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I just want to express my appreciation for Mesaba Electic which I installed yesterday (thanks to wonderful assistance here.) Not only am I a big traction fan, but I lived in Hibbing for about a year (nearly a half-century ago), so it is great to travel back there -- even if it is virtual. I hope the creative ones among us will be creating some new activities to enjoy on this line. I'd like to be able to try some different trolleys here. I guess there isn't much opportunity to also have AI streetcars, as it is mostly single-tracked. Dick
Hi Dick,allow me to fall into line with your arguments. The route is a gem, it is more than just a pleasure riding it. Thanks to Dave Mewhinney, and everybody involved into the making (including buildings and trolley cars).I also agree with you that the AI traffic patterns are a bit of a pain to develop for an activity, as most sidings consist just in a dead end spur. For AI meets to work properly, you'd need a siding with two tracks running through. When selecting the paths for the players train and the AI trains, select the main track for both trains, and mark the siding as path for passing (this makes the first train - which ever it is - wait on the main, and the second train use the siding for the passing). Unfortunately, this feature only works with two tracks running through, to my knowledge.If you're not able to use the passing path option, you risk getting stand-offs with both trains opposing each other at a red light. (Read posts on the earlier, non-reworked activities for Cajon Pass, about 6 month ago).Dave, if you read this threat: I assume the dead end spurs are close to the prototypical situation. Nevertheless, for the sake of some more AI trolley traffic, I personally hope that one day there will be a Mesaba version with a few more passings in the style of Mitchell or the passing on the trolley line in Hibbing (past the circus). Don't take this as a critizism over your line - it is beautiful! I also dream one day Mesaba Electric will add another 150 Miles of track Lukas a.k.a Swissie
Hi,Sad, that they moved to that site. It becomes quiet here. And we have to keep our eyes at two sites in stead of one. Don't what reasons they have to leave us here.Dick van den Hoven
First off thanks for the nice words on the Mesaba Electric (I'm the guy what built the thing.) When I put the route together, I followed the original maps and track plans for the ME down to five decimal places, using Demex terrain. All the trackage is as it existed (with the exception of that hidden tunnel loop thing) for a four month period in 1922. After that time, the original line ended in North Hibbing, and the line that goes straigt west out of Chisholm only went to a gravel pit. The original town of Hibbing was picked up and moved two miles south to where it exists today. If you were to go to that area today, you can still see the ghostly remains of the original Hibbing.As I mentioned, the route is accurate as to sidings, and passing tracks. Unfortunatly, it doesn't lend itself to AI trains. I've tried, and all I seem to come up with is a lot of standoffs.If you've explored the other railroads on the Mesaba (GN and DM&N) there's a lot of places for activities there however.Maybe I should "finish" (yeah, right!) the existing Mesaba, then modify it for AI trains with double ended sidings along the way. I'm open to suggestions. Since building the route as it currently exists, I've found better maps of the "steam" roads, and I find that the DM&N should have stayed south of the GN all the way to Virginia, not go north of it as it does now. The GN ended in Virginia, because it went south to Duluth out of Hibbing, whereas the DW&P went south to Duluth out of Virginia, and the DM&N swung south of Virginia heading towards Duluth and south of Virginia they had a branch line that went straight north to that town.
I didn't realize yesterday that you are the Dave who built it... nor did I notice this traction section here. So again, I thank you so much for the help.I used to be fireman on the GN -- and I want to correct one small point. The GN ran south from Kelly Lake, which was about 3 miles west of Hibbing, not from Hibbing itself. It was the main classification yard for the ore that was gathered from both directions -- east to Virginia and west almost to Grand Rapids. When I was there (summer of 1957) a 190-car train of ore left just about every hour around the clock. They were called mallet runs, although by then they were A-B-B-A combinations of F7's. As to AI trolleys, I'm wondering if the line was actually double tracked in places... like Howard Street (which is actually 20th street)? Surely when it was in operation there had to have been multiple cars running at the same time, in both directions. I used to enjoy exploring the "ghost town" of north Hibbing -- so it still remains that way?
Everything I can find about the Mesaba Electric points to the fact that Howard Street was single tracked. The interurbans only operated from the depot east on Howard through Kitzville and on over to Gilbert. There was a city streetcar service that ran from Kitzville (and occasionally Chisholm) through Hibbing, up to North Hibbing, turned went south on 1st Avenue to where the sim route starts, reversed, and then went back to Kitzville again. That was the primary reason for the double ended siding at Mitchell, so they could dodge the interurbans.If I ever do a Mesaba II, I'd like to get some more accurate details on the steam roads in the area so they could be put in the proper place. I worked from the Mesaba maps, which weren't too accurate except for the points where the steam roads crossed.I knew about the Kelley Lake yards, but exactly where was the Emmert yard? My maps show it somewhere between Brooklyn and Kitzville. Again if I do a Mesaba II, the other major error I need to fix, is that to get into the Glen mine on the GN, you have to go over a stretch of the DM&N to get there. I need to put a turnout just beyond where the two steam lines cross under the interurban east of Mitchell and have it swing north to catch the current line into the mine. Have you found the mine yet? Or tried to stop at the bottom?
