E&N Operations Developing Greater Focus

Hello fellas, Jim's recent trains efforts have been focussed on synchronizing operations on his Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railroad...having the system flow like a well conducted orchestra. To assist him in this regard he developed a colour line chart indicating traffic flow throughout the session. To say the least, all operators were keen to put the railroad to the test.

Hey, that's Bob's Baldwin locomotive passing Jim's water tower in Ladysmith. Bob says he's got some work to do with the detail...handrails, weathering...etc

Having operated all jobs on the line before, I opted to let others select their jobs and I would take whatever call was left.

Man, was I pleasantly surprised to find that the freight from Esquimalt to Nanaimo was left for me. I hired Fred as engineer and we made up our train blocking cuts of cars for destinations along the route. At the various destinations, we performed drops and also lifted (and blocked) traffic en route. Tons of fun.

John (above) appears to be having a good time working the Ladysmith job. Hey, what's that clear tower near his elbow?

Jim's layout withstood the test of five trains being operated simultaneously. Due to a couple of narrow areas, we've agreed that some assignments should be handled by one person, not two.

At the halfway point in the evening, roles were cycled and everyone enjoyed the opportunity of taking on a different assignment.

The jobs on the layout include a freight assignment, a passenger train, the Ladysmith switcher, the Victoria Lumber Company assignment and the Chemainus log dump jobbie...all varied and equally interesting! Looking forward to seeing some scenery develop shortly! (grin)

Well, Jim...your train orders are developing well. The layout ran like a charm and all eight lads enjoyed their respective assignments. Can't wait to get back for the next session!

Cheers, Mike

"Operations Alive" on Lyon Valley Northern

The boys of the Friday Night Group descended upon Chris Lyon's new layout to run a full scale operating session seeing as Chris has completed all trackwork at "meteoric speed". Just imagine, less than six months earlier, Chris's basement had no benchwork or lighting in place. The railroad certainly has come a long way in a short time!

While Chris chose to stagger the commencement of trains, by the time the session was in full swing, eight operators were kept busy simultaneously as four 2-man crews. Peter and I began the session in care of BNSF train "701 Northbound", a drag of coal hopper empties. We were told this train would probably run throughout the duration of the entire session (as it later becomes "702 Southbound" with loads) plus other work to boot!

That's Peter and I watching our train as it enters the yard in care of two BNSF locomotives. The yard appears empty at this point, but within a short time, it would take on a totally different appearance once other trains began their assignments.

Now, this is my kind of operations! Peter and I acquired our power at the BNSF engine facility (the image shows the remaining power at the facility), proceeded to the North end of the main yard where we picked up a long string of hoppers. To create the illusion of distance on the layout, Chris's train orders read "Proceed northbound to inside main and traverse the layout five times." So Peter and I pulled out of the yard in a northbound direction with our train.

Due to the lengthy mainline on the layout, we soon realized that two or three "cycles" around the room were sufficient to create the illusion we were running this drag for a long period of time. By now, other activity was happening so operators had to be in visual contact with train crews working yards and industries along the line. Tons of fun! On our last leg of our cycles, we then pulled 701 across and onto the south lead of the major classification yard where we uncoupled our power, ran around our train and classified the coal empties as going to either the "Port Coal Mine" or the "Starboard Coal Mine".

With this done, we disconnected our power and took it to the CN locomotive facility in Richmond for servicing. We acquired two CN locomotives, headed back to the classification yard and gathered the block of empties for the Port Coal Mine and headed out onto the main to the mine where we exchanged empties for loads and returned to the major yard.

This shot to the left taken a few days earlier shows the Port Coal Mine area. During our session, only orange cars were destined for this mine location while green coal traffic headed to the Starboard Coal Mine. Check out the grain train passing by!

We repeated this process for the cars in the yard destined to the Starboard Coal Mine. With the mine runs done, there was now a lengthy string of loaded coal cars in the major yard. We swapped the CN power once again for BNSF colours, coupled onto the loaded string and cycled the layout two or three times before dropping the loads at the major yard, disconnecting the power and storing it at the BNSF engine facility north of the yard. By this time, all other boys were done their jobs and enjoying some refreshments and treats!

Other jobs throughout the evening included a container train, "CN 102 Southbound" working the container terminal with the aid of a very capable pair of CN/BCRail units. This train also traversed the layout a number of times before returning to continue work at the container terminal. Fred ran (away) with this train! (Just kidding, Fred!)

