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Commonwealth Railway

Unread postPosted: Thu May 31, 2018 7:34 pm
by ET44C4
I have started a some what small project of recreating the Commonwealth Railway for Train Simulator...

Located in Southeastern Virginia, the line receives both Norfolk Southern and CSX intermodal trains bound for the port in Portsmouth, VA. Norfolk Southern has two trains that operate the line daily. In the early morning, the V14 leaves Portlock yard in Norfolk, VA and traverses the Norfolk District to Suffolk, VA. In Suffolk, the power runs around the train. The train will then traverse control point "Murray" and head onto CWRY trackage. NS crews will take the train to the CWRY Marshaling yard. There, the train stops to make a crew change where Commonwealth crews will take control. They will take the train to port and spot cars there.

NS V07 will depart from the port in the afternoon led by CWRY crews. The crew will take the train back to the Marshaling yard and wait for NS crews to arrive to take the train back to Portlock. NS will take the train back to Suffolk, run the power around the train, and traverse the Norfolk District back to Portlock thus completing the V14/V07 cycle.

CSX has various intermodal trains that come in and out of the CWRY, and at this time I do not have any knowledge of what trains operate and when. As with NS, CSX crews will change out with CWRY crews at the Marshaling yard. CSX trains come onto the CWRY from the Portsmouth Subdivision.

The Commonwealth Railway is now owned and operated by G&W. The company has a few locomotives, but the only one they regularly use is a LTEX GP15-1 for local operations. I do know they switch out a BASF industry. I have a lack of knowledge about these local moves, but I will do some research and ask around to see what I can find out.

So now that I have explained some of the basic operations this line sees, I will post a few screenshots of my progress. The route is quite short. Speed limits for this line are slow; at most 20 mph. It's not lengthy, but there will be switching possibilities.

Screenshot_Commonwealth Railway_36.84143--76.43623_17-00-15.jpg


Here is Gum Court in Chesapeake, VA. Highway 664 is in the background.

Screenshot_Commonwealth Railway_36.84219--76.43434_17-00-25.jpg


This shot was taken underneath highway 664, where the tracks begin to run straight down the middle of the highway. The tracks will follow 664 for a little ways, and then branch off to highway 164 which will basically take you all the way to the port.

Screenshot_Commonwealth Railway_36.83942--76.43940_17-01-17.jpg


Bromay Street in Chesapeake, VA

Screenshot_Commonwealth Railway_36.80406--76.50441_17-02-39.jpg


The Commonwealth Railway yard office at Marshaling yard in Suffolk, VA

Screenshot_Commonwealth Railway_36.84275--76.43407_17-05-26.jpg


V07 going underneath 664

Hope you all like it... !*cheers*!

Re: Commonwealth Railway

Unread postPosted: Thu May 31, 2018 7:45 pm
by ET44C4
If anyone might be interested, here are some of my videos taken on the Commonwealth Railway featuring some of the operations on the line.



Chasing CSX train F767 from Bromay Street in Chesapeake, VA to the CSX Portsmouth Subdivision.



The CWRY's LTEX GP15-1



Drone footage of NS V14 at Bromay Street in Chesapeake, VA



Chasing NS V14 from the Norfolk District in downtown Suffolk, VA to the CWRY Marshaling yard.

!*cheers*!

Re: Commonwealth Railway

Unread postPosted: Thu May 31, 2018 9:39 pm
by jalsina
Congratulations ET on your new project (and a different one indeed :D )
A question: What assets are you using for it?

Re: Commonwealth Railway

Unread postPosted: Thu May 31, 2018 9:49 pm
by Tomcat
jalsina wrote:Congratulations ET on your new project (and a different one indeed :D )
A question: What assets are you using for it?


I came here to ask that very same question!

Nice videos, BTW.

Re: Commonwealth Railway

Unread postPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 5:28 am
by ET44C4
Thank you both!

I'm trying to keep the required assets list as low as possible... Here are the routes I am currently using:

-Aurora to Chicago "Racetrack"
-Miami to West Palm Beach
-Norfolk Southern Coal District
-Sherman Hill
-Stevens Pass

I did use Portland Terminal but I know many did not have a chance to purchase that route, so I will double-check to make sure I don't have any assets from that route placed here.

