Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District

Colleagues,I am in the process of beta testing Austin's Pocahontas District and I will warn you - it is an irresistable MUST HAVE. It does not use X-tracks or NewRoads so that anyone can use it successfully. Not only has he done a fantastic job on the mainline between BlueField and Williamson, he has included all of the principal coal branches and they are all heavily & accurately detailed.Lick your chops fellows and grab the digitalis, this one sets a new standard.J. H. Sullivan

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RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, John_Reagon, Feb-20-05, 06:29 PM, (1) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, keiffer, Feb-20-05, 07:36 PM, (2) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, NW 1218, Feb-20-05, 11:19 PM, (3) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, century242, Feb-21-05, 12:05 PM, (4) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, ns4eva, Feb-22-05, 02:28 PM, (5) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, stephenburr, Feb-22-05, 04:49 PM, (7) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, flarrfan, Feb-22-05, 04:48 PM, (6) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, stephenburr, Feb-22-05, 04:51 PM, (8) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, Andy J, Feb-23-05, 03:28 PM, (9) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, GRS504, Feb-23-05, 04:10 PM, (10) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, JKnadler54, Feb-23-05, 05:06 PM, (11) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, Claude350, Feb-23-05, 09:52 PM, (12) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, BNSF4999, Feb-24-05, 07:49 PM, (13) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, eashock, Mar-03-05, 10:32 PM, (22) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, NS4Life, Mar-04-05, 07:14 AM, (24) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, ertfor3, Mar-03-05, 10:53 PM, (23) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, Top Gon, Feb-24-05, 08:40 PM, (14) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, GRS504, Feb-25-05, 12:09 PM, (15) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, landnrailroader, Feb-26-05, 09:08 PM, (16) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, Andy J, Feb-27-05, 08:37 AM, (17) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, NS4Life, Feb-27-05, 08:46 AM, (19) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, Andy J, Feb-27-05, 09:03 AM, (20) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, NS4Life, Feb-27-05, 09:34 AM, (21) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, NS4Life, Feb-27-05, 08:42 AM, (18) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, NS4Life, Mar-04-05, 02:22 PM, (25) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, DocOc, Mar-06-05, 07:12 AM, (26) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, NS_Pittsburg, Mar-06-05, 05:04 PM, (27) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, CWA13000, Mar-07-05, 02:17 PM, (28) RE: Treat Coming - Austin Yoder's Pocahontas District, NS4Life, Mar-07-05, 03:09 PM, (29)

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YES FINALLY!!!!

Checkout my Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/adn-trainsim/

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I, like JH have the pleasure of testing this route and the only thing that comes to mind is STUNNING!!!!! Great job Austin

www.blueridgerails.com
Keith
NS Fan
"The way to be safe is never be secure"

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I too have the privalige to test Austin's route. It is absolutely superb. Austin has captured the route at it's finest. Austin, too you I say great job my friend. It has been an honor.

John Means
MASW Founder and President
The MASW site is www.meanslocoworks.com
www.blueridgerails.com
Illinois Railway Musuem Diesel Shop Volunteer, current project: CB&Q SD24 504

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I will say that he is doing an excellent job. The track work is smooth and the detail to scenery is on a caliber few have achieved.Regards,
Erik Pierson
Sacramento, Ca
www.sacramentolocomotiveworks.com
You can find information about SLW upcoming releases at the following link
Elvas Tower Forums

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Here to! Don't forget about me! LOL Im just playing. Something that has really supprised me with this route is that there are so many branches that Austin has never seen in person and yet he has gotten very close to what it looks like. Im sure that when he feels like its time to release that everyone will have a time loging in the lybary and the bandwith is going to be outragous for Nels LOL. I just hope that my route lives up to half of what his has turn out to be.--DriftonClinch Valley DistrictRails = 100%
Landscaping = 100%
Scenery = 100%
All Together = 100%

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I think having both routes downloading at the same time might cause an overload on the system! Both of you guys did a great job on these two routes.

