Hello all.
I've started work on my first major route. Somehow, with no help at all. No TransDEM, Basemapz or google images. Its a fictional route, so its much easier to do things. I don't know how or why but I'm suddenly WAY better at creating routes.
Anyways, my new route is called the Utah Belt Soloman Subdivision, and it is not entirely based on any area. It runs from Solomon, Idaho (Fictional) to an undefined city in Utah, and has loads of rich history.
The main commodity is coal, with several mines along the route. There are also numerous small towns along the line with various industries from meat packing plants to refrigerator manufacturers. The route itself is primarily set in the 80's through the 2000's, with engines such as EMD SD45, SD50, SD60M, SD70ACe, GP38-2, SW1500, GP60, GE ES44AC and C44-9W models, but you can go as far back as the 1940's if you'd like. The history of the route is as follows:
The Solomon Subdivision was created in the 1920's from <Town Name>, Utah to Solomon, Idaho as a narrow-gauge coal hauler by the Salt Lake and Utah Belt RR. After a bankruptcy during the Great Depression, the Utah Belt was formed to take control. In the 1940's, after not turning a profit since the Great Depression, the UB decided to rip up the narrow-gauge and change it to standard gauge. This, combined with the introduction of new freight diesels, provided the line the things it needed to stay afloat. New GP7's, GP9's, SD7's and RS-1's flocked to the Solomon Sub for work, the SD7's assigned to coal drags and the Geeps and RS-1's assigned to general freights and yard duties. Helper service was also included in the upgrade. In the 60's and 70's the UB upgraded the fleet assigned there to SD40-2's, SD45's and GP40's, and with the retiring of the Geeps and RS-1's saw a power shortage come to the line. The UB then took some older SD7's out of retirement and placed into helper service, with the final SD7 cresting the pass in 1976. In the early 80's the UB saw the potential of the SD50 and assigned some to the Solomon Sub for testing. The UB was satisfied, so they were placed into revenue service. This is when a major derailment happened. On the night of September 21st, Train C-635 was cresting the grade with a full load of coal, 3 SD45's up front and 2 SD40-2's in the rear. Suddenly, the train started moving faster. The helper and head-end crews put on the brakes, but to no avail. The train zoomed down the 1.9% grade and collided with a stopped helper set, dropping loads of coal everywhere and sending locomotive parts across the main. After the wreck, the UB fell out of favor as a major coal hauler, and sadly had to close the line in 1983. After a spike in traffic, the UB knew the line was to be profitable again, so it was reopened in July of 1989. UB had since acquired SD60M's and GP60's, and assigned the '60M's to coal service and the GP60's to fast freights. The line grew substantially in profit potential, and in the early 2000's the UB again upgraded, sending the SD40-2's, SD45's and some SD50's into retirement and buying numerous GE ES44AC and EMD SD70ACe type models, and this is where the line stands today. With EPA Tier 4 regulations at hand, the UB will certainly purchase some newer engines, but only time will tell....
Anyways, here I will post updates and screenshots of the line as time goes on, and you guys can suggest new additions and comment about the route. There is no track plan nor a track plan in the process, just my own brain.
Thank you, and have a nice day!
P.S. Quick disclaimer: Please do NOT pester me about release, and absolutely do NOT ask for me to send you the route so you can add on or change what I'm doing because "I can do better" or "You didn't remove what I said so let me do it myself." That is incredibly disrespectful and will not be tolerated. Eventually, when the track is complete, I will allow SOME people to test the route, thats just not now. In the future, when it is released, I will allow anyone to create sessions for the route. Thank you
Screenshots page: https://forums.auran.com/trainz/sho...ision-Screenshot-Thread&p=1876185#post1876185
I've started work on my first major route. Somehow, with no help at all. No TransDEM, Basemapz or google images. Its a fictional route, so its much easier to do things. I don't know how or why but I'm suddenly WAY better at creating routes.
Anyways, my new route is called the Utah Belt Soloman Subdivision, and it is not entirely based on any area. It runs from Solomon, Idaho (Fictional) to an undefined city in Utah, and has loads of rich history.
The main commodity is coal, with several mines along the route. There are also numerous small towns along the line with various industries from meat packing plants to refrigerator manufacturers. The route itself is primarily set in the 80's through the 2000's, with engines such as EMD SD45, SD50, SD60M, SD70ACe, GP38-2, SW1500, GP60, GE ES44AC and C44-9W models, but you can go as far back as the 1940's if you'd like. The history of the route is as follows:
The Solomon Subdivision was created in the 1920's from <Town Name>, Utah to Solomon, Idaho as a narrow-gauge coal hauler by the Salt Lake and Utah Belt RR. After a bankruptcy during the Great Depression, the Utah Belt was formed to take control. In the 1940's, after not turning a profit since the Great Depression, the UB decided to rip up the narrow-gauge and change it to standard gauge. This, combined with the introduction of new freight diesels, provided the line the things it needed to stay afloat. New GP7's, GP9's, SD7's and RS-1's flocked to the Solomon Sub for work, the SD7's assigned to coal drags and the Geeps and RS-1's assigned to general freights and yard duties. Helper service was also included in the upgrade. In the 60's and 70's the UB upgraded the fleet assigned there to SD40-2's, SD45's and GP40's, and with the retiring of the Geeps and RS-1's saw a power shortage come to the line. The UB then took some older SD7's out of retirement and placed into helper service, with the final SD7 cresting the pass in 1976. In the early 80's the UB saw the potential of the SD50 and assigned some to the Solomon Sub for testing. The UB was satisfied, so they were placed into revenue service. This is when a major derailment happened. On the night of September 21st, Train C-635 was cresting the grade with a full load of coal, 3 SD45's up front and 2 SD40-2's in the rear. Suddenly, the train started moving faster. The helper and head-end crews put on the brakes, but to no avail. The train zoomed down the 1.9% grade and collided with a stopped helper set, dropping loads of coal everywhere and sending locomotive parts across the main. After the wreck, the UB fell out of favor as a major coal hauler, and sadly had to close the line in 1983. After a spike in traffic, the UB knew the line was to be profitable again, so it was reopened in July of 1989. UB had since acquired SD60M's and GP60's, and assigned the '60M's to coal service and the GP60's to fast freights. The line grew substantially in profit potential, and in the early 2000's the UB again upgraded, sending the SD40-2's, SD45's and some SD50's into retirement and buying numerous GE ES44AC and EMD SD70ACe type models, and this is where the line stands today. With EPA Tier 4 regulations at hand, the UB will certainly purchase some newer engines, but only time will tell....
Anyways, here I will post updates and screenshots of the line as time goes on, and you guys can suggest new additions and comment about the route. There is no track plan nor a track plan in the process, just my own brain.
Thank you, and have a nice day!
P.S. Quick disclaimer: Please do NOT pester me about release, and absolutely do NOT ask for me to send you the route so you can add on or change what I'm doing because "I can do better" or "You didn't remove what I said so let me do it myself." That is incredibly disrespectful and will not be tolerated. Eventually, when the track is complete, I will allow SOME people to test the route, thats just not now. In the future, when it is released, I will allow anyone to create sessions for the route. Thank you
Screenshots page: https://forums.auran.com/trainz/sho...ision-Screenshot-Thread&p=1876185#post1876185
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