North Central Colorado

[JimDep]

Found this dignified sign laying on the ground near some ties by the track. Got it propped back up where I think it might have gone. The Colorado & Southern siding and scales it was referring to appear long gone.





Walking further up the the tracks, this collapsed structure caught my eye. This branch had lots of sugar beet dumps over the years, and these wooden remains has the look of a high rise trestle that the farmers used to dump their beets from the carts down into the rail hoppers.



From the irrigation canal?



Looking east on E. Vine Street as track now runs to the west and toward Fort Collins:




Same Location from the late 1950's.

 

[JimDep]

 

[JimDep]

Heading west:

 

[bryinmich]

Wow Jim! That's truly spectacular, the mix of real life shots, the history, and pics of your work! I really really am enjoying this thread, and so looking forward to seeing your route firsthand.

That sugar beet hopper you made is amazing, and the screenshot of the tanker cars, I thought that was real and somehow got mixed into your screenshots. It took some careful examination to determine it was NOT real life pic.

:hehe:

In your last screenshot, that section of track looks pretty rough. I bet there's a speed limit of 10 mph on that section...no? And do you plan to model those unique-looking utility poles on the left for your route?

Well done again!

 

[WCL]

JIM!!!!!! WOW....This topic gets better and better all the time.....I love what you did with that building...Its like ya took it home and jamed it into your PC.....You really have a nice route going here for ya.....Very nice..... :Y: :Y:

Keep up the good work :wave:

 

[Epoche3bis4]

Wow, simply amazing your NCC Project. Very, very good work :Y::clap:

Cheers Epo

 

[007007]

Jim...... epic win.

 

[JimDep]

Thanks for your kind words and feedback.


For anyone interested in having this portion of the route to download, I apologize for being unrealistic on the earlier predicted finish date.



After getting the irrigation gate done, here's a few more shots of the diagonal stretch going up to E. Vine






Maybe the best feature of this sugar beat structure is that it's only 18 polys. Lo-poly structures is a priority as I still have a mediocre PC by today's standards.






Getting back up close to E. Vine.












From here we go west to the North Yard and continuing another mile or two before reaching Highway 287 (College Ave). For this route, the west portal goes just beyond the bridge that crosses the Poudre River ( hopefully hidden by trees).

The North Yard hasn't been touched for a few months, so I'm exited to get back and try to get it right.

 

[Klinger]

Oh.....you tease!!!

Looks amazing. Right in my own backyard too.

I can't wait

Are you thinking Freeware or Payware. And I apologize if this has been asked before

 

[WCL]

Lookin good in the neighborhood :Y: :Y:

 

[JimDep]

Here's a pic of a typical C&S beet dump before the auto loaders made the high ramps obsolete.

When exploring the tracks up here, I find a pile of timber, broken concrete and stone (and who-knows what else without digging) and wonder what it used to be. SOMEBODY has got pictures of this stuff sitting in a shoebox somewhere when it was new.

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[WCL]

Wow....That is interesting.....Its pretty cool to see stuff from the past....

 

[JimDep]

In your last screenshot, that section of track looks pretty rough. I bet there's a speed limit of 10 mph on that section...no? And do you plan to model those unique-looking utility poles on the left for your route?

Hey Bryan,

Your right, that little rough stretch is 10 mph. The diagonal section of the BH branch is used for North Yard storage, with the exception of keeping the tracks clear for occasional liquid fertilizer deliveries to the Poudre Valley Co-op.

Regarding the utility poles, now finally getting back to this section, I'll see what can be done to get them close. Thanks for zeroing in on these. After you pointed that out, the lines appear to also go over Vine St again closer to the bend.

 

[WCL]

Hey Jim.....How far is this area from where you live???

 

[JimDep]

Right in my own backyard too.


Are you thinking Freeware or Payware.

That's right, you're down in the Denver area. I think we are overdue to go to a Rockies game. If you buy a seat the furthest away from homeplate on the upper deck (left field side), you get a nice view of the busy train yard.

That's worth the ticket price right there. We should do this!


This portion of the route (NCC - Fort Collins-1) will be freeware.

I think that is the least I can do for the Trainz Community having to put up with me over the last few years. Previous posts and replies make it clear to me that I really need to learn when to get off the forums and get to bed.


The North Yard, Black Hollow branch (what's left), and BNSF main heading north up to Wellington (including the Budweiser faclity) is included. The North Yard in an interchange for BNSF, UP and the Great Western shortline. The GW in Fort Collins also does switching for UP a couple miles south on UP's Fort Collins (Buckeye) Branch, but not included on this verision.

