On Saturday, July 21th, our guests returned to the Ironwood, Peter’s Pond & Western and Rat Portage & Mattawa Railways to take part in narrow gauge railway operations.
Rio Grande Southern 4-6-0 number 25 at the sanding and coaling towers in Craig Leigh.
Number 25 backs down the passenger yard in front of Scobie’s Fine Foods.
Doug Mallon (Ottawa, Ontario) switch list in hand is looking for the cars for his mixed train behind the passenger station and post office building.
Doug’s mixed train passes through the Douglas Freight Yard while Yardmaster Ken Brunt (West Grove, Pennsylvania) is busy assembling a freight train.
Rio Grande Southern 4-6-0 number 22 hauls a train into Douglas Yard.
Denver & Rio Grande Western K-27 number 455 turns on the wye at the engine service facilities in Craig Leigh.
Gary Buchanan (Lancaster, Ohio) helping Ken out with his yardmaster duties by switching out his train.
Ken firing up Denver & Rio Grande Western K27 number 455 while Brendan Hay (Kemptville, Ontario) looks on anxiously.
Brendan has no problem engineering this big beast. It’s all in the way you hold your tongue.
Ric Golding (Carlyle, Illinois) switching a long freight with his boxcab X7 at Mount St. Helens.
A close up of boxcab X7 at work.
Jim Henrichs (Syracuse, New York) throws the scratch-built 3 way switch.
Brendan Hay (Kemptville, Ontario) rolls towards Ironwood. Behind him is a train waiting at Watkins for clearance to Bell.
Having finished their switching at Ironwood Bill Seabrooke (Ottawa, Ontario) and Lela Lyon (Ottawa, Ontario) prepare to depart Ironwood to Mount St. Helens.
Bob DeForge (Brookfield, Vermont) and Don Howard (Vermont) are working on their switching assignments at Spruce. This is Bob’s first visit to Ottawa.
Andy Clarke (Nashville, Illinois) reviewing his switch list in Nelson Yard while Yardmaster Ric Golding (Carlyle, Illinois) looks on.
On the left are Bob McCown (Littleton, Massachusetts) and Ric Golding (Carlyle, Illinois) in Glen Hammond. On the right is Doug Hay (Kemptville, Ontario) and Maurice Cote (Ottawa, Ontario).
Jean Chandler (Burke, Virginia) with Rio Grande Southern number 20 on the RP&M Railway in Bellamy.
The boxcab and its train parked at Peter’s Pond at supper time.
Connor Henrichs at Watkins with for his freight train waiting clearance from the dispatcher proceed to Bell.
A steam engine switches Bell, while a mixed train pulls away from the passenger station.
Bruce Chandler (Burke, Virginia) and Bob McCown (Littleton, Massachusetts) busy with the switching assignments in Bell.
Now that we have made another tour of the railways, it’s time to meet some of the people who took part in today’s festivities. Martha and Bob McCown (Littleton, Massachusetts) enjoying a jovial moment in the crew’s lounge.
Bruce Chandler (Burke, Virginia) seems determined to get to his next destination.
Looks like a crew briefing. In the back ground from left to right: Peter Mills (Ottawa, Ontario), Tyler Larabie (Ottawa, Ontario), and Mett Ali (Ottawa, Ontario). Seated are Will McCown (Littleton, Massachusetts), Sue Ciaizza (Syracuse, New York) and Jim Henrichs (Syracuse, New York) with his son Connor behind him.
Looks like a tired group taking advantage of the crew’s lounge on a hot day. Standing are Ralph Renzetti (Toronto, Ontario) and our host Fred Mill’s. Seated left to right are: Ric Golding (Carlyle, Illinois), Jane Clarke in blue (Nashville, Illinois), Martha McCown (Littleton, Massachusetts), Jean Chandler (Burke, Virginia), Jan Golding (Carlyle, Illinois), and Gary Buchanan (Lancaster, Ohio).
Peter Mills (Ottawa, Ontario), is the gentleman that Peter’s Pond in named after.
Andy Clarke (Nashville, Illinois) hamming it up for the camera in his director’s seat at Nelson Yard.
David McCurdy (Carleton Place, Ontario) in red and Stu Moxley (Ottawa, Ontario) are relaxing in the shade of the house after lunch.
The shade of the pine trees at Mt. St. Helens is a favourite spot to gather during the invasion. From left to right are: Stewart Hayes (Kemptville, Ontario) standing, Ralph and Jane Renzetti (Toronto, Ontario), Ron Gibson (Valley Center, California), Paul Norton (Ottawa, Ontario) standing, Fred Mills (Ottawa, Ontario), Lela Lyon (Ottawa, Ontario), Sue Henrichs (Syracuse, New York), and Will McCown (Littleton, Massachusetts).
Ron Gibson (Center Valley, California) relaxing in the shade in Craig Leigh.
David McCurdy (Carleton Place, Ontario), Doug Mallon, (Ottawa, Ontario), Fred Mills (Ottawa, Ontario), and Ron Gibson (Center Valley, California) posing for a group photo.
(Fred Mills (Ottawa, Ontario), Bill Seabrooke (Ottawa, Ontario), and Don Howard (Vermont) enjoying a humorous moment.
Paul Norton (Ottawa, Ontario) obviously caught by surprise mid sentence by the photographer.
Andy Clarke (Nashville, Illinois) and Ric Golding (Carlyle, Illinois) chatting with Bill (Sn3) Scobie (Aylmer, Quebec).
Tyler Larabie (Ottawa, Ontario) and Mett Ali (Ottawa, Ontario) enjoying a pause in the action at Ralph Freight Yard in Firgrove.
Brad Larabie (Ottawa, Ontario) in the favourite haunt, the dispatcher’s office.
Jim Henrichs (Syracuse, New York) and Ric Golding (Carlyle, Illinois) switch Mt. St. Helens while Bill Seabrooke (Ottawa, Ontario) looks on.
The happy group gathered in the crew’s lounge before supper from left to are: Martha McCown (Littleton, Massachusetts), Gaetan and Nicolle Charette (Montreal, Quebec), and Ken Brunt (West Grove, Pennsylvania.
At the end of the table are a yet to be named mystery guest and Bob DeForge (Brookfield, Vermont).
Across the table are Jean Chandler (Burke, Virginia), Doug Matheson (Ottawa, Ontario), and Fred Mills (Ottawa, Ontario) with Ric Golding (Carlyle, Illinois) at the grill looking on.
Chefs Ric and Jan Golding (Carlyle, Illinois) are grilling chicken and pork steaks for super.
Brad Larabie (Ottawa, Ontario), helping out by grilling the beef steaks while in the background hungry onlookers Henk Van Zijl (Ottawa, Ontario) and Ken Brunt anxiously wait.
That is the last of the photos of Day 3 of the American Invasion of Ottawa. I have to assume the photographers put down their cameras to join the queue for supper. Thanks to everyone who took time during on a busy day to provide the photos for all us to enjoy.
To view Day 4 of the 2012 American Invasion of Ottawa, click on the following link.
2012 American Invasion of Ottawa Day 4