Workday Wednesday and Other Fun Things
So-o-o with having to avoid traffic snarl-ups I arrived Fred's at 6:50 AM.
I'm not looking for any brownie points...err...I guess the opposite of brownie points, but with our %$^*#@%$* traffic situation here in Ottawa it's either come early or don't come at all.
This is the situation for all arteries leading out from my end of the city in Alta Vista at least...and maybe not for others coming in from other points around town.
Saturdays are not a problem as the weekend traffic is tolerable.
Enough complaining now Mike and get on with the blog entry, will ya!
How about we start things off with this image of "Father Fred" when he was only a much younger "Brother Fred".
For, upon my early arrival, Fred got out the old photo album and we reminisced while the tea was steeping in the pot and the coffee was brewing in the brewer...not you Pat!
The two images above were taken at the west end of Mercer Siding when Fred's family had some trees nestled up against the back wall of the house.
It's an excited crowd of railfans trackside!
That's Fred's dad on the right with some of the lads.
Yup, Fred sure is a lady's man...or is that a ladies' man! 😎😋😍😋😎
Some of the early power found on the line.
Indeed...one of Fred's earliest locomotives.
It must be winter time as Fred's dad has a setup of sorts indoors as witnessed in these two images side-by-side in the photo album.
And...winter it is along the route of the IPP&W!
No...there's never a bad time to run trains!!!
With the snow receding, spring is just around the corner.
We witness this run at the present day location of Spruce & Ironwood.
Note the location of the dispatch booth back in the day!
Speaking of the dispatch hut...we spot it in the summertime with Fred's girlfriend enjoying the sun as Fred is enjoying watching his girlfriend enjoy the sun...and, of course...enjoying watching the train run the loop!
Aha...note the opening at the base of the dispatch cabin!
Yes...trains ran through the booth as a siding for storage I presume...but they also ran around the booth as noted with the far track in existence.
Hmm..I believe this photograph must have been taken from the neighbouring back property.
The shed is under construction with Fred kneeling in the foreground.
We spot the original lone Ironwood tree at the location now named for its existence.
Yessirree, those were the days my friend!
The date on the back of one of the photos!
Another view at the location near present-day Spruce.
Fred's Father (the real Father Fred) but with a different given name...oversees the running of this train.
Running along the fence line at present day Wellington Lake and Watkins Siding.
Rounding the bend!
The late Doug McKenzie standing at present-day Bell/Stuart where the tracks curve on their way eventually to Firgrove.
Note the open property behind Fred's location with the street to the south in view.
Fred found in his photo album this drawing of the planned expansion of the railway.
I do not know what year this plan was drawn up but certain elements of the line remain to this day!
It was great to see Grant Smith from Cold Lake, Alta in town!
He stayed overnight at Fred's place.
Too bad, Grant, that you couldn't stay longer to attend our first operating session this coming Saturday!
It's now 6:55 AM and Freddie has got the coffee & tea on in preparation for the influx of WDWD crewmates!
After a hot cup of tea it was into the great outdoors to sort out the traffic for our first ops of the season.
As I inspected each tray there were a number of rolling stock selections 'out of order' so I simply placed a sticky note atop each car that was led astray.
This will ensure that everyone will know the exact location of traffic for Saturday's session and we won't waste precious time trying to figure out which cars go where.
To avoid confusion, as each tray was inspected I chose not to place it back in the shed until 'all trays' were dealt with.
Three cars had to be 'bad ordered' and are now on the boardroom table inside the house.
Freddie assisted me with the sorting!
We made a great team, Fred!!! 👍👌👍
Chris arrived and began weeding.
Pat mowed the lawn while Pete (out of the image) raked all the areas around St. Helens, Spruce, Peter's Pond and Craig Leigh.
Since my photo of Pete raking was totally out of focus, here we see him at a musical event a few years back.
And...the handsome lad is spotted at a local fundraiser for the Wheelchair Association a few years ago.
It's battery time for the radios in prep for the season's train running!
Skipper Fred is a rather busy beaver!
Pat and I moved the Fallentree Mine to a much more safer place.
Pat rakes up the debris.
The pylons are present for safety as the ground dips where much of the soil and stone blocks were removed.
And...for the next project to tackle...but that's for another day! 😄😘😄
We truly appreciate this great structure located in Cedar Rock which was showcased in my prior blog entry.
Again...I love the creativity of Seanna & Steve for their Watson Electric facility with the two lightning bolts representing the first letter of their both first names! 👍👌👍
Well, that's it from me for now.
Gotta get that old Gibson guitar out and tuned up for my next gig which is tomorrow at the Dementia Society of Ottawa-Carleton where my band volunteers on a monthly basis to bring the joy of music to our folks suffering from the ravages of this condition.
One thing I know for sure...music is therapy for our elder friends and for their families who enjoy seeing yet another sparkle in their loved one's eyes when they sing along 'word for word' to many of the tunes we play!
Pure joy that is!
And...speaking of 'pure joy'...isn't it great that Father Fred still gets to enjoy running trains in his very own backyard so many decades after this image was taken.
On behalf of Freddie and the entire crew, we wish everyone who runs trains in the great outdoors this season that Mother Nature allows them to experience the joy and camaraderie of gathering to have fun recreating the railway experience of yesteryear!
Thanks for checking in!
We are the WDWD crew of the OVGRS based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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