[batt]

Coonskin, on 10 May 2017 - 02:25 AM, said:

Excellent pictures in this thread!

batt:

Your route just keeps looking better and better. Love the "wye" scenes! FWIW: I have the basic track in place on my "pointy trees and lofty mountains" route (Stampede Pass), but am currently involved with "distractions" that have taken precedence over investing time into it. I shall return to it one of these days, though.

Thanks, Andre. Much appreciated from someone who's completed as many superb routes as your ownself, whereby your compliment carries a lot of weight. Looking forward to another great link and pin route from you when it's ready.

I hear you on the distractions. I kind of go off on an FSX binge from time to time.

[batt]

conductorchris, on 10 May 2017 - 04:20 AM, said:

Good work indeed!

As a content maker, I love seeing some of my work show up in screen shots!

Christopher

You content makers are the ones who make it all worthwhile. I wouldn't be working on this route if it wasn't for you, Tim, and so many others. That boxcar repaint pack you made was fantastic! Thanks Christopher!

Here's a nuther-un:

[batt]

timmuir, on 10 May 2017 - 08:33 AM, said:

Aye! Me too! Love the helper set!

Andre: I hope your distractions get less distracting soon.

Thanks Tim! Got the idea from a photograph in the book "Northern Pacific, Mainstreet of the Northwest" by Charles R. Wood. It depicts a W-3 Mike and a Baldwin road switcher pushing a train up South Tacoma Hill. It's on page 150 if you have it.

Recreated a scene from page 149 of the same as well:


Wood writes:

"""The old 2-8-2 was nearly half a century old and showed the infirmities of old age - leaky flues, labored exhaust, clanking side rods, and poor combustion. Still the venerable old battler had its day of glory as road diesel 5011 had broken down and 1549 had been called to pull it and its consist into town. The old hog rolled triumphantly into the yard with headlight gleaming and ancient rods marching off the miles while the new streamlined road diesel, silent and cold, followed behind."""

[timmuir]

This is inspiring stuff, Matt, keep it up. -And, do I know that photo on pg 150 in the Woods' book? You better believe it. It struck me so deeply that, in 1977 I made a pen and ink drawing from that picture. Here is a photo of a print of it.

Click it for the big picture.



I sold the original to a friend but I still have some prints left.

So, I'm delighted to see you developing on this. What's the route? I've been out of the loop for a long time.

[Coonskin]

Tim:

I'm sure Matt will share more once he stops by again, but so you won't be in suspence: Matt's route is "Mullens Pass".

[batt]

timmuir, on 11 May 2017 - 11:18 AM, said:

This is inspiring stuff, Matt, keep it up. -And, do I know that photo on pg 150 in the Woods' book? You better believe it. It struck me so deeply that, in 1977 I made a pen and ink drawing from that picture. Here is a photo of a print of it.

Click it for the big picture.

P1010074.jpg

I sold the original to a friend but I still have some prints left.

So, I'm delighted to see you developing on this. What's the route? I've been out of the loop for a long time.

That's amazing, Tim! Thanks for sharing that. Mr. Wood's publication was the very first railroad book that I ever owned. My parents gave it to me as a birthday gift when I turned 7-8 years old and I can't imagine the number of hours I spent poring through it. I still have it on my bookshelf today and can't help but treating myself to Mr. Wood's wonderful prose and chosen photographs -just as I quoted in the post above. It's great nowadays that through railroad simulation we can recreate some semblance of those stories and/or historical events.

The route is NP Mullan Pass, Montana. Circa 1950. It's complete from the East Helena, MT lead smelter thru the Helena Yard, over Mullan Pass and on down to the junction yard at Garrison.




East Helena Lead Smelter:




Milepost Zero of the NP's Rocky Mountain 3rd Subdivision. Helena Depot/Yard:










Fort Harrison. Today it belongs to the Montana National Guard. But in the 1940's it was home off and on to the 10th Mountain Division:




Birdseye Section House:




Greenhorn Gulch, between Weed and Skyline:




East Portal of Mullan Tunnel beneath the Continental Divide. Exhaust fan and ducting present to expel locomotive exhaust. This was Montana's version of "Stampede Hello".




West Portal of Mullan Tunnel. Home of the "Blossburg Fog".



Elliston Depot:




Avon Depot:




Bradley Siding:




Garrison Junction Yard with NP Depot, Coal Dock, and Milwaukee ROW across the river:

[timmuir]

My first copy of "The Northern Pacific" was purchased on sale at a very unlikely place, a five and dime store. I think it was about 1973 and paid maybe $6 for it. I later picked up Woods' "Spokane Portland & Seattle" and "Great Northern" books. But the NP was my favorite and still have a copy of it and the SP&S volumes. It was where I first became interested in the NP beyond a passing glance. I really like Chas. Wood's writing style, a poetical account of the romance of the NP. Your quote from the book is a good example of that. The book was the inspiration for a number of drawings.

From page 141:


Holy cow, your route's awesome. You've done a nice job so far. It looks like a good home for a lot of my works. :thumbup3: Nice job with the painted terrtex, too. I prefer that to using transfers. It looks a lot more "polished" and easier on the eyes! I'm assuming you use Mosaic. Do you run it in MSTS only?

Screen grab of NP 1507 on the MILW Coast Division, over NP rails, OR.

[batt]

Thanks, Tim. Yes: Mr. Wood I believe, is the reason I became an NP fan. Even though I grew up along the CB&Q in Wyoming (I love that railroad as well), I've always been even more captivated by the NP. It sounds weird, but while ensconced in Wood's book it was like I could hear the steam hiss, smell the creosote, and feel the coal cinders in my hair. Not many non-fiction writers can or will do that.

Your pen and ink drawings are astounding. I have a friend who's a professional artist and I think he would be quite impressed with that.

Yep. Mosaic is what I use. So much now that I think I would quit route building if I was no longer able to use it. Transfers are so awkward to use and you're quite limited in what you can do with them. With Mosaic you can really go crazy with the crayolas so to speak and make some really nice (and fun) scenes (with a lot of help from the stuff you made of course).


JOE!!! Didn't ya hear the bell. There's a customer out there!




Yep. MSTS is all I'm using for now because of editors. Plan on getting O.R. installed at some point though.

And yes: The route is a good home for your works because of your works!



Don't forget to drop by the Post Office when you get a chance.