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wesdowns (193 posts)
Sep-22-01, 08:44 PM (EST) "Update on the Georgia Midland route" I've been away for a while--the motherboard update and increased work-load at the bank have kept me fairly busy. I just thought that some folks out there might be interested in my little Georgia Midland route project.Northeast Georgia presented several challenges in terms of loading terrain. The DEMs for Atlanta had four different datums and the route crosses a UTM zone boundary near Lithonia. Through the use of my klunky utilities, I've now got a reasonably good terrain tile set for the basis of the route. I've backed them up in unaltered form in case MSTS Route Editor decides to give me incredible levels of grief.The Georgia Midland Railroad (GAM) interchanges with the Norfolk Southern Piedmont Subdivision in Gainesville and Lula, Georgia. The NS line gave me the perfect opportunity to test out track-laying techniques before starting down the lines to Athens. I finished the 40-mile NS segment and managed to lay track almost all the way from Gainesville to Athens before getting the bright idea to test the route with an activity.Unfortunately, my standard of 0.450 maximum slope change proved to be too jerky to meet my goal of putting MSTS's Marias Pass route to shame. Starting at the grade crossing in Gainesville, I re-laid all of the NS track using 10m straight and curved segments to gentle out all of the grade changes. Now the engine virtually glides over them! I've started back down the old Gainesville Midland line again, and I'm just past the quarry at Candler. Overall, I've got about 80 miles of track down. When finished, the line will run all the way to Macon, Atlanta, and Augusta GA.I intend to lay all of the track and get it working right, then fill in the scenic details later.I'll post some screenshots if anyone is interested. Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
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Subject Author Message Date ID RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... dmikulec Sep-22-01 1 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... wesdowns Sep-22-01 2 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... rgarber Sep-23-01 3 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... dmikulec Sep-23-01 6 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... Dokkensound Sep-23-01 4 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... wesdowns Sep-23-01 5 Georgia resident, excited about you... Southern_Railway Sep-23-01 7 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... wesdowns Sep-23-01 8 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... bdobyns Sep-24-01 9 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... SD80MAC Sep-24-01 10 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... wesdowns Sep-24-01 11 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... wesdowns Sep-24-01 12 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... wesdowns Sep-24-01 13 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... wesdowns Sep-24-01 14 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... wesdowns Sep-24-01 15 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... bdobyns Sep-24-01 18 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... wesdowns Sep-24-01 20 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... bdobyns Sep-24-01 21 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... wesdowns Sep-24-01 16 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... CactusBoy Sep-24-01 17 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... wesdowns Sep-24-01 19 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... Jitny Sep-25-01 22 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... wesdowns Sep-26-01 24 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... Jitny Sep-27-01 25 RE: Update on the Georgia Midland r... CactusBoy Sep-25-01 23

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dmikulec (92 posts)
Sep-22-01, 10:00 PM (EST) 1. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" Sounds VERY interesting, looking forward to seeing it.David Mikulec
Norfolk Southern - SJ Tower Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
wesdowns (193 posts)
Sep-22-01, 10:44 PM (EST) 2. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" LAST EDITED ON Sep-22-01 AT 10:46 PM (EST)One of the interesting (and rather difficult) features of the Gainesville Midland segment of this route is the almost complete lack of leveling. The Gainesville Midland twists and turns all over the place to minimize cuts and fills, and the grade is almost in constant change throughout the route. I don't know of any other route in hilly terrain that conforms to the terrain so closely. This makes the trackage difficult to model, but very challenging to operate. The engineer must maintain a constant vigilance on his train or he will find himself off the side of a sharp curve and buried under tons of grain.On a side note, I'll be looking forward to anyone developing a Russian Decapod. The Gainesville Midland owned seven of them (I think) and operated them up into the 1960's. They were one of the last routes to convert to diesel. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
rgarber (1095 posts)
Sep-23-01, 01:48 AM (EST) 3. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" Good to see you back Wes, wondered what happened to ya Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
dmikulec (92 posts)
Sep-23-01, 11:30 AM (EST) 6. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" Wes,Sounds good! Can't wait to see it!I'd like to do a route based on this area, Norfolk Southern in Danville, Kentucky from Lawrenceburg to Moreland Kentucky for local operations. This would include the old L&N junction at Junction City, the division yard at Danville (with several industries), the wye at SJ Tower, and following the old Southern St. Louis line as far as Lawrenceburg, KY and the CNO&TP line north to the Brown Power plant at Burgin, KY. All this is switched by locals out of Danville. The only thing stopping me are the DEMS, I just can't seem to get them right. I may try and farm out that portion (maybe to Dem-Extractor.com) then tackle the trackage and scenery myself. I live in the area (on the north leg of the wye at SJ Tower) so making trips for reference material is no problem. If this route sounds interesting to anyone and you'd like to help, feel free to contact me at dmikulec@bellsouth.netThanks,David Mikulec
Norfolk Southern - SJ Tower Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Dokkensound (263 posts)
Sep-23-01, 03:23 AM (EST) 4. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" Very cool, I had thought about doing this route as well, are you doing just what exists now or do you plan to do the old branch of Gainsville Midland that ran through Winder and crossed the Seaboard there. I'm working very slowly on the Abbeville sub from Downtown Atlanta to Greenville. I'm just learning to model now but I'll see what I can do about one of the GM decapods. I know of three I can check for measurements. One each in Gainsville, Winder, and Duluth. Right now I'm working on some S&A repaints along with A&WP. How much of the Piedmont Sub did you model? I was hopeing to finish Abbeville and then do the Georgia railroad.
R. Easterday (DokkenSound)
"But these go to "11""
Spinal Tap Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
wesdowns (193 posts)
Sep-23-01, 11:20 AM (EST) 5. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" LAST EDITED ON Sep-23-01 AT 11:22 AM (EST)The modeled area of the Piedmont Subdivision stretches from the point where the double main passes the marina on Lake Lanier at Flowery Branch, Georgia to a point just north of the end of the double main at Lula, Georgia. All mainline trackage is in place for that section; the only thing left to model will be the wye track at Lula. I've waited to do that because the branch line from Lula to Athens is a part of my fictional Georgia Midland Railroad. For the most part, I will be modeling the tracks as they are now, with some small additions consistent with the business model of the Georgia Midland Railroad.A little history: In 1978, during the height of the grain embargo to Russia, Seaboard Coast Line seriously considered the prospect of selling off or truncating the Gainesville Midland. Faced with the prospect of having only one rail service in Gainesville, a number of business interests collaberated to purchase the Gainesville Midland from Seaboard Coast Line and operate it as an independent short line.The initial purchase included all of the trackage from Gainesville to Fowler Jct., the yard trackage at Fowler Jct, and Fowler Jct. siding. Motive power consisted of the seven U36C units originally purchased by the Clinchfield and later traded to SCL for SD-45 units, and six GP-30's.Unfortunately, the six GP-30 units suffered from nearly continuous operational difficulties due to their age, heavy use, and maintenance record. After some legal battles, SCL and GM agreed to a trade, and the six GP-30's were replaced by four relatively new U36B units. This resulted in an all-GE roster that the Georgia Midland Railroad has preserved to this day.Grain traffic eventually returned to full strength, and the GM learned how to squeeze a small return from timber traffic that SCL never seemed to be able to make profitable. Feed mills in Gainesville and Athens began shipping to points off-site, and the GM's financial strength grew. In the early 1980's, the Gainesville Midland purchased the Southern Railway branch from Athens to Gainesville and the Central of Georgia branch from Athens to Macon.SCL sold its trackage from Macon to Savannah to the newly formed regional Georgia Central Railroad. The GCR and GM became immediate partners, offering GAM customers access to the port of Savannah.When SCL, L&N, and the Clinchfield merged to form Seaboard System, the GM purchased the ailing Georgia Railroad from Seaboard System and changed its name to the Georgia