Horseshoe Curve: Altoona Yard Backdating question

[ozinoz]

I wonder if RSC managed to short-change any other yards?

Somebody mentioned coaling towers, also. That was a re-used asset from 2010, so whoever it was really needs to get over their issues.

That would be me, (and my issues are just fine ) and if you had read what I had written, it was NOT a comment on the Woodhead coal tower, but actually comparing the quality (recycled or not) of the impressive one supplied with the Woodhead Route, compared to the bare-bones one, that bore absolutely no resemblance to what was actually there in Altoona, as evidenced by the pics in this thread.

[jalsina]

Yesterday (and past days) I was checking Altoona in Google maps and I took a set of pics about the turntables in the area (so how it looks today).
I believe there were five (maybe six) turntables in Altoona in 1950s. Some like the cars shop was already built in 1895.
1- Juniata shops (see 3rd picture)
2- Cars shops (see 2nd pic)
3- Machine Shops located in front of the passengers station (possibly 1st pic). Seeing the schematics above, it seems there were 2 roundhouses in this area.
4- The fourth is also included in HC route. It is located beyond the passenger station at the exit of Altoona before the curves that take the tracks to the Horseshoe Curve.
However I find comparing both the route (Altoona) and Google maps, that the tracks beyond the passenger station (today Amtrak) are much longer than the reality, not just comparing with the station itself but with Altoona´s Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.
I don´t know exactly what was that turntable for (there is no track of it in Google maps)
5- This turntable should be one serving East Altoona Engine house, shown in the graphics provided by The Old Dessauer.
This is the cars shop roundhouse how it looked in 1895:
http://tile.loc.gov/image-services/jp2.py?data=/service/gmd/gmd382/g3824/g3824a/pm007312.jp2&res=2
And this is the turntable in front of the Juniata Shops entries (as they look in the HC route):
http://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/habshaer/pa/pa2600/pa2690/photos/142501pv.jpg

While the coal tower is not the size of that of the 1950s (see picture in page 2 of the thread) that served several tenders at the same time, there is a regular coal tower in the route as many of you already know.

[hertsbob]

Point made and taken, ozinoz. Apologies for any offence. I just get frustrated with the "let's see how DTG have screwed us over this time..." threads, and maybe replied to the post in the wrong frame of mind.

For jalsina. Have you had a look at this site? (weird link for Mobile, Al. so sorry for that) http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=1.59204118789679E-05&lat=40.7227530226639&lon=-74.1755344027305&year=1954
The Altoona area isn't covered in quite so much detail, but there are maps available which might help you in your quest.

Cheers

Bob

[buzz456]

It's a hobby of some to criticize DTG in their spare time. Most of them really need to get a life. Nothing anyone can do is good enough for them but the mother ship gets particular ire in their lives.

[jalsina]

..................

For jalsina. Have you had a look at this site? (weird link for Mobile, Al. so sorry for that) http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=1.59204118789679E-05&lat=40.7227530226639&lon=-74.1755344027305&year=1954
The Altoona area isn't covered in quite so much detail, but there are maps available which might help you in your quest.

Cheers

Bob

Thank you, Bob. I had no clue of that site. I have checked Altoona and some information can be obtained from there.
For example, it seems that the Railroad museum turntable could be the one at the right side of this image:
http://railworksamerica.com/forum/download/file.php?id=25291

And there is no trace (any year) of the westernmost turntable in the route beyond the passenger station, via to Gallitzin.

[TheOldDessauer]

u

[ozinoz]

Point made and taken, ozinoz. Apologies for any offence. I just get frustrated with the "let's see how DTG have screwed us over this time..." threads, and maybe replied to the post in the wrong frame of mind.


Bob

[hertsbob]

TheOldDessauer - it didn't. My frame of mind was mainly replying to this post, and it just happened to crop up in this particular thread.

I wonder if RSC managed to short-change any other yards?...
Oh wait! They did: BNSF's San Diego yard on the Pacific Surfliner route: The line southward to National City from the yard has been made but only the track - no scenery, no buildings, nothing but the track which is a shame because it's not like it was that much farther to National City anyway, especially with the track already laid out. Plus the port right next to San Diego yard is misrepresented - there are indeed tracks there and Train Simulator's rendition shrunk the port, making it too small and just looking out of place.
Seems RSC/DTG has a bit of a reputation for cutting out bits of yards rail yards. Why?

Anyway. Somewhere around, there's a site where you may well be able to get similar maps to the ones I linked to before in much higher resolution. I seem to have lost my bookmark for it but it may well have come originally from here - http://nationalmap.gov/historical/index.html It tends to take you round in circles (which is all sounding familiar to when I first discovered the site I'm referring to). Anyway, in theory you can download versions, in pdf format, of the historical topographic maps from the US Department of the Interior Geological Surveys, which are essentially the same as those contained in my earlier link. The pdfs are in the region of 10-20Mb each, which may give you some idea of the resolution. I just wish I could find a direct link for you. The files I downloaded are all named gdaxxxxxxx, if that helps.



Bob