Yard Building

With the pandemic still in full lockdown mode, I finally got the time to build a small yard and retire a small temporary yard I had built years ago.  The new yard is 10 feet long and sits on two modules which are joined together.

As I was planning my new yard, which was to be situated at the end of the layout, I wanted to include some sort of yard office, as well as a freight shed that had been removed from a different part of the layout. Looking at some photos, I realized that I had enough room to make a fairly complete scene by using the Mechanical Building at Englehart as an example. The other side of the track would house my freight shed.

Drone view courtesy Mike Robin

South side of Bldg; scale house in right foreground

South side of Bldg

North and east walls of the Bldg

The build started with a general Pikestuff building kit, with a few extra side panels added and cut down in height to make a lower roofline. Unfortunately I only had photos of 3 sides of the building, and the pandemic cancelled two trips I had planned to get the info. So the west wall is a complete guess.

One detail that I noticed going back through several years of photos was that the roof and building sides have two different shades of blue, as well as downspout configurations. Perhaps due to a building expansion? Matching the weathering condition and color was a real challenge and although not a true match, the result is pleasing to my eye. Maybe I'll try to alter it at some later date.

One of the challenges was to match the various windows and their position on the wall without any true measurements.  Cutting the doors and windows would turn out to be fairly time consuming, as the Pikestuff panels are fairly thick plastic and required a steady hand and many knife blades to cut them all.

The challenge now is to complete the scene in the background by adding all of the details that you see in the upper photo.  I just finished building the small building directly behind the main structure, as well as removed the trucks from an old Athearn 40 foot ONR boxcar which has been parked in the weeds.

The gravel type pavement was created by pouring tile grout to the consistency of a slushy and then drawing it relatively flat and level across the area.   I plan to weather some of the gravel area with pan pastels to give it more of a well worn look.  Now I just have to find or build the suitable ONR service vehicle(s) to park outside of the building.

 

ONR Convention - 2018 @ Kirtland Lake - Saturday

Day 2 of the ONRHT&S convention had us reviewing the morning lineup and trying to determine which trains and locations we could photograph.  Our first train of the day was the southbound train from Englehart to North Bay.  ONR SD75I #2105 was leading a newly repainted SD40-2 #1734.  While some of the group decided to shoot this train at Englehart, Bram Bailey, Mike Robin and I opted to head south to Earlton, where we had previously seen some piles of hay bales.

Southbound train passing by Mini Farm Rd crossing at Earlton. Photo by Ken Stroebel

We chased this train southward, however, he got ahead of us and we watched him beat us to the Hwy 11 crossing at New Liskeard and broke off the chase.

Pacing shot through the farmers fields around Earlton. Photo by Ken Stroebel

We found the ditcher still working at New Liskeard after a brief lunch break at Gillies, however, the sun was mostly behind the clouds and the ditcher would soon be headed back north.

Work train at the New Liskeard station siding. Photo by Ken Stroebel

So it was back to Englehart as we tried to remain one step ahead of the northbound work train.

Work train approximately 1/2 mile east of the Englehart River bridge. Photo by Courtland Saunders

Northbound Work 1733 is captured crossing the Englehart River. Photo by Mike Robin.

ONR 1733 and 1735 at Englehart. Photo by Terry Shwetz.

Catching the work train was our last bit of railfanning for the day, as attendees had an appointment to tour the Museum of Northern History in Kirkland Lake. Located in the former chateau home of successful mine owner Sir Harry Oakes, this museum focuses on Northeastern Ontario including the Kirkland Lake area.  The site’s collection dates from 1907 to the present and includes many objects related to the home as well as mining industry and documents from the area.

Chateau of Sir Harry Oakes

Various mineral and rock specimens; note large scale on top of cabinet

Our evening presentations included a review of mining and smelting operations for Kidd Creek, Rouyn-Noranda, and Sudbury, as well as an overall review and discussion of the geology of the area and how the various ore deposits came to be.  Bill Woods then taught us how to make conifer trees using wire, hemp sisal, spray paint and ground foam.

Monday - still heading home

OK I wasn't going to post the pics from Monday, as we woke up to totally overcast and dark skies. However,  someone on FB requested that I post them, so here they are.  The rain held off while we were in Englehart, but just after leaving and getting ready to photograph 214, it really started to rain and got even darker.

Power for today's SB 214, ONR 1733 and 1730; a decent lashup. Now if that rain would only hold off

Maybe this is the power for the SB train...not to be

Northbound  coming into Englehart with 2103 leading.

Earlton - OK it's dark, rainy and railfanning is over for the day. 

Wednesday Activities

Wednesday - ONR Convention T-2 Days

This blog starts the travels of two Ohio railfans and one Niagara Falls fan as we head northward for the 2017 convention.  We start our trip early, let's just say 0-dark early on Wednesday.  Bram departs his Vermilion home at just about 0001 Wednesday and picks me up on the eastern side of Cleveland shortly after 0100. A quick load of the Prius and were headed east towards Buffalo and then Niagara Falls.  Bill Woods joins us at about 0430 from his home in Niagara Falls and we're again headed towards the traffic of Toronto and destinations northward.  Luckily even though the traffic is heavy, we sneak past all of those busy commuters as the Prius hugs the HOV lane and we hit the 400 northward just around 0600.  A quick bite at the McD in Barrie and we're again in the car and headed towards Washago and our first and really only train of the day.  Green light showing at Washago, although very overcast and no real shot to be had between the clouds and the overgrowth.  So we we watch CN 3101, a long stack train, rumble through on its way southward before we're back and heading north on Rt. 11.

A bit of a stop at Bracebridge for Bram to shoot some of the downtown businesses, the location of the old station and and old industry location.  All are for reference purposes and Bram will be glad to tell all of his new expansion plans for the layout.

Another stop at the former CP station and now hobby store in North Bay to admire all of the products on display before we make a quick lunch stop and head towards Englehart.   Of course, another stop is needed in Temagami to check out the station and art display that's on hand.  Unfortunately the Bee appears to be permanently closed, so it's a good thing we grabbed lunch in North Bay.

Unfortunately our arrival in Englehart by mid-afternoon sees us finding no trains or action.  However, the 701 steam engine is looking fantastic since the last time I saw her, complete with new paint job. After walking around and shooting some photos of log cars, we find an ONR employee who tells us that the Rouyn-Norando train should be headed back later in the afternoon.  So we adapt and check into the motel and grab some Subway before heading to Kirkwood Lake and a previously done photo stop just at the Ontario-Quebec line.  After 90 minutes of so of battling the deer flies and lengthening shadows, we decide to call it and head back.  A check of our string marker near the crossing by the hospital confirms that somehow we missed that train.  It's been a long day, so we head back to the motel and shut-eye.  Hopefully tomorrow will see us finding some rail action.