[steampower2001]

Looks like a great way to kick off the season! One thing though, you might want to change SP&S 539 into a different roadnumber, as the Grand Canyon Railway has just spiffed it up and put it on static display at Williams.

[sawyer811]

Pfft, to heck with GCRy! God only knows why they...no, I'm gonna stop myself there before I go off on a Grand Canyon Railway rank AGAIN.
Needless to say, I'm no fan of theirs since the Xanterra takeover.

[Mipman25]

I'm happy that they're running 4960, but they pretty much confirmed 29 to be retired, despite the fact that she still has time on her boiler ticket!

[steampower2001]

Yeah, there was a whole rant on Facebook on one of their posts about moving 29 the South Rim. I didn't get involved, as there would be a pretty long paragraph from me about 29...

[Mipman25]

Well, there were quite a few, including ones from my buddies Jeff Hunsaker and Chris Kovacs and myself, as well as fellow foamer with a few screws loose Sawyer Regensberg, or sawyer811 on this site.

https://www.facebook...&type=3

[CC&C #15]

steampower2001, on 19 June 2014 - 11:53 AM, said:

Looks like a great way to kick off the season! One thing though, you might want to change SP&S 539 into a different roadnumber, as the Grand Canyon Railway has just spiffed it up and put it on static display at Williams.

Doh! I forgot. :sign_thanks:

Well since the numbers aren't visible in the shot, we'll just say it's #538 then.

[Stephen Hjellum]

sawyer811, on 18 June 2014 - 02:32 PM, said:

We've been talking with Mr. Hjellum about possibly running a joint streamliner over the combined, former NWPRR from Oakland/Salsalito to Eureka and back again, to tap in to the vacation/tourist market on the north end of the line (which is the portion MKTG owns).

I'm back...almost. Just bought an HP Pavilion 500t yesterday, and am slowly acquainting myself with Windows 8. Not exactly my preferred choice for OS, but it'll do if MSTS is run-able.
As for that streamliner...almost forgot about that. Once I get back into the swing of things, I'll be working on a few excursion trains as part of CRCP's repertoire. One such railroad, McCloud & Oregon Railroad (MCOR), encompassing the McCloud, Quincy, Yreka Western, and Modoc Northern under one umbrella, under a unique paint scheme. I'll reveal more when I get things running again.

[bwyrick]

We'll have to work something out between the Shasta Northern and McCloud & Oregon. Lol. Mine goes up the UP to Klamath Falls and up the UP/MSVR towards Eugene. I think we'll end up going all the way up to Eugene eventually, but for right now, we just go as far as Chiloquin. I also think some updated CORP engines are due for those with the Cascades Crossing route to have in Eugene.

[sawyer811]

*comes in slashing a machete back and forth* "sheesh, talk about going to the dogs? Has nobody kept this place clean and the grass and plants tended?"

:bravo:

man, it has been quiet here this summer hasn't it? Well, let's see what we can do about that shall we?

Sadly, I don't have any pics at the moment: War Thunder, an Free-to-Play MMO World War II game that started out simply with Aerial Combat, released the preliminary portion (Just Featuring the Germans and Russians) of its ground forces segment--IE tanks back in May, and I've been ever so slightly living my fantasy of being a WWII Tank Commander ever since. That doesn't mean I've forgotten about MKTG though, and I'd like to give a short update about what's been going on over these past couple months:

MKTG-Eastern Division:

WA&G-the Wellsville, Addison and Galeton got a new, long-term tenant this spring, in the form of the Pennsylvania Railroad Steam Locomotive society. Founded to save H8-class Consolidation No. 1731 from scrap in the 1970s, the group had acquired K4 No. 1737 from a collector and was looking for a suitable location to move their equipment too last winter, as 1731 was finally nearing operational status and needed somewhere to run. the WAG may be ex-B&O territory, but we were more than happy to accommodate them. When they say we had an I1sa on the property, the deal was all but signed, however.

FLCo.-negotiations for running rights for EPRX to Fenelton have bogged down, and thus it looks like the Fenelton line may not open this season after all. However this gives us the opportunity to explore some of the track bed that was lifted prior to abandonment in the 1930s, in the hopes of extending the line another mile or so. Supposedly there's a rather nice wooden trestle up in the woods somewhere, and if it's still structurally sound we'd love to operate over it.

MKTG-Midwestern Division:

General: the company's "mascot" engine, MKT K-10 class 2-8-0 No. 628, is going down for her 1472 in the fall, with the aim of getting her back in action by spring (no promises though). Until then however she'll be camping out on the newly-reactivated Springfield, Clinton and Lake of the Ozarks RR (see below)

SC&LotO-This was once a secondary branch of the Missouri Pacific, built by a subsidiary road (to 3ft Narrow Guage, no less) to tap the limestone quarries, lead deposits, and lumber industry both in the area of what is now the Lake of the Ozarks, as wells immediately to the south of the current lake (bearing in mind the lake itself wasn't created until the mid-20th century). Seeing the opportunity for vast mineral wealth to supplement what it had already tapped, the MoPac Predecessor St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern bought the railroad in 1882, standard gauged it, and then began a frenzied construction program to link up with it via a Spur off its White Valley Branch (today's Missouri and Northern Arkansas, well part of it anyway). the tacks eventually reached the meeting point at Montreal, Mo (not even kidding, there's a Montreal Missouri!) in 1885: however by that time the main reason for the line's purchase, the lead mines, had all but played out (the vein here was and is far smaller than the massive Bonne Terre deposit that fueled the Missouri and Illinois, another mining railroad that came under control of the MoPac in later years). However there was still some traffic, enough to warrant raising the railroad when the Reservoir was flooded in 1931-1933.

