[Woodfyr]

conductorchris, on 16 March 2019 - 05:46 PM, said:

Woodfyr:

You need to get your hands on a copy of Nimke's three volume work on the Central New England Railroad. Pricy, probably too pricey to buy, but you can find it through inter-library loan or making a trip to a library that has it in the reference section. Worth the trip.

You also need to get your hands on the New Haven Railroad valuation maps. They are available for $10 here: http://home.comcast....ro/profiles.htm (along with more recent NH,PC and CR track charts and some employee timetables too) or onine at http://images.lib.uconn.edu/ (scroll down to section II). Here is a 1987 high detail Conrail ZTS map worth looking at: http://www.multimoda...TS%202-1987.pdf

Presumably you know about historic arials: https://www.historicaerials.com/

You need to get your hands on Sanborn insurance maps. They are available online through many libraries. UMass has all New England. Your library might have a subscription to an on-line database that includes them. Or they might guide you. Just don't 100% trust the track layout shown - these maps were made to show buildings and as track layout changed it was many times not changed on the maps.

Speaking of which, I'm sure you realize that track layout shown on topo maps is just an incomplete suggestion.

There is a DVD sold by the New Haven Railroad historical society of a cab ride on this route in 1970 called "Last Train to Pittsfield". Available here: http://www.nhrhta.or...docs/video.htm. I haven't seen it, but I can't imagine it wouldn't be incredibly valuable.

Here is a 1921 Directory of New Haven Railroad customers: https://drive.google...8V2UqJF-FPWZKDy

That should keep you going for awhile!

Christopher

Thanks Chris. All info is welcome and appreciated. I have quite a bit of info on the Housy as I was brought up in Newtown (near Hawleyville) in the 50s and chased freights on a regular basis. Also worked with Jay Hanlon during the resurrection in the early 80s. My HRR collection has nearly filled a file drawer.

My wife's great grandmother was killed by a HRR freight train in Stevenson in January of 1907 . Her husband was in the lumber business and we have bills of lading from the period, plus diaries from the family with lots of RR references and many, many photographs.

I have begun placing markers from Derby Junction to Brookfield and will initially attempt to reach Canaan.

[conductorchris]

Sounds like you are well stocked with good information.
Based on your geography, here is one more:
New Haven RR Customers in 1969 (covers Maybrook line, but not up to Cannan): https://drive.google...MB378nXhrcEZ4zC

Cannan is a good spot to use Dave Nelsons theory of starting in the middle, with lines in four directions. Danbury too, I guess.

Christopher

[Woodfyr]

Chris,

Thanks again. The plan for the "Housy" is to run from just south of Derby Junction to the west of Danbury as the main freight corridor of the 50-60s era (prior to the Poukeepsie bridge fire of 1974). Primarily New Haven, the locals would originate in Danbury and Canaan. There would be Through passenger service based upon the "Berkshire Route" with locals out of Danbury.

I still have friends involved with the Danbury Railway Museum including Pete McLachlan who ran the last passenger up the "Housy" in a RDC.

Regards,

[jdgremsjr]

Okay, to answer Dave's question, there are two routes I really wish were made and if I wasn't so artistically challenged I'd tackle. They are the SP&S/NP/GN route From Portland Oregon to the Canadian Border including the Short line through Vancouver WA that NP owned and the short line from Mount Vernon to Concrete WA. The era would be around the end of steam in the late 50's and early 60's.

The second route would be to complete the Columbia River gorge route from the Portland/Vancouver area all the way to the tri-cities on the Washington side and the end of the gorge on the Oregon side. Again in the same era as above.

I grew up in this area and remember riding the train to my grandparents house in Concrete Wa. My Great Aunt Laura worked for the NP and we got our tickets at a discount.

[Zecora]

Well, if I had to narrow it down to one or two, one would have to be the CB&Q Savanna Sub from Galesburg to East Dubuque, via Savanna and Barstow. You could throw in the CB&Q/Rock Island at least as far Silvis in there as well and run a local out to interchange with the Rock Island; preferablly set in the 60s or the 80s, but I would take any variation. If you did the 60s, you could also model the Rock Island branchline that went to Galva; paralleling the CB&Q up through Coal Valley and at least as far as Orion.

On the subject of the Rock, the Rock Island or Iowa Interstate from Blue Island to the Quad Cities, via Buearu Jct would be nice to see as well. We have already got plenty of IAIS and RI diesels, and it would be the perfect route to play with Brandon Smith's RI R-67s on as well. There is a Quad Cities route out there for Open Rails, but it's mainly oriented around the Soo Line/ex-Milwaukee Road from the Quad Cities up to Clinton, IA.

[Jonatan]

Dave,

The route I'd like to see would be my fictional railroad set in the Wildstar game universe, with the whole route built in a style mimicing the game and with all the locations along the ROW I've drawn up. It would require all custom built objects including vegetation and creatures, so I wouldn't expect anything like that to happen anytime soon.

https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/006/563/484/large/michael-audije-auroria-12.jpg?1499548977
https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/277/974/large/zoneTransitionAuroriaEllevar001.jpg?1414708110

[SD45T-2]

I'll throw in my ideas to the pot.

For some reason, I'd really like to see a route set around the NOLA area, sometime in the 1970s. You'd have KCS, ICG, SOU, and SP, along with the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, the Street Car network, and of course Amtrak with the Panama Limited/City of New Orleans and Crescent.

Great mix of power, and some locomotives could be used twice. (U30C for ICG, SP, and SOU, GP38s for all 4.) Not to mention a combination of EMD, ALCo, and Baldwin power for NOPB.

Lots and lots of bridges (Louisiana's Landscape is weird.), and a nice mix of industries.

Toning it down a bit, just Illinois Central's Route from New Orleans, LA to Jackson, MS. Still a nice mix, but probably a bit more manageable.

[LeoGarcia]

Two wishes: "Ligne de Petite Ceinture" (Paris) and "Ferrocarril Midland" (Buenos Aires). In fact, Petite Ceinture was exist in MSTS, but then it disappeared, I don't know why. I keep a copy, but I can not use it in public because I do not know what happened. Regards.

[SYogurt]

I've selfishly wanted the Empire Corridor in Upstate New York forever. While it's relatively straight forward double track mainline the whole way, screaming along at 79 in the Lakeshore Limited through Rochester, Syracuse, and Utica en route to NYC and Boston would still be quite fun, and also give dual mode P-32 AC DMs a purpose (since they're used on that line).

Speaking of which - I'm modeling an extremely high detail P-32 AC DM for Open Rails, 3D cab and all. Beginning posts here to get access to the forums for help!

[stlsf4003]

Might as well throw my hat into the ring.

I'ed really love to see the Monett to Fort Smith section of the Frisco's Central Division during the late steam to early diesel era. Maybe even throw in the line down the Hackett and it's associated mining branches for good measure.