Steve Burr, PE
Keeping Alive the Memories of the VGN and A&EC

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LAST EDITED ON Feb-22-05 AT 04:50 PM (EST)

Your friendly neighborhood prototype fanatic nit-picker here...while I am certainly looking forward to that model of 1218, the prototype did not customarily use the A-class engines on this stretch of the N&W. The A's were built for speed on the flatter parts from Roanoke east and Williamson west. Now that 1218 would look right at home hauling some excursion cars on the Pokey or the East River District, but for hauling coal on this line, the prototype used the Y's, not the A's.Not to take anything away from the route, which is being eagerly awaited by this N&W steam lover, who has a short list of favorite trackside motels that includes the Sycamore Inn in Williamson WV. And pray tell, testers, what kind of frame rates do you get going by that massive coal yard just north of Williamson, with and without a yard full of hoppers?

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With any luck, there might be A's, J's and Y's available at the same time for download?

Steve Burr, PE
Keeping Alive the Memories of the VGN and A&EC

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I hate to be the bearer of bad news…………Austin has suffered a major computer meltdown, he had a Microsoft update totally mess-up his system, He has got his computer back online, but it still has several issues with it, he has had to TOTALLY re-install MSTS due to this.And to top it off it sounds like he has come down with a bad case of the flu, he has been bed ridden for the past few days.He asked me to make all of you aware of the situation. He thinks the release will be pushed back at least a week.I also told him to take it easy; we have waited this long, another week or two was nothingYour friend;
Andy J Andy J http://www.blueridgerails.com/

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well, I sure hope he gets well soon. He's a good man. and I belive I have something like what he has. and belive me it sucks.Shawn
Guilford Rail System
www.gvrs.tk

"You got to ask your price to hire your league." - J.P. Morgan

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Health over MSTS anyday. Hope both of you (Austin & Shawn) get well soon.-Jeff

Jeff Knadler
Northeast Locomotive Works

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I also had the privilege of testing the roue and i must say this is a must have route.Austin did an excellent job on this one.It's worth the wait.Claude Debnam NS Piedmont Division Raleigh East

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>>>The track work is smooth and the detail to scenery is on a caliber few have achievedI hope you and many others feel that way about my Illinois Eastern route!Kevin V.
-MASW Route Builder and Head Locomotive Skinner-Illinois Railway Museum Engineer Trainee

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Instead of 1218 (or better yet, along with...) how about the 611 that was just uploaded? She'll be right at home on the Pokey!Anyone ready to do some O. Winston Link screenshots???-Eric Shock

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Already have!
NS4Life

www.blueridgerails.com

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Austin I can't wait for this route, and Erik will the 1218 be ready anytime soon? Happy Rails Patrick

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As mentioned earlier, it is well worth the wait. It's very detailed.There's a lot you can do on this route, activity-wise. There's plenty of coal mines to work, which means there's alot of coal traffic, plus the through traffic such as 277 (autoracks), 18M (mixed freight), 185 (autoparts), etc. so this can be a busy route. Chad Evans

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Well, Im sure he did not have Mono.. if he did, we both had it.. god I hate that virus.. I have had it for 3 weeks, and now Im finnaly over it. 85% feeling better.Shawn
Guilford Rail System
www.gvrs.tk

"You got to ask your price to hire your league." - J.P. Morgan

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One thing I have noticed that Austin has done that gives me ideas myself is this.There are some speedboards that are buried under the roadway. It has always been an annoyance to me to start a activity at some odd place on a branch (like my Lookout line of the NP) where you know the speedlimit is 10-15mph, yet the sim. gives you the maximum setting for the route. Austin avoided this by burying an occasional speedboard.Another thing he has done that has me completely bonkers is the talking defect detectors - not only do they talk, but they give the current milepost. How the %$#@&*(* does he do that. I feel lucky that the Milwaukee Rd., Western Lines did not have defect detectors of any kind. But some of my future plans include them.I hope he is getting better. Being old enough to get a flu shot, I have not had it (yet), but Austin is about 1/3 my age so he doesn't qualify. Now as for the mono - never had it, but some of my young female friends in college got it from burning the candle at both ends too much, and it was a doozy - laid them out for 2 months in some cases.J. H. Sullivan

