Video

Doug, Thanks very much.

It looks like you had a good fireman that day. I didn't see a lot of smoke. Well done

That speeder is a cute little red Jigger. Makes a good movie prop, but is probably tricky to turn.

Fireman: Just a brief show for the cameras, to keep some viewers happy. But not a lot of dollars were owed for the overall day.

Englewood Railway: I was so happy to do videos and photos up there in 2019-2022, and especially in summer 2020 just before the rails were removed.

Me also. Although it gives me extra work when weeding through my photos (I shoot 10 pics per second when the train is moving). Besides finding the best photos for lighting and background etc, I also need to look for the ones where the flags are showing full. ...It's a good thing that I like weeding and editing photos.

I'm not sure if anything is permanent with this Shay's whistles, as this is now the 3rd whistle it has worn in 2024. And there might still be a 4th one that they try, next time that the Shay runs, maybe. As for the whistle in this video, they found it in the collection of whistles that they have on hand, and then cleaned it up and decided to give it a try. I asked the Engineer to climb up and see if there were any manufacturer markings on it, and there were none visible. So the "Crosby" name is their best guess of what it might be. (Not a "Crosby 87 chime", haha)

Thanks!

I recently completed a correspondence course with "Crosby & Kinsley College." That helped. hahaha

Thanks very much for this.

Many thanks!

Thanks very much. That was a fun time for me, over 10 years ago, visiting as many of the inland-ferries as I could.

I agree that it changes the look when that headlight is on, in a very good way. I don't know how often they will be using it on a regular summer-season day (of which the season is almost over now). August 17th was the first day that the headlight was operational, following lots of trial & error electrician work on components that had been in storage since circa-1998. It uses a lot of steam to run it, so that changes the "Firing Strategy" by the cab team, I'm assuming. So for that day when I was there, they only used the headlight for the 2 VIP trips (for the sponsor, donors & volunteer appreciation event), and then for a "special scene" request by me for this descent down the Drinkwater Cut. Hopefully we see more of it lit on the regular, for next year's summer steam season.

Thanks Peter. Your comment inspired me to see how many "Hillcrest Shay" photos I've posted on my Flickr page. 1,098 photos, with more to come after today's shooting. I've been having fun photographing it from all angles, in a variety of lighting conditions. ....a much photographed locomotive, for sure.

@@LowLightMike Thankyou Mike. I've referred your vids to a woman in the UK who is a 'foamer' - steam enthusiast. She won't have seen a Shay before, so I hope she's as fascinated as I am... or you, for that matter. (Oh, I meant 'cylinders', since pistons are inside - but you know what I was saying)

I appreciate you.

Thanks very much :)

Every time I'm tempted to think that some place is "my spot," I realize that others have been in the same spot many times before, all the way back to Maynard's first visit in the mid 1960s. I love the continuation of history, in the similar scenes over the decades.

Thanks Charlie.

Geo-Tech Industries, in Crofton BC. www.geotechindustries.com/

Thanks very much, I appreciate this.

The ROW is 1.6 miles long, and a visitor train trip is 1 lap. It takes about 14 minutes, plus 5 minutes for a stop at a station on the lower grounds (picnic & playground area). ...it is not a long trip. In the summer, the train runs every 30 minutes, and you can ride it as many times as you wish.

@@LowLightMike Thank you.

This is a Shay locomotive. One of the defining features of the Shay design is that the boiler is off-center in order to make room for the vertical cylinders that are on the right side of the locomotive.

@@LowLightMike Ah, that makes sense! What is the advantage of the design?

@@e-mananimates2274 The 3 types of logging locomotives (Shay, Climax, Heisler) were built for hauling heavy loads up steep grades. Each of the 3 has a different design to achieve that goal. For the Shay, the vertical cylinders power a drive shaft that powers all wheels. (probably a poor explanation by me). If you Google something like "Shay Locomotive" you will likely find articles that explain it accurately.

Thanks Abelina :)

Awesome ! Hopefully you were well behaved...

I did some research on Spike Carson. He worked everywhere, and was in a couple of Disney movies. A steam legend...

Thanks Mason. I think I checked my camera settings 4 or 5 times before we set out, not wanting to mess it up. I used "ISO Auto" because there are so many lighting changes with outside sun & shadows, and for when I aimed the camera at the lower part of the cab. Even then, the camera struggled with the the sky being washed-out at times, such as on the trestle. Oh well.. And you can hear the familiar microphone problem with the whistle sound being very distorted. In my editing, I reduced the volume of the whistle sounds by 50%, but it still sounded awful. But it was a fun opportunity. I also like hanging around the North Cowichan station building during their 5 minute break there, just listening to their banter and watching what they do. Fun guys.

Awesome ! Thanks for watching this.

@@LowLightMike Your welcome

It pays to be a big-name celebrity like Mike.

Thanks Matthew. In hindsight years later, I'm glad that I chose that piece of music from the CZcams library.

Thanks Jesiel :) I appreciate your comment.

It’s a Safety Feature.

Thanks Char. I sure love that hobby.

Hello: No, I won't be doing that. I do believe that it will be very well covered by many people, ranging from "cell phone vertical" people to professional videographers. I think that CZcams and Facebook will be full of videos after the big move.

Thanks Char :)

Yes, as of September 2023 you have missed the 2023 summer steam season. It's history for everyone :) But summer happens every year....

That's why I love the forest scenes of it working in this forestry museum. No one needs to know that there's a Walmart and Canadian Tire across the street from it.

Yes, 3-foot narrow gauge.

Thanks for watching :)

Thanks John. The 2024 operations are the result of a lot of volunteer hours. I admire their effort.

@@LowLightMike I must go up and ride it soon.

Good day, good sir. Thanks for watching this :)

Hello Mike :) Have a super day.

I love hearing about how far away people can hear the whistle. I know some people who live nearby the museum, and can tell who the Engineer is based on the sounding of the whistle.

Hi Allan: I don't know specifics on the RS3 #8427's situation or outlook. But what I do know is that the society in Port Alberni (Western Vancouver Island Industrial Heritage Society) is 100% volunteers, and a good portion of those are "aging out." Also, key mechanical volunteers have passed-away in recent years. It took a lot of effort to repair the boiler on the #7 steam locomotive in recent years, and it took a lot of volunteer effort to restart the tourist train for 2024 and to convince the Municipal Government to fund even just a small portion of the operating costs for the cheaper diesel locomotive & train. This summer 2024 train is entirely run by volunteers, so that tells me that it's not sustainable long-term unless funding from the City is increased. There's also the Industrial Heritage Center (old ice arena) full of old trucks requiring maintenance, and a partly finished restoration project on a railway parlour car. ...OK, so all of this is mentioned by me just to illustrate the situation of scarcity of resources, both for volunteers and their time, and scarcity of funds. All this makes it even more remarkable to me that a train is running in summer 2024. (keep in mind that I'm just an outside observer) Sorry if this comes off as preachy or off-topic.

@@LowLightMike Thanks for your reply, Mike. I appreciate your response and it all makes sense. The old guard is dying off and there’s nobody around to maintain or repair these old relics. This is why it’s so important to get young people involved in all sorts of hobbies of gone by eras. I read online that number 8724 was sold to Crown Zellerbach in Ladysmith back in 1980. I would assume it has spent all its life from that day forward on Vancouver Island. She’s such a beautiful old DRL and she’s worth preserving. I think it would be smart if the BC government and tourism were involved in extending the ridership across the Cameron Lake trestles. I believe that, that would certainly draw more attention for increased interest, therefore helping generating revenue by keeping that section of rail line intact and operational.