[Mipman25]

Alright, time for some R&E updates. Progress on the R&E has been slow, as I frequently alternate between MSTS projects and haven't been devoting tons of time to it. However, that's not to say I haven't thought of it over the last eight months now.

Unfortunately, the updated 60 hasn't seen much progress since the last post, although I do have an idea on how to get the smokebox to map properly (using a new ACE file with a "rolled out" version of the smokebox). However, I have been working on another Gmax model which could very well be used for Port Lambert! This is actually an unfinished model by Jimmy Lambert (Fleegle411), and I found myself whittling away at it and trying to get it to a complete state. While there's still a lot to be done and the textures are only preliminary, you can probably expect to see an engine very similar to this one in my planned R&E bonus pack. For those unfamiliar, the bonus pack will consist of the R&E locomotives' original forms (i.e. Southern for the GP9, M&PA for the 4-4-0, etc.) and some Port Lambert rolling stock which can be used in dock operations or even as additional R&E engines.



And on the topic of Port Lambert, I have an idea for their fleet. Assuming the port is big enough, they likely would have owned two tank engines alongside the little red diesel I plan on modeling in Gmax as well. If the port is not all that big (which I'm starting to lean towards, although you never know), it'll just be one tank engine and the diesel. However, these won't just be engines with roadnames and numbers; Port Lambert's locomotives will have names! Jimmy and I discussed these names, and assuming I go with the larger fleet, the two tank engines will be named Constance and Angela and the diesel will be named Ruby, very fitting for a bright red locomotive. However, if I do end up going with the smaller roster, I'll simply go for Constance and Ruby.

Also, after a tiny bit of research, I've decided I'll be changing the ex-EL RS3's number. While I initially chose 1055 to distinguish it from inflammable's original EL RS3s, 1055 was rebuilt into a RS3M with a slightly higher long hood to allow for an EMD 567 prime mover. Somehow converting it back to a RS3 to fit the model would result in an awkward backstory. However, 1005 was simply retired without being rebuilt into a RS3M. The only difference between 1005's model and the real 1005 were the unique Erie-style marker lights, which could have been stolen before R&E bought it. 1005 was also EL's first RS3, so it has a bit of history behind it. I also got the radio equipped logo on the cab after four years. I'm wondering if I should have a uniform font for the cab numbers, although I like the touch of heritage I gave them already.



Now, the last announcement is a personal one which could completely change how the R&E is literally viewed. I've been thinking about myself as a railfan and an overall person on first glance, and as I move closer to the working world, I've found I don't want my real name mostly defined as some foamer. As a result, I've slowly been moving all my MSTS-related content to my MSTS alias, Mipman25. As you can infer from this, I'm seriously considering changing the R&E's name. In fact, the Raikensburg name wasn't anything super personal, but rather a suggestion which Jimmy offered and I took because I couldn't think of anything else. Of course, it's stuck with us for more than 4 1/2 years now, so the name will still be similar, R-something-sburg & Eastern. Additionally, names that reference other simmers, such as Longview Park and Port Lambert, will stay the way they are unless said simmer tells me they don't want their name mentioned. I feel like this new name, more than anything else, will give a little more character to the R&E and not seem like a shameless self-insert. I've also been considering redoing the logo to fill it out a little more and add a flair of character to the otherwise empty logo.

What do you guys think?

[Mipman25]

Thanks for the input!

Alright, more R&E updates. First off are some thoughts I had a while back about the open-air cars. Currently, their numbers are 146317 and 146576, quite a mouthful. I've been considering changing their numbers to something a little easier on the tongue, although that's just a thought. However, I realized that R&E might have used an open air car since their earliest days (probably sparking in the 60's or 70's), in which case a gondola likely still being used in regular service wouldn't be what they buy. My mind leapt to a project I made about three or four years ago and refined last year, an observation gondola based on Tim Muir's NP 30 foot flatcars.




This is a concept that definitely predates the 60's and 70's, as I recall seeing a picture of a SP fantrip which used a modified gondola or flatcar very similar to this one in the consist. I actually intended this flatcar to be used for another one of my fictional projects as part of a fantrip consist, but I'm seriously considering using this as an early R&E open-air car. I might ditch the tourist gondola without the roof for this one if it seems plausible enough. Speaking of which, would a 30 foot flatcar built in the 1890's last long enough for the R&E to buy it?