I won't bore you with the minute details of the rest of the line's history, but needless to say it was embargoed in the 1990s by Gateway Western, the successor to the line's ownership (the route connects to the ex-CGW (nee-Alton RR) line from KC to St. Louis at it's northern terminus of Fulton, MO). since then the Kansas City Southern has lifted the Fulton interchange. But we bought the route anyway, because there was enough traffic to warrant it's reinstatement. Moreover we can still exchange cars with the M&NA in the south (a Railroad MKTG has a controlling interest in, not enough to outright buy it out however). I hope to have some screens to show you of this route later today if at all possible.

MKTGX-Western Division:

POTB-track work on the Portland Side of the Mountains continues in an effort to head off another storm like that which closed the line in 2007, but for now trains can still run all the way to the interchange at Banks(we hope to attain trackage rights all the way to the 'big yard' at Hillsboro, however). Yreka Western 2-8-2 No. 19 has joined the roster, as has US Plywood No. 11, a monstrous 2-6-6-2T+T which formerly called the Snoqualmie RR Museum and Tourist line home. She was originally only supposed to be restored to operation by us, for the Snoqualmie Museum, but she's always been a favorite engine of mine and myself and Osgood worked out a deal where MKTG would not only purchase the engine (reimbursing the museum for the boiler work they had contracted for in the process) but we would restore Mud Bay RR 2-6-6-2 No. 8, another logging mallet the museum owns, free of charge for them. Excursions from Both Tillamook and Garibaldi (the latter in conjunction with the Oregon Coast Scenic RR, whose lease to operate on the line has been extended) continue to be a major success, and I suspect US Ply No. 11 will only add to what we have already done.

NWP-Traffic on the northern end of the old North Western Pacfic continues to be as high as ever. We are now running two trains per week down from Arcata to Ft. Bragg and the Georgia Pacific Mill, each some 20 cars long. Thank god for 6-axle ALCos! One train is always destined for the Willits Interchange, while the other is hauled back north to Eureka to be loaded aboard ship for overseas sale.

The Mills in both Humbolt and Eureka continue to operate, and a company plans to turn the old lumber plant in Carlotta into a Gypsum refinery, able to process and make sheetrock, wallboard (which are apparently different things, yes it's news to me too) and wall grout. Of course all this is going to have to come from off-line, meaning more traffic for both Mr. Hjellum's North Coast and our NWP.

However, things are not all good in the land of the NWP (or the MKTG for that matter): we're going to have to say goodbye to our Santa Fe 2-10-2, No. 3802. As I mentioned previously her stiff frame had issues in the Eel River Canyon, limiting her top speed and pushing the schedule of the day-trip Eel River Daylight right to the ragged edge of having to be terminated short of the Willits Depot a few times. Since 4352 returned in mid-July, we've been tinkering with 3802's frame, suspension, and pony trucks in an effort to alleviate her tracking problems. Nothing has worked, and with this being the only place we can economically run the old girl, she's going to have to go. It's a pity because we're looking at starting the Salsalito-Eureka Streamliner with Mr. Hjellum's North Coast this fall, and we really wanted 3802 to be able to pull it.

I'd like the old girl to go to a good home, someone I know will take care of her. My first choice would be Mr. Wyrick's Monterey and Salinas Valley: God knows he could use her. But I'd need to talk to him personally on that one, because the motive power department, (IE Osgood, Myself, and a few other MKTG top brass) were thinking of approaching the MSVR about buying one of their GS-6s, preferably 4460 if we could swing it. If we could agree to some sort of trade, so much the better.

That's it for now. If you don't mind, I need to get some of the shots of the SC&LotO takenAHEMdeveloped :oldstry:

[steampower2001]

Hey guys! I'm hoping to spark some activity with this post! Anyways, do any of you remember that TS2015 route I started? The one based in Florida? Well... The route is finally finished(at least I think)!

Anyways, the route is just a little tourist attraction for visitors who are on vacation to the beach and whatnot... The route is a 3 foot narrow gauge line. The only thing about it is that there is only one NG locomotive available for TS2015, and that is D&RGW 454. She maybe out of territory but she fits well for the time being! It would be nice if there could be a smaller engine, maybe like a 2-4-0, plus a small switcher diesel that would fit this line nicely!

Now on to the route description... The main depot is located in Gulf Springs, FL, here there is the depot of course along with a turntable. From here, the line will run the short 4 mile, 15 minute run to Pulaski Landing. For a few minutes the tracks run behind all of the stores and hotels of Gulf Springs but eventually meets Floridian Pkwy and the Gulf of Mexico. The tracks will now follow the Parkway and ocean for the rest of the trip. After about 1 1/2 miles of running directly along the road, the tracks veer uphill to this little area known as "Bayou du Golfe" which is French for "Bayou of the Gulf" Even though we are not near any bayous, or even in "Bayou County" there is a very interesting story behind this which will probably be explained later. After going around the "bayou" the tracks come back downhill and sticks to the parkway again but for a very limited time before going back uphill. This next "uphill area", if you will, is just a basically a jaunt through some... well... hills. While up in the hills, the tracks round a curve and are now at the Pulaski Landing station. Here is where all trains terminate, and there is a wye and a water tower located here. Passengers can either get off or stay on. The tracks continue after Pulaski Landing but only to the Pulaski Yard. At the yard, there are the shops, of course, and yet another wye. The yard is actually easy to access, therefor, sometimes unwanted characters show up... The shop crew are usually pretty good at keeping an eye out though!

Equipment:

Locomotives
D&RGW K-27 454

Rolling Stock
10 custom built open-air coaches

Like I said before, I hope TS2015 can make some more NG stock, preferably the stock I listed earlier.

Screenshots to come soon!