Dilip & Steve gather in Craig Leigh in this grainy photo.

Bernie will be 'in care of' the passenger runs today with Sid.

There is Sid with a great big smile on his face as he shines brightly in the rays of the rising sun.

Pete & Gerry are ready for action as they have gathered in the crew lounge patio area.

Pete will be playing sax at our Saturday night 'patio party' and Gerry will be our bass player.

Bernie mans the blower to clear off the tracks from any natural debris that would accumulate between sessions.

Bob gives the newly laid subroadbed in Craig Leigh a giant hug and a definitive "two thumbs up"!

Bob teaches me that the S-P-F designation for dimensional lumber indicates that it is either Spruce, Pine or Fir.

Thanks Bob...it's wonderful for me as a teacher to learn something new every day!

With all the cars situated in their designated locations thanks to Fred checking the master list when we bring him an errant car...the pre-ops meeting can get underway.

Freddie is looking into the sun as I snap this interesting image of him!

Passenger 2 is 'first train out' on this glorious final Saturday in September.

Passengers have already admired the verdant landscape that is found along the route between Firgrove & Bell.

Passenger 2's arrival at Bell as found on video.

Meanwhile, far off to the east, Paul fires up his CP diesel and takes the southern leg of the wye in Craig Leigh.

The diesel is seen on video beginning its long day's chores.

Number 8202 heads on to the main just off the wye.

Continued wye video.

Because the wye is so large and takes up much real estate, not all turnouts are within 'arm's reach'.

Fred has installed choke cables to allow operators to throw the turnout from a distant location on the other side of the wye where the operator already is within arm's reach of two of the three turnouts.

With this clever device, the operator can control all three turnouts that help make up the wye from a single location!

Brilliant that is - in my books!

Video of the wye being thrown.

Nelson Yardmaster, Bill, assists Dilip with his spots and lifts at Lilly.

Dilip is running the RP&M train known as Rat 61 at the moment.

Rat 61 going about its business in Lilly now seen on video.

Steve & Seanna are crewing 303 and have departed from their point of origin - Glen Hammond.

We spot them taking the junction crossing at Anderson.

They are cleared right through Mercer Siding for Peter's Pond where they have been notified of a meet with Passenger 2.

I will be bringing this Western Pacific beauty out to our OVAR dinner meeting this coming Tuesday evening.

I always bring out one of our large scale freight cars for the display in order to promote the greatness of large scale railroading.

IPP&W Train 303 has reached the junction in this video shoot.

Passenger 2 reaches 'The Pond' first.

Mike manages to grab a quick video of Passenger 2's arrival in 'The Pond".

The meet occurs!

Peter's Pond video meet!

Train 2 departs Peter's Pond for Bellamy and the meet with Train 1 in Glen Hammond.

Train 2's departure as caught on video tape.

While Passenger 2 makes its way to Glen Hammond from the west, Passenger 1 heads for the same destination from the east.

Train 1 arrives Glen Hammond in this video to find a wayfreight still working there.

The wayfreight will clear the area to allow Train 2 to hold its meet with Train 1.

Pat & Ralph exit Glen Hammond aboard Train 304 bound for Spruce shortly after Passenger 1's arrival.

This will free up space for Passenger 2 on the near station track.

In this video you will hear that I have cleared Passenger 2 to come in on the 'far' station track - which is accurate from the perspective of Number 2's juxtaposed location off in the distance.

I should really have indicated the 'near' station track as it is the nearer one to the station. Brownie points Mike! 😎🙈😎

Bob hauls ore eastward at Watkins Siding in an image from the Steam/Diesel transition era.

There is one problem though...the diesel has skipped a generation or two!

Not Bob's fault though as this is a standard gauge morning where diesels do indeed rule the kingdom. 👍💥👍

Ore train video action.

Here is my magnetic dispatch board as seen pre-ops.

These are all the trains that will depart Craig Leigh westbound throughout the session.

These are all trains that will depart eastbound out from Firgrove.

These are the trains that will begin their runs at the central locations of Glen Hammond and Nelson Yard.

These are some of our RP&M runs that begin centrally as well.

Some train numbers have changed recently and we will have to renumber some of the place holders.

41 is the short 'hop' down from Craig Leigh to St. Helens - now numbered 31. It would be Train 30 on the return trip back up to Craig Leigh...alas no number for that train.

