[atsf37l]

There has been some renewed interest in this old (2005) route the last few days generated by the posts by Ed_4 here in the screenshots folder. I have to tell you that I run this route a lot and I'd like to explain why.

I started modeling the Rio Grande Southern in 1960. Why? I was bitten by the narrow gauge bug by a ride on the Silverton Train but I couldn't afford space or funds to duplicate anything on the Rio Grande. Beebe and Clegg's Narrow Gauge in the Rockies whetted my appetite further and I liked the sound of the name of the road. The only brass I could aford at my tender 15 years was a $39.95 United C&S 2-6-0. I knew nothing of the RGS roster at the time and I numbered it 11. It was several years before I discovered that the only mogul the RGS ever had was the 11!

Since that time I have devoured every book I could find on the railroad, even helped write a few, and was at one time the editor of The Galloping Goose newsletter of the Rio Grande Southern Historical and Technical Society, of which I was a co-founder. I have modeled the Southern in HOn3 and Sn3 and never tire of learning more about this railroad and its history and operations.

I understand why folks might look down their noses at Jonathan's RGS v3. It isn�t the WP route from 3DTrains by any stretch. But in the 48 years I have been modeling the RGS, man and boy, I never had any decent scenery with actual trees on an RGS layout until I downloaded Jonathan�s route. As one who had a hard time squeezing the li�l ol� Telluride Branch in a full garage, I really appreciate being able to run from Ridgway to Durango over all the bridges, imperfect though they may be. And the Telluride Branch (one of my favorite operating places) is as perfect as I could wish for - mountains, trees and all.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine having a Rio Grande Southern layout like this one.









I think Mal Ferrell said it best: �Towering mountains and a tiny train.�

Since Bazza has been building narrow gauge power and Werb and Pratt and Muir have built rolling stock, the sky's the limit on operating the real trains of the RGS in V-Scale. I can't tell you what a trip it is to be able to duplicate the operations of this railroad and actually get to see what it was like on the RGS, lo these many years ago. MSTS can truly be an effective time machine for those of us who were born too late!

I may dabble in Santa Fe's stainless steel and SP's cab-aheads or go run a trolley now and then, but I always come back to my roots - narrow gauge and the RGS. When the goal is to recreate the operations and have some believeable scenery to boot this line works just fine.

Am I having fun? You better believe it! Thanks, Jonathan, for years of fun railroading! And welcome, Ed_4, to the fascinating world of narrow gauge railroading, MSTS style.

[ED_4]

Hey, I got famous all of a sudden? :lol: 8P :D

And thanks for the honorable mention. I do like that railroad despite that it being not the prettiest around. The nice little route of about roughly 160 miles on the mainline, gives you the feel of being in that Durango-Silverton railroad. Even though I've never been there. Driving this route would somewhat make me feel like I've been there. Besides, those little (little by comparison with the likes of the giants of the standard gauge) engines are just a blast to hear chugging along up that hill.

Nice consist you got going there. An all freight too.

[atsf37l]

Thanks. Your consist would be most appropriate as a late 40's/early 50's Silverton consist. You do know that the Silverton Route is available, right? Train-sim.com, search for Silverton Branch. :lol:

[timmuir]

Quote

Am I having fun? You better believe it! - Herb

And that's the whole reason we do this. :lol: Great screen shots and dissertation, Herb. I've never downloaded Jonathan's route but it looks pretty good from where I'm sittin'!.

[Chile Bill]

 timmuir, on May 18 2008, 02:24 PM, said:

And that's the whole reason we do this. :lol: Great screen shots and dissertation, Herb. I've never downloaded Jonathan's route but it looks pretty good from where I'm sittin'!.

From the screens that Herb has shown us, he has done an awful lot of work modifying the original.

There, you have been warned..

See this thread for some examples of the original.

Bill

[timmuir]

Yes, Herb has done much to improve on Jonathan's original, which is what I was implying not so clearly, regretfully.

[ED_4]

It's just a bit too sad that those said improvements couldn't be shared with the community.