Midland railroad. The GAM also purchased the ex-SAL line from Atlanta to Leeds (near Birmingham), and operated joint-trackage over the Central Alabama and Southern (another regional) from Leeds Junction into downtown Birmingham. The GAM and GCR relationship strengthened, and the two railroads began operating as affiliates under a new holding company, the GAM Corporation.In the early 1990's, the GCR acquired several low-density ex-CofG lines from the Central Alabama & Southern, including the line from Macon to Atlanta, the branch from Griffin to Cedarton/Rome, and the branch from Barnesville to Thomaston.In the 1990's, the GAM Corporation faced a major crisis when the Central Alabama & Southern railroad entered into bankruptcy. With its access to Birmingham severed, the GAM fought hard to restore its rights on the ailing line. As a result, Alabama courts decreed the GAM as the designated operator of the defunct regional. When the Central Georgia Southern purchased the bulk of the old CA&S trackage, the GAM retained ownership of the segment from Augusta to Columbia and Charleston, and the segment from Griffin to Columbus, as payment for the costs of operation and motive power.In 1999, the GAM and GCR partnered with the state governments of Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama to provide a fast and environmentally friendly alternative to overcrowded Atlanta interstates. The GAM established Regional Intermodal Service Centers at strategic points across the system, including a major hub at Smyrna and satellite yards at Jefferson and Augusta.In 2000, the GAM Corporaton purchased the Alabama Central Railroad from the CGS, connecting the GAM system to the KCS at Meridian and to the Gulf of Mexico at Mobile. The KCS, GAM, and GCR now operate as affiliates.In MSTS, I will be modeling the GAM from Gainesville and Lula down to Macon, and from Augusta across to Atlanta. Activities will include everything from delicate intermodal trains speeding across the ex-Georgia route to shuffling grain cars using the GAM's rather limited yard trackage at Gainesville. You'll be in charge of breaking up the two huge SuperLocal trains at Fowler Jct. yard in Athens to assemble the locals that switch Jefferson, Watkinsville, and Commerce. You'll have to ensure that you have sufficient power to haul that fully-loaded grain train up the steep three-percent grades and around the sharp curves to Gainesville. You'll carry auto racks full of Toyotas from Atlanta to Commerce, or perhaps the SuperLocal of empty wood chip hoppers and loaded grain cars from the GCR interchange at Macon. If I can get those Decapods, then there will be special passenger runs from Atlanta, Augusta, and Gainesville to carry rabid Georgia Bulldog fans to the hedges at Athens. Operational hazards will include the diamonds at Gainesville and Athens, where you'll face the very real prospect of a collision with an NS or CSX train (especially if I have to use dummy signals). You may even have to run a rerouted train over the NS from Gainesville to Lula and then down to Athens, to dodge a derailment on the former Gainesville Midland main.Of course, all of this will take a while...especially if I have to build U-boats from scratch... Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Southern_Railway (80 posts)
Sep-23-01, 02:00 PM (EST) 7. "Georgia resident, excited about your route" LAST EDITED ON Sep-23-01 AT 02:27 PM (EST)I have lived in Georgia (Athens, Barnesville, and now Marietta) since 1969. I am very excited about being able to run activities on a Georgia route. Thanks in advance for your efforts. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
wesdowns (193 posts)
Sep-23-01, 10:32 PM (EST) 8. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" Okay, this weekend's work is done and the track gang has now replaced track down to Talmo, Georgia. Talmo is about twelve miles south of Gainesville. The textile mill there used to have a spur back in the sixties, but like most textile mills, they dropped the railroad in favor of trucks. The only railroad structure of note there is an tiny old depot that houses an antique shop. They may have once had a very short passing siding (10 cars or less), but the evidence of such a siding has long since passed into complete obscurity.The grades required to this point to conform the track to the terrain are quite outstanding, and I now know why the most powerful locomotives that run on CSX are only rated to haul 2800 tons up to Gainesville. Once a train tops the hill on the south side of Gainesville, the throttle isn't needed anymore unless the engineer applies brakes. Allowing the train to free-roll, the train dips below 20 m.p.h. only once as it rumbles past the Candler quarry. That is, of course, if the train doesn't derail itself flinging around the tight curves! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
bdobyns (170 posts)
Sep-24-01, 05:43 PM (EST) 9. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" LAST EDITED ON Sep-24-01 AT 05:45 PM (EST)COOOOOOOOL!!!!!Having lived in Atlanta (Norcross) off-and-on since 1975, you KNOW I want to see it...Very much looking forward to seeing the Georgia rail landscape again. The rail landscape is very much different here in Oregon. Very sparce... Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
SD80MAC (596 posts)
Sep-24-01, 07:40 PM (EST) 10. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" Hey Wes!...Where's the "screenshots"? Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
wesdowns (193 posts)
Sep-24-01, 08:49 PM (EST) 11. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" LAST EDITED ON Sep-24-01 AT 08:51 PM (EST)Okay, I'll post a few of them. Please keep in mind that I have not placed anything other than track and a retaining wall or two (and a single cow that mysteriously appears near places where the track is a bit too kinky for my taste...)This is a shot of the NS double-track main line at Flowery Branch, GA. There will be a marina in the lake to the left... Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
wesdowns (193 posts)
Sep-24-01, 09:02 PM (EST) 12. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" Another shot. These BNSF engines lead an intermodal over the hills of the NS south of Gainesville, GA. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
wesdowns (193 posts)
Sep-24-01, 09:14 PM (EST) 13. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" This is a shot just short of the NS x GAM diamond at Gainesville, GA. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
wesdowns (193 posts)
Sep-24-01, 09:29 PM (EST) 14. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" Here's a shot of the train crossing the NS-GAM diamond. I was very pleased with how well this approach worked. The track visible heading off to the south (background) of the picture is the Georgia Midland, headed to Athens. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
wesdowns (193 posts)
Sep-24-01, 09:41 PM (EST) 15. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" The NS yard at Gainesville, GA. The first track of the yard to the right is the GAM's access lead to the giant Cargill soybean oil refinery. The three tracks further right are part of the "grain lead" that houses two huge grain and feed mills. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
bdobyns (170 posts)
Sep-24-01, 10:22 PM (EST) 18. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" Ahhhhhhhhhhhh Gainesville..."Chicken Capital of the World!" I remember a water tower near the NS line that has that line on it....boy, can you EVER smell those chickens when you come into town off of I-495...or is it 595?? DAMN, I have been away too long... Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
wesdowns (193 posts)
Sep-24-01, 11:09 PM (EST) 20. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" It's I-985, by the way...The worst smell in the world is the rotting mill grain that piles up around the tracks when the switcher bashes the cars together a bit too hard. That smell is almost impossible to get off of your shoes (or out of your car, if you track the stuff into it...). Everyone that I carry on a railfanning trip with me gets the warning about that stuff, and every one of them ends up stepping into it anyway.If Hell smells, then it smells like that stuff. Ech! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
bdobyns (170 posts)
Sep-24-01, 11:15 PM (EST) 21. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" Like I said...I've been away to DAMN long...I knew that it was something-85...do I get partial credit after all 4+5=9? Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
wesdowns (193 posts)
Sep-24-01, 09:49 PM (EST) 16. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" Here's a shot of the north end of the NS New Holland yard. In the real world, the NS uses this yard to stage about four road switching jobs. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
CactusBoy (368 posts)
Sep-24-01, 10:08 PM (EST) 17. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" LAST EDITED ON Sep-24-01 AT 10:12 PM (EST)I used to live in Toccoa Georgia...little bit north of Gainesville and on the NS mainline. (ex Doubletracked area with a very old southern signal bridge in the center of town) I know pretty well the line you're talking of; but have a few questions just to quell my curiosity.ok, Isn't one of those decapods preserved in the center of Gainesville? I remember passing that big steamer down there several times...but don't remember the railroad stenciled on the tender.Also, didn't a few years back (while painting that loc) they find out that the tender still had a full load of oil in it and have to drain her? *driving the EPA nuts*Doesnt' that line cross a CSX shortline at some point? Near the airport I think...or was that the NS with its shops in the central city area. (ok, I say shops...more of a yard than anything).And finally. Where did you get your DEM's? I've been thinking of making a revival of the tallulah Falls Railroad, since I know editing and skinning, and building pretty well.
