RMD-4, more stuff completed & comments

Colleagues,I'm not a SP fan, but just looking at those images of Donner Pass gets me to slobbering all over my lap. I assume that is a payware route, cause if it isn't, I ought to give up on my piddling stuff.Tonight, we have left Avery eastbound, and we will snatch some captures as far as just above Stetson Bridge - also called Squaw Creek, because it crosses the N.Fork of the St.Joe R. at the location of the conflence of Squaw Creek. All of the trestles are done except Big Dick Creek. We do not know of any images of Big Dick Creek, but we believe there is one in Holley's book, which I have and I am awaiting confirmation by some more knowledgeable MILW fans. If I don't get it, I'll go by that photograph because it looks different than the others.
Rather than rely on a lot of transfers around tunnels, I have fabricated a number of portals, which include a chunk of the hillside with them, and these have been textured from photographs of two or three of the actual tunnels. It will be tough to get even close with the overall texturing, but I can also assume that the difference was caused by some local disturbance - RE: There was a small earthquake in 1995 which collapsed a portion of tunnel 23, so that the Forest Service has constructed a bypass around it, following the original trail used during construction.J. H. Sullivan

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RE: RMD-4, more stuff completed & comments, DRGWK36, Apr-07-04, 07:57 AM, (1) RE: RMD-4, more stuff completed & comments, landnrailroader, Apr-07-04, 05:24 PM, (2) RE: RMD-4, more stuff completed & comments, shawnbecher, Apr-08-04, 10:30 AM, (3) RE: RMD-4, more stuff completed & comments, landnrailroader, Apr-08-04, 11:38 AM, (4) RE: RMD-4, more stuff completed & comments, shawnbecher, Apr-08-04, 11:40 AM, (5) RE: RMD-4, more stuff completed & comments, landnrailroader, Apr-08-04, 11:52 AM, (6) RE: RMD-4, more stuff completed & comments, shawnbecher, Apr-08-04, 11:53 AM, (7)

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Jerry - I agree with your comments on Donner Pass - that looks like it's going to be a great route to run. But I don't agree with your comment that your routes are "piddling." I always enjoy your narratives and illustrations, and have learned a ton about the routes you're working on. Just wanted to voice my appreciation for your work and your descriptions - one of the things that makes the forum worth reading.Andy

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Andy,I had my tongue far back in my cheek when I wrote that comment - just fishing really.As we do these routes, each gets better than the last as we learn new tricks. I think the RMD-4 will be really great because I am in pretty constant contact with a Milwaukee Road Historian, who has authored 4 books, one concerning his solo ride on the Olympian in the summer of 1941. The others are two editions of a guidebook to the Milwaukee in Idaho. He has sent (and continues to send) scads of images, most unpublished. For example the east portal for tunnel 33 was textured with parts of an image he sent me of the actual tunnel portal. I am not done yet as I would like to use the entire image, at least a 512x512 part of it, but I don't know how to handle the opening in the image.He also sent me pictures of most of the major bridges, all the trestles except Big Dick Creek and he is working on that, and most of the tunnel portals, as well as countless lineside images. With all this material, I could diddle with this route for years, but I will handle it pretty much like the RMD-2, i.e. heavily scenicked in the mountain areas (about 50%) and less so in the relatively flatter areas along the Clark Fork River. There are no large towns, and no yards except at the ends either.I would wish that someone with a lot more skill than I would handle a few details though.
1. - Little Joe engines, and I believe one or two are working on those.
2. - authentic looking depots for Avery & Alberton, anywhere else as well would be nice.3. - Substations. Drexel, East Portal & Avery, being in the snow belt have peaked roofs, and were built literally like bomb shelters. Tarkio has a flat roof. I will use the same item that I sort of "faked" in RMD-2 for Tarkio unless someone comes up with a better one.Again, what I strive for is location accuracy to the extent possible in MSTS. I don't use X-tracks to be sure that it is upgradible, whenver??? My reason for doing these routes is to vicariously preserve a piece of railroad history. It does not matter to me if it is mountains or flatlands because having run a real train (during strikes) I have no problem running anything in the Sim, though my favorite is the new Northern Pacific 4-8-4 that has been in the library a few months now.However, I got my greetings from the Court Clerk today, so starting 4-26, I will have a tour of jury duty, and that will delay things a bit.Jerry

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Jerry, I have been slowly working my way across RMD2 with the only MILW equipment I have so far (3 SD40-2s - I better start downloading more), and I love what I've seen so far. I only saw RMD2 in the file library. Any speculation on when any of the other subs will be available? Thanks.Shawn

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Shawn,Someone else was working on the RMD-1, Harlowton to 3-Forks, which is why I started with RMD-2. I know know where he is on it, but it was not being done as "electrified". Someone was also working on the subdivision that goes generally north from Harlowton toward Great Falls, but it was never electrified.I skipped the RMD-3 because I felt that it might be less interesting than the RMD-4, and also because a NP fan was working on Helena to Missoula and planning to include the MIlwaukee Rd., but it won't be "as electrified" either, I guess.It is early to speculate, especially since the long growing season has just started for Florida lawns, and the wife insists that I occasionally leave the "pooter" and put my hand on a lawn implement. As a result, I am not promising anything before fall, but we will see. This one, I expect to be highly detailed between St.Regis & Avery & Wallace, less so between Alberton & St.REgis, & Paradise - like the RMD-2, relevant NP trackage will also be included. I have all of the track laid, and most bridges & tunnels are in. Next is the roads, after which, I will need to install (and in many cases, because of Milwaukee's unique designs, build) underpasses & overpasses. After upgrading my system to a faster (and larger) hard-drive, and installing Win-XP, I have had much less trouble with memory leaks, send-don't send, etc., so this speeds up the process.J. H. Sullivan

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Excellent! Keep up the good work. I just downloaded your Blue Ridge and Kingsport routes as well, but I haven't had time to check them out yet.Shawn

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Shawn,The BR & KP were not my best efforts, and I have learned alot since I did them. The BR is better than the KP. I failed to put in any station names etc. on the KP and several have flagged me on that, so my intention in the next month or two is to fix that problem, and a couple of other glaring ones - one I cannot fix is a direction problem on the Southern north of Gate City, there is a corruption someplace causing it.On the BR, you will find that you encounter "The Great White Nothing" just south of Popular, NC. This is the well known glitch in MSTS, so when it happens, save the activity, & restart.J. H. Sullivan

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Thanks for the heads up on the GWV Shawn

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