I've also recently decided that it would add a touch of uniqueness to use the Bookman font used in the R&E logo for the entire fleet. The equipment with R&E lettering will receive this font to have it slightly differ from the usual Railroad Roman. This coincides with a new thought I had for the engines, using stacked lettering for both the steamers' tenders and possibly the diesels. 1005 proves to be a worthy subject for this experimental look, which seems to flow far better than the big, discordant logo.




And on the topic of the logo, regardless of whether I use it for the diesels or not, I recently thought of a way to fill it out. While I can't create it right now due to technical issues, I'm envisioning it looking similar to the current logo, but with a ring inside creating two ovals. While the outer oval has the roadname, I still have yet to decide how I'll fill out the inner oval.

[Fleegle411]

News from the Newark Northwestern has been slow of late. Frank hasn't been around as much as he used to be. As I understand it, he injured himself working on one of the steam locomotives last winter and has turned most of the operations over to the more trusted employee's/volunteers of the railroad. Word is though, that Frank wants to bring all his equipment out of storage off-site and to the NNW. Primarily, his stored equipment is in Warwick NY. These include the other 2 Snickersville & Berlin 2-8-0s and a set of AT&SF equipment. The 2-8-0s are in rough shape and Frank isn't sure about dragging them down to Franklin in their current condition. The Santa Fe equipment, on the other hand, is in good shape and Frank sent the order to move it all to the NNW yard. The Warwick guys touched up the paint on the equipment and it was st out for pickup. The NYS&W was more than happy to oblige, and one fall evening, AT&SF 4-8-2 #3747, a SF Observation, and 2 reefers were added to one of their regular freights.









The move went without a hitch, and after sitting idle in Warwick for several years, 3747 joined Frank's other equipment in the Franklin Yard. SW1200 #1247 was dispatched the next morning to set 3747 and cars on a siding.

Things may be getting interesting in the near future on the NNW. I'll keep y'all posted as best I can.

[Mipman25]

Long time no see! Can't wait to see how NNW benefits from these somewhat new arrivals.

[Mipman25]

While R&E 60 and 1005 have been getting most of the attention this year, we haven't seen much of 4-4-0 76 anymore. And we won't, because she's been completely made over!




Due to her story and being the main influence of Dick Cowen's model, I've decided that R&E's 4-4-0 will be the Maryland & Pennsylvania's fantrip princess #6. 6 was well-known amongst railfans for hauling turn-of-the-century passenger trains in the 1940's and 50's and being in charge of Lucius Beebe's Champagne Special in 1947. Among 6's tweaks are a detailed cast pilot, a hand-drawn Alco numberplate (6 was built just months after Richmond merged with Alco), and a MA&PA-inspired livery (likely relettered after a photo charter like Strasburg with their 475) which may carry over to 60 save the number font. Throughout all the research and rivet counting I went through to make 6 as accurate as possible, I gained a soft spot for the M&PA and their rustic manner of operation.

Just came up with a story how 6 lasted past her scrapping date, along with another member of the fleet I've been going crazy over since I restarted 6. After her lowly yet high-class career, 6 was retired in 1952. She languished for a tad bit, along with baggage car #44 providing company, waiting for her fate when a buyer sought interest in her. Miraculously, this was no scrapper, but rather a Baltimore suburb interested in displaying her as part of the city's history. 6 mainly worked in the Baltimore area, and she had a rich enough history behind her to be worthy of display. In 1953, she was arranged to be moved to Bel Air, MD, along with her baggage car mate.

6 and 44 silently enjoyed their retirement in Bel Air for about fifteen years, when a nearby tourist railroad was in desperate need of a strong steam locomotive. Their current steam locomotive, a measly tank engine, was starting to wear out and even needed diesel assistance on heavier trains. Although 6 meant a lot to Bel Air, they decided it would be best to sell 6 and 44 to this tourist railroad to keep the legacy of the MA&PA alive and under steam. 6 and 44 soon arrived at the R&E, where 6 was overhauled and restored to operation while 44 was converted into a snack car.

