BNSF Butte Subdivision - Alliance NE to Edgemont SD [TBS Version]
- Project Status -
Trackwork: 100%
Signals: 100%
Terrain: 100%
Scenery: 99,5% - 119,5 of 120 miles (155)
- Route Info -
The Butte Subdivision, within the BNSFs Powder River Division, stretches 111 miles from MP 365 at Alliance, Nebraska, up to MP 476 at Edgemont in South Dakota. It is a mostly double Track CTC controlled Mainline built for Speeds up to 60mph, best known for its crossing of the Pine Ridge Escarpment between Crawford NE and Belmont NE. Coal Trains at up to 135 cars / 19.350t are crossing over this 1.55% to 1.71% grade, beeing pushed by Helper Engines out of Crawford. But the rest of the Line isnt "just" boring grasslands, as the Trains have to traverse multiple 0.80% grades without any help. Today, two shorter sections of Single Track remain on this Line, from Provo to Ardmore, and Berea to Hemingford, about 24 miles total. The rest is 2 Main CTC, divided by Control points every ~10 miles with switches and protected by non controlled Intermediate Signals in Automatic in between. The Main Yard along the Route is at Alliance, beeing a large BNSF Engine and Car Shop, and also featuring a 22 Track Southern Yard for servicing and changing Locomotives on the long Coal Trains. The power on these, while consisting of BN SD40, SD60 and C30s in the earlier Days, now mainly boasts newer AC Engines like the ES44AC, SD70ACe and SD70MAC.
- Project Info -
The Route in Trainz is based on an own new DEM, including the whole Subdivision, as well as parts of the adjoining Subs to simulate real movements. It does not use anything from the DLS Crawford Hill Route, and was actually started way before it years ago. All Tracks are laid according to actual BNSF Charts and Timetables with help from Google Earth tiles, making grades, signals and their names, heads and aspects, speeds, crossings and even every derails found along the route as accurate as possible in Trainz. Industries and Yards are built to match the real world, using real operating and switching manuals and also having a Conductor and Engineer who worked on this Sub to help me! Without him, i'd have never started this at all actually
- Release Info -
At this point, i have no idea if and when it will be released. But i can say, that it is one of the very few projects of mine that i've worked on for many months and actually got somewhere without throwing it away. So now, first i have to finish it, which isnt too easy having a full time job as a train engineer. Then, i'd have to contact hundreds of people that i dont even know, if i can use their content - and especially the assets that i edited privately to better fit their purpose. Some i guess were even payware, i didnt really pay attention, just used what seemed closest to real life. I simply don't know if i have the will (or even time!) to handle all this later, and if there is interest in this project, i'd hope for someone to maybe help me with the legal stuff / asking for permissions at a later stage?
- Screenshots -
Now, finally, for some Screenshots of what we are dealing with here:
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Originally Posted by Forester1
) on Transdem and using JOSM I thought I would see how that would work on a new Powder River Basin route and compare to my old version(s)? Wow have I been missing out! It's a long long slog ahead! What's the saying it's a marathon, not a race? 
