San Luis and Rio Grande -- A New Hope

Tim Holmes May 11, 2020

  1. Tim Holmes

    Tim Holmes TrainBoard Member

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    Good Evening everyone

    Several people have suggested that the Hidden staging yard on my plan might be a place for problems to bite me, and someone (or maybe more than one someone) suggested moving it to the front of the line and making it an open yard, so I pulled out the track planning software, and got busy again tonight -- the result is below -- As always, I could really use comments and critiques and please help me spot holes in the plan
    SLRG 6-5.jpg

    Thanks
    TIM
     
  2. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well that's a radical change, and I feel it's more faithful to get the flavor of Alamosa. It should reduce the idea of derailments in hidden areas with sketchy access.
    It also puts the SLC interchange at the potato warehouse, where it is more plausible. The UP interchange will add more traffic, but I see a lot of track everywhere.

    It's starting to feel like a spaghetti bowl on the lower side, even Fir is getting busy for such a small layout footprint. I know you want operations, but there's a lot going on, perhaps too much.

    In reality, Alamosa is a hub of activity, and I think you're trying to capture that. I wish I were more knowledgeable on Alamosa, but I just don't know much about what industries exist, what the shippers are, and how condensed in the town they are other than Google maps.
    I am getting a vibe of a bit too much. I worry you might end up with an overly complex track arrangement, one that leads to frustration. Sometimes less is more, know what I mean?

    Disclaimer: I'm a prototype modeler, and have difficulty freelancing too much. Perhaps I'm just a rivet counter! :eek:That makes it difficult for me to critique layout plans. (n)
     
  3. Tim Holmes

    Tim Holmes TrainBoard Member

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    Cool -- I can understand that --
     
  4. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Tim,
    It's been 2 years, how about an update?

    When I get home from work, I can drop in some more photos on LVP from a 2021 trip I made.
     
  5. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    A sleepless night in the cab of my vehicle led to capturing the eastbound SLRG freight just about 0100, in a 9-min time exposure:
    _MG_5133-3.jpg
    It's just after 0600 on the east slope of La Veta Pass, just west of Occidental siding. The eastbound SLRG freight swapped loads for empties at Walsenburg in the wee hours, and returned west. It now screeches around the compound 14° curves just west of Occidental near MP 197 on a brutal 3% grade (the 2018 Spring Creek Fire scarred the background on 9040' Cross Mountain:
    _MG_5166.jpg _MG_5176.jpg _MG_5192.jpg

    Exiting "Natural Cut" at MP 197.8: _MG_5196.jpg

    Just around the shoulder of the mountain, the tracks will curve sharply into Lower Tunnel. _MG_5242.jpg

    On the other side of the pass west of the 2.5% down to Sierra siding and Forbes Park, the westbound is still cautiously dropping downgrade on a 1.42% grade east of Wagon Creek Jct near Russell:
    _MG_5269.jpg
    _MG_5277.jpg
     
  6. Tim Holmes

    Tim Holmes TrainBoard Member

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    Sure -- Things have changed radically since that post -- the biggest thing is that money got to be a real factor, and brought the construction on the San Luis and Rio Grande to a screeching halt -- About 6 months ago or so I discovered a game on the Steam Game system called Rolling Line, it is a "game" where you build your own model railroad, and can then run the trains -- its not a "sims" type game -- its just designed for people who like model railroads.

    So -- ive been busily building on the railroad -- it has the advantage that it is a one time cost (20 USD) and thats it -- my railroad is growing and expanding -- its still the San Luis and Rio Grande, but much more expanded, I'll try to shoot some pictures (the game has picture taking abilities built in) later today and post them here.

    Your pics are wonderful and invaluable as references -- Someday I would really like to get out there myself and crawl all over the area taking pics

    Thanks
    TIM
     
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  7. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I certainly understand the money factor! The east side of LVP is especially difficult to access. Private property EVERYWHERE, gates in the most inconvenient places on what seems like a public road, to boot. Add to that the rugged roads, even when they are open. Washouts and rocks make travel difficult too.
    There seems to be a rough road that can access Fir from the east. I discovered it after my trip, when searching Google Earth, so no chance as yet to determine if it works, but the RR uses it to access Fir, so perhaps it is open.
    A drone is the hot ticket for the Occidental-Fir area, if you can get access to the area.
     
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  8. DeaconKC

    DeaconKC TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks for those beautiful pictures!
     
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