But wait, R&E has a MA&PA baggage car now? Better start painting that up! And what was that about R&E owning a tank engine? What could this all mean?



_{Scroll up a little bit it has to do with that CNJ 840 model}

[Mipman25]

My thirst has been satiated. Welcome Maryland & Pennsylvania baggage car 44 to the R&E fleet!

When 44 was first delivered to the R&E, she was looking a little worse for wear. However, the R&E painted her into their vibrant trifecta of emerald, orange, and gold, used for the rest of the fleet but currently only carried by two diesel locomotives and one coach. Her interior was redone into a snack/lounge car, relieving the R&E's two wooden coaches of a slightly watered-down refreshment role. The painters went for an interesting twist with her ends, curving the green and orange stripes along with the roof.



However, as time went on, 44 showed itself to be quite the problematic car. While these issues were fixed as soon as possible, 44 developed more even sooner. Eventually, the choice was made to semi-retire her while a replacement was found in the form of an ex-New York Central diner lounge. While she was occasionally used afterwards, she was soon retired and remodeled into a MOW tool car. 44 was a sad excuse compared to her former self for a while, wearing the same paint she had worn before but heavily faded and weathered.

Some time later, though, a Maryland & Pennsylvania photo charter was announced for the R&E, where 4-4-0 6 would recreate a passenger run almost identical to the ones she ran in the 40's and 50's. Alongside one of the R&E's two wooden coaches, 44 had new and old life breathed into her as she was painted green and lettered for MA&PA once again. Seen here is a mock-up of said photo charter.




The photo charter was a success, and the coach was subsequently relettered for R&E but kept in green. However, 44, with not much use behind her aside from a tool car, was kept in her MA&PA paint. While she went full circle back to her old glory, nature once again took its course as her paint once again faded. While her wheels still roll on occasion, they no longer roll as gloriously as they did years past.




Also, nobody probably wondered what the deal was with that tank engine. Either way, here she is in a largely unfinished form, Port Lambert's Constance! The old H.K. Porter 0-6-0T, along with her diesel sister Ruby, was R&E's first locomotive and their only steam locomotive until 6 came along. While the combination of heavy loads, grades, and mechanical issues proved to be her downfall, Constance still lives on as a display exhibit in her original Port Lambert paint. However, there has been talk of Constance being dragged into the shops for a potential restoration, which would mark the first time three steam locomotives have ever ran on the R&E,




Also, to prevent this screenshot thread from being one big R&E dump, I'll be rebooting an old R&E thread for future updates. Be sure to check it out if you want to stay updated. For now, keep the tourist screenshots coming, whether real or fictional! http://www.elvastowe...post__p__212401

[Fleegle411]

So it seems the rumors about Frank downsizing his collection are true. The first piece has been sold. This being a B&O heavyweight acquired some years ago from the Eastern Railroad Preservation Society. The ERPS had contacted Frank about re-acquiring the car, and he took them up on their offer. There is also foamer scuttlebutt going around about NNW RS3 #21 being sold, this is false. #21 developed more mechanical problems and has been sent to Warwick Rail services to see if it can be revived again. The head of the New Jersey Zinc Mining Museum, Mr Bilderback, has expressed concern over this. He fears Frank will pair his collection down to nothing and leave the railroad with next to nothing to run with. As a result, the museum has purchased a diesel locomotive of its own. Surplus from the New York Susquehanna & Western, the GP20 #2062 was refurbished by Warwick Rail Services and has seen some service on museum shuttle trains. The diesel is mostly there as an insurance policy, so to speak. So far though, it has proven to be a capable locomotive.The biggest gripe anyone has had with her so far is that she's turned the wrong way. One day they may take her out on the road to a wye or turntable and spin her, but for now she's staying the orientation she's in.

[Mipman25]

I told you that would be a good NNW locomotive!

[Mipman25]

Man, almost a year and a half without any sign of tourist railroads? We need some MOW equipment in this thread ASAP! There might as well be weeds growing in here!

I'm returning to this thread for a special announcement. One of my fictional endeavors which took up much of the original Tourist Railroads thread was a company called the Eastern Railroad Preservation Society. They ran steam excursions out of Pittsburgh on the CSX, but were forced to move out and settled for Butler after their 20 year lease had expired. The owner, an old railfan named Al Renzulli, grew up on the B&O and hosts an impressive roster of B&O equipment. This includes full sets of heavyweight and lightweight passenger cars and five B&O steam locomotives. He also owns several early diesel locomotives, a 4-6-0 from a shortline out west, and three CNJ commuter coaches. ERPS was a staple of the classic Tourist Railroads thread from 2012 to late 2013, but progress stopped after an update documenting the move to Butler. Even though most of ERPS's original audience has mostly moved on from Elvas Tower, I'm coming back with big news.

When the time allows for it, I will be posting the final ERPS update to this thread in five different parts.

Wait, final? Why tease us with ERPS once more and then hide it away forever? There are several reasons for this. The first is that in my eyes, ERPS was a train wreck. It was my attempt at creating a story-based tourist railroad to fit in with the others in the original thread. While I succeeded in that aspect, there were tons of errors which made it seem implausible in my eyes. Aside from their eccentric owner who somehow conjures trains that pass by the ERPS roundhouse through his dreams, most of ERPS's equipment just seemed to appear out of thin air and arrive on their property gift-wrapped to them. Additionally, there were heritage issues I'd have to write out, such as changing their ten-wheeler from ex-WP 92 to the fictional Snickersville & Berlin 6 or their ex-Port Lambert 0-4-0T (painted as B&O 99) to some other heritage. The latter was a big issue, as I got more in-depth with Port Lambert (which you can find in my Reichensberg & Eastern route thread) which made that obsolete and the real B&O 99 was converted to a tender engine. Aside from minor issues, there was the entire debacle of running excursions on the CSX mainline, a railroad known to not allow steam excursions on their tracks. There was also the whole plothole of me randomly appearing on their property and somehow not only being welcomed, but immediately being able to work on their locomotives. I was young and stupid when I made ERPS, and it shows.

Additionally, as some of you probably know by now, I'm not as into MSTS as I used to be. Sometimes I come back for a bit, but when I do, I end up working on the Reichensberg & Eastern as I love working on it and aim to release it. I'll occasionally release something a little smaller, but most of the time, it's the R&E. Most of my other fictional projects have been pushed to the sidelines as a result, including ERPS. Additionally, I barely have the steam to routinely update ERPS story-wise, and all the story-based tourist railroads which supplemented it fizzled out around the same time ERPS did. As I also mentioned before, the move to a line which was abandoned in real life warranted the creation of a new fictional railroad, the Butler Valley Railway, which took up so much time it kinda psyched me out. It's almost done, but not quite.

However, what's making me return to ERPS one more time is the fact that I like what ERPS is now. Operations over the branchline out of Butler are much more convenient than blazing down the CSX main, and I love the Butler Valley Railway's look and roster (which has been completely revamped). Fleegle411 and I came up with several new ideas for ERPS, including new kinds of operations and a backstory which justifies Mr. Renzulli's obsessive collection of steam locomotives. While what I've already made for ERPS may not make it my favorite MSTS fictional, I think what I've done for it since 2014 slightly redeems it, and it's unfair in my eyes to not show it off. I may post rogue ERPS screenshots from time to time if I feel like it, but this will be the last story-based ERPS update. It's definitely four years late, but better late than never. For one last time and for the first time in Open Rails, ERPS is back.



For those who have no idea what the deal was with ERPS or the old Tourist Railroads thread, the latter is worth a read. In short, it's an innocent screenshot thread for tourist trains which was taken over by a bunch of young, rabid foamers (myself included) and turned into an alternate universe conquered by tourist railroads all linked to one another. If you're just interested in ERPS, it begins on page 37 and ends on page 307. Updates are pretty inconsistent and I don't know exactly where each one is. http://www.elvastowe.../page__p__85903

With all that out of the way, I might as well reiterate the first post for those just stopping by. Feel free to post screenshots of tourist railroads here. Steam or diesel, real or fictional; anything goes as long as it operates for recreational purposes. If you have a fictional tourist railroad whose story you want to highlight or post updates about, by all means do so. I'd love to see what you guys have to offer.

[Mipman25]

As of today, April 11th, the original Tourist Railroads thread turned 10. What started as an innocuous screenshot thread turned into a 300+ page odyssey highlighting fictional tourist roads by me, Fleegle411, RailfanML, np2206, koasterkidd, and many others. It was unlike anything any MSTS forum had seen before and I doubt we'll see anything else like it. Will update with screens when my internet decides to play nice.

[Fleegle411]

Ten years on, and the whistles still echo. Not much is heard on the airwaves, but the trains still move. Time has marched on, and so have the familiar faces. However, there is still much to be said as our friends continue to make Smoke In The Hills.

[Mipman25]

The girl with the high wheels ten years later, wow. Talk about transcending time. Didn't think I'd get close to emotional over MSTS this year but I stand corrected. The N&W makeover and LIRR ping pongs make me wonder what escapades Dwight's been up to.

I was gonna edit this into my previous post, but I might as well do it here. 10 years of the craziest thread Elvas Tower has ever seen can't be summed up properly with a little text post. Here's an ode to every fictional tourist line I've created, whether it ran in the sim or not.


Frampton Railroad Museum

The one that started it all. Not only did I come up with this one months before the thread was even formed, but it was created within my first few months as a serious simmer. While it took me a while to turn my impromptu excursion runs on the Full Bucket Line into a full-fledged operation with a backstory and a roster, this was essentially what introduced me to the joy of fictionals. The Bucket Limited was the one part of my TrainSim debut that wasn't a complete embarrassment, and it gave way to a diverse collection of southwestern railroad relics. There are a few ideas I wanted to toy with but never got to implement, such as 2-8-0 35 being the former LS&I beauty with the same number and dome cars for the Desert Rose.

https://i.postimg.cc/T2bs6WRM/FBL-35-roaring-through-Bucket-Springs.png

https://i.postimg.cc/jSx3Pgyt/Open-Rails-2021-11-26-08-31-06.png

Reichensberg & Eastern

My pride and joy. Inspired by Fleegle411's Newark Northwestern, this project went from a ramshackle roster with a fill-in-the-blanks story to my favorite fictional with a complex history for both the railroad itself and its fleet. It's a ~10 mile branchline set somewhere in the eastern US, connecting the lumber town of Reichensberg to the bustling Port Lambert. While currently unfinished, the R&E has been with me for over ten years and I hope to finish it and release it to the masses before my time is up. I could say so much more about the Mountain Empire Line, but I'll let the R&E thread do the talking.

https://i.postimg.cc/W1yKVmJV/Open-Rails-2021-06-10-07-07-45.png

https://i.postimg.cc/SxR5H1RV/Open-Rails-2016-12-25-03-03-03.png

Eastern Railroad Preservation Society

My response to the more story-driven tourist railroads popping up in the original thread. I took a concept RailfanML proposed and turned it into something far crazier than I imagine he wanted to envision. ERPS originally ran mainline excursions out of a roundhouse in Pittsburgh, using everything from B&O Mountains and Big Sixes to CNJ GP7s and custom-painted RS-27s. After their lease expired, they moved to a shortline called the Butler Valley Railway a few miles away and are now stationed in a roundhouse in Butler. They now run more leisurely tourist and dinner trains along a former Pennsy ore branch. There was also paranormal activity and astral projected EM-1s chasing away trespassers. It was wild. Just in general, that original thread was a wild, wild time.

I actually planned out a final ERPS story update a few years back and announced it a few posts earlier, but having to paint the entire BVR roster just for a few screens turned me away. Since its 10th anniversary is coming up in May, it would honestly be a great idea to publish the final update then and either write it as text only or include less screenshots than I originally planned. It's in four parts, so I'll try to shoot for daily releases starting on the day ERPS was conceptualized and ending on the day the first screenshots were taken.

https://i.postimg.cc/fy52rYh6/ERPX-Panoramic.png

https://i.postimg.cc/05CBj1Jc/Open-Rails-2018-05-08-10-07-09.png

RMD East dual tourist lines

I nearly forgot to include this one, if you can even call it one. This was set to be two different tourist operations running on the MILW and NP lines on the RMD East. As you would expect, the one running on the NP would use steam and diesel power and the MILW line would use electric motors. I can't find much about this one, but the NP line was going to use a MILW 4-8-4 and a F7 as well as an Americanized SY styled to look like a Great Northern engine. GN 3500 was incredibly ambitious for me at the time and I don't believe it was ever finished. While I have no plans to revive this fictional, it would be fun to put the finishing touches on 3500 just to say I did it. As for these tourist lines, I don't recall being very confident about them and a hard drive crash drove the nail in their coffins.

https://i.postimg.cc/50yS2Dck/MILW-262.png

https://i.postimg.cc/85YBJwNk/MILW-87A.png

https://i.postimg.cc/N0pxYBnH/GN-3500-almost-done.png

Thomas Canyon

Oh god, not this one. Not sure what came over me when I started this one, but I decided a shortline/tourist line connecting Fort Fairfax to Thomas Canyon on the FBL would be a good idea. They used an Alco switcher for freight runs, F-units and a RDC for commuter runs to the Old Thomas Mine, and a Shay and a Prairie for tourist runs. Sounds a little odd but not exactly awful until you consider about three quarters of the run is mainline. Imagine riding behind a Shay which can max out at about 15 mph down a mainline in the middle of the desert! Far from an ideal tourist run. In fact, the entire shortline could be handled by a single local and maybe a RDC if passenger service is required. I quickly scrapped this one and sent Shay 13 off to a more fitting home on the Newark Northwestern.

https://i.postimg.cc/d1Y5Q5sb/TCRX-13-pushing.png

https://i.postimg.cc/NMkpKRL5/TCRX-17.png

Colorado Joint

The last tourist line from 2012 and one that didn't make the cut. This was intended to be a Royal Gorge-esque operation running on the Colorado Joint Line. Yes, the active mainline shared by both UP and BNSF. I thought this was an awful idea for a while, but after seeing the Joint Line myself I realized it wouldn't make a half bad location for mainline excursions. While you're not actually in the mountains, the views are just as gorgeous. I don't think I ever cataloged a full roster, but AT&SF and D&RGW F-units and a C&S Mikado were slated for power and rolling stock would be stainless steel lightweight coaches. Also the name of this one is actually really funny.

https://i.postimg.cc/sXsJC1Ky/CJ-5461.png

https://i.postimg.cc/Gp0QzXy4/CJ-48.png

https://i.postimg.cc/nLv1Wq40/CJ-809.png

Kentucky Midland Scenic Railroad

A crazy spur of the moment idea from early 2019, long after my activity with MSTS decreased. This would be a reconstruction of the Frankfort & Cincinnati in Kentucky by a local model railroad club finding the opportunity to upgrade from HO to 12 inches to the foot. This one had name trains; the Cardinal, their regular train named after the F&C's former gas-powered railcar, and the Bourbon Special, a dinner train complete with authentic Kentucky whiskey. The roster would begin with a former Northern Pacific/Amtrak RDC-2 and upgrade to a streamlined trainset led by a BL-2. They would also score two Mikados that never survived in actuality, C&O 1189 and K&T 11. Their most recent locomotive acquisition would be an Alco S-2 that actually served on the F&C for quite some time and was purchased from Consolidated Grain & Barge back to its home rails. Rolling stock would of course be stainless steel lightweight equipment just like the Southern as well as a caboose and a Crossroads Railcar Services open air car. Yes, I came up with the latter in 2019, and as of today it has only just been patented and never sold to a single railroad. I know the pandemic was hard on tourist lines but wow.

Yellowstone National Park concept

The last of my fictional tourist lines is a concept I had last year as a spinoff of one of my weirdest fictional ideas yet. Long story short, the Delaware, Laramie, & Northwestern (which had a rough life and folded into the Great Western of Colorado) fully realized its original charter to Vancouver via Yellowstone National Park and was reorganized as the Yellowstone Pacific. The YP doesn't have much of a written history yet, although I am toying with electrics through the mountains, the maroon and gold Yellowstone as their big name train, and folding into BN in 1970. However, the tourist aspect comes in after the merger, where a private company would purchase the branch off the mainline to Yellowstone National Park and run excursions to the park a la the Grand Canyon Railway. The starlet of the fleet would be Great Western 2-8-0 51, a former movie star currently in hiding at the Hudson Terminal Railroad in Colorado. Not positive on much else.

