November Blog Entry

November Remembrance Blog Entry

We have once again turned the calendar page to a new month.

We find ourselves in the new season of autumn with the seasonal change having taken place in late September.

Our thoughts turn to remembering those who served and sacrificed for freedom throughout the world.

 In six days from now we will commemorate these wonderful men and women who gave so much for our freedom.

Their sacrifices have allowed us to enjoy the lives we have with the friends and family we have.

Each day leading up to our Canadian Remembrance Day of November 11th a short blog entry will be provided with more images around the theme to go along with images of the joy we have gathering in peace and solidarity to run our trains in the great outdoors.

Let's go back in history oh, about a dozen years or so!

Check out how the town of Spruce was so different back then.

In this video effort we have a visitor, Don, from the Vermont Garden Railway Society running Train 318 at Spruce before the renumbering of trains took place.

Earlier, Don & Paul were spotted on Train 318's ascent of the grade leading into Spruce from the west.

They arrive in haste as they take the siding track in town as witnessed in the above video.

We spot a diesel in Guilford Industries paint; a locomotive that once toiled on the Springfield Terminal Railway.

The crew is working the yard here in St. Helens.

St. Helens video fun.

We spot a New York Central steamer having arrived the depot as the crew aboard Train 301 continues to drill the small yard in St. Helens.

Listen to the audio in this video!

Passenger #1 heads away from St. Helens bound for Ironwood.

Passengers gain an elevated view from their seats as the train rides atop the plateau.

Plateau video.

Now for some still shots from the season of 2014.

Here we catch Henk & Colin working the yard tracks in Nelson Yard.

Our dear friend, Lawrence, is spotted working Bell with westbound 311.

Keep on running those trains in heaven, Lawrence!

Pete Conroy is a musician friend of ours who travels up to Ottawa from his home in Wolfville, Nova Scotia at least once a season to run the trains with us!

We spot him on departure from Firgrove with an eastbound train.

The father & son team of Bill & Mark make up the yardmasters for this area and they are spotted in behind Pete.

Me thinks Gordie's around when "me sees da bottle da beer on da list of lading" for his RP&M train!

True to me word...thar he be's!

Father Fred takes in the action from his white pulpit chair!

Seeing this CP beauty with white walled tires must mean that Pat's in town!

Pat hauls Passenger #1 into Bell as Train 302 holds in the near siding.

Later in the morning, the crew, now aboard Train 312 holds tight to the curve leading into Spruce.

On its return trip, Passenger #2 now is on an easterly heading through Spruce although the power is pointing west at the moment.

This could very well be considered as a photograph taken nearby a museum where "the old meets the new".

Cedar Rock is worked by Paul.

My how the railway has changed!

If it's the ore train and if it's 'big power', that must mean Bob is around!

Here's Stuart who has the town of Stuart near Bell named in his honour.

Dave & Paul share a smile.

Dave is another lad playing trains up in heaven!

There's Curly & Moe!

A glance inside the cab!

Steve hauls out of Firgrove with Train 314 on a sunny morning in 2014.

Here is my new diesel, RS3 CNR #7831.

In short order it will 'dirty up' after a number of travels across the system!  😎👽😎

Aha!  There's Gordie again...with yet another brewsky in hand!

Those RP&M labourers are something else!

Who ran over the beetle?

"No train ran over any of us...but the girls certainly want to!!!"

"And furthermore...we are Beatles...not beetles!"

And...how exactly did The Beatles come up with their name?

Well, as the story goes, they were enamoured with the music and musicianship of Buddy Holly & the Crickets.

They thought that if he could name his band members after an insect, then so could they!

The "Fab Four" changed the spelling of beetles by substituting the letter 'a' for the second letter 'e' in beetles coming up with Beatles.  

This play on words worked marvelously as the "Beat" of the music is most important to listeners and players alike!

And now...you know the rest of the story!

My Ironwood & New England locomotive #27 works the trackage up in Cedar Rock.

We like the nature of the red tones on Number 66!

How about this brute hauling lading over the line!

Colin is utilizing this red & black centercab in the yard this day.

Yet another photo from an invasion day in 2014!

Good old Peter's Pond!

The lilies look amazing!

Anyone for a dip!

No no, no...no swimming allowed as Henk & Lawrence work out the fundamentals of switching out Cedar Rock at the end of the branch.

Train Number One departs Ironwood bound for Spruce.

Ironwood curve video from nearly 12 years ago.

As always, we must thank Father Fred for hosting such a large gathering in the great outdoors each Saturday morning during our running season!

There's Father Fred on the right in the picture.

Thanks as always, Fred, for hosting the group!

And to think...we are still at it a near dozen years into the future!

We are the OVGRS of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Look for another Remembrance Day blog entry tomorrow!

We leave you with this wonderful image of the poppy on the new Canadian 20 dollar coin for this year.

Of course the famous poem of 'In Flanders Fields' written by Canadian medic John McCrae is recited in schools across our vast nation each Remembrance Day.

He was amazed at the abundance of poppies growing where stone farmhouses and towns and villages had once stood.

After the bombs destroyed so many of the houses and structures which were made of limestone, the lime leached into the soil.

Poppies grow exceptionally well in soil containing lime...thus John McCrae was able to see hope rise from the ruins.

Indeed, we will always remember those who served for our freedom and for the freedom of strangers they never even knew.  💗💜💗