More Looks From Session #16

A Second Look at Session #16

With so many images and videos taken, I am able to create one more blog entry from our 16th session this season.

Phil & I ran Trains 301/311/322 where we met many other crews along our route.

This entry will showcase more of what we saw and heard.

But first, let's check out what transpired at Fred's this morning.

Earlier today, Pat & I made it over to Fred's place and what a sight we found!

Pat spent his entire morning cleaning up all of the pine needles which had fallen over the last week.

I simply raked up this pile for the picture!

I spent my morning indoors updating the rolling stock spreadsheet files.

I arrived Fred's place in the 'sevens' as I knew it would take some time!

Check out these two huge piles Pat com'pile'd!

Yikes, Pat...you're a real trooper!

Things are looking much better now!

Love the selfie, Pat.

You are one handsome lad!

I spent three hours Wednesday and another three hours this morning sorting out the entire data base of rolling stock.

Currently we have:

239 Standard Gauge Cars

236 Narrow Gauge Cars

34 Standard Gauge Ore Cars

34 Narrow Gauge Ore Cars

30 Display Cars on Shelves in the House

7 Additional 'Cabeese' along with those found on the list above.

While I worked on the computer database Fred began cleaning out his shelves you see along the green wall.

Quite often he surprised himself with tools and various items he had completely forgotten about.

I am sharing this image once again as Pat was a real trooper working outdoors all morning in the cold as I toiled away in the warm and cozy workroom indoors!

Let's now examine a few more pics and vids from our most recent session.

Our power for our first two runs of the morning was GP38-2 #7316 on loan from the Delaware & Hudson Railroad.

We breeze through St. Helens with no work to conduct there.

In the video you can hear me discussing with my crewmate, Phil, our lifts and setouts for Ironwood, our next destination.

I realized in the blog entry I sent out from our Workday Wednesday session that I sent the photo above your way but I forgot to include the video which accompanies the photo taken out front on Fred's property.

Here is 'said' video!

As we finished up our work in Ironwood along the Spruce Sub we spotted 302 in Wellington Lake along the Bell Sub in the distance.

Note the choke cable which handles the turnout for the switch the locomotive is crossing at the moment.

It allows an operator to throw the turnout from either side of the yard here at Ironwood.

Ironwood video takes.

We are getting a tad bit impatient to depart Ironwood where we have been held for the better part of 15 minutes.

We made good use of our time by lifting the ore cars for the incoming ore train.

We have had to wait for 304 to finish up at Spruce as well as the passenger train and the ore train to run into Ironwood.

Off in the distance at Watkins Siding we spot 303 working Wellington Lake.

The incoming passenger train has experienced coupler issues with such a heavy consist to boot!  Yikes!

Waiting isn't really an issue as on the real railroads it happens all the time!  😎😊😎

Many trains are spotted in this video footage.

Our two yardmasters, Doug & Bill, anticipate the arrival of Train 301.

We lean into the broad curve at Lilly.

"We have railfans!" shouts our very own Railfan Mike.

Indeed, we have a future OVGRS member in the house!

Video vistas around Lilly.

We have changed our power back up at Firgrove and now are aboard Train 322 with my CN road switcher.

Train 40 has also drifted down from Firgrove - this one with a short passenger haul.

We have run around our train and now tuck in on the tail end to handle the facing siding at Brunt's Brewery.

Bell video work.

The CNR boxcar is in our way as our setout must be placed beyond it, so we head in onto the siding to pull it back before tucking our CP car in further along the spur.

Video of the car movements here at Bell.

We have captured our car which must be spotted and we reverse back to the spur turnout.

Video of our moves here.

There is our setout car from the CP now tucked in behind the existing CN car on the siding.

The two Canadian Roads are spotted with their road switchers here at Bell.

Continued Bell video.

Having deposited our setouts at Bell we now must run back to the front of our train as #40 tails off into the distance back up to Firgrove.

We pass our consist where we will be three cars 'out' from Bell.

