Views From Dilip & Mike From Session #7

A View From Dilip & Mike for Session #7

We enjoyed the company of some wonderful visitors to the railroad yesterday.

Brian came back up north of the border from his home in the Carolina's and it was wonderful to see him out running trains with us.

Barry came up from Belleville and brought along his good friend, Ted, who lives near Kingston.

Ted has already built a lovely large scale railroad.

If you send me some pics or videos Ted, I'll be sure to share them with everyone on the blog should you so desire!

 Brian, it was so great seeing you once again!

Barry is introducing his friend, Ted, at the pre-ops meeting in the lounge.

Ted is to the left of Bernie & Bill.

Welcome Ted!

Brian arrived early to assist with the set-out of the freight cars.

Indeed...old habits never die!  👍👍

Dilip & Grant do the same with Gerry & Bernie studying the set-out destinations on the paperwork in behind Grant.

Dilip smiles for the camera as the rays of the rising sun blanket the image.

Thankfully, our new umbrellas offer a great deal of shade for the operators.

The big yard is filling up with traffic.

As is the yard in the Glen.

Yes, steam is supreme on this day!

Indeed it is!

This is Grant's locomotive eager to work IPP&W Train 304 eastbound.

Down in Douglas Yard we find Paul's power on this day.

Paul is the yardmaster in this locale at the eastern fringe of the line.

They say it takes a village to raise a child...well. it takes a full crew to pitch in so that the session can get underway on time!

Dilip snapped the next two images and the next eight videos from our crew lounge meeting.

Brian rings the bell to get the gathering underway!

Video of Father Fred asking Barry to introduce his friend, Ted as a guest to the railway.

Video of Fred welcoming Brian back from down south and Mike announcing a special birthday for one of our OVGRS members.

Fred reviews the safety procedures in this video.

Great video of Bill setting the record straight with regard to turnouts and how they should be re-set back to the main line!

Thanks so much for these reminders Bill!

Bill reviews what the train operators should do when they depart Nelson Yard in this video effort.

Bernie covers more of the safety procedures in this video.

 Fun and laughter in this crew lounge video footage.

In this video Bernie thanks the Workday Wednesday crew for their efforts toiling in the hot sun earlier in the week.

Before Dilip even had the opportunity to video the pre-ops speeches, we asked Brian to ring the bell to gather the assembly into the lounge.

He is silhouetted in this very interesting image!

Bell ringing video!

Here we have our last 'pre-ops' video...Mike's version of Barry's introduction of Ted!

Train 302 begins its eastbound run out from Firgrove passing the mine track. 

Ted is the engineer on Train 302 with crewmate Bernie on this day.

302 is the video star that starts off the train running for the day!

302 curves into Bell and has been assigned Track 3.

When the crew arrives town there happens to be a car deposited on Track 3 so they detour over to Track 4.

Ted hauls her down along the ladder to Track 4 in this video footage.

The crew aboard Rat 61 backs across the Lawrence Watkins trestle...holding for an opening into Glen Hammond.

Currently Trains 304 (above) and 303 are working there.

Jeff & Chris are the RP&M crew while Brian & Grant work Train 304 in the Glen.

Off in the distance, Steve & Seanna are assigned to 303, also beginning its day in Glen Hammond.

In this video we see the crew of 304 backing into the yard having set out some traffic and lifted other cars for their imminent journey east.

The action is yet to heat up here at Ironwood, Spruce and Cedar Rock.

Indeed all is quiet on the eastern front of Fred's property at the moment.

Ah ha!   Not so!

Gerry & Felicity are found down in St. Helens aboard 301 heading west.

Quiet solitude is found in this video footage.

Readers of the blog are asked to overlook the construction zone here at the Fallentree Mine.

304 has gained clearance to Spruce and is on the roll while Rat 61 can now enter Glen Hammond.

We bid farewell to Grant & Brian aboard 304 but we will catch up with them later on!

Our 'underway' video look!

Train 303 has also escaped Glen Hammond and is found working the cooperage at Brewer's Barrels in the lower Pond area.

Steve & Seanna make up the crew on this run today.

Video work down in the lower Peter's Pond neighbourhood.

The crew aboard 304 have reached Spruce.

They have protected their train along the siding track as they go about their switching duties.

Passenger 1 drives by along the main.

Spruce video action!

The colour of railroading in the days of steam is quite evident in this shot at Bell.

Bob has arrived with the ore train and has been cleared through the town.

Off in the distance on Track 3 (second track from the left) is Train 41, the short hop from Firgrove (as Train 40) and back to its originating point as Train 41.

Ore is the Academy Award winner in this video at Bell.

Ore reaches the western outskirts of Peter's Pond along the Bell Sub.

Continued ore train video efforts.

Train 303 is met by the ore train in the Pond.

As the tail end passes, 303 can vamoose up to Wellington Lake.

They bid farewell to the station agent at Peter's Pond and continue their journey westward.

Pond action on video.

RP&M Train 71 drills the trackage to the east of Bell.

Both Moe & Dilip are found basking in the morning's sunlight.

Rest assured, those shade providing umbrellas will open up shortly!  😎😘😎

Video times at Bell with the RP&M crew.

While we are very much 'planted' in the steam era on this day, the future of railroading can be seen in these early generation road switchers.

Passenger 2 has just arrived from Firgrove as the now renumbered RP&M train, Train 72 awaits clearance back down along the Rat Portage & Mattawa line to the road's namesake town.

No, this railfan is not standing on the tracks in the middle of the yard!

He is elevated on the imaginary pedestrian walkover!

Road switcher video finds.

The sun basks (or bakes) the side of this UP reefer found in St. Helens.

I spot this RP&M combine in the passenger yard at Craig Leigh.

This car will run on the Pool Train.

Paul is keeping things clean down in Craig Leigh.

This view from early in the AM hours shows the crews of 304 & 303 sharing the trackage at Glen Hammond.

Here we have a view looking the other way.

Mark has arrived and offers a wave to our blog readership.

Brian & Grant are working Spruce on their second trick train, Train 313.

Grant studies his switch list as Brian admires Steve & Seanna's 'S&S' Electrical Supplies structure across the aisleway (valley) over in Cedar Rock.

If it is a t-shirt pic...then it's bound to be Bill - of the narrow mind - (Sn3) Scobie.

Yes, model railroading certainly is a way of life as Lynn Johnson wrote in this cartoon image she created.

In fact, the daughter of friends and former neighbours of ours who now live in St. Thomas happened to marry Lynn's ex-husband and great model railroader, Rod Johnson.

Speaking of t-shirts, I was given this one when I performed Friday night at the Westboro Beach club!

Alas my daughter loved it so much, she now wears it!  😀😂😁

I arrived early...two hours before our scheduled performance and snapped this image of the bar/restaurant area.

By the time we were to perform all of the chairs and tables were filled up with patrons!

It is such a great setting in which to perform - when the weather allows!

Such a great way to beat the heat.

This image was taken of Lisa and puppy dog Lilly with me in front of a neighbour's huge flag on the morning of Canada Day 12 days ago!

And...this image was taken of Father Fred in the crew lounge yesterday!

We've got family visitors here over the weekend so that's all for me today.

Check in later in the week for some more pics and vids from our 7th session of the season.

Also, thanks to Dilip for sending along the crew lounge pre-ops video fun!

We are the OVGRS of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada