Railworks America

Hey been following this project from afar esp in regards to Atlanta North District. I Live in Chattanooga, and have a friend who works RR (debutts) wondering if there is anything I can do to assist, pics video etc. I would love to help 3d model, but I would have to learn first... I'm very computer tech savy but no experience in that area... Would just like to help in anyway I can see Chattanooga come alive on TS2013. if they needed shots of anything modeling I'm in the area, and the friend who works for rr could get stuff I can't.

In a perfect world would like a nostalgia route that includes Union Depot downtown before the ******** tore it down. Or really old school nostalgia and include downtown street cars and the narrow gauge that used to run up Lookout Mountain..... this place used to be far more filthy with tracks then it has today.

I guess we still have a bit of rail today though...


Anyway I would really just like to help if anyone knows who i can contact.

Howdy neighbor!

I've always said there is only one thing wrong with modeling Chattanooga, either with real world model trains or V-Scale on the computer - there are just too many tracks! You could pick any current branchline from either of the two railroads in the city and it turns into an adventure that could take years to model! I can't imagine what all there must have been when the old branch that ran into the industrial area where downtown is now was active, or the crossover in Alton Park.

I would love to model the myriad tracks that run down to the Choo Choo Hotel or the Feed Mill, or the tracks that the TVRR uses to get down to Rossville and on to Summerville (that's Gennessee & Wyoming now?). Unfortunately, we are limited by three factors: time, the need to get to Atlanta, and frame-rates. For example, I tried to model the National Cemetary just west of Debutt's in the first iteration of the route, but so many polygons from the headstones brought the game to it's knees. Even without the Cemetary, the area around DeButt's still pulls frame rates to the minimum that Railworks will allow. So, the route as it's built is a compromise that may not bear much resemblance to reality, but it does give some feel for the area.

As far as help, if you got good pictures of buildings in the area that can he used for model textures, those are always helpful. Don't put yourself in danger though, or get arrested by the TSA to get them!

I know a certain someone who is a rather prolific amateur photographer and can get pics from the "cab"....if you can tell me the areas.....and they are norfolk southern..... I can't make promises, but I can ask him. For my part getting buildings would be nice. I really think Chattanooga National Cemetery would be nice......esp given it's importance to railroading with the Andrews Raiders that are interned there. What about cheating and making them 2d pictures of stones, from a distance?

In any case given name of the route I understand wanting to get to Atlanta...but really....Chattanooga is a much better Railroad destination, So many lines, so many interesting scenerios, and so much interesting landscape. The Old N&C route would b esp a really great ones as much of it looks a bit sketchy in a neat way by todays RR standard. Some rather "Tight" spots...

I'm guess you are in Alabama given your "location". I will be down there in Atalla Saturday. I am taking the TVR 630 steam engine, on the 2st century steam excursion from TVR in Chattanooga to Atalla this Saturday. (They still have tickets btw, and I haven't seen one of these excursions this cheap in awhile.) Just 65....I think it's a bargain for a 127 mile round steam trip.....

I would really love to learn to model. I thought it would be a cool idea to model some locos for a donate ware pack and have proceeds go to them. getting that Mikado # 4501 up and running again is expensive, and I want to see it done!!!

SargNickFury wrote:
In any case given name of the route I understand wanting to get to Atlanta...but really....Chattanooga is a much better Railroad destination...

It's not about Chattanooga, or Atlanta. It's about everything in between.

You may wish you hadn't asked for help, because now i'm going to mine you for data!

Google Earth is showing a yard off the NS mainline just east of I-24. It does not reconnect to the mainline, but branches out into Alton Park and connects with the CSX bulk tanker load/unload yard over near the River. Do you happen to know a name for this interchange yard?

Also, there is a multi-track industry on the east side of I-24, right at the NS-CSX crossovers, that looks to be a bulk unload facility, probably for Polypropelene pellets. Is this correct, and which railroad services it? I see multiple double slips and access tracks in the area.

Will See What I can find. The CSX yard near the river is the old Cravens Yard of the NC&StL. You can see it clearly from Point Park on Lookout Mountain. Can you give me coordinates on the other two? Likely I can get you current and older names.

PolyesterMafia wrote:You may wish you hadn't asked for help, because now i'm going to mine you for data!

Google Earth is showing a yard off the NS mainline just east of I-24. It does not reconnect to the mainline, but branches out into Alton Park and connects with the CSX bulk tanker load/unload yard over near the River. Do you happen to know a name for this interchange yard?

If you mean 35.019044,-85.30674
that's the "Beltyard", they drop off local freight there to be sorted out later to local yards off of trains passing through.

also I don't think it actually connects with Cravens though I could be wrong, it runs parrallel and ends up going through Lookout Mountain Tunnel....that was the route we took to Attala Alabama on 2st century steam trip. I could tell ya lots about that Tunnel. Nearly got myself a darwin award there exploring it as a kid. There is a cave that you can see from the interstate on the bend, Lookoutmountain cave....if you go into it now of course it has been bisected by the train tunnel...not a good place to be when the train comes through and it becomes like spelunking in a earthquake....there's um more to that story.

PolyesterMafia wrote:Also, there is a multi-track industry on the east side of I-24, right at the NS-CSX crossovers, that looks to be a bulk unload facility, probably for Polypropelene pellets. Is this correct, and which railroad services it? I see multiple double slips and access tracks in the area.

You mean 35° 1'37.56"N 85°18'8.11"W ?

I asked the same thing actually when we past it on that railfan trip on the #630 this weekend. They didn't know but my friend at NS answered. That is a offload yard for chemicals etc and liek you said pellots. According to my friend it used to be called "Bulkmatic Transport Co" or something like that. It is run as it's own buisiness but I think it may be a subsidary of NS, it also may have changed names recently. Not sure. They're in the phone book perhap they would clarify.