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This whole route has LOTS of things that make me go bonkers too Mr. Sullivan!I helped him research the route, and get the scenery just right, due to family ties to the area, I was constantly driving up and down US 52 (My wife was raised just outside of Williamson and her parents still live up their) SO on my many trips I took my camera and took literally 100’s of photographs, countless hours we stayed up LATE and discussed minuet detail of where EXACTLY was this house, that road, and this business.As a result of all this late night discussion, nearly ALL of the towns on the route are DEAD ON COPIES of themselves in real life, DOWN TO THE GAS STATION ON THE CORNER, or the church on the hill, or the countless tiny communities along the route.
Just tonight at work, I showed a friend from the area, some screenshots of the route, and he had NO Trouble naming the spots …And he is NOT a Railfan….. but he still knew IMMEDIATELY where they where.The smoothness of the track is UNREAL you cant tell where the grade ends and begins, he has the grades DEAD on also, I have seen trains in real life STALL, in the same spot in the sim, if you don’t pick enough “ponies” for the hill, you WILL be radioing Bluefield D.S. for some “pushers” (this IS Norfolk & Western country, they ARE Pushers, pronounced POOSHERS) from Auville or Wilcoe,One of my favorite aspects of his route is how he brought back so many long abandoned coal loaders! For example, the Bluestone Branch today has laid dormant for about 15 years, in the sim it is a vibrant branch line with several mines north of Matoka. (The last one up their closed in 1983) I will dig out some pics and post some side by sides, of real life and sim.I will do this in a few days.
Andy J http://www.blueridgerails.com/

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Not to forget my countless trips over the line, and I have a very good memory
NS4Life

www.blueridgerails.com

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>Not to forget my countless trips over the line, and I have a
>very good memory
>
LOL, like a steel trap. Andy J http://www.blueridgerails.com/

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Naw, just have to get deeper into the rabbit hole.
NS4Life

www.blueridgerails.com

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LAST EDITED ON Feb-27-05 AT 08:43 AM (EST)

Ok, I got you cussing so I better post. Finally got over my cold, but still have not got MSTS back running on my computer...grrr.Edit: It dose run on my 98 still, but my files are not there to do the work. I may have to finish the route up on it, but I'd rather not.First, thank you all for the support and GREAT comments. Maybe some of you now understand why this route has taken so long to make. Question; have any of you actually ran over the entire route yet???LOLI had to have a little help getting the sms sound file in the game to work, but when I did get it in (very simple file mind you) I recorded a .wav file for each and every defect detector and then placed then in the route. I did a little trick of mine to make them work the way they do, but the result is... well you see (actually hear).
NS4Life

www.blueridgerails.com

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I did some work on the route over the last few days. Fixed a few things the beta testers have noted. Added some eggs today. You will have to look for them, and I also make a guest appearance overlooking the yard from Mercer Street bridge. Hopefully I will get this thing FINALY uploaded this weekend.
NS4Life

www.blueridgerails.com

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Hello from Germany!Finally a N&W Route! Since I bought MSTS I feel the lack of a N&W Route! I own the book "Steam, Steal & Stars" about the N&W and from that moment the N&W was my favorite American Railroad Company! Even if the UP is bigger, the BNSF as longer tracks, the NYC has the Empire State Express or the PRR has the GG-1, the N&W is THE American Steam Railroad Company! Thanks a lot for this route!PS: And especially thanks for NO-XTracks and NewRoads!

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I can't wait for it to finsh downloading!Long Live Norfolk Southern!

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I read 27 posts and this sounds real good. I especially liked the comment about the gradual changes in grade. I am also interested in switch type: auto or manual??
Wild Willy the Wacko

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Thanks, I used manual switches where ever I could.
NS4Life

www.blueridgerails.com

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