Sessions for this route focus on deliveries and pick ups at the Bud plant and maintaining 24/7 switching schedules at the North Yard.

Thanks for your interest Klinger and keep up YOUR good work!

--------------------------------------

Thanks WCL!

 

[JimDep]

Hey Jim.....How far is this area from where you live???

I'm in Loveland, and the Black Hollow branch is up in Fort Collins about ...... maybe 10 miles northeast of here. I rode my bike from here to up there last summer.. (before I got hurt), so it can't be too far for an old man:hehe:.

It's about a 1/4 mile from the house to the BNSF main that runs through Loveland, and only a mile or two from the old GW sugar beet factory and rail yard.


-------------------------------------------
Getting sentimental again:


It's probably true for prototype route builders in the community that the best part of doing these routes is getting out to the area and walking down the tracks that you can't see from the road. Sometimes however, discovering old building foundations and rusted machinery scattered around is a stark reminder that this is all that's left of a once thriving community that is now unknown, forgotten or unappreciated by today's society.

Entire families of immigrants from all over the world used to work their lives away in these now desolate sugar beet fields and factories. I can't help but admire the courageous pioneers of this area. A while back I read the memoirs of a German family that moved to North Central Colorado to farm sugar beets in the early 1900's. Their hardships were more than most people nowadays could endure but they settled here because this region was a distant reminder of the beauty they grew up with from their German Homeland. Walking the Black Hollow tracks and looking west over the fields toward the Rockies gives me an appreciation for the efforts of these good, hard working people.

 

[bryinmich]

Hey Bryan,

Your right, that little rough stretch is 10 mph. The diagonal section of the BH branch is used for North Yard storage, with the exception of keeping the tracks clear for occasional liquid fertilizer deliveries to the Poudre Valley Co-op.

Regarding the utility poles, now finally getting back to this section, I'll see what can be done to get them close. Thanks for zeroing in on these. After you pointed that out, the lines appear to also go over Vine St again closer to the bend.

Cool! I noticed those other poles (which look like the ones you already have, so no need to reinvent the wheel on that at least!); but figured you'd catch that sooner or later. Awesome, that will really make that stretch even more realistic, the hard part will be for us to determine which is real and which is simulated!

:hehe:

Awesome to hear that this will be freeware! Thanks so much!

Getting sentimental again:


It's probably true for prototype route builders in the community, that the best part of doing these routes is getting out to the area, and walking down the tracks that you can't see from the road. Sometimes, however, discovering old building foundations and rusted machinery scattered around is a stark reminder that this is all that's left of a once thriving community out east that is now forgotten or unappreciated by today's society.

Entire families of immigrants from all over the world used to work their lives away in these now desolate sugar beet field and factories. I can't help but admire the courageous pioneers of this area. A while back I read the memoirs of a German family that moved to North Central Colorado to farm sugar beets in the early 1900's. Their hardships were more than most people nowadays could endure, but hey settled here because this region was a distant reminder of the beauty they grew up with from their German Homeland. Walking the Black Hollow tracks and looking west over the fields toward the Rockies gives me an appreciation for the efforts of these good, hard working people.

Well put Jim and thanks for sharing that with us. I agree wholeheartedly. Where I live the economy from the 1970s forward has really hit this area hard. Many rugged ancestors of those pioneers; mostly from Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands, still tough-it-out. This recent round has hit my city hard, with most of the industry all but silent. Let's hope that people will start making the economy move again, so the trains can keep industry rolling forward into this century!

:wave:

 

[illinoiscentral]

Been awhile since I dropped by Floyd's Barber Shop here, so I thought I'd check in and see what is going on.
That is truly a great story there Jim, seems as though so many people forget what folks used to endure.
95% of all new kids and some adults I meet, do not realize that railroad's built this country, I think that is sad. Most kids I meet admire railroads for the most disgusting part of it, graffiti! They don't realize it but they don't admire the trains, they admire the crime.
Very sad that society has become this way, sometimes I'm ashamed to be part of my generation, but I focus on being "One Less".

Cheers,
Woody

 

[JimDep]

All's well at Floyd's barber shop in Mayberry.

Thanks for the comments on my rambling. Along with the NCC routes, I will make a point to provide whatever facts and trivia that are relevant the setting.


Here's a few shots leading up to Black Hollow Juntion that connects to the BNSF main.




Looking NE on E. Vine St.



Looking west toward Black Hollow Junction

 

[WCL]

Lookin good their Jim :wave: