Overcoming Rain-Out Let down

Overcoming Rain-Out Let Down 

Our first three sessions of this season's operations have had to be cancelled due to inclement weather.

We believe this is 'a first' in the history of the OVGRS.

To further rub it in...the forecast for this week is sun during the weekdays and rain for next weekend!  Yikes!

So, why don't we take a look at some of the unused footage from last season's operations to help alleviate the frustration we feel at this moment.

On July 20th last summer Dilip and John have found Peter's Pond aboard Train 303.

Dilip's locomotive and caboose came from Lawrence's collection!

When we have a full contingent of operators we are able to run two passenger trains simultaneously in opposing directions.

On this day Moe & Robin hold the honours with the passenger runs.

Passenger #2 leans into the curve to the west of Glen Hammond.

The crew travels through the yard and meets Passenger #1 in the Glen.

Video of their meet in Glen Hammond.

With the meet 'met' Passenger #1 gets underway towards Bellamy.

While off in the distance ore moves into Nelson Yard.

Glen Hammond and Nelson Yard video work.

Sometimes when we switch out towns, a 'light' car may uncouple as evidenced with the red CP gondola.

But the railroad keeps running!

An 'oops' video!

302 in care of an F-unit pairing reaches daylight out from under St. Helens.

Tunnel exit video efforts.

Pedestrian view of a beautiful locomotive pairing!

Egads...a triple meet!  Lovely that!

Video evidence of the three-way meet.

The meet breaks up as the passenger run departs town!

Passenger departure as seen in this video action.

Passengers rumble through the foliated area known affectionately as "The Corners".

Garry works the ore trackage in Ironwood without any assistance from local IPP&W crews.

Video activities in "The Corners".

This yellow & blue puppy is rather far away from home!

Station stop - Bell!

Busy Bell video!

Multiple crews work multiple locations as John (in the foreground) follows the progress of his train in the distance near the fence while his crewmate, Dilip, sits and checks his train orders for Wellington Lake.

Meanwhile, Garry delivers ore across the system with the Northland Ore Dock being his final destination as he travels through Ironwood.

Ironwood can be a railfan hotspot at certain times in the day.

Dilip handles the switching at Wellington Lake.

Active video work.

Ore movement on the IPP&W.

To watch the video 'ore' not!  😎

A verdant landscape greets the crew of 312.

Green video work.

With the horn a-blaring, Train 312 steps across the pedestrian crossing with sights on Spruce.

The crew must first tackle the hill at Clarke Grade before the achieve their destination.

Train 312 is captured on video along the Spruce Subdivision.

Unlike the weather we have been experiencing on Saturdays this spring, the weather on the 20th day of July last summer was sunny and warm!

The grain elevator named in Lawrence's honour and built, painted and lettered by Chris dominates the scene at Wellington Lake.

We encountered a slight 'service interruption' under St. Helens as a squirrel must have deposited some spare peanut shells on the track - removed earlier!

A week later I find a butterfly out front of my property before I head over to Fred's place for our Narrow Gauge operations.

Butterfly video!

The blanched background in the distance indicates just how sunny it is once again.

Andrew works the ore train on this morning in Craig Leigh.

Mark handles the passenger runs as he departs with Passenger #2 touring by the Northland Interchange.

Train Number 2 takes to the curve before Spruce.

Train 302 is heavily occupied along the Cedar Rock Branch.

The aisleways are 'just' wide enough to enable crews to work around each other at Spruce and Cedar Rock.

301 has heavy power on this day.

Nelson Yard is visited by Train 301.

Following the exchange of traffic in the yard, the crew will depart in a westerly direction aboard Train 311.

Felicity says "hello" from Peter's Pond!

302 has completed its tour of the Cedar Rock Branch and seeks clearance to Nelson Yard.

RP&M train Rat 61 works the sidings near the junction.

A short ore train of MT's makes its way west (geographical east) at Mercer Siding.

The train reaches Bell after flowing through Peter's Pond and Wellington Lake.

Bernie & Barry are occupied with cars at Brunt's Brewery.

A nice low angle shot of the action!

"They call me Mellow Yellow!"

Passenger service is alive and well along the route of the IPP&W!

Station stop Glen Hammond...and what a lovely station it is!

Arrival at Spruce!

An IPP&W train holds the siding and makes momentary use of the house track!

A look at the lovely depot.

Meanwhile over on the RP&M there is a buzz of activity!

Often a triple meet occurs when the Pool Train reaches RP&M rails.

For today we spot only a 'double meet' of RP&M crews.

We head back a few minutes in time when we spot ore arriving Craig Leigh.

Ore arrival on video.

Pool Train 33 takes to the rails out from Craig Leigh.

Train 33 finds success on its wayward journey across the both railroads as the crew gets underway in this video effort.

Andrew fills the Northland Ore Dock with "black gold"!

We find the ore 'leaving home' on video.

The Pool Train had in advertently left two cars behind near Douglas Yard but has now been reassembled as it leaves the premises of Craig Leigh.

Train 33 cruises westbound towards St. Helens in this video.

Train 33 breezes through the countryside.

Once again, the couplers on one of the cars comes apart as seen in this video.

The car will be sent to Father Fred in the crew lounge...aka...the RIP track!

Moe enjoys a trackside seat to watch the Pool Train enter Ironwood.

"I think I can, I think I can!" video sounds.

As Train 33 enters Ironwood, Train 304 awaits its clearance eastbound.

Clearance granted for 304!

Video along the Spruce Sub.

"Above and Below!"

It's a "slow order" on the big curve at Hayes' Falls as witnessed on this video.

Spruce is an active location at the moment.

Spruce is captured on video with passengers arriving the depot.

Doug gives an assist to the Pool Train which had just arrived the station in Spruce.

The orders for the Pool Train were to lift the yellow car from the house track.

Doug and his crewmate saved the passenger engineer from having to run around his train in order to lift the car in question from the facing siding.

Indeed, camaraderie abounds on the IPP&W!

Video of Doug's efforts!

303 escapes the tunnel out from under St. Helens.

On the audio for this video you can hear passenger engineer Mark thanking the crew of 301 for their assist with his lift from the Spruce house track.

Thanks for checking in on this latest blog entry!

Here I am reading the Jerusalem Post while floating on the Dead Sea many summers ago during my trip to the Middle East!

And...for Father Fred...well, he is a happy camper having a large turnout for the train ops on these two Saturdays in July!

We compliment Mother Nature for offering up a beautiful morning on both those days last season.

Hopefully we will be able to get our inaugural session underway soon!

We are the OVGRS of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada