Dayton & Troy Electric Railway

The Dayton & Troy is a small, model railroad-style route built by YouTuber, Approach Medium (acbdfaqoz on the forums) during an eight part YouTube series.

The route is based off of an HO scale model railroad track plan published in Model Railroad Planning 2004.

Route Download

Assets not on DLS can be located:

JR asset pack: JR Dependency Pack

http://jamezshepherd.com/

<kuid:465961:100250> JS Texture Spline B-041
<kuid:465961:100207> JS Texture Spline B-003 (Type-B)

<kuid:13920:100277> TBS billboard Lattice: Approach Medium D&T

https://www.thebackshops.com/scenery/freeware/Misc.html

May or may not be on DLS:

<kuid2:104609:21016:1> BusStop_Dome
<kuid:132952:131114> SAM Fence – old stones

Union Terminal

Union Terminal is a small freelanced, model railroad-style route built by YouTuber, Approach Medium (acbdfaqoz on the forums) during a three part YouTube series.

The route consists of a large passenger terminal, passenger yard, as well as a freight yard with engine servicing. A few local industries need to be served such as freight depots and an icing track.

You’ll find yourself busy keeping the mainline open during the constant flow of passenger trains into and out of the terminal as well as the many freight trains. It’ll take all your skills as a dispatcher to prevent a bottleneck on the main!

The route is set in an ambiguous location in the 1940’s or 50’s and because of that, just about any steam or early diesel prototype will look at home traversing the tracks.

JR asset pack: JR Dependency Pack

These JR signs: https://jointedrail.com/product/ns-signs/

http://trainzforge.weebly.com
<kuid:648132:100068> Southern Pacific 9-stall Roundhouse
<kuid2:648132:100059:1> Southern Pacific 120ft Turntable

The dependency link for the turntable is broken, but those dependencies can be found here: https://jointedrail.com/product/high-detail-track/

https://socaltrains.weebly.com/scenery.html
<kuid2:334896:26214:2> US&S Point Machine

P&B Time Table

If you’re not already familiar with the backstory of the P&B, I suggest you read this blog post first, https://jointedrail.com/pennsylvania-berwind/

One of the most magical things about the P&B is the time and effort BillM put into the history and operations of his original P&B. Everything was detailed to a T in two documents, P&B Employee Timetable and P&B Tour. Bill not only detailed every train and pick up and drop off along the route, he also included a brief history of the different towns and industries found along the P&B’s mainline.

The P&B may be a fictional railroad but much of the back story can be found in stories from Bill’s youth. The first time I spoke with him via Skype, he told me about how the town of Vonny is actually based on a real life place where he grew up in Windber Pennsylvania (see what he did there?). Bill told me how the real life tracks from “Vonny” to “Iron City” wound themselves through the mountains and small towns, and how he would give chase to the local trains making deliveries. He even detailed a few occasions he was given a cab ride by the crew he eventually befriended. Many of the towns along the P&B have been named after his friends and family. The town of Vonny is a tribute to his wife, Yvonne, whose nickname was Vonny when she was a kid. Whether you realize it or not, it’s real life details like these that allow your subconscious to breathe life into a work of fiction.

The P&B timetable may be the most useful document for those looking to familiarize themselves with the operations along the route. It details track speeds, mileages, track charts and every train symbol for movements along the route. What I’ve always loved about the P&B’s operation is the idea that it can work as a fully closed system. This means that every freight car on the route has both an origin and destination on the map. This theoretically allows for an endless operating session as every car continues to be rerouted along the line. There are interchange points at either end of the track plan, but they are not necessary for this type of operation. They act as additional industry points as well as a way to see some foreign power on the route.

It’s details like these that give life to an otherwise lifeless web of tracks through a fictional Pennsylvania countryside. I think that’s what appeals to everyone who experiences the P&B. There’s history, there’s drama, and there’s a tremendous amount of thought put into how freight moves along this wonderful short line.

You can use the P&B Tour and Timetable as it is now as a reference while following my rebuild. I’ve scaled up a few industries and eliminated a few; some of the mileage has been altered but the overall track plan and story remain unaffected. I’ve done as much as I can to preserve the essence of the original while updating everything to current Trainz standards. Both documents will provide you with greater detail into the inner workings of the Pennsylvania & Berwind and the history held within each small town.

P&B Emplyee Timetable Dec 1 2008

P&B Tour pdf

Appalachian Central

The Appalachian Central is an N-Scale layout that first appeared in the January 2000 issue of Model Railroader Magazine and again in 2009’s 102 Realistic Track Plans, which is where I found it.

I wanted to do something special for my one year YouTube anniversary and I decided a special live stream build would be the way to go (watch the build below). I wanted to find a model railroad style build that was small enough to complete in one or two streams but still interesting to build. I selected three track plans from 102 Realistic Track Plans and attempted to have those viewing the stream select which one of the three to build. Everyone prefered something different and I had no way to know if someone voted more than once so I ended up picking the track plan myself.

I already had the map imported from Basemapz so we were able to get started right away. Within the span of two live streams and a total build time of less than six hours, we had a completed build.

Despite having the track plan laid directly onto the base board, laying track ended up being the most time consuming part of the build. These track plans aren’t always drawn perfectly to scale and I’ve found they rarely translate into Trainz one to one. Generally some modification is required. Luckily in this case I didn’t need to modify much more than the radius of some curves and the lengths of a few sidings. A few tracks and buildings had to be omitted entirely due to space constraints but the overall operation is unchanged.

Despite the short amount of time this build took, I’m pretty happy with the results and I think you’ll enjoy the switching and mainline operation this route has to offer.  

A release some time in December is expected.

JR assets pack: Appalachian Central JR Deps

jamezshepherd.com
<kuid:465961:100078> JS Texture Spline A-001
<kuid:465961:100207> JS Texture Spline B-003 (Type-B)
<kuid:465961:100202> JS Texture Spline B-001

trainz-forge.com
<kuid:648132:101142> HO scale shelves

 

You’ll also need the dependency pack from http://www.ccrx.us/#!route/c1nhz

<kuid:366297:100021> QHG Aria Small Depot
<kuid:366297:100056> QHG JR MS Lt Grey Tunnel

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-5Hx81x77s[/embedyt]

Santa Fe, Needles District

Santa Fe, Needles District

Overview

The Santa Fe, Needles District layout was first featured in Model Railroader Magazine in September 2002, and again in 102 Realistic Track Plans.

I picked this mid-sized N-Scale layout as a challenge for myself to create a desert themed route from the American west-cost. Most of my route building has been focused on Northeastern US locales and I wanted to see how I would do with something completely different. I’ve never been out west and I’m not even a big fan of the railroads that operate in that region, combine that with a limited experience in Model Railroad style building and this route proved to to be the challenge I was looking for. 

Admittedly, it’s less than perfect in many ways and some omissions and adjustments had to be made, but what I learned in the process is invaluable. 

Errors, Omissions & Shortcomings

Due to many of the constraints within Trainz some omissions from the original track plan had to be made. Combine that with my own lack of knowledge of the region and you’ll find a few less than prototypical errors that I would like to address.

The most notable change is the omission of the interchange with the Union Pacific to Salt Lake City just outside of Barstow yard. I had to make this omission because there was simply no way to hide a staging track in the limited space along the peninsula. If I built the route all over again, I would have left room between the backdrop along the center of the peninsula for a portal or iportal. But there was also the issue of creating a decent junction between the UP interchange and the mainline. Space constraints in Trainz and maybe some errors within the track plan itself lead to a very jarring turnout and interchange connection. 

The next most notable change is the omission of Lee Way Trucking Transfer along the peninsula. This was again due to a space constraint and I opted to model the cement plant instead, since there wasn’t enough room for both.

A possible error on the layout is due to my own lack of knowledge of the prototype, and that’s the grade from Barstow to Needles. The track plan notes a 2% maximum grade but doesn’t indicate where the start or end point of that gradient is. As far as I was able to tell it was meant to be 2% out of Barstow up to Desert Cement before leveling off, so that’s what I did. I still am not sure if this matches the prototype or not but it works well within the space I used. It didn’t seem possible to add a downward gradient back into Needles at any point, so this is what made the most sense to me. As a result of this ‘error’ or adjustment, Needles is a bit higher than Barstow. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue except for the 3% grade it causes in the staging yard. 

Several of the staging tracks are on a 3% grade, which makes it difficult for trains to get started when facing Needles. The good news is that not all of the staging tracks are on a grade. My solution has been to stage all trains starting in Needles on the outermost tracks that are level with Needles, and all trains starting in Barstow on the downward grade. This prevents trains from stalling on the staging grade from Barstow to Needles. So far I haven’t had trouble with trains stalling while entering staging at Barstow and continuing on to Needles. This is especially good for any kind of continuous running. 

Operations

While this isn’t a route designed for switching, it’s a great route for operating long trains and managing a double track network. Add a few Amtrak trains and you’ll find yourself busy trying to keep the mainline clear! 

My personal favorite way to operate this layout so far is to set up a few AI freight trains to run in loops, through staging, in both directions, with an Amtrak train or two mixed in, while I take a local out of Needles to switch cars at the Shell Oil Refinery or Desert Cement. You can even operate a short local from Needles to Barstow or vise versa.

The bottom line is that this route is designed to run several long haul type freights & passenger trains from staging on one end to staging on the other. Have fun creating sessions and trying different types of operations! 

Versions

Needles was initially built entirely in Trainz Model Railroad Edition but has since been ported into Trainz A New Era SP2. The route should work without problems in either game version.

Dependencies

The bulk of the assets used along Needles can be located either on the Download Station or JointedRail.com Assets not available at either location can be found at the links below:

<kuid:465961:100094> JS Texture Spline A-033 – www.jamezshepherd.com/

US&S Switches – https://n8phu.wordpress.com/east-coast-trainz-download-page/

 

 

Pennsylvania & Berwind

 

Pennsylvania & Berwind

Background

“The Pennsylvania & Berwind Railroad is a 34.7 mile short line railroad that serves a coal, steel and general merchandise customer base.”

That’s the very first sentence in an over 50 page long document created by BillM001, the original creator of the P&B and the very document that got me hooked on this amazing, freelanced route. Bill first created the P&B in Trainz 2004 and released the route, along with over 50 pages of operating rules and schedules, in late 2008. I downloaded the route and was instantly hooked over the

Early morning local through Old Town

detailed operations possible. I was working in Trainz 2006 after all and to have a self-sustaining route at this time was remarkable. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before the route was seriously out of date. With the release of Trainz 2009/2010 and eventually Trainz 12, many of the assets used were now broken.

Around late 2009/10 and with Bill’s permission, I set out to fix the route by replacing every broken asset with something more up to date. This proved to be a bigger hastle than I had expected and I soon abandoned the idea in favor of rebuilding the entire route, track for track, with the original P&B and Bill’s provided paperwork as my road map. 

Since then, my update has taken many forms and several rebuilds as each iteration of Trainz continued to modernize and break the assets I was using. Eventually, around 2012 I mostly abandoned the idea and Trainz as a whole out of sheer frustration with the game. Over the years since, I’d often peak back into Trainz to take short glimpses of what had been my dream route for Trainz.

Fast forward to 2015 when N3V contacted me about building a route for their planned Trainz Model Railroad Edition. I began work on the Franklin Avenue Industrial and once again the train bug bit me. Hard this time. After completing Franklin Ave, I began to dabble around along the P&B once again and realized how unmotivated I felt without having a deadline or others interested in what I was doing. That’s when I started my YouTube channel. Initially it began as a way for me to keep myself motivated while building the P&B, but it’s since grown into something else I had never expected (that’s all another story).

A pair of P&B GP7’s switch out PBS coal in Mill Creek

So once again the P&B is under development and I’m as excited as ever. After speaking with Bill via Skype I learned a lot of the backstory behind the route, its industry and city names and his overall goal when he first built it. He was also astonished at the degree of excitment my P&B videos have been generating in the community. 

Overview

To say that my iteration of the Pennsylvania & Berwind is an exact update of the original would be a lie. I’m doing my best to keep the original flavor of a fledgling shortline railroad in the woods all while adding my own building techniques and inspiration. Many of the yards and industries are not built exactly track for track, but more as a distillation of what I loved so much about the original and what inspires me from the world around me. Bill’s original paperwork should still be applicable with only slight modifications. 

The railroad still begins in the Town of Grafton and travels around 40-50 miles to Juniata yard where it interchanges with the rest of the world. In between are dozens of miles of branch lines, industrial spurs and abandoned towns with a rich history. What fascinated me the most about the P&B was how much it felt like a real place despite being entirely freelanced (although, I later found out that many of the cities and industries were built after actual prototypes).

Release Plan

Pennsylvania and Berwind GP9 skinned by the talented WearsPrada

My intention is to release this route in several phases, probably spanning the better part of a few years before all is said and done. Phase 1 encompasses Juniata yard, Mill Creek spur, Old Town, Vonny and the Babcock Spur and should provide plenty of operational fun while I build the next phase. My hope is to have it ready for release early this fall.

The Pennsylvania & Berwind route will be freeware with payware add-ons, including loco’s and freight cars. 

Credit

I always make sure to emphasize that I am not the original visionary of this wonderful route. All of that credit goes directly to BillM001, who spent months building this route from scratch, really for his own enjoyment. Luckily he was willing to share it with us years ago and has been generous enough to not only allow me to rebuild it for the public but he often joins in on my live streams to answer viewer questions.

My background is in film making and I like to use that analogy that if the Pennsylvania and Berwind was a film, Bill is the writer and I’m simply the art director. 

Quality you can expect.

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