It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image goes back to Minnesota in June. This was taken while I was getting it ready to head out onto the track for the day. Behind it is the scratch built caboose. The kids really love riding in it. The extended Roundhouse is very nice as well.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image is from Rollag Minnesota where I was about 3 weekends ago. This image is from last year and shows the 2 locomotives that I am privileged to work on. 353, a former Soo Line Switcher and the Porter Tank engine behind. I didn't work with these locomotives on this last trip but hopefully will be able to in September.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! As I mentioned yesterday, I was in Minnesota last week. I was able to be "playing" with this locomotive, the Ortner Railroad Wagner 14 inch scale. I took a photo of it here, stopped by our station and loading area.
I was in Minnesota last weekend for the first of my usual trips. I was out walking during the early evening and came upon this scene. There has been a recent addition to the Steam Thresher's grounds of this old granary (building to store and process grain). I thought it looked rather picturesque across the field.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image goes back to August at Rollag Minnesota. I was attending the safety meeting for working on the full size locomotives and they were both parked outside the Roundhouse at the time. This image shows off former Soo Line Switcher 353 with the Porter off to the left. There is even a diesel locomotive in the photo as well. 😏😂 It is used to move cars around and also if one of the locomotives has an issue.
Today's image is from Minnesota this past June. I was out for an early evening walk and was able to see and capture this pair of Blue Winged Teals as they took off from one of the ponds near the farm that I often photograph. I am fairly sure that the upper one is a male and the lower one is the female.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image is the opposite of the one that I shared last week. This image was taken in early morning at Rollag during the Steam Thresher's Reunion. This is locomotive 353 as it was heading out after picking up passengers for it's run around the grounds. I would be on the shift after this one as one of the firemen.
Today's image is from my recent trip to Minnesota. I was out one evening in a field where they had been doing some wheat threshing and saw a different view of the farm there that I share every year. It was near sunset so there was nice color to the sky as well.
I was recently in Minnesota for my annual Labor Day trip for the Western Minnesota Steam Thresher's Reunion. This is the farm I share almost every year there from a different angle. The focus this year was on Horse Power. Ironically, the only photo I had time to take during the show of that only includes a teeny tiny horse and wagon going around the pond. 😁
While I was on my first trip to Minnesota this year, I was able to see and capture some ducks one evening. I believe these are Blue Wing Teals. I apparently was too close for their comfort and they were taking off from the pond they were on.
Happy first day of July! I was able to capture a semi decent image of a beautiful male Wood Duck while I was in Minnesota. It was out on one of the small ponds by the barn when I was headed out to dinner one evening. I wish I had been closer and that the light had been better but will take what I can get. 😁 They have such a beautiful coloration/pattern to them.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image once again is from my recent week in Minnesota. They hold a Kid's Day every year during the Steam School weekend and it was as popular as ever. We had lots of riders who enjoyed being behind a steam engine. I took this image during a test run I was doing the day before in front of the cool coaling tower that was donated to the railroad along with the buildings seen in other pictures and videos.
I have a short video of the train traveling past this Coaling Tower HERE:
While I was out looking for wildlife photo opportunities I was down by the big pond on the grounds. It was so still and serene with nice reflections. It was quite the contrast to what we are having lately with high winds and heat.
While I was in Minnesota, I was able to add a new bird to my list of birds I have seen and captured. While I was out on the evening I took the sunset photo I was able to capture this image. I originally thought it was the type of Heron I always see, a Great Blue, but I realized it is not. I am pretty sure this is a Green Heron and I have always wanted to see one and now I have. 😁 I wish the conditions had been better, like more light, but beggars can't be choosey as they say.
I was in Minnesota last weekend for the annual Steam School. I was out in the evening as the sun was setting and the sky was rather interesting I thought. A lot of the time, the sky was smoky due to fires in Canada, I hope the rains are making their way there and those are ending.
When I am in Minnesota, I usually get to see many dragonflies and damselflies. The area must provide what they like because they are everywhere. I was photographing some Damsels one afternoon when I saw a Dragon returning to basically the same spot repeatedly so I decided to try and capture it in flight. It took a while but I finally managed it. 😁
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! When I was up in Minnesota this past June, both the full size locomotives were having some work done to them. Today's post is a bit different as it contains 2 images. This first image is the Porter locomotive, a tank engine meaning it carries it's water over the boiler instead of behind it in a tender. It was inside the roundhouse getting new tubes or flues as shown in the 2nd image. The flues start inside the smokebox and extend to the firebox (where the coal or wood is burning). The heat travels through these flues and heats the water in the boiler to make the steam to power the locomotive. A locomotive can require new tubing for various reasons, the 2 main ones are age and improper firing. If you let cold air into the smoke box the tubes can expand and contract too much and become loose and allow water to leak from the boiler which is not good. It will be nice to see the Porter back out and running at the show over Labor Day weekend.
In Gunderson Pond on the Western Minnesota Steam Thresher's Reunion grounds, there can be found quite a number of turtles. I captured these 3 on one of the logs. I am pretty sure that these are Painted Turtles. They are the most widespread native turtle of North America.
When I am in Rollag, Minnesota I am compelled to photograph this farm area. I find it very picturesque with it being situated next to the large pond. The clouds help as well.
I was in Minnesota this past weekend and working with the Large Scale Wagner locomotive. I was getting it ready to move out onto the turntable but there was this little guy was chilling on the rail. He looked a bit sleepy to me. I moved him before I went out with the locomotive to be sure it would be OK. He had very sticky feet and seemed happy to sit on my arm as I took him off to the side. I believe it's a type of tree frog, most likely a Cope's Gray Tree frog.
