Durango to Silverton

[UP9018]

I'm going to start a new route for my Narrow Gauge side. I plan on building the line from Durango to Silverton. (I am not building the Durango and Silverton) I want to set this route in the early to mid 40s, when the whole yard was still in place, and the line was still going strong. Of course I will be asking tons of questions and probably for a little help.

This route will be built in TS2010EE, so I need to learn how to repair meshes for cars made for 2006. I hope that I can get some constructive comments as I go.

 

[UP9018]

So we will start on the Durango end of the line. I have down loaded fishlipsatwork's Durango terrain. What a great amount of help!!!!

Since I want to build the line as it would have appeared when the whole Durango yard was in place, I have been doing some looking and found a couple of yard plans.

The first is a Sanborn Map circa 1910, this map shows the North End of the yard with a ladder back to the mainline.

http://www.ghostdepot.com/rg/maps/sanborn/durango sanborn 1910.jpg

The second is a line drawing circa 1903 showing the North End of the yard being stub tracks.

http://www.ghostdepot.com/rg/mainline/san juan branch/durango yard 1903.gif

I have yet to locate which way this actually looked in the 40s. Can anyone help?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Thad09]

The first map is dated around 1910. The website also has a map of Silverton, yet it is around 1910 too. Both maps can work; use the one from '10 for the yard ladder while the other would be good for the smelter and the RGS. I can help with gathering information. I myself tried to do this route set in the 50's, yet that failed. Looking forward to this project of yours!

 

[UP9018]

Thanks Thad, any help would be greatly appreciated.

I have the North end of the Durango yard laid out. Now I need to work around the roundhouse area. I have a few structures just dropped in, they aren't in the correct place except the Depot and Rounhouse. Take a look and tell me what you think.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[UP9018]

I have been working on the south end of the yard the past couple of days.
I believe I have most of the tracks in place, still working on the RGS line and the smelter area. I have a few structures as stand-ins for now. Need to figure out how to make them in the future, or find a structure builder who wants to do them......

Here area couple of pics, comments always welcome.

 

[UP9018]

K-36 #480 and K-28 #470 take on water at Hermosa before beginning the climb up the hill on a snowy day.

The track has been laid to this point and the elevations set. I need to go back and set the track at the old Home Ranch cattle loading spur. If anyone has info on this, please share it with me. I also need to find the track plan and structures for Hermosa circa 1940.

 

[Thad09]

Well well well, you got further than I ever got! It looks like in the South part of the yard you need one more track(where you got 'em cabooses). I do beleive that it is 4 tracked in that part. With Hermosa, (remebering from one of the early mile by mile guides of the D&SNG) it had a depot, wye, coal house, and water tank. I'm guessing that in the 1940s, the only things that remained was a small shed that was next to the water tank, a siding and that was about it. Hermosa had a troubled past of having hotels burn down and not a lot of people lived there because of its location compared to Durango. I might be wrong on all of this, yet this is coming from a kid in high school.

 

[montanawestren]

UP9018, you are doing a lot better than I did when i gave it a try, I got a fourth of the way up the canyon and it ended up looking like a completely different railroad. But then again Ive never been to the D&S. I think I should just endlessly try to get the Black canyon line started. looks cool though!
MTW

 

[UP9018]

Thanks for the comments guys. I have a book on the D&RGW in 1941 that has a picture that shows the Hermosa Water Tank, Speeder Shed, Small Depot and a small Section House behind the depot, but that is all that is in the picture.

I have the track laid to the current location of the Highway 550 overpass. I have started a small amount of land forming along the roadbed, but it needs some fine tuning. I also drop in a few trees each time I work, because I will need A LOT of them. Right now my goal is to get the line done so I can run all the way to Silverton without derailments. Then I will start filling in the non-railroad stuff and forming land.

 

[CPman117]

man i need some narrow gauge content that will fit this route when its down i have trainz 12/10 ): no one likes those 2 version for making content

 

[Thad09]

Well, UP9018, There is one thing that I find discouraging. From records of the track, the heaviest engines alowed for the Silverton branch were the K-28's. I can understand using the K-36s for route testing and such. Thought I might point that out when it came time to do session work and such. Adding trees; create an area with some trees and then copy and paste all over and delete any trees that are on the roads, track, ect. Other than that, keep up the great work!

 

[UP9018]

Yeah, I'm testing with the K-36 because it is BIG, figured if it made it the smaller locos should without problems. Thanks for the tip on the trees.

Chris

 

[betsy662]

man i need some narrow gauge content that will fit this route when its down i have trainz 12/10 ): no one likes those 2 version for making content

Thats not really the truth of the matter, its simply that much of the content that was made, it was made during the heyday of TRS2004 and TRS2006, so much of the content is made for that, we can't expect the original creators to update everything whenever N3v gets a wild hair and decides to make a newer version of Trainz!

 

[betsy662]

Yeah, I'm testing with the K-36 because it is BIG, figured if it made it the smaller locos should without problems. Thanks for the tip on the trees.

Chris

Prior to 1980, K28's were the largest power on the Silverton Branch, the K36's and 37's were too heavy for the track before it was upgraded by the new owners who turned it into the Durango and Silverton.

 

[bnsf50]

man i need some narrow gauge content that will fit this route when its down i have trainz 12/10 ): no one likes those 2 version for making content

Put BNSF50 and rolling stock in the search windows. I made the Durango Silverton & D&RGW passenger cars if that'll help ya. There's like 38 of them. They are also interactive and error free in all versions.

 

[bendorsey]

I made the bridge on the highline. Its on the DLS. Pretty certain its in 2004 format but should convert to higher versions as there is nothing fancy in it.

If the bridge just outside of Durango and the bridge just outside Silverton have not been made I can make them too. Just takes photos and basic dimensions.

Ben