Understood. That is one of the reasons I have never released the Parkersburg to Cincinnati line. Currently stripping out a copy of that and seeing if I can fix what I don't like.
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M. Payne,
You probably can. I find that many of the snarky errors produced by MSTS/RE can either be seen in the errors window of TSRE or ignored. I just discovered in my own archives that I have the track charts from 20 years or so ago on the entire B&O from the wye at Washington Union Station to Cumberland, about 180 miles, so I may go ahead and create the end too after my education project is done. Not an area I care much about but there have been rumblings about and I am willing to help it get started.
Susan and Gregory Payne are good friends here in Jacksonville and Susan is one of our ministers. Years ago in Nashville, John Payne was a good friend and my dentist - he died in 2007.
Jerry SullivanComment
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I have digitized the line between Parkersburg and Clarksburg. Not all that hard, I used winter time image dates, even a B&W imager from the 1990s and all lined up good. Tunnel 19 is identified on topo maps and there ate least two existing tunnels west of that. Several have been daylighted and I didn't count, but it looks like at least 10 tunnels on the line - I remember when I rode over it in a HiRail back in 1979, it seemed like we were underground most of the way. Tunnel #1 is just east of Clarksburg. There are a few places which required a track man's guess. Now to create a detail marker file. The worst issue is that the line was signalled with B&O style signals but those were never upgraded. We also can only guess what protections there were on grade crossings.
J. H. Sullivan
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I haven't been able to get charts on the abandoned line, so I decided to create an entirely new route. My plan is to take it to a basic level of detail and then release it as either incomplete or finished to a point and invite others to super detail it. This starts at the west end of Grafton yard and rather than use parts of the existing route, I have laid the track out as close to prototype as our track pieces allow. It will include the first 3 or 4 miles of the line that goes south from Grafton and is now operated by the R.J.Corman company of short linies. Then the main will extend to Clarksburg and I will do the line from there to Parkersburg as best as I can. I did find an article on the "net" that details where the sidings were and you can also see these on topo maps. I have included the shortline sub. from New Martinsville east to Lumberport and then southeast to Clarksburg. I have included the abandoned line from LumberPort to Fairmont which still services a power plant at the west 2 miles or so, and lastly the line from Fairmont to Grafton for which I have the track chart. My first order of business after I complete the education project for the FC&TS and then I'll flip back and forth between the various routes I have already laid track for, or which I am laying track.
Jerry Sullivan
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That is awesome to hear. Thank you for taking on the track work. Definitely better than what I can do just looking at the stuff you have done for the west end.M. PayneComment
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Well, all that trackwork on the existing route was done by the original author. I finally figured out that he was using scale tracks. My preference is M-tracks although the creator of that did not cover as many curve radii as I would like. For example, in double track there is either 5 degree or 6 degree curves, so if it is 5D-15M, I use 5D, or if it 5D-30M or 45M, I use 6D. I could do it exactly by using dynamic track but I like to avoid the use of that as much as possible. It doesn't look right when you run the train, and it has been a source of problems for others and since you cannot rebuild a track database when using TSRE--------??
Jerry Sullivan
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Jerry, let me know what pieces are missing and I might be able to help.
I have a licensed version of Dynatrax that works for generating single pieces, and I have the Scalerail Profile. It's easy enough to keep your M-Tracks in place and do a shape replacement in the World file reference to a replacement shapefile -- no TDB rebuild needed.Comment
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I almost forgot since you said something about the Charts for the abandoned section. I posted in the Items Wanted section a while back. As I was wanting to attempt it. In that process, I received charts with a revision date of April 1983. It gives you Mileposts and shows signal placement, and grades as well. This particular chart Goes from East Grafton 277.8 to Belpre 384.9.M. PayneComment
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Would I be asking too much for you to either send a copy to me (check your personal messages for my email address) or post it in the maps section of the file library. I'm not wanting duplicate your work as such but I do want to include it in a future route of lines west of Grafton, so my route would start around mile 279 and follow both lines at the fork at west end of Grafton. I've already laid the branch that Corman operates and in doing that I discovered that markers from Google Earth are about 10 meters west of the fills and cuts obviously seen on the terrain generated by DEMEX from 1/3 arc-sec data, which is what I use as a standard if I can get it. Had to use 1 arc-sec mostly on a route I did of Alaska RR track that is in the unfinished library section. You may find this link of interest:
The writer has not done part 2 yet but there is a great deal of information in this part including why they used the "lap" sidings.
JerryComment
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Absolutely, I will get it sent over. I could have sworn there used to be a part 2 on that article. Spent many an evening reading it.Originally posted by landnrailroader View PostWould I be asking too much for you to either send a copy to me (check your personal messages for my email address) or post it in the maps section of the file library. I'm not wanting duplicate your work as such but I do want to include it in a future route of lines west of Grafton, so my route would start around mile 279 and follow both lines at the fork at west end of Grafton. I've already laid the branch that Corman operates and in doing that I discovered that markers from Google Earth are about 10 meters west of the fills and cuts obviously seen on the terrain generated by DEMEX from 1/3 arc-sec data, which is what I use as a standard if I can get it. Had to use 1 arc-sec mostly on a route I did of Alaska RR track that is in the unfinished library section. You may find this link of interest:
The writer has not done part 2 yet but there is a great deal of information in this part including why they used the "lap" sidings.
Jerry
As for what I have started it isn't too much that has been started. I have found half of my marker files disappeared just west of Jackson Siding. Have not found a real good solution to that as of yet. In the meantime.
I can upload charts from the section across Ohio The Parkersburg and Chillicothe Subdivisions and a section of the Renick that was the CH&D in case anyone is interested. I have been slowly trying to rework my rendition of the Ohio Division across Ohio.Last edited by CSXT Q-317; 10-20-2023, 09:30 AM.M. PayneComment
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Good, when I get it, there will probably be your return email address on it, but if not you can send me that via a private message and I will send you my .kml and .mkr files for Grafton to Parkersburg, which only show the main track at this point. However, they would be a start for you and if you use the file function in Google Earth, you can load in the .kml and it will display
the route. Sort of an orange color for Grafton to the former junction just east of Clarksburg, and then red from there to Parkersburg.
JerryComment
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After I provided markers etc. for the West End, I got to thinking (dangerous you know) about the abandoned Parkersburg branch. CSXT-Q17 had obtained a 1983 track chart set which meant it was about 5 years after I rode over it by hi-rail while working for the FRA and 3 years before CSX abandoned it in 1985. (actually Chessie abandoned it). So I started at the junction in Grafton and have laid track, sporadically, to the east end of Clarksburg where the Shortline Sub. veered north and the Parkersburg Branch continued west. Now I have gone about 5 miles west on the branch. (some what of an odd designation since it was really part of a vital mainline pre-Chessie, but redundunt afterward. For a few years after 1985, the Chiefton mine near Wilsonburg was still in operation and served, so here is what a buzzard sees flying west, approaching the junction to the mine. The mine lead bears to the right and only goes a few hundred yards while the main line veers to the right approaching Wolf Summit which, at 1139 feet is the first of several high points on the line. Originally there were 23 tunnels and by the end of the clearance improvement project of 1963, around 10 were left. This was an expensive project and helped push B&O over the financial edge and it did not have the ROI expected. After Chessie acquired the B&O, they had a southern and a northern route across Ohio or Kentucky and this line became expendable. CHIEFTON_JCT.jpg
Jerry SullivanLast edited by landnrailroader; 10-27-2023, 05:23 PM.Comment
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I was just looking at this route myself, and was pretty impressed with how it was done so far. Naturally I want to signal it...Comment
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I think a lot of people would appreciate that. The route is so detailed and well crafted. It would be a pity if it remained unfinished.Originally posted by jovet View Post
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Jovet & Uli2, I agree with you and I'll leave that up to someone with more skill than I. Meanwhile I have gone now, about 12 miles on the Perkersburg Branch in between finishing up my education project for the FC&TS but I will continue in fits & starts. I digitized every known line west of Grafton. Another large project I am piddling with is the Chattanooga Division of the NC&StL as of about 1935 or so, which will include all the branches, mostly to coal mines. The last of those was abandoned in 1986 or so. While in the Vanderbilt Surveying class/camp in the summer of 1957, I knew that the shelf like formation on 2 sides of the camp, and about 75 feet down the bluff that was on those 2 sides, was in fact the Sparta branch which until 1938 or so extended to mines at Clifty and Ravenswood - easily seen on Google Earth even today. This branch now ends at Sparta and is a shortline.
Jerry SullivanComment
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