Arizona Divide Modernized

Discussion about RailWorks route design.

Arizona Divide Modernized

Unread postby Fey96 » Thu Mar 24, 2022 12:01 am

With the one-year anniversary of Milepost Simulations' Arizona Divide approaching in the next few days, I figure now would be a good time to shed some light on the progress on my own edit of the route; the Arizona Divide Modernized (name is subject to change over time). This version brings the ATSF Seligman Subdivision 30 years into future - from 1993 Santa Fe ops to modern-day "post-giant-merger" BNSF rule in 2023. Not only has the track infrastructure been upgraded to reflect the prototype, but the entire route is undergoing extensive scenery upgrades in an effort to make it much more accurate and detailed over the original.

Additionally, the mainline tracks west of Williams Junction are currently planned to be extended as far as Seligman, the halfway point and namesake town of the subdivision. This will allow for high speed operations over the 44-mile "Crookton Cutoff" through Arizona's wilderness. An extra 22 miles of the branching Phoenix sub is already in development between Williams and Ash Fork.

The following assets are required as of March 23, 2022:

Payware:
-Arizona Divide
-Stevens Pass
-Montana Hi-Line
-Pacific Surfliner
-Chicago Racetrack

-Renewable Energy Pack
-TS Reward Military Flatcars
-US & Euro Loco/Asset Pack

Freeware:
-Searchlight Simulations Defect Detectors (https://www.store.searchlight-simulatio ... -detectors)

(https://ajrailsim.pierreg.org/objets.htm)
-Véhicules USA Pack 1 and 2
-Faune Grand Norde - Pack 2

From Railworks America:

-Railworks Community Asset Project (http://railworksamerica.com/index.php/r ... st-release)

-Maine Maritime (http://railworksamerica.com/index.php/d ... collection)

-Rail Greasers (http://railworksamerica.com/index.php/d ... =22:models)

-Railroad Solar Power System (http://railworksamerica.com/index.php/d ... =22:models)

-New Modern Traffic Lights (http://railworksamerica.com/