While...off in the distance we spot trains in Nelson Yard, at Lilly and way over at Mercer Siding!

Yet another look at Bell on video.

Indeed...trains here...

...trains there...

...trains, trains everywhere!

Gerry has referred to his RP&M power as "Heritage".

Love it!

We are now backing onto our short consist as we seek clearance from dispatch to points east.

Video of trains everywhere! 

The power for third trick Train 324 backs onto its consist in Nelson Yard.

While the yard appears chaotic, rest assured, it's an organized chaos!

Dilip has just arrived with his RP&M train behind his B&O RS3 on one of the far tracks.

Phil & I are finally on the roll out from Bell.

Two generations of Canadian National diesels are spotted in this video segment.

Hey, at Spruce's team track aka the Spruce Spur...I found the D&H car that used to be the 'power car' for my D&H diesel before I had batteries installed in the locomotive itself!

We studied Steve & Seanna's diesel to determine if it required a steam generator car to haul the passenger train.

Nope...not needed.  

The unit has its own steam generator aboard with the stack showing atop the short hood.

We always check in at the Northland Ore Dock.

Moosehead Beer!

There's Mr. Moosehead himself...Master Scobie!

Chris's diesel is an eye-catcher...

...as is Steve & Seanna's!

Here's Seanna working 304 at Spruce.

We spot Nelson Yard as the sun begins to rise above the shadow-casting back fence.

The two main sidings in Stuart are home to a wide variety of rolling stock.

Hey...there's our future OVGRS member once again!

Such a wonderful photo of two fine folks!

The forested area in 'The Corners' acts as a stage for Passenger #3 to showcase its shiny nature!

Bill pulls Train 3 into Wellington Lake.

Passenger #3 video.

This is a real old view of 'The Corners' from before changes were made in this area.

The track leading from Ironwood Brick used to join the main to create a perfect circuit for continuous running.

Seeing this CN FA unit lets me know that skipper Bob is in the neighbourhood!

There he is working the ore train which has some general merchandise cars aboard.

We chose to eliminate the continuous run option for the simple reason that when visitors came, they'd rather watch the operations than simply have a train run around on the continuous loop.

More views from the continuous run ramp.

Bob simply used it as a shortcut to lift cars from the Ironwood Brick facility.

Yes, the track was really an extension of the line that went into Ironwood Brick.

During one of our invasion weekends I snagged this image of a lovely Southern RS3 handling Passenger #2 in 'The Corners'.

Speaking of RS3's, here is mine working Wellington Lake with my crewmate Phil at the throttle.

And...nearby in Ironwood, Pat is at the controls of his RS3 as his partner Al directs the train's movements.

Wellington Lake video work.

Pat is 'seen' in this 'scene' at Ironwood while our other Pat hauls ore from Spruce into Ironwood.

Al uncouples a car from his consist.

Ore arrives Ironwood!

More video finds around Ironwood.

This image is for Doug Matheson.

Doug cut a number of logs into 'stumps' that I could glue around the sawmill diorama we have been working on in O scale.

Of course, the taller trees closest to the mill would have been taken down first for their wood with only smaller brush remaining in place.

In this image we are just on the cusp of motorized vehicles making an appearance on the scene while some farmers still trusted the horse and wagon.

One last view from above.

This was me earlier this week - glued to the television wondering if the Toronto Blue Jays would ever get past the New York Yankees...and they did!

I took this photograph of an old photo Fred found this morning of he and his brother Ted outdoors around the "Ironwood Tree" with Fred's HO Scale railroad running along the track.

Well, I'll make this a shorter entry and save some of the pics from Session #16 for the 'off-season' when we need a 'pick-me-up' as the snows of winter begin falling!

As always, it's great spending time with Freddie as we enjoyed many stories and reminiscences this morning along with some laughter as well.

Thanks again Pat for all your hard work today in preparing the railroad for tomorrow's operating session!

We are the OVGRS of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada