Trackside at Elfrida...

[doctorwayne]

I'm just finishing my second piece of pie when I hear a distant whistle. Drat, it's only been 45 minutes. I amble back over to the station, and find Mogul 37 rolling to a stop on the main:


As a through freight, she's not required to stop for water unless it's needed. I call up to the fireman, "What's up?" He grabs the hose to water the cab deck, then shouts down, "They've put us in the hole for a westbound, and we'll probably be here for a while. She's comin' down from Mount Forest and has got the Junction (South Cayuga) tied up whilst she gits turnt aroun' t' come west."
I'm none too pleased by this turn of events, and it's starting to seem as if that pie's a bit unhappy, too.
After trudging back to the water tower, I figure I have time to climb the hill there for a bird's eye view of town, and get this shot while losing my balance:


This is a little better, but a bit out-of-focus:


I think it's time to head back to trackside, and I get there just in time to catch another Grand Valley Consolidation, this time the "Lucky 26":


She's followed by seemingly empty hoppers, although I can tell be they way they "clump" over the crossing that they're not empty:














I barely have time to get into position before the hogger on 37 has his charge in motion:
















Gosh, I'm out of film (lucky viewers ) and I'm just noticing now how hot it's become. Time to call it a day, I think. Thanks for looking, if you've managed to make it this far.

EDIT: Recently, I was talking to Barney Secord and he solved the mystery of those "empty" hoppers. This photo is one of his:


Evidently, it's limestone from the quarry at Shallow Lake, destined for the blast furnaces at Hamilton.


Wayne