Railworks America

After a few break from Train Sim - my PC would not handle it anymore as Railworks developed - I got given a laptop in December and found it would run Train Sim 2018 quite happily.

Having been a member here and VNERR before (since the year dot) I came here first and bought the RWA (awful exchange rates and all) to do my bit!

And boy was I surprised.

A great little route, but for me, the attraction is it brought so many happy memories back of the feel of MTS experience and VNERR. And I do not mean this in a negative fashion - I was astonished that it still retained the early fresh innovative flavour of those days. Along with the feel of a lot of the scenarios.

In short a fun and enjoyable route. I have a feeling that the B&LE will be similar.

Thanks to those involved!

Hi Kevin,
Glad you liked it.
Due to my upbringing with MSTS, with scenarios I still can't bring myself to fill a yard with cars due to MSTS limitations!

John. Old habits die hard, but that all adds to the feel I was on about!

Thank you.

I need to relearn how to do scenarios and start on some myself again!

Greetings:
As maybe You can tell by My User Name, I am from the Gogebic Iron Range. I lived on a farm in Ironwood TWP Mich, right alongside the DSS&A right-a-way at siding named "Montreal", about 2 miles from the North Ironwood Station. (Check old DSS&A maps if interested) I faintly remember the old DSS&A Baldwin Diesels going by, but mostly it was Maroon & Gold Soo equipment, or later on "Hockey Stick" Stuff. When I was bout 12 or so, in the Winter I used to get a few bucks to shovel out the switch by my farm, so they could pick-up gondolas of pulpwood, to go to the mill in Ontonagon Mi. In the summer I even used to peel pulp, and get carried out of the woods by mosquitoes. . As a kid, when I went to Town, (Ironwood) My Dad & I used go up on the old Mansfield Street Bridge and watch long strings of Ore Cars go under the bridge on their way to the Big Ore Dock in Ashland. My Dad in his young days used to work in the Pabst Mine. In fact my Dad was part of the crew that worked on the rescue of 40 Miners, trapped in the Mine in 1926.

I have spent most of the last 19 years messing with MSTS, and one day I was searching for something about "Chequamegon Bay" and low and behold this wonderful route pops-up. It was in Feb of this Year, and when the "March Madness" sale came, I bought TS2019, and other goodies. The RW&A has brought back some great memories, & the time frame, could not be more perfect. I can't believe how close the Creators came. I know this Route is supposed to be "fictional" or composite of several places, but it comes fairly close to the Area around Ashaland Wi, and on the Gogebic Iron Range. I can even visualize seeing Mellen or Saxon on the way to Hurley & Ironwood.

As I learn more about how to do things in TS2019, I hope to be able to expand the route to the 41.2 miles, that it was between Waterton (Ashland) & Riverside (Ironwood - Hurley). Also maybe find a suitable Steam Mine Hoist, to put at the Gogebic Mine, as the Sunday Lake Mine in Wakefield Mi was the only "Open Pit" mine on the Range, and Taconite Pellets were just a dream. Also I have to change out that "Blue" Champion Mine Ore from the Marquette Range and make it like everywhere else where I grew-up, Deep, Red, Hematite Ore.. I could not be a true Ironwood "Red Devil" otherwise.

I hope that I don't get in trouble digging-up an old thread. Also I look forward to hearing from some of You.
Thanks Again, & Take Care,

Stefan

Welcome aboard!

Great story. What Bob said.

Nice Story, Stefan. I'm a re-entry RA member, so I need to do a little reviewing myself. It's a lot tougher when you get older.

Thanks for the friendly responses.. Really appreciate it.

Nice to have another oregonian around here.

As a fellow Yooper, I couldn't agree more. To me this line reminds me somewhat of the southern UP/Escanaba area too, I wondered if "Watertown" was modeled after Escanaba, but Ashland makes sense.

Cool story as well!

GogebicChief wrote:Greetings:
As maybe You can tell by My User Name, I am from the Gogebic Iron Range. I lived on a farm in Ironwood TWP Mich, right alongside the DSS&A right-a-way at siding named "Montreal", about 2 miles from the North Ironwood Station. (Check old DSS&A maps if interested) I faintly remember the old DSS&A Baldwin Diesels going by, but mostly it was Maroon & Gold Soo equipment, or later on "Hockey Stick" Stuff. When I was bout 12 or so, in the Winter I used to get a few bucks to shovel out the switch by my farm, so they could pick-up gondolas of pulpwood, to go to the mill in Ontonagon Mi. In the summer I even used to peel pulp, and get carried out of the woods by mosquitoes. . As a kid, when I went to Town, (Ironwood) My Dad & I used go up on the old Mansfield Street Bridge and watch long strings of Ore Cars go under the bridge on their way to the Big Ore Dock in Ashland. My Dad in his young days used to work in the Pabst Mine. In fact my Dad was part of the crew that worked on the rescue of 40 Miners, trapped in the Mine in 1926.

I have spent most of the last 19 years messing with MSTS, and one day I was searching for something about "Chequamegon Bay" and low and behold this wonderful route pops-up. It was in Feb of this Year, and when the "March Madness" sale came, I bought TS2019, and other goodies. The RW&A has brought back some great memories, & the time frame, could not be more perfect. I can't believe how close the Creators came. I know this Route is supposed to be "fictional" or composite of several places, but it comes fairly close to the Area around Ashaland Wi, and on the Gogebic Iron Range. I can even visualize seeing Mellen or Saxon on the way to Hurley & Ironwood.

As I learn more about how to do things in TS2019, I hope to be able to expand the route to the 41.2 miles, that it was between Waterton (Ashland) & Riverside (Ironwood - Hurley). Also maybe find a suitable Steam Mine Hoist, to put at the Gogebic Mine, as the Sunday Lake Mine in Wakefield Mi was the only "Open Pit" mine on the Range, and Taconite Pellets were just a dream. Also I have to change out that "Blue" Champion Mine Ore from the Marquette Range and make it like everywhere else where I grew-up, Deep, Red, Hematite Ore.. I could not be a true Ironwood "Red Devil" otherwise.

I hope that I don't get in trouble digging-up an old thread. Also I look forward to hearing from some of You.
Thanks Again, & Take Care,

Stefan

Thanks for great reply... Also good to hear from a Yooper. And You are right it could be the around "Esky", and over to Iron River, Crystal Falls, & Stambaugh. I used to remember driving around there, going to Camp at "Bota-A-Wagama". I also remember going there for games after a long bus ride, against You Guys, West Iron, & the good old Kingsford Flivers. Of course that was at a time when there were a few more thousand people in Ironwood, and We were a "Class B" school. Now Ironwood has some sports, but now it is with Bessemer, Wakefield, and know as the Gogebic Miners. See what happens when Mines close.
You know what would have sent this route right over the top, a Pasty Shop...

Take Care, & Say "YA TO DA UP" You Betcha!
Stefan

[quote="sandpaper90"]As a fellow Yooper, I couldn't agree more. To me this line reminds me somewhat of the southern UP/Escanaba area too, I wondered if "Watertown" was modeled after Escanaba, but Ashland makes sense.

Cool story as well!

Cornish miners got everywhere. Sadly there are now no Cornish mines left. I was Chief Mech and Elec Engineer for the last, but that was over 20 years ago. Taught me a lot about Cornish miners and their travels.

GogebicChief wrote:Thanks for great reply... Also good to hear from a Yooper. And You are right it could be the around "Esky", and over to Iron River, Crystal Falls, & Stambaugh. I used to remember driving around there, going to Camp at "Bota-A-Wagama". I also remember going there for games after a long bus ride, against You Guys, West Iron, & the good old Kingsford Flivers. Of course that was at a time when there were a few more thousand people in Ironwood, and We were a "Class B" school. Now Ironwood has some sports, but now it is with Bessemer, Wakefield, and know as the Gogebic Miners. See what happens when Mines close.
You know what would have sent this route right over the top, a Pasty Shop...

Take Care, & Say "YA TO DA UP" You Betcha!
Stefan

sandpaper90 wrote:As a fellow Yooper, I couldn't agree more. To me this line reminds me somewhat of the southern UP/Escanaba area too, I wondered if "Watertown" was modeled after Escanaba, but Ashland makes sense.

Cool story as well!

I lived and went to school in Marquette and was there for 25 years or so. Its a great area. I still go back for family and friends and of course my lake Cabin is on Lake Michagamnie in the central UP, so I'm back all the time. The GF's family is from the Sagola area so spent a lot of time there too.

I'm in Duluth now, but a lot of the same culture as the UP is found here, iron mining, timber industry etc. I couldn't part with the lake, but couldn't ignore the economic/career benefits that come with moving to the twin ports.

sandpaper90 wrote:I lived and went to school in Marquette and was there for 25 years or so. Its a great area. I still go back for family and friends and of course my lake Cabin is on Lake Michagamnie in the central UP, so I'm back all the time. The GF's family is from the Sagola area so spent a lot of time there too.

I'm in Duluth now, but a lot of the same culture as the UP is found here, iron mining, timber industry etc. I couldn't part with the lake, but couldn't ignore the economic/career benefits that come with moving to the twin ports.

Nothing Wrong with the Twin Ports... Ironwood being about 100 miles east of Duluth, our TV came from there, WDIO, KDAL, & KBJR, ingrained memory. Snowy picture, but still it was what we got. Also We went to Duluth about every 3 months, for Doctors, shopping at Glass Block, or Goldfine's. A couple of my screenshots on my computer, are of the Arial Lift Bridge, & Enger Tower. Lucky Dog, I wanted to settle in the Twin Ports, but the wife is from Portland Or, so here I am. Culture here is about as far away from Superior Lakeshore, as You can get. "Keep Portland Weird"