I am thinking of getting a route down and wanted some feed back. Below is what I have written up about it and would be looking for feedback on what adjustmants need to be made. Be kind I am new to this.
The Volunteer Line-Coal Mine, Moonshine or the Volunteer Line
Dison Yard is nestled between two mountains and wedged beside the small town of Oliver Springs, Tenn. Dison is the home of the Volunteer Railroad a coal line that is now partially owned by Norfolk Southern Railroad, who’s primary business is the rail service work to the mines littered around the Wind Rock mountain, Clinch River area of Eastern Tennessee and South East Kentucky. The Volunteer connects to the Norfolk main at Knoxville, TN and has delivery at the Clinton Power and Cleveland Power facilities.
The Volunteer operates mostly older engines with the newest being the SD-50 (I like the more classic box design locomotives). Some trains will see NS units in line, but the orange and white Volunteer engines are always leading the way.
Volunteer paint-take the CSX paint-make the yellow and gray parts orange and the blue parts white. I have logo
Dison Yard is a tired, sleepy yard that has let technology pass it by. The men who work out of this yard are hard working coal men who escaped or dodged the mine by working for the railroad. Stacked in the yard is many consists of coal cars, the occasional caboose and the companies engines. From the small gravel parking lot you have the companies small offices, break room, depot area and then the locomotives are just our side. There is a small fuel siding and also a shop siding for engine work. This yard is in the middle of town, a small run down town.
Wind Rock Mine-
From Dison yard you will enter the VL main and slowly creep through Oliver Springs before turning north up the Frost Bottom siding and up the holler along the river. Once you pass under the highway, small mine houses dot the track/road side to the right and ½ mile the road cross the line and runs to the left until it is out of site. Shortly after leaving town the grade slowly increases as you climb into the mountains toward Wind Rock#43. Occasionally you pass the sorted mountain home and cabin. The mine sites off the main, forcing the train to pass the switch and back down into the mine area, a caboose is always required for this run as the 2 mile reverse push requires eyes on the back. Down in the mine area the train can be loaded and when ready move out from the yard.
Down at the coal load out you snake by the creek and work your train into the narrow area where the mine works. As you push back the train drops a steep grade that reminds you of the Sand Patch and a good reason why there is a set of pusher engines on the siding to help you get back out of the Wind Rock Mine load out.
Once at the switch the train can go left and be carried through Lake City (small town with the rail line running through town) just before you get into Lake City you will pass the Coal Creek #2 mine siding. Around through Lake City you will parallel the highway for a few miles before you reach the Clinton Coal Power Plant. After you unload here you can be dispatched back to either of the two mines you passed or go from Clinton, through Knoxville and back to Dison Yard.
Watch out on this line, the local tourist train, an old steam engine often runs this line. Giving tourist the feel of coal railroading and the preservation of the steam era.
Coal Creek#2
Leaving the yard as above, Coal Creek #2 is situated in a slightly more urban area, with housing and business stacking up to the side of the mine. This old mine has been turning out coal for years.
Once loaded the CC run will take you back down the line through Oliver Springs and over to join the mainline at Knoxville, where you will run the NS line down to the Cleveland Coal Power Plant.
This trip will take time as you are a low priority train on Norfolk’s main line running north to south. Meeting other trains will be a common happening.
Lafollette Freight and Quarry
Lafollette is the town that coal never touched. Set in the coal hills, but having no mines it is a manufacturing area. When you leave Dison yard one switch takes you to the coal lines and the south run will take you to Lafollette. You will go down without a train and once in town you will assemble the consist by stopping at the rock quarry, manufacturing area and also the chemical company. From there you will come back up the line and take the coal siding passing the two mines, going through Lake City and over to Clinton Chemical where you will drop empties and pick up some loaded cars. From there you get on the NS main for Cleveland and do two stops there at the rock area and also the manufacturing facility. Once done you will leave Cleveland and go back to Lafollette dropping off the full chemical tanks and empty cars at the quarry and manufacturing area before going back to the yard with just the motive power you came in on.
Knoxville Tourist Railroad
The Knoxville Tourist Railroad leaves at the Knoxville depot in downtown Knoxville. The steam engine will carry several passenger coaches and has a caboose on the end. From Knoxville it heads toward Oliver Springs, passing the birth of atomic power, Oak Ridge, TN, at Oliver Springs it will go through downtown, pass Dison yard and climb the Frost Bottom Siding passing the mines and lives nestled in this area, down into Lake City, through Clinton and back to Knoxville.
Clinton is a suburb of Knoxville, passing homes and business.
Knoxville is a major city.
Oak Ridge is also a suburb of Knoxville and also a major nuclear power area where they build and dispose of nukes.
Oliver Springs is more rural and is isolated from Oak Ridge by a mountain.
Lafollette is much like Oliver Springs, but slightly large and no mountain between them. Farming country is between the two towns.
Lake City is slightly larger than Oliver Springs, the rail line goes through downtown (Lagrange, KY style), passes business, homes, restaurants, stations, ball fields, before it breaks out into the slightly more rural area until it reaches the edges of Clinton.
Cleveland is smaller than Knoxville, but larger than the other cities. Between it and Knoxville is farming, several smaller, small towns and you pass over I-75 a few times.
Distances (All from Dison Yard)
Wind Rock Mine-12 miles to siding
Coal Creek Mine-18 miles to siding
Lake City-20 miles
Clinton-10 miles from Lake City
Knoxville-5 miles from Clinton
Knoxville-20 miles from Dison Yard
Oak Ridge-10 miles
Lafollette-14 miles
Cleveland-30 miles