[RailfanML]

As one of the folks responsible for the Tourist Railroads mania of the early 2010's...I'll leave you all with a shot of Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad C424 #4241 hauling train #56, the last train of the day northbound on a warm August evening in 2009. These threads were great fun growing up. My simulator time has severely diminished due to career constraints (because who wants to run a simulator after 12 hours on a real locomotive), but from time to time on a day off, it's still great fun. Thanks are due to Dustin for being our honorary historian over the years and keeping the flame of tourist, historic and preservation operations alive in the sims over the years as some of us have faded away.

[Mipman25]

No better way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Tourist Railroads thread like the original three coming back and reminiscing. That's one for the ages.

And speaking of tenth anniversaries, wow. As time keeps slipping through my fingers, the concept of the Eastern Railroad Preservation Society (ERPX or ERPS) joins the decade club. This was my first attempt at making a more story-based fictional after seeing what Mike and Jimmy did with MRLX and Newark Northwestern respectively. (Just typing those names gives me the fuzzies.) While it wasn't entirely realistic and may have contained astral projected EM-1s and Chinese steamers with faces, letting ERPS unfold was an absolute blast. As such, there's no better way to celebrate ERPS's 10th anniversary than with, well, the final ERPS story. This was mostly written in 2018 and I planned to release it back then, but the daunting task of repainting and setting up so much (despite nearly being done with the BVR fleet) discouraged me. In a similar vein, I can't say I'll have many (if any) screenshots for this update, as other priorities as well as being an adult got in the way. I'll try to get at least one new screen in per update just so we have some pretty pictures to break up the walls of text. This will be a five part update published every day through the 28th, the day the first ERPS update was released.

Without further ado, let's begin.

PART 1: THE BUTLER VALLEY RAILWAY

It had been nearly ten years since I first ventured out to western Pennsylvania to visit the Eastern Railroad Preservation Society, which wasn't helped by moving out west. However, I had never seen what their new life was like in Butler, only going as far as Sandy Lick to chase the equipment move north. I decided to venture out once more to visit ERPS's new home.

After a long haul east, I had arrived at Butler, home of both ERPS and the Butler Valley Railway. The first thing I noticed changed my views on the only two engines I had seen, their newly acquired GP38-2 and SD40M-2. While I had thought power like that was regular on the BVR, what I saw made me think they might have felt a little young among their companions. Sitting right there in the yard was a pair of ex-B&LE SD9s, high hoods and all! They were decked out in a classic Pennsy-inspired livery with an elegant Loewy curve tipping its hat to the Bessemer & Lake Erie.

BVR SD9 concept render

I decided to take a closer look when I caught the eye of an employee.

"Like what you see?" He joked. I counted my blessings I wasn't immediately booted off the BVR's property.

"Oh!" I answered in the heat of the moment. "Yeah, uh, that's cool! Pretty old engines you got there."

"Old? Oh, those are brand spankin' new in 100's eyes! Take a look over there!"

I turned around and was face to face with a Pennsylvania Railroad 2-8-0 on display near the BVR headquarters. Just what had I waltzed into?


PRR 4135 concept render from 2015

"Does that look like it says 100? Over there!"

Sure enough, 100 was working the industrial park, and she didn't even look that old!


BVR 100 concept render

"I mean, that's not too old."

"Alright, you got me," he resigned. She's 65, so not much older than the rest of the roster. She is the oldest operable engine we have, only two years older than our GP7."

I had too many questions to ask.

"GP-what now?"

"Yep, right there in the shops! She only really comes out for office car specials and our yearly Santa Trains, although if we're really in a pinch, she's a reliable freight hauler. To top it all off, she's got her original Pennsy paint!"

"You've got a real relic on your hands," I replied, "but what about 100? Where'd she come from?"

"We wrangled her out of a scrapyard in Waycross, GA. Used to kick passenger cars around at Chicago Union Station for Amtrak, did the same with freight cars for the Santa Fe back in the day. She was rebuilt by the Santa Fe in the 70's, so she's really not that old inside, but she's got the body of a NW2."

"Wow! What else do you have on your roster?" I asked.

"Nothing too old besides that. We have this Mexican GP38 and a GP40 working the local. You know our GP40 is the very first locomotive to be painted in Conrail Blue? We also have a Bessemer SD18 and a rebuilt SD45 on a drag freight, think they should be coming up here pretty soon."

Suddenly, the loudest, clearest classic K5LA I had ever heard rang through the mountains.

"Say, that's her now!"

Sure enough, a few minutes passed and the Bessemer beauty trundled up to the yard with the SD40M-2 I had seen on the equipment move almost nine years before trailing behind.



It was awe-inspiring to watch 106 creep up to the yard, knowing she had been doing this for over 55 years in this very area. However, I had other matters at hand, so I said goodbye to the BVR worker and went to relive a sight I hadn't seen in years; the ERPS roundhouse.

Just what relics reside in the roundhouse? Has ERPS thinned out their collection, or have new engines and cars joined the fray? Find out tomorrow in the ERPS Chronicles finale!

[Mipman25]

Part 2, now with even less screenshots!

PART 2: ERPS IN BUTLER

It was a quick walk before I stumbled upon ERPS's equipment. BVR had let ERPS use part of their yard to store their equipment, which made sense as the rest of the yard wasn't that busy. However, the yard only caught my eye for a fleeting moment before my eyes turned towards the roundhouse. ERPS had made a smart move to Butler, as their fleet was stored in a gorgeous roundhouse complex! However, it wasn't quite as big as the one that had somehow survived on the CSX in Pittsburgh, so some locomotives had to be stored outside. One of them caught me by surprise; their RS-27, originally painted in an experimental ERPS livery, was now wearing a coat of Brunswick Green with the number 2415, one after the Pennsy's last RS-27. However, nothing else seemed to be that new, save 1527 wearing a stark coat of Red Baron paint and the absence of their PRR RS3. I had a chuckle remembering their ghostly RS3 and how it arrived on the property, wondering what railroad it was haunting now.

I made a few double checks to see if Mr. Renzulli hadn't snuck an EM-1 into the roundhouse behind my back when a familiar Pittsburgh drawl made me do a double take.

"That you, Big D?"

I shot my gaze backward and there he was, Big Al Renzulli himself! It had felt like yesterday I had last shook his hand, his grip still strong as ever from years of jerking throttles. We caught each other up over what had happened in our lives the last nine years. It did not take long for the topic to shift over to the beautiful branchline behind us.

"So, how's Butler been for excursions?"

"Excellent, excellent! The Butler Valley is a gorgeous little line. Quite the challenge too! Haven't been able to let our newer guys jerk the throttle very often."


We shared a chuckle over the branch's punishing grades.

"We've actually started running dinner trains down the branch too. Two diesels on each end, diners in between, 15 miles per hour up and down the branch."

"You think your diner service is up there with the B&O's?"

"I hope!" Big Al said with a chuckle. "The passengers love it, that's for sure."

"I imagine!" I exclaimed, my mouth beginning to water at the thought of a three course meal on rails. "I just hope you're still running steam." I affirmed that was more of a topic starter than a genuine question as I eyed the roundhouse almost completely full of steam locomotives.

"Oh, yes!' Big Al chirped. "Wouldn't want all those beautiful steamers to rot away in the roundhouse! We've mainly been using 4450, but sometimes we get to sneak in a bigger engine for the trains down to Freeport. 5308's down for an inspection and 99 can't handle the regular trains, but everyone else gets to strut their stuff."

"That's awesome! I bet you miss those mainline excursions though."

You know what, Big D? Better than being scrapped." Big Al solemnly nodded. "Just like 659..."

Big Al paused for a moment, looking like he was remembering a time gone by. I was half expecting another EM-1 to rumble by the roundhouse, but it was Big Al who broke the silence. In retrospect, one almost did.

"I ever tell you we almost saved an EM-1?"

What's this? ERPS almost got their hands on one of the biggest and most powerful locomotives ever built? Stick around for part 3 and witness Mr. Renzulli's tragic backstory!