(Edit: The sidewalks for Bromay Street are indeed from Portland Terminal... I will look for a replacement if possible.)

Re: Commonwealth Railway

Unread postPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 2:12 pm
by NStrains
Short and sweet are sometimes the best routes! Can't wait to see the finished product!

Re: Commonwealth Railway

Unread postPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 2:23 pm
by imnew
Wow! Nice work there ET44C4. So you are a route builder and a master repainter. This is gonna be good. !*salute*!

Re: Commonwealth Railway

Unread postPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:45 pm
by JOHNtheREDNECK
https://www.thedieselshop.us/Commnwlth.HTML

I think the reskinners out there may find this helpful.

Re: Commonwealth Railway

Unread postPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:55 pm
by PNWR1854
It seems that their 2 SW15's came from my local railroad, portland & western!
This is a nice looking route. Best of luck with completing it!

Re: Commonwealth Railway

Unread postPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 4:19 pm
by ET44C4
Many thanks everyone for the encouragement!

John, thank you for the link! I planned on repainting the LTEX GP15-1, which is what the Commonwealth currently uses, but those GP20s seem to be calling my name... *!greengrin!*

Re: Commonwealth Railway

Unread postPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 8:42 pm
by ET44C4
Here are some screenshots showing some more progress from today. The last three shots are at Marshaling yard, where I am currently working on getting scenery placed.

Screenshot_Commonwealth Railway_36.84242--76.43409_17-03-38.jpg

Screenshot_Commonwealth Railway_36.83339--76.45083_17-06-48.jpg

Screenshot_Commonwealth Railway_36.80399--76.50462_17-15-32.jpg

Screenshot_Commonwealth Railway_36.80304--76.50619_17-16-07.jpg

Screenshot_Commonwealth Railway_36.80426--76.50413_17-16-51.jpg

Re: Commonwealth Railway

Unread postPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 9:01 pm
by jalsina
ET44C4 wrote:Thank you both!

I'm trying to keep the required assets list as low as possible... Here are the routes I am currently using:

-Aurora to Chicago "Racetrack"
-Miami to West Palm Beach
-Norfolk Southern Coal District
-Sherman Hill
-Stevens Pass

I did use Portland Terminal but I know many did not have a chance to purchase that route, so I will double-check to make sure I don't have any assets from that route placed here.

(Edit: The sidewalks for Bromay Street are indeed from Portland Terminal... I will look for a replacement if possible.)


All of these routes in my pocket.

You might find the replacement sidewalks you need in NS Coal District and maybe in the Racetrack

Re: Commonwealth Railway

Unread postPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 9:24 pm
by ET44C4
Glad to hear you have the required assets, jalsina. I will take a look and see if I can find a sidewalk loft in the two routes you mentioned. !!*ok*!!

Re: Commonwealth Railway

Unread postPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 3:54 pm
by GERUNIMO625
NStrains wrote:Short and sweet are sometimes the best routes! Can't wait to see the finished product!

I couldn't have put it better myself! The most fun I have in this game is usually on the shorter routes where I'm not "window licking" my way from point A to point B.
ET44C4, you've done an amazing job! I love the "lived in" look!
!*salute*!

Re: Commonwealth Railway

Unread postPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 4:43 pm
by ET44C4
Thank you Jerry!

Here are some more screenshots. The first screenshot shows the partly incomplete area around 664. The highways are a mess (and although it is very true in real life, I'm not talking about the traffic...). I'm slowly pushing my way for the port. The tracks run right down the middle of 664, and later 164, all the way up to the port. There is still lots of work to be done in this area.

The last shot shows the beginning of a neighborhood in Suffolk, VA. I have a feeling this little area will take up a good bit of my time.

Screenshot_Commonwealth Railway_36.84808--76.43314_17-01-33.jpg

Screenshot_Commonwealth Railway_36.83662--76.44518_17-04-15.jpg

Screenshot_Commonwealth Railway_36.83575--76.44711_17-04-31.jpg

Screenshot_Commonwealth Railway_36.83390--76.44986_17-05-00.jpg

Screenshot_Commonwealth Railway_36.82561--76.46218_17-06-06.jpg