Seeing as I missed out on Bill's session due to another commitment, I asked Chris to take some images for the Friday Night Weblog. Thank you for doing so, Chris. I've also chosen to post some images I have taken at previous sessions at Bill's place.Here we see the L'Orignal crew arriving Hawksbury after conducting the exchange at the Glen with the Ottawa Central. Those cars on the train are destined for the IVACO plant located a few miles to the east of Hawksbury.
The train is taking the siding track in Hawksbury and will prepare to perform its drops and lifts first before heading out to the large IVACO rolling mill. The crew will begin by servicing those industries with trailing sidings first before running around their consist to work the facing sidings in town. They cannot head into the rolling mill until they gain clearance from the plant. In fact, a large gate must be opened to allow the crew access to the IVACO property.
The first two images were mine from previous sessions...the remainder were taken by Chris. Chris has managed to capture Bill's superb modelling skills as evident on this Alder Models barn...a scene so typical of rural Eastern Ontario. Bill has cleverly painted his walls in a mottled blue texture to create the illusion of depth to the scene. The tones he has used on his models convey a very realistic and natural appearance as well. The addition of more shrubbery and brush will "fill out" the farm scene.
A low stand of trees will eventually reside between the road and the foreground tracks leading into the IVACO rolling mill. Yes, that's a working Alder Models switch stand. Many of them can be found around the plant facility. Both industries in the scene have been built from scratch from photographs taken while out on railfan trips around the area.
Bill has been purchasing more vehicles to add to the overall effectiveness of his urban scenes.
The Alco switcher was painted in the IVACO yellow scheme by good friend Michel Boucher. Yes, there are many tracks in and around the rolling mill, each with their own specific purpose. Bill has built the mill from scratch and kitbashed parts. Those flatcars to the right are carrying a full load. The billets of steel are so heavy that only a few can be carried by each car! Notice the billet unloading facility to the rear of the peninsula.
Mr. Meek's scratchbuilding skills are in evidence here as many interesting parts go into the making and detailing of a large plant. The IVACO rolling mill fills an entire peninsula on the layout and demands the knowledge and expertise of a crew solely assigned for this operation. Bill has been busy making sets of gondola loads for the many purposes required of his railroad. Operating the mill is a rewarding and entertaining job all on its own!
Bill wants his operators to understand the workings of his large rolling mill, so he goes to great lengths to detail its interior. A few years back, Bill and a few of the Friday Night lads were very fortunate to have been granted an inside tour of the large plant. What a thrill that was. While we took many pictures outside the rolling mill, none could be taken of the interior. As always, it is a distinct pleasure to visit and operate Bill's fabulous Hawksbury/L'Orignal Railroad! Thanks again, Chris, for snapping the shots for me on this day!
It was with a sense of excitement and curiosity, we descended John's stairs to see the newest additions to his fabulous CASO/NYC layout after it had been closed for the last operating season to undergo refinements...and the boys were delighted with what they saw! More on this later. The image to the left was taken just after we finished our session. That's John standing proudly in the back to the far right.