That's the hectic container terminal visible in the image to the left.
The BNSF "Grain Train" ran in the experienced hands of Mr. Meek, working the three major grain elevators and the flour mill and traversing the layout a number of times before returning to the Grain Terminal to tie up.

Two locals kept other crews quite busy and entertained...CN 501 and 504. John and Stanley held honours on one of these trains, and I believe Chris himself ran the other. With lots of switching chores included, I'll be asking for one of these trains next time, Chris.

Yes, there was a great deal of laughter as operators were teased if they did not get up to speed quickly with the power routing Chris has designed in one of his yards...and then there was that *&%$ three way turnout!

All in all, a very rewarding evening of train ops was had by everyone in attendance. We now wonder what Chris's layout will look like the next time we arrive for an ops session?!

PS. To see Chris's layout in action, check out www.lyonvalleynorthern.blogspot.com where you will be entertained with a video segment.

Cheers, Mike

Easter Events Clog St. Johnsbury Yard

Marty Phillips is a member of the Friday Night Group...the only difference being he now lives on the other side of the continent! We miss you Marty!

The picture to the left was one I took of Marty's St. J&LC road switchers when I visited him on Vancouver Island last summer.

The Friday Night boys have been asking Marty to submit pics of his layout during operating sessions for some time now...and the Marty Man's come through! It seems a rather interesting train arrived St. "J" during last evening's train ops session at his place. Here's Marty's version of these somewhat unique events.

Lots of activity in St. Johnsbury late in the day. Two CP locals were already working the line. CP 52 (a turn down from Newport) was already in St. J yard carrying out its own switching chores as CP 905 was departing Wells River on its return north through St. J to Newport. At St. J, CP 905 entered the yard on Tk 1 and remained in the clear for the arrival of southbound CP 904 (Montreal - Springfield hotshot) on the main. After CP 904 dropped a pair of C-424s (no longer required for "water-level" running on the balance of the trip), it departed south as hurriedly as it had arrived.

Meanwhile, the crew of CP 52 were STILL in town, apparently having great difficulty completing their switching duties. They were less than pleased when told to sit tight as CP local 905 got clearance to depart St. J ahead of them after dropping six pulpwood flats in the yard. They were seen creeping out of the yard as soon as 905's van disappeared under the overpass.

I missed getting to St. Johnsbury in time to get photos of all that activity, but did arrive just as the Easter Special pulled into town. And this is how train ops ended last evening on the Maine Central's West End. Happy Easter everyone.

Cheers, Marty
"Oceanside" on Vancouver Island
WGH Ambassador #797

PS. For those who don't know, that's Mr. Miller's engine, the 573. Mr. Miller was the President of the Maine Central and he had a locomotive painted up in the reverse colours of the company to haul his special train over the territory. Of course, we know that the Marty Man had to have such a train...as he is president of his version of this railroad. This shot was taken on my trip out west as well!

Cheers, Mike

Train Fare from "Both Sides of the Pond"

Last evening the boys of the Friday Night Brigade descended upon Peter Cunningham's home for an entertaining evening of videos, slides and some train running. Peter has two layouts on the go in his basement, a British O scale model railroad and a North American HO scale sectional railroad...both in the developmental phases. Judging by his modelling skills, these two layouts will be "show-stoppers!"

My favourite scene on Peter's British layout is the one where he incorporated his earlier experiences of "long ago" living on an English canal boat. Peter, your work there is fantastic!

Hamer, with a broken toe (thanks to a guitar amplifier with an attitude) was unable to run trains so, while some visitors "played trains" Mike and a few of the other boys watched a brilliant DVD on English steam and diesel. We were all amazed with the devotion the Brits have in regards to restoration of not only their locomotives and rolling stock, but of their ability to run fully restored trains along the rails of Great Britain

Later in the evening when all the lads made it back upstairs, we were entertained by Wally Weart' slide presentation of images taken in various places in the "US" of "A" including his life as a locomotive engineer for the Great Western Railway in Colorado...a shortline railroad that ran over some eighty miles of trackage. (One of the pics I've included below shows that, yes, Wally indeed ran "motors" near the Rocky Mountains!)

I've posted some links to images, not from last evening..but relevant to the topics of discussion.

