Cajon Pass: One Tough Route to run.
Wow thanks for doing the searches, I've got those links bookmarked, great pictures and information. I've started a little work on the Barstow yard, I'm overlaying terrain pictures from Google earth so that all I have to do is lay the track on the pictures for accuracy.
And that's how Tracklaying should be.. I've been wanting to do the Tucson AZ- Lordsburg NM route, but I'm still a bit of a noob when it comes to doing the google earth material (I mean Fishlipsatwork did create a Tucson route (Called Tucson,) and I've been wanting to figure out how to lay down the maps (over the Terrain) so I could get some track laying and signalling done (After all I definitely have "The Stormy" on my mind..)
I was curious about KS if they used a DEM to produce that route, I think it has that feature just like MSTS has, but I don't have KS yet. Some of the pictures I've seen look nice but if they didn't keep the grades right then it would ruin the whole affect. I was reading on Sporebust's forum that the route editor was crashing quite often too, don't know if it's a user problem, which I doubt, or a bug in the game though.
Well from what I know and understand about KRS they use some sort of 'Seamless DEM/SRTM Data' which you can use for your routes, and supposedly you can add on to any given route with additional SRTM/DEM files that are converted into .hgt files (Something KRS understands). I mean compared to TRS (which is actually better at creating subdivisions), KRS should be able to allow you to add on to a route or merge routes together. (But this is all heresay, whether or not it can do it, is another thing.) As for Sporbust's comments yes, the Editor from time to time crashes and even with the SP1 pack installed in KRS, well it can be quite a pain..(Heck if we could get enough people together in trainz here we could show the world how it's done. After all I'm a kind of "Can do" kind of thinker..(Heck right now I'm hard at work on Updating an older route (Mousefart's PRC Line) and I've had zero problems with the surveyor and tracklaying, Just going to have to see if I can get me a variety of terrain out there to create additional boards..
I was watching a documentary of the cajon route the other night on TV, and they said that it was the most dangerous route in the US. I guess thats due to the run aways they've had on it. I know one here a few years ago almost wiped out a bunch of homes, in fact I think it did get a few of them. They were trying to blame one of them on sabotage but I don't think so since it came out later that there FRED wasn't working I believe.
Well I remember the incidents quite well and Yes Cajon is perhaps one of the most dangerous routes (Considering that the "South Track" is the steeper of the two, topping out at 3%, while the "North Track(s) are in the 2% range (longer run means less Gradient). But there have been at least 2 derailments I know of.
One of the two is known as "The Duffy Street Disaster" and can e found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino_train_disaster.
As I recall the other accident also was a "Runaway" and this luckily occurred near Alray but the Rail Line and the adjoining freeway were closed as the freight this one was carrying was pesticides and dangerous chemicals.
But yes Cajon is one nasty route to handle and if you aren't careful you will go flying off the rails..
Tucsoncoyote-