We also have a few extras in case someone wishes to run their locomotive 'light' across the line.

Train 40 is the short 'hop' down from Firgrove to Bell. It would be 41 on the way back...which we do have as a number!

The Pool Train is Train 33 which pools power, resources and expenses that runs on both railways.

It used to be known as Pool Train 35...no longer in use.

Fraternal twins are spotted in St. Helens - they have unique numbers!

Love the milk car - reminiscent of New England Railroading!

Speaking of New England railroading, how about that colourful Central Vermont 40-footer sharing space with the bright red CP gon!

Nelson Yard is ablaze in colour as well!

'Ditto' Ralph Yard up in Firgrove!

And...the same can be said for Glen Hammond as Seanna places cars on the tracks pre-ops while Dilip does the same in the distance at Bell.

Out east, Paul has 301 made up and ready to depart at Douglas Yard.

Aha! We catch up with that steamer to the east of Bell.

Pat and Moe dance with that steam locomotive aboard 302 in this video taken up in Bell.

We have had to change the power out on Train 1 and Len comes to the rescue with his Great Northern beauty!

Thanks Len!

Great Northern action video.

The passenger train meet finally is able to take place in the Glen.

Video work with the passenger trains.

Passenger 1 gets underway to Bellamy.

This frees up the trackage for Rat 61's entry into the Glen.

Indeed, Dilip had been waiting ever so patiently back at the throat of Nelson Yard for the area to clear!

Continued video efforts in the Glen.

Rat 61 can now begin its work here.

Rat 61 video.

Passenger 2 is now underway to Spruce.

Video reels of Passenger 2's exploits.

We have two IPP&W crews working Ironwood with two other trains vying for space in town - Pool Train 33 and the ore train.

We see Pete (crewing with Gerry aboard 301) with Bernie entering the yard from the east.

Short three-second video which tells of the heavy activity here.

We will have a short saw-by taking place shortly.

Check out the 'wobble' on a couple of cars as the saw-by takes place on video.

Bernie pulls ahead, aiming for the station on the curve.

Ironwood business...or make that "busy-ness" as captured by Mike on video tape!

In a rare move, we spot the Pool Train much later taking to RP&M rails out from Glen Hammond rather than from Bell.

This is due to the fact that headend equipment has been left on the East House Track at Bell rather than the West House Track (Bernicky Siding).

This 'detour' has been made to facilitate 'trailing' work for the crew of Pool Train 33 when they reach Bell.

Garry & Andrew hold RP&M Train 72 in the siding at Rat Portage for the meet with Train 33 as captured in this video.

Pete is at the throttle driving 311, his second trick of the morning, out from a very busy Nelson Yard as his crewmate, Gerry, does a 'head count' (like a kindergarten teacher with young children).

The car count is important as you want to be sure you have all of your cars with your train.

Of course, the Nelson Yard crew are so experienced...there is 'never' an error with the cars blocked in the various trains! 😎😘😎

Nelson Yard video footage of 311's westbound departure.

The ore train has also been routed across RP&M rails.

Ore train video along the route of the RP&M.

The ore train is routed down the IPP&W ladder to avoid a train located on the main.

Busy Bell video action!

While crews tend to prefer having a town 'all to themselves'...with the inclusion of some additional sidings in some of the locations around the railroad, the dispatcher is able to direct two wayfreights into the same town from either direction with ease.

This means that the crews can collaborate and assist each other with their facing moves.

Video action from both ends of Ironwood as 312 arrives from the west and 313 makes its entry into town from the east.

Craig Leigh yardmaster Paul has made the short jaunt down from Douglas Yard to St. Helens aboard Train 31.

Of course his lift is the last car - and the first one in the string!

You will recall this Grand Trunk Western car as being staged with a fraternal twin from the beginning of the session. His twin has already left town on another train!

Train 31 video.

Gerry & Pete have Train 311 at Wellington Lake at the right while Pat & Moe work Ironwood aboard Train 321 to the left.

Being a trailing siding for the crew of 311, there is no requirement to use the 'runaround' track at the nearby Watkins Siding.

Wellington Lake video scenes.

Algoma Central Geep #168 has completed its run aboard 324.

Time to head to bed!

Sid watches on in amazement as Steve ensures the locomotive is tucked in nicely and read a bedtime story...perhaps this blog entry will suffice for a story book, Steve?

Bedtime video story.