To see a bucolic scene of a canal boat in its natural setting go to
www.milnrow-village.freeserve.co.uk/graphics/rochcanal6.jpg
http://www.armin-grewe.com/holiday/wiltshire/kennet-avon-canal.htm

To see some of the different diesels and lettering schemes of the Great Western Railway in Colorado, check out
www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=4024
www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=65709
www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=92533
www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=100593
www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=73995

To gain an appreciation of the Great Western "across the pond" go to
www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=100683
www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=107294
www.greatwestern.org.uk/pix/preservea.jpg

Have a great week all!
Cheers, Mike

Slides, Books and Conversation, a night at Stan's

As the result of a schedule change, Friday night was hosted by myself; where, as most of you know, there is no working layout, although I did manage to clear off all the paper that tends to accumulate on the horizontal surfaces so the backdrop and lighting could be seen to full effect! Sorry no pretty pictures this week

In place of our regular operations the assembled perused my book collection, commented on the layout and its future, made nice comments on the displayed models, and viewed some slides and had chatted, some times even about trains!

Mike M had brought some early Model magazines to show Wally the original ads for a model he had purchased off of eBay, a brass traction motor. The ad ran in a 1948 issue and was from a company in Japan working in the 'American Sector' the kit sold for $10, rtr $18.50. Fred later found a page of reproducible trackside signs in the same issue so it went off to be copied!

Mike M also showed up with a very nice copy of the Boston and Maine book by Hastings that he was able to locate on eBay for a very nice price. The book features gorgeous pictures in a nice big format that really capture the feel and character of the moment.

Slides of the evening were made up of two carousels from my collection and one from Jim. First off was the set of slides I took last summer of my visit to the Hedley mine site, some of you had seen the digital camera shots taken here but these were the 35mm slides I shot at the same time and I 'discovered' when removing the paper from the layout surface.

Next up was Jim's set of shots from a trip through the Rockies aboard via. For a while we where not sure if Jim had actually been on the trip as he had difficulty remembering where some of the shots were from, then there was the shot though the window with the top of Jim's head reflecting in the window as it reflected the window, and we knew Jim had been there! Jim actually managed to get some interesting shots of the train and rail equipment even though at the time he was not a (conscious) railfan, his inner eye knew where to look.

The last set of sides was my SLD presentation of railfanning to Springfield, which as it turned out, no one in the room had seen!

We finished off the evening with hot tea and fresh oatmeal chocolate chip muffins. As always great company and relaxation.

Stan

The Rio Grande Southern - Bill "Sn3" Scobie's "Jewel in the Crown"

Bill "Sn3" Scobie asked the boys of the Friday Night Group to return once again to put his railroad through the demands of a true operating session...and what a session it was! You see, Bill was really excited the last time we came as he was able to witness his layout "come to life" with a group of seasoned operators at the helm!

The pics I will share in this posting are in no particular order and do not follow the sequence of operations from the evening due to the fact that I wanted to run trains as well as act as the "Official rail photographer" of the Rio Grande Southern! (You can't help but want to get behind the throttle of one of Bill's beautiful steamers!)

This first photograph depicts many of Bill's modelling talents from locomotive painting, bridge construction, kit building and he's not too shabby at scenery as well! :-)

One thing is for sure, Bill's layout is expansive and can "gobble up" a group of visitors in no time at all. In fact, the buddy you arrive with may not even see you again until its time to sit down for refreshments at the end of the session!

The second and third pictures show a helper locomotive awaiting its role and beginning the job. This was not the train I ran...rather one I was able to photograph later in the session.

As soon as I arrived, Bill handed me a throttle (Lenz system) with a giant smile on his face. "Here Mike, the next train out at the bottom requires helper service up to the summit of the line and I'm sure you'll enjoy this experience."

How can you not help but enjoy this experience...why, I was thrilled! Imagine assisting a train from the "hind end" as "pusher" while a separate engineer hauls the train up grade in the head end locomotive! "I'm there!"

The Mueller man was engineer up front with Mr. Craig as conductor. We started out slowly on the level and within a short time we were ascending the grade with the precision of two surgeons. Lennon and McCartney couldn't have written a better tune! I watched the consist ahead of me very carefully. Too much pull on the part of the headend could break a coupler pin and too much push from the rear could result in the accordianing of our train...well....let's not go there!

A good 40 or so minutes later, we reached the summit. On the road up, I assisted with the switch out of traffic at a mine near a siding. This "tandeming" of jobs was really exciting. Upon arrival at Trout Lake, my assistance was once again required with switching chores before I was uncoupled and allowed to run light downhill. On the way down, I stopped in a siding to await a passenger train then proceeded all the way back home.

