Keep up the good work Brick builder as for DKDsmith, I don't think he will be copying your route anytime soon. This is way to advance for him to do in real scale. Ive been to Key West and I visited the Station there and museum. Sucks that the railroad is no longer there but at least it remains as a highway now. (image a steam excursion to Key West today)
FEC Key West extension modern day
- Thread starter nikos1
- Start date
brickbuilder711
yard yobs
Thanks, Nikos! Last thing I want is for this route to go completely dead. I'm not rushing it but I want to make this a reality. And me too, I believe Ryan from JR did them in response to a commission from someone. (Not me though!)
Latest progress:
The mainline through Boca Chica Key was realigned.
I believe by the way Google Maps looks, the tracks ran right through the NAS Key West. When an air force base comes into context, naval or USAF, you know what that means... industries! The original TRS alignment runs along US1. Regardless of whichever routing is historically accurate, it is of course more fun to have more switching opportunities. Also the NAS will serve as a military train yard and also a delivery point for ethanol.
But such a location means tightened security. Gates are installed on the east and west ends of the base.
Train 214 emerges from Key West, past Home Depot
Train 214 enters the NAS property.
Train 331 (Coal) meets 214 at the new Boca Chica siding, north of the original key. The siding is about 6,800ft long. It now has its turn past the NAS gates, this shot on the east side.
brickbuilder711
yard yobs
Unless someone put it up illegally, no.
Absolutely not. They are at Jointed Rail.
brickbuilder711
yard yobs
Quick shots from my video ops session:
204 emerging from Whale Harbor siding, off of a (well dispatched) meet with 113 [yes, I'll fix the oopsie on the Overseas Highway]:
113 lost in the 7MB. Yes they have the same leader; that for me is insignificant.
204 emerging from Whale Harbor siding, off of a (well dispatched) meet with 113 [yes, I'll fix the oopsie on the Overseas Highway]:
113 lost in the 7MB. Yes they have the same leader; that for me is insignificant.
brickbuilder711
yard yobs
WIP: 18 Mile Stretch.
What pushed me to work here in this barren part of Miami-Dade county was the botched trackwork I have for the area. It's not rough per se (even though the tracks do dip) but the problem is the sidings are poorly spaced. One siding smack dab in the middle of the US1 18 Mile Stretch has trains having to go 12-15 miles south to get to the next siding at Key Largo... So what's happening is the double-track is being extended south of the yard at Florida City to approximately MM 117, with crossovers at the old South End. This aids a problem of the mainline being blocked when a train works the IM lead.
And a new siding will be constructed at approximately MM 107-MM110, about 3 miles in length. This will ease the gap from about 15 miles to 8 miles for trains coming out of the Keys.
There will be changes around FL City Proper as well, such as no crossings south of Palm Drive, and Palm Drive itself being completely grade separated as opposed to partially. This is so the yard can be extended to the north and trains can double up better.
Here are pics of how the stretch can be expected to look like, a view from the S End of the DT (CP Glades) and another at a bridge by 424th St.
A bit OT but October is BC Awareness month. So in honor of it the two most recent redos for FEC are wearing a special and beautiful livery!!
A railfan caught it in Georgia. This is the deeplink to the upload on his RRPictureArchives album.
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What pushed me to work here in this barren part of Miami-Dade county was the botched trackwork I have for the area. It's not rough per se (even though the tracks do dip) but the problem is the sidings are poorly spaced. One siding smack dab in the middle of the US1 18 Mile Stretch has trains having to go 12-15 miles south to get to the next siding at Key Largo... So what's happening is the double-track is being extended south of the yard at Florida City to approximately MM 117, with crossovers at the old South End. This aids a problem of the mainline being blocked when a train works the IM lead.
And a new siding will be constructed at approximately MM 107-MM110, about 3 miles in length. This will ease the gap from about 15 miles to 8 miles for trains coming out of the Keys.
There will be changes around FL City Proper as well, such as no crossings south of Palm Drive, and Palm Drive itself being completely grade separated as opposed to partially. This is so the yard can be extended to the north and trains can double up better.
Here are pics of how the stretch can be expected to look like, a view from the S End of the DT (CP Glades) and another at a bridge by 424th St.
A bit OT but October is BC Awareness month. So in honor of it the two most recent redos for FEC are wearing a special and beautiful livery!!
A railfan caught it in Georgia. This is the deeplink to the upload on his RRPictureArchives album.
AWESOME "Save the B(.)(.)bies" locos!!!!! I was just thinking the other day about doing a pink caboose, but "paint" is free in Trainz.... Nice seeing a real railroad (especially FEC!!) doing a custom paint job on not one, but TWO locomotives for this worthy cause!!!
brickbuilder711
yard yobs
Yep!
Working on the FL City / Homestead area; here's the new Palm Drive overpass. I am making it much simpler than it was before, removing the frontage roads. The reason is, I'm readjusting the trackwork and extending the yard limits for "Card Sound Yard".
Working on the FL City / Homestead area; here's the new Palm Drive overpass. I am making it much simpler than it was before, removing the frontage roads. The reason is, I'm readjusting the trackwork and extending the yard limits for "Card Sound Yard".
brickbuilder711
yard yobs
Apologies for the double post but I do want to air out this screen of the track layout in Florida City.
It's so industrially busy that I might suppose that since this part is part state-owned, CSX may have freight rights to switch the customers while FEC handles the big boys (IM).
Tri-Rail terminates here and Amtrak stops here. That's Tri-Rail's layover facility, loosely modelled after their WPB Layover, in the background.
It's so industrially busy that I might suppose that since this part is part state-owned, CSX may have freight rights to switch the customers while FEC handles the big boys (IM).
Tri-Rail terminates here and Amtrak stops here. That's Tri-Rail's layover facility, loosely modelled after their WPB Layover, in the background.
FEC Key West-Miami Route different
I'm not gonna copy brickbuilder711's Key Route Project, my Key Route Project will be totally under construction. As of September 30, 2013, I will be working on my own Key West-Miami Route and fill it with my own content. (Its not gonna be the same as brickbuilder711's as Tolga).
I will be downloading some more assets from the DLS to my Key West-Miami Route that is gonna be different than brickbuilder711's version. :wave:
I'm not gonna copy brickbuilder711's Key Route Project, my Key Route Project will be totally under construction. As of September 30, 2013, I will be working on my own Key West-Miami Route and fill it with my own content. (Its not gonna be the same as brickbuilder711's as Tolga).
I will be downloading some more assets from the DLS to my Key West-Miami Route that is gonna be different than brickbuilder711's version. :wave:
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Southern1581
Pineapple approved!
Freaking wonderful, now please stop spamming this thread!!!!
Okay, Southern1581. I'll stop spamming in this thread, I promise. Are you trying to be nice to me?
Southern1581
Pineapple approved!
I was... Even I will snap eventually, and you're getting dangerously close...
OK. sorry about that, Southern1581.
brickbuilder711
yard yobs
Thanks guys.
Coincidentally with the fortunate (or unfortunate) update to this thread, I did some more work on the route.
I do apologize that I keep showing stuff from Surveyor; I just don't always have the time to kick an Ops Session. There will be one this weekend however.
My new goal is to jet the entire 18-mile stretch by the end of October. I'm already well on my way.
Here's the marina at ~MM110, near the north end of the Jewfish Creek Super Siding (so long, I built a crossover at MM 109). There is a new trackplan that extends the double track south from Homestead to MM 117, then another siding from MM 112 to MM 107 (Jewfish Creek Draw).
The old siding north of Nikos's area that has been seen in page 9 or 10, gosh I can't remember, is ripped up to make way for the new plan.
Coincidentally with the fortunate (or unfortunate) update to this thread, I did some more work on the route.
I do apologize that I keep showing stuff from Surveyor; I just don't always have the time to kick an Ops Session. There will be one this weekend however.
My new goal is to jet the entire 18-mile stretch by the end of October. I'm already well on my way.
Here's the marina at ~MM110, near the north end of the Jewfish Creek Super Siding (so long, I built a crossover at MM 109). There is a new trackplan that extends the double track south from Homestead to MM 117, then another siding from MM 112 to MM 107 (Jewfish Creek Draw).
The old siding north of Nikos's area that has been seen in page 9 or 10, gosh I can't remember, is ripped up to make way for the new plan.
Thanks guys.
Coincidentally with the fortunate (or unfortunate) update to this thread, I did some more work on the route.
I do apologize that I keep showing stuff from Surveyor; I just don't always have the time to kick an Ops Session. There will be one this weekend however.
My new goal is to jet the entire 18-mile stretch by the end of October. I'm already well on my way.
Here's the marina at ~MM110, near the north end of the Jewfish Creek Super Siding (so long, I built a crossover at MM 109). There is a new trackplan that extends the double track south from Homestead to MM 117, then another siding from MM 112 to MM 107 (Jewfish Creek Draw).
The old siding north of Nikos's area that has been seen in page 9 or 10, gosh I can't remember, is ripped up to make way for the new plan.
ATTENTION EVERYBODY:
I am not gonna be able to work on my own FEC Key West-Florida Route Project because TS2009 has crashed on me again, and I am going to be a while to fix my TS2009 and TRS2006 game. So, I leave this thread for a while I get to working fixing my Trainz Games. See ya later.
I will get out of this thread, and go post into the DKDSmith's Thread. So, see y'all later trainz members in brickbuilder's thread.
@ brickbuilder711, My Key West-Miami Route will be likely a Virginia Route. Also, your Key West Route is Very Awesome and I love it, Tolga (Brickbuilder711). So, we'll chat later, Tolga. Bye, peace.
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brickbuilder711
yard yobs
Testing the signals for the offramp to one of the Jewfish resorts:
The "Jewfish Creek" Defect Detector
More sample of the 18M Stretch
The "Jewfish Creek" Defect Detector
More sample of the 18M Stretch