Last request then I give up and will just fake it from

LAST EDITED ON Dec-15-02 AT 03:51 PM (EST)

I am trying to find a block diagram of the San Luis Obispo, CA trackage so I can make the startlight route curently under construction as accurate as possible. I don't know if I whizzed in someones wheaties or if I Am just making an unreasonable request. So I am going a implore (ask/beg/grovel) one more time for help here. A week of searching the web has yielded nothing free downloadble (I am on a very, very limited budget and book purchases are luxury I can't afford right now) . I am not angry, just disapointed at the lack of response to what I felt was a reasonable request.

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RE: Last request then I give up and will just fake it f, gatecityca, Dec-15-02, 04:22 PM, (1) RE: Last request then I give up and will just fake it f, MarkMyers, Dec-15-02, 07:43 PM, (5) RE: Last request then I give up and will just fake it f, Hack, Dec-15-02, 04:25 PM, (2) RE: Last request then I give up and will just fake it f, gatecityca, Dec-15-02, 04:38 PM, (3) RE: Last request then I give up and will just fake it f, Coonskin, Dec-15-02, 05:06 PM, (4) RE: Last request then I give up and will just fake it f, MarkMyers, Dec-15-02, 07:49 PM, (6) RE: Last request then I give up and will just fake it f, ge44tonner, Dec-15-02, 10:43 PM, (7) RE: Last request then I give up and will just fake it f, MarkMyers, Dec-16-02, 02:12 AM, (10) RE: Last request then I give up and will just fake it f, SharkNose, Dec-16-02, 12:27 PM, (11) RE: Last request then I give up and will just fake it f, MarkMyers, Dec-16-02, 01:10 PM, (12) RE: Last request then I give up and will just fake it f, dmikulec, Dec-15-02, 11:27 PM, (8) RE: Last request then I give up and will just fake it f, gatecityca, Dec-16-02, 02:07 AM, (9)

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Mark,Take it easy, friend. I can definitely sympathize with your frustration about this, but no need to get bitter about it. At this moment, I'm looking at a couple of sites that have PDF maps and might have what you're looking for. Sometimes this kind of information doesn't show up in the usual railroad-related websites and you have to look in unusual places. I once found out a lot of good background info on the Pacific Electric Railway from the San Bernradino City homepage, and they hardly have anything there on the railways. Also, I posted a question on one of the railroad Yahoo groups I'm in and I'm waiting to hear from them. Some of the other Train-sim.com members might have done something like that too, so don't lose hope just yet. Just takes patience. And let's face it too, there are a lot of messages getting posted right now on a ton of different topics, and every once in a while messages do get accidentally overlooked. Especially with all the buzz going around right now with people building new routes and their screen shots. I've posted messages here from time to time that didn't get a response, or took a long time before I heard from anyone. That just happens sometimes...don't read too much into it.Chris

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Oh Gosh....I'm not bitter or even angry. I am more frustrated at the lack of web resources. Please allow me to go on the record and state that all of the people I have met here at train-sim.com are the most amiable (and willing to help) group of people I have ever known. A Love of railroading gives us all a common ground together. No offense was meant, I hope that none was taken, and if so, I apologize profusely for being a bad wordsmith. I lived in the SLO area for 40 years, and walked past the SLO station on my way home from school literally 5 days a week for years. I can fake a lot of it from memory, but, I hate to admit it, but I am a consumate perfectionist. I want my first "real life" route to be accepted as a good and enjoyable route by the people here. If I offended anyone with my frustration, I do apologize. I can blame some of it on a medication change. To be painfully open about it, I suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and have meds to keep my panic attacks under control. I am transitioning from one to another, and it's messing with my head a bit. ok a lot. Only a mitigating circumstance and an embarrasing one at that, not an excuse for making a p**s poorly worded post. On the bright side, the posts here have given me an idea for a resource I had not thought of, the good old fashioned library. Monterey and Santa Cruz countys have a huge library system, and I am bound to find something there. Just need to turn the computer off and do some good old fashioned analog research.

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Other than purchasing the profile data (I'm assuming this is what you're looking for), is to make a friend with someone on the "inside." Specifically, those that are employed by the owning railroad, or someone with a kind heart and is willing to help.This is how I obtained some data - even for roads I'm not interested in doing. I know it's not really an answer or solution, but thought at least the post would help keep this at (or near) the top. Good luck.Cheers!
Marc - 3DTrains
http://www.3dtrains.comPro Series Super Packs

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Also, you may want to try looking at parcel maps at your County Accessor's office. Find the San Luis Obispo station on the appropriate parcel map. It won't neccessarily show every switch, etc...but the main line and sidings will be there because a record of the right-of-way for the trackage is required. You can even find out when a particular line was placed, and originally by which railroad, by when the easment was acquired. I was able to trace the entire Arrowhead line and find the terminus by looking at parcel maps. Unfortunately, parcel maps aren't available online (although this is San Bernardino County, and your Acessor's Office may be set up a bit differently)...so you'll have to take a visit up there next week during their business hours. Just be creative and check even unlikely sources. You'd never believe what I had to go through to get that one picture (I posted it here earlier) of the train running up Electric Avenue on its way to Arrowhead Springs. I couldn't find any pictures in this area anywhere! Then, suddenly I happened to look in one book on the PEry that I've never seen before and there it was!Chris

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Mike:Do you live nearby the area? Is the trackage and scenes you desire still in place? (A moot point if you're modeling "now"... guess it would be.)If yes to both of the above, a notebook and a pleasant afternoon will yield something in which to work from. Would certainly be better than having to wing it if you're trying to replicate a specific scene.If you have a digital camera, pics help immensely. If no digital cam, then a film cam if you can spare the $ for film/developing.Bottom line is: You'll have to make compromises with MSTS anyway... so if you have a good general guide... you can be off and running.Good luck!Andre

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I don't live in the area anymore, but did so for 40+ years. (see prior post). I do have a digital camera (2 actually) which will help a lot with the Moss Landing and Tembadero sections of trackage. I had hoped that the .SHP files I have gotten from the US DOT would have had more detail than that. A couple of map sites have helped a little, but the SLO yard is so seldom used that there is not much in the way on the web about it. But I will keep plugging away. Your post gave me the idea of hitting the local librarys. (there should be something at the UCSC library). Good old analog research, I fear of I have become too dependent on the World Wide Wait err. Web

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LAST EDITED ON Dec-15-02 AT 10:56 PM (EST)

Hey Mark,
Have you tried the MS-TerraServer Web site? I was able to find a USGS topograpic map of the Station area dated 1988, with resolution of 2 meters, and an aerial photograph dated 1994. http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.aspx?t=1&s=11&x=1783&y=9764&z=10&w=2 also available.
http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.aspx?t=2&s=11&x=1783&y=9764&z=10&w=1Edit: Tested that the links work. Note that the map at Terraserve can be zoomed in and out, and that you can use the arrows to pan the image to the adjoining frame. The 'BM' marked on the map on the tracks directly in front of the station is a US Geological Survey 'benchmark', and is shown as BM 246 (elevation in feet above sea level). There appears to be a small engine terminal, including a turntable, on the west side of the tracks about half a mile south of the station. Hope this is a useful reference to you.
Dan

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That's Perfect! The turntable was removed in the 70's by SP, really p*ssing off the SLO Historical society that wanted to turn it into a railroad museum. The university idea is a good one too, I am only a 60 mile drive from the university at Santa Cruz, and 100 mile drive Cal Poly SLO. I am going to try the Monterey county library system first, but these are the best maps I have seen so far. Thank you for taking the time to locate these, and turn me on to this fine website. I had no idea terraserver existed!Thank you once again.

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Mark,Check your original post. Delamate offers to send you some diagrams!http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/DCForumID6/7665.html#7Good Luck!

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And Delamate found the diagrams, and is sending them too me via priority mail. Boy, do I feel like a first class a**. Maybe I should hit download.com and download a little patience (and tact). To all of you that responded to my rant, please forgive my behaving like the south end of a north moving horse. I promise to be a well behaved user from now on. Scouts Honor.

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Mark,May I suggest you inquire at any area University libraries as well. They usually have quite an archive ... some may even be online.Last week I was doing a search via Google looking for turn of the century photos of the area where I live and a link led me to the University of Louisville where I found literely thousands of digitzed period photos from all around the state. I was VERY surprised to find their collection contains several hundred photos taken in the early 1900s by the Southern Railway as well. All online! Found some really neat stuff!May be worth a try.Dave Mikulec
Ohio Southeastern System
a freelanced route through the New River Gorge
(laying track)

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Mark,Yeah, that is one thing you might have to try too...just go down to the station itself with a camera and notepad and make your own notes of the trackage, depending on how publicly accessable the yard is. If I ever wanted to model a really accurate version of the Santa Fe station here in San Bernardino (Amtrak and Metrolink still use it, and BNSF has a pretty decent size intermodal site there), I'd really have my hands full. The yard is huge and unless you know someone who works for BNSF or Metrolink, or otherwise have "connections," you can't get to the yard. It's fenced off pretty well...for obvious safety concerns I'd imagine. All you can really see is the trackage where the platforms are. By contrast though, the Union Pacific classification yard in Colton seems to be very open to railbuffs. I've been there a couple of times and one guy there was really friendly. Gave me a tour of the whole place and even took me up to the dispatchers tower and showed me their computerized transponder system for the yard. It was really cool.You'd probably still want to check out those County Acessor's maps if you get a chance. You'd be surprised how much you could find out from those.And just remember one thing too Mark while you're doing your research...never lose sight of the fact that this is a hobby and you should be having fun with it! I know the Route Editor can really screw up sometimes and there are plenty of other ways to get frustrated, but if you ever get to a point where you aren't having fun with this, stop and take a break. I had some major problems with the last route I was trying to build and then pretty much had to start all over again! Well, I knew I had enough and had to back off from it for a while. Take a break if you need to and then you can come back to it later from a different view.Good luck and always have fun with MSTS! Chris
San Bernardino, California

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