I must admit that running "true" helper service in steam days is the "zenith" of model railroad operations!

The image above was taken long after I cut off from the train. That's Mueller and Craig on board their locomotive somewhere high in the hills of Colorado.

There are no pics of my run as I was too busy aboard the pusher engine. When I completed the job, I hired a helicopter from a local firm and the pilot, a Mr. Rob Kasakoff, an ardent railfan himself, knew all the spots to fly me to for some spectacular shots along the line. Follow along for the ride.

That's Placerville at an elevation of just over 7000 feet. Pilot Rob hovered the chopper just above the river to allow for this nice shot of the station.

Bill's locomotive in green, black and silver is a beauty to behold! I managed to lens a few trains and other interesting items at this somewhat busy location along the route.

We landed the chopper and headed for a bite to eat. Luckily no trains came by while we were chownig down, but just as we returned to the chopper we could hear another short passenger train coming our way. Rob lifted off from the ground, hovered over the river again and allowed me to take this shot of the Placerville station from the other end of the platform.

The yellow reefer and the truck in the background certainly add a splash of colour to the scene!

Rob flew me off high into the hills of Colorado where I was able to garner some great bridge shots. The trestles in these parts are fabulous. While modern day engineers would say a trestle can't be constructed "this way" the Rio Grande Southern has proven them wrong...and these trestles have withstood the test of time!

My apologies if the shot seems far off, but I asked Rob not to take any risks in getting too close to the cliffsides.

Bill tells us he began the layout 20 years ago and that he has another twenty more to go before it gets to anything nearing completion. Well, in my books, it's almost there. Scenery covers the majority of the model railroad. Sure, Bill says that he has tons more trees to create and more rockwork needs to be done. And, besides, he enjoys helping his buddies with their railroads as well.

We've capture the next few shots at the mine location partway up the grade to the summit. Here is where helper service assists with the switching on the uphill climb. Trains descending the grade can conduct these operations at the mine without any assistance as the switch is a trailing one for trains operating downgrade.

Engineer Meek is at the controls of this short passenger train.

Rob and I hung around the mine for awhile and we were fortunate to spot another train coming downgrade. I timed it right to frame the locomotive between the red cliffs and the structures to the right.

Indeed, the red colours of this area predominate the scenes. This train will pass the white structure you see on the right, cross a dirt road and slow for the long trestle ahead.

I asked Rob to fly me back down to Placerville as I had heard rumours that we might spot some interesting railroad equipment there later in the day. On the way down the valley we spot a train passing in the shadows of a gorgeous water tower. Knowing that it will have to stop to take on water, Rob hovers the chopper high enough over the telegraph wires, and I'm able to snap this lovely shot of the train framed between the tower and the trees.

Bill makes his trees using a variety of methods from bottle-brush techniques to flowers from shrubs in the garden. The green of the trees works with the yellow reefer to make a rather colouful shot.


"What's that thing doing down there!" Rob shouts into the radio as he banks the copter down for a closer look.

"Wow! A diesel!" I answer back. "Who'd a thunk!"

Indeed, one lone diesel was spotted on the entire day of "copter-fanning" the Rio Grande Southern.

It was sitting idle on a track in front of the enginehouse near the large facility where it earns its keep.

I just had to jump down from the chopper for this "ground level" shot of the "little diesel that could!"


And we thought that little diesel was a surprise. Check out what was in store for us when we arrived back at Placerville!

"Holy Mackinaw, Batman!" Rob was heard to wail over the radio. "Would you check out that little puppy down there, Mike!

"Yessirree...I could use one of them to plow out my driveway after a cold Canadian Front hits!"

"Hey Mike, snap a shot of that bus in the parking lot too!" Rob shouted. It seems Rob loves pictures of anything mechanical.


Let's meet the master modeller behind this awesome empire. Yes, that's Bill, the man himself acting as the "sun in the sky" over Colorado. Better that than havin' him "pull a moon", we'd all agree!

Bill drove buses for a living here in Ottawa...and, now that he's retired, he's got more time on his hands to complete his layout.

Bill, on behalf of the Friday Night Boys, a great note of appreciation goes your way for having us, once again.

Well, Bill, judging by what you have here, your Rio Grande Southern is the region's "Jewel in the Crown!"

Cheers, Mike