[ED_4]

 atsf37l, on May 18 2008, 07:51 AM, said:

Thanks. Your consist would be most appropriate as a late 40's/early 50's Silverton consist. You do know that the Silverton Route is available, right? Train-sim.com, search for Silverton Branch. :lol:

I checked that Silverton Branch. It's the actual line of the Silverton.

However, this route that Jonathan Lewis created is actually a larger route since much of the line that is presented here is now closed. So the Silverton branch is just a small section of it. I don't even think he got the part with the Silverton in there. I haven't checked thoroughly the other branches. I know there are others branches in this route that I still have to check out. Again, it may be poorly decorated by todays newer route standards, but I'm pretty much happy that it is something I can run without having to spend some money. And thanks all to Jonathan Lewis for bringing the effort to even build it.

[atsf37l]

Naaa, come on guys, I haven't done that much. The latest version of microtex.ace is the biggest improvement - helps any route not running the lastest and greatest in ground textures. The only other "major" alteration is the substitution of the original acleantrack1.ace and acleantrack2.ace with the ones from Don Karch's C&S route. His ties are the best in the business and the old and small rusty rails from his ace files serve me well on this route as well as all of the Rio Grande Lines. These things are simple file swaps. [Always back up your originals!] Beyond that I have retextured and/or relocated a few buildings and rotated a water tank at Rico but little else.

There's an old addage: "It's not what you have but how you use it that counts." Couldn't be more true here. What you are seeing is a product of all the right tools - monster PC with a top of the line video card and all the graphics sliders maxed for optimum graphics. This line - any line for that matter - is going to look crappy with the sliders down. Most of the credit goes to ASUS, Intel and MSI/Nvidia.

Ed, there are currently four Rio Grande narrow gauge routes available: The mainline from Antonito to Chama (what is now the C&TS but backdated) by Andy Miller; Charlie Leveritt's Silverton Branch about which you know; The Black Canon of the Gunnison (literally just the immediate area around the Curricanti Needle in the now flooded gorge - I use it for testing some times) and; the Lake City Branch. The latter two are from Jonathan Lewis and I don't recommend them as they are largely unfinished. Lake City only has the last five miles or so of the 30+ mile branch and it is pretty sparse. The first two I highly recommend. Then, of course, there is the Rio Grande Southern from Durango to Ridgway which only features the Durango city area of the Silverton, which Charlie was gracious enough to share with Jonathan so he would have a proper Durango on the route.

If you want to know more about these lines, where they ran and where they connected you might visit this site The Narrow Gauge Circle.

Of course there is also the fantastic Colorado and Southern lines from Don Kartch, available here on this site. Equipment is limited (Bazza, Koff, Koff :lol: ) but more is being developed.

Cumbres:



Silverton:



C&S:



And my all time favorite, the RGS in Turn of the Century dress:



Everything you see here is available in freeware, albeit in generic form. I.E. D&RG 60 class 2-8-0 No. 268 is available and can be repainted to RGS 15, C&S 68 is available and can be repainted to 71, etc. Have fun!

[ED_4]

I already have the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. It's interesting to run with what little engines they use on that line. :)

Is that route that Don Karch made the same as the one that's also available in Train-Sim.Com? Or is that a different one? If it's the same one, then I still have to install it. I already have it.

I also just recently got a hold of the Silverton Branch line, but again, that is one of those that is in the cue to install and try out. I've got a limited space, so I swap routes with things I run currently with those that I don't. Most of them are stored already in CDR on their original zip form. I have also them in DVDRs for the routes that were installed and just in storage form.

Nice shots by the way. Thanks again for that little presentation. Maybe when I get Don Karch's nice line installed I'll try doing the swap of textures like you did. I've done that too on some of my other lines, particularly the textures for the rails. Even use Kosmos for swaping better environments for the seasons. :)

Oh and this shot below.
http://www.elvastower.com/forums/uploads/monthly_05_2008/post-106-1211156590.jpg

It's interesting just how long you have that consist with 2 other helpers behind.