St. Paddy's Day Operations - A "Frank" Meeting of the Minds

St. Patrick's Day fell on a Friday this year and did this prevent the boys of the Friday Night Group from running trains? "Not in the least!" they were all heard to announce. In fact the FNG'ers went outside the round robin group this week to visit a finely crafted layout, Frank Milotte's CP line depicting Ottawa-Hull and environs.

Indeed, Frank was "Frank" in telling us, "The layout may be over 30 years old and some of the scenery may look it...but the trains run as well as any of the modern era ones of recent design!" Frank is "right on" with his proud assessment of the hand-laid track...for it is beautiful to behold. Every turnout and crossover is a wonderful example of his handiwork in this department. Like St. Paddy himself, we all turned "green" with envy as we sited down the right of way! He's even begun to "modernize" the scenery and judging by a certain cliffside area, the layout is in good scenic hands for future renovation.

Let's take you along on a photo essay thanks to Chris Lyon's expertise behind the lens.

That's the Hamer lad himself in charge of the controls at the dispatcher's desk! Mike's chuckling to himself as he overhears the crew of an Ottawa bound train discussing the brands of "green beer" they'll be ordering at the local watering hole once they tie their train up in the vast Ottawa yard!

Frank opened the dispatch board for the fellas to have a peek at all the electronics involved in creating such a masterpiece. As "the man" proudly stated, he's never had a problem with it since its' design well over 30 years ago!


Mike certainly had fun at the dispatcher's board, but what he really wanted to do was run a few trains seeing as he had never visited this layout before.

Bill signed on for crewmate with the Hamer lad and they began making their train up in the sprawling Ottawa yard. Mike had a blast operating the "realistic" throttle Frank designed many years back. You can see his left hand at the throttle of a yard switcher as Bill checks all waybills and switching orders.


This is the engine facility at Ottawa yards on Frank Milotte's model railroad. Those CP locos in the handsome maroon and grey livery are what keeps his layout in business hauling traffic across the region. His dozen or so classification tracks (just out of this image to the left) house many a freight and passenger car. While Frank's layout is not DCC, some of his locomotives are sound equipped. You can bet which locomotive Bill asked me to select to make our train with...yes, one that we could see...and hear!


The Hilton Iron Mine is the largest of many online shippers and receivers of business for the railroad. The lads who operated the mine job indicated their pleasure at having taken on the assignment...lots of fun switching moves.

The complex is certainly the showcase industry along the line. The smokestack alone puts the one near "The Big Nickel" in Sudbury to shame!


This is another of Frank's online industries...one that helps keep commerce alive in the "capital region".

He has carefully designed the busy switching areas in his 20'x30' layout room to allow for plenty of operator room.

Note, also, the inclusion of sufficient sidings in hectic locations to enable mainline trains to run unimpeded while the switching of industries takes place. Yes, that Frank is certainly a clever fella!

Here we are at the other terminus of the railroad - Hull, in the province of Quebec. Trains departing the yard from Ottawa traverse the mainline along the 30' section of the basement "three times" before heading into the yard here in Hull. Frank has very cleverly designed the railroad to give the operators the "feel" that they are going through new territory for the entire length of the mainline run even though they are doubling back across the 30' section. A run from Ottawa to Hull takes you over a mainline distance well in excess of 100 feet!

Who are those two handsome train operators, anyway! :-) They were busy making up their Hull-Ottawa train at the same time Bill and Mike made up the counterpart train from Ottawa-Hull. Of course, a meet was held between the two trains somewhere out on the mainline!

Meet the man himself! We introduce Frank Milotte who was gracious enough to invite the boys of the Friday Night Group over for a fantastic evening of train operations, green beer...and general train camaraderie.

It would appear that the photographer here had indulged in one too many of the "green ones!" (He can be excused seeing how it was St. Paddy's Day!)

Thanks, Frank. We'll have to get back for another session next season!

Cheers, Mike