Views From Session #14

Views From Our Recent Standard Gauge Session #14

We had a near full bank of operators for Saturday's Standard Gauge session.

This was our final "summer session" as the calendar page heads into fall offering up a small handful of remaining Saturdays to run trains. 

We've managed to struggle getting our operations in this season due to the various weather issues and now we are back to our later starts as the temperatures have fallen to a more manageable level for gathering in the great outdoors.

We kick this blog entry off with a look at 301 on the departure track in Douglas Yard.

The lower rays of the September sun serve to illuminate the cars in a more brilliant fashion.

Pat & Phil will be manning Train 301 on this day.

My research tells me that the New York Central began phasing in the standard lightning stripe paint scheme on its E units in 1945 and F units in 1947 with the adoption reaching the freight engines by 1948.

Indeed, the September skies seem a deeper blue than those of summer months as the leaves on my boulevard have been given a head start with their latest paint schemes!

We appreciate this locomotive in its 'blue dip' scheme.

Doug now runs this diesel engine in memory of our dear friend Lawrence.

Facing east, he and Jeff will kick off their morning run with Train 304 bound for Spruce and points beyond.

Our other Pat owns this little puppy dressed in autumn colours.

The Great Northern switcher will toil in Nelson Yard on this day.

Two fine Canadian roads are found on the north tracks in Nelson Yard.

Marcel owns the CN switcher and Steve & Seanna will run the Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Geep in behind the un-railed caboose.

Phil will find a train for this wayward caboose in short order.

Looks like he's caught a great looking 'fish' there!  😎😀😎

Pat will assist Bill in the vast Nelson Yard.

Claire will be my 'partner in crime' on this day aboard westbound 303 out from Glen Hammond.

I spot a cool looking hat that I know must belong to none other than...

...David Jeanes, our local transportation historian.

We often hear David interviewed on the radio whenever there is a theme of transportation or an issue occurring in this fine city of ours.

Our Train Master Steve, in hat and holding his thermos, is offering up some advice as to a few cars that may or may not be where we expect them in the session.

Steve, along with Dilip, designs our sessions on the RailOps computer program.

It takes each one of them up to six hours to put a session together and their efforts are greatly appreciated by all.

There is Dilip on the left with Gerry donning the Ottawa Senators T-shirt.

Train 303 has clearance to depart Glen Hammond for Peter's Pond.

We await our green signal to enter the junction.

Our crew lifted two cars in Glen Hammond before proceeding out on the high iron.

With no work in Bellamy at the team track, we'll be on our way as soon as the green is given.

Across the deep gorge we spot Train 50 descending towards Bell at 'The Ledges'.

Train 303 begins its day's efforts as captured on video tape.

Curving out from the junction we approach Mercer Siding on our way to Peter's Pond.

Steve & Seanna will be the next train through the junction on RP&M rails.

The rule is 'right hand running' through Mercer Siding unless the meet is a 'pass' of one train over another in the same direction and in this video we take the right hand track.

My crewmate's smile tells the full story...railroad operations are so much fun!

Over at the eastern throat of Nelson Yard we spot Train 304 departing 'The Glen' and RP&M Train 61 backing out from Nelson Yard to now enter 'The Glen'.

This video presents a hive of activity!

Passenger #2 reaches Peter's Pond with its engineer carefully following its progress.  🙈🙉🙊

We arrive from the east and take the lower Peter's Pond siding as our work is focused in this area only.

Canadian power meets Canadian power down in 'The Pond' in this video.

Facing west, Train #2 is underway toward Mercer Siding before taking the junction trackage into Bellamy.

Westward ho she goes!

Departure video out from Peter's Pond.

What a pleasant surprise it is for us to meet this 'mother and daughter' tandem upon our arrival into 'The Pond'!

Our train is protected in the siding track as the ore train makes its way westbound in pursuit of the passenger run.

The lower pond area is once again all ours as we have a setout and a lift on both facing and trailing sidings.

Mother and daughter star in this video footage!

We commence with our work at the trailing siding known as Brewer's Barrels.

We are lifting the white D&RG boxcar from the facility and spotting the brown CNR car to the industry.

Switching work at Brewer's Barrels as witnessed on video tape.

Previous to our work at the barrel factory we handled our facing moves at the lower team track.

We set out the KRPW red boxcar in CP livery and we picked up a CN reefer.

Final video work down in 'The Pond'.

With our train reassembled we head towards the tunnel bore beneath Mount St. Helens.

Video of our progress along the sweeping curve at Hayes Falls.

The dappled shade in the lower valley helps to camouflage our road switcher.

Train 303 leaps into view out from the subterranean recesses beneath St. Helens in this video effort.

I'm chatting it up with our visitor David Jeanes on the audio.

For westbound trains like ours, Wellington Lake is a gem to switch as the siding is a sole trailing one.

We will set out a CN reefer here and lift the red CP boxcar.

Across the aisleway in Ironwood we spot eastbound Passenger 2 being chased by 304 into town.

It's not a fair race as Train 2 is departing while 304 must take the siding to conduct a number of switching moves.

Wellington Lake switching video.

The riders aboard Train 2 take in the vistas from the dome car as they continue east towards St. Helens and Craig Leigh.

Departure video of Passenger 2 out from Ironwood.

The ore train hovers in the distance on its approach to Spruce as the crew aboard 304 enters the siding track at Ironwood.

Their caboose decided to be a renegade however!

We've been given clearance to Bell by the dispatcher although we have to take the main line into town as one crew is working the yard and other incoming train will soon be approaching.

Our train, Number 303, departs Wellington Lake bound for Bell in this video segment.

In speaking about dome cars I did a little research as to their origin.

This photo I snapped somewhere north of Superior while on 'The Canadian' in 2005

My research tells me that the idea for a dome car was conceived on the D&RGW.  While riding through the scenic Glenwood Canyon high in the nose of a Rio Grande diesel built by his company, the VP of General Motors (also general manager of EMD) felt that the paying passengers should be offered these same unobstructed spectacular vistas.  His name was C.R. Osborn and the idea of building glass-enclosed domes came as a revelation to him.

Within five years his dream came to life with the advent of the 'Vista Dome' on the California Zephyr between San Francisco and Chicago.  

The first train to offer this service ran on March 21st, 1949.

On my 2005 trip I snapped this image of folks enjoying the views outside the curved windows in the dome car.

Keen observers will not that the gentleman in the green golf shirt behind the gentleman holding the camera is none other than Pierre Ozorak.

Pierre has offered a number of great railfan presentations to both OVAR and to the SLD over the years.

From the rear dome car (the Park car) I am able to snap images of our train as it snakes its way through the mountain valleys.

Our train slowed to a crawl so that the ridership could snap amazing images of 'Pyramid Falls' a handful of hours out from Jasper.

Research tells me the Canadian National operated six dome cars with initial service on the "Super Continental" and the :Panorama", numbered 2400-2405.

The CN's "Sceneramic Domes" were of ex CMStP&P lineage.

They were dubbed the following names:

Jasper, Athabaska, Yellowhead, Fraser, Qu'Appelle & Columbia

On a later trip the following summer, I snapped this image of an employee hosing down the windows of the dome in Edmonton in preparation for our journey through the scenic mountain ranges.

In Jasper, a tad more brute force was used to ensure clear views through the remainder of our trip.

The Canadian Pacific operated 18 dome cars on "The Canadian" and "The Dominion" numbered 500-517.

Below is a listing of the names of the scenic dome "Park" series observation sleepers.

Algonquin, Assiniboine, Banff, Evangeline, Fundy, Glacier, Kokanee, Kootenay, Laurentide, Prince Albert, Revelstoke, Riding Mountain, Sibley, Strathcona, Tremblant, Tweedsmuir, Waterton, Yoho Park

Note: Fundy Park was wrecked in a collision on "The Dominion" at Gull Lake, Saskatchewan in 1959.

Needless to say, the images I snapped of our vast and beautiful country were aided by my elevated view while seated in the domed section of the car!

Thank you Mr. Osborn!

We are back in Fred's backyard during the pre-ops setout time.

Bill & Seanna are both dressed for the cool weather.

Phil & Pat take in the view of the vast Nelson Yard located in close proximity to our dispatch hut.

Marcel is all smiles as we are about to get underway with the session!

Father Fred checks out some of the magazines Pat brought out to give away.

He has donned his new headwear.

Looking good there, Freddie!

With hands in pockets, Doug is managing to keep warm as well.

Paul's CP unit will travel the length and breadth of Craig Leigh on this fine September morning.

He will also pay St. Helens a visit later in the session.

Here is an earlier photo of the ore train arriving Peter's Pond.

We spot a gorgeous TH&B boxcar sharing the Gouda Bud-Lite siding with a CNR boxcar and a CP gondola.

It was lovely seeing Garry fresh off his cruise!

We've missed you Garry!

Our train cruises on into Bell along the main line as directed by dispatch.

Three tracks over we spot the power for Train 302 traveling opposed to us.

Video of the meet between 303 and 302.

We uncouple from our train in order to reach into the Bernicky Siding and grab that far CP boxcar.