OH, as a note. When you say Columbus you mean Columbus MS right? that would mean (if true) that the red and yellows of the CAGY systems. (a company in MS that owns 3 railroads) wouldn't be too out of place on your line. Interesting point for my end considering I grew up around the "John Deere" scheme of the original CAGY prior to its purchase of the two other lines, and later partner ship with Canadian National.
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wesdowns (193 posts)
Sep-24-01, 11:06 PM (EST) 19. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" LAST EDITED ON Sep-24-01 AT 11:11 PM (EST)Some answers:Yes, there is a Russian Decapod museum piece at Gainesville, near the old Gainesville Midland depot. There's also a SAL baggage car and SAL caboose there, as well.Yes, the engine did contain a full tank of oil. Apparently, SAL didn't care to try to sell it when they took over operation of the line around 1960.The NS x GAM crossing shown in the pictures above is the CSX shortline you were talking about. This branch (the Gainesville Midland subdivision of the Atlanta division of CSX) has some of the steepest grades present on any CSX trackage in their system.Finally, all of my DEM's came from www.gisdatadepot.com. I combined them using a bashed-together utility (XYZMerge) that avoids the complications of differing datum values. The utility simply forces MicroDEM to export all of the DEMs (one at a time) to XYZ format, then concatenates the results together. I also used a few other home-grown utilities to deal with the UTM boundary that splits Georgia in half and with the unavoidable DEM splices that would otherwise leave neat rectangular craters and jagged canyons in your terrain.The track follows markers produced by the Auto Marker Generator utility (Convert3) located in the utilities area of www.train-sim.com. This data was created using information from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics--I finally find something precious made from all of those tax dollars that Uncle Sam extracts from my wallet!If you search my prior posts, you can find the DEM utilities in beta form. They work well enough to yield results, but you may need some help figuring them out.Finally, I'm speaking of Columbus, Georgia. To my knowledge, the CofG never reached Mississippi (what a shame...). Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Jitny (112 posts)
Sep-25-01, 09:43 AM (EST) 22. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" Wes
You seem to have a very good source of info as to the history of RR's in your area.
I am researching the old M&O to Mobile and it's branch lines to the beaches and towns on the coast in southern AL in the early 1900's..
They had some loco's that were manufactured for the czar of russia at the time he was assasinated and the wheels were changed to conform to US gauge.
Anyhow, back to my point, can you share your apparent RR knowledge that just might stray at my direction? Regards
Bob
Mobile AL
M&O,GM&O,CSX,IC,SOUTHERN,BNSF,L&N

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wesdowns (193 posts)
Sep-26-01, 11:14 PM (EST) 24. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" I don't have much knowledge over there--some of the books that I've read have better information.There was one really good one that covered every southern railroad line in excruciating detail, but it was on loan to me by a friend and I don't remember the author or title exactly. I think it was something like "A History of Southern Railroads" or "Rails of the Deep South". It covered in detail the building of most southern lines, including all of the interesting details of construction and financing.I'll see if I can find it again. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Jitny (112 posts)
Sep-27-01, 01:33 PM (EST) 25. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" Wes
That would be great,Thanks Regards
Bob
Mobile AL
M&O,GM&O,CSX,IC,SOUTHERN,BNSF,L&N

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CactusBoy (368 posts)
Sep-25-01, 07:54 PM (EST) 23. "RE: Update on the Georgia Midland route" Oh thanks. It's great for me to expect a railroad that I know some about. If only in passing. :dI'm looking forward to it. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

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