Claire has some fun 'photo-bombing' the video...or should I say 'video-bombing' the scene!  😎😄😎

We're on the hitch and ready to lift the boxcar.

Video-bombing at its best!

We continue with our lift of that boxcar.

Engineer Claire is steady at the throttle as Train 302 departs the yard leaving us all alone to continue with our switching.

302's departure from Bell as captured on video.

We have now re-positioned the flatcar at the Bernicky Spur and drive back onto our train.

Train 303 is now ready to depart town.

Sometimes one or both of our radios does not transmit clearly, due to static or perhaps a distraction on either end as heard in this "Who's on First" audio conversion on video between me & dispatch.

It must be a "Canadian" moment with all this red & white adorning the scene!

In a display of competing interests, we have a CN diesel hauling a CP boxcar!

On the final leg of our first trick train, we tackle the grade at 'The Ledges' with our train captured on video.

Claire drives the train in a northbound direction to our most westerly point on the railroad in Firgrove.

Yardmasters George & Len have lined us up for the arrival track.

George chats up Pat as Len monitors our train's final moments before terminating.

In the distance, Steve & Seanna are found down in Rat Portage working RP&M Train 71.

Final video footage of Train 303's run.

In the next blog installment, you will see how Claire & I have switched power in Firgrove (CN RS3 swapped for D&H GP38-2) as we then run Train 314 back along the route we had come as 303.

You will see more crews we meet along the way such as the team aboard RP&M 71 here toiling away in the town of Stuart adjacent to the big yard at Bell.

You will be able to view more great video footage of all the action trackside along both railroads.

Pat had brought out a ton of magazines 'free for the taking' as he is clearing out his garage.

You will meet more of the fun folks who love to gather to run trains such as Doug & John.

And...it's always a great pleasure to meet friends from afar, such as Grant, a helicopter pilot stationed in Cold Lake, Alberta.

It was great having you drop in for a visit, Grant!

The day following our session...on the Sunday morning, my band, "The Mystics" played from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM for the annual Dementia Society of Ottawa/Renfrew's "Walkathon".

Check us out in the on-line poster!

We set up at 7:30 AM (with frozen fingers) and were ready on time to play.  Thankfully, the sun eventually unfroze my guitar playing digits!

Mark burns so much energy playing the drums that he didn't even require a jacket!

Gerry had multiple layers on as he tuned his Gibson Les Paul.

Keeping guitars in tune in the cold of the morning is a "Son of a You-Know-What!"

Jerome has only four strings to worry about on his Fender Jazz bass!

Corinne was the one I was worried about in the cold, but as soon as we started our setlist, she was dancing & grooving around enough to build up sufficient heat to warm up the entire stage area!  😃😁😃

And, what a crowd it was!

We mixed in modern tunes with some from the 'way back' years - those "Golden Oldies" and we kept everyone suitably entertained.

It's so nice to be able to 'give back' to the community in such a way.

I even met university students who I had taught back in Grades 2, 3 & 4 and learned all about the amazing subjects they are studying including law, medicine and business.

I was so proud of them as they also volunteer for the dementia society!

In total, over $250 000.00 was raised for the local Dementia Society!

Just this morning my sawmill colleague, Rob Kazakoff, came by to put the finishing touches on the derrick in the log dump.

Doug came by as well.

Here he is holding the ship's wheel I had a fisherman make for me when I taught in a remote fishing village back in the early 1980's near the Quebec/Labrador border.

Doug advised me that this is the type of work a wainwright would do.

I busied myself making this O-scale wheel barrow which came in only five individual white metal castings.

It required a bit of painting and the addition of some sawdust.

It will be placed nearby the boiler as the sawdust could be used as fuel.

I also spent time attaching the yoke for the oxen to the tongue of the grader.

This image shows the grader in better focus.

Note the ruts in the dirt road ahead of the oxen...with the grader coming along to level things out!

One of our newer OVGRS members, Jeff Hill, wanted to come by to learn more about the operations of a sawmill.

Now in retirement, Jeff will be constructing an HO scale layout which will house at least a couple of sawmills.

Both Doug & Rob have a wealth of knowledge about the lumber business and sawmills in general which proved valuable to Jeff.

Here we see the three lads in discussion.

We catch a glimpse of the log dump Rob & I worked on over the past couple of weeks.

These next three videos showcase Doug explaining the workings of the mill.

I didn't catch all that Doug spoke about, but the videos offer up a gist of the explanation.

Second video of Doug's explanations.

Final video footage from the clinic!

Well, that's it from me for now!

We say farewell with this photo of Father Fred and our visitor Grant.

A second review from Session #14 will be made available later in the week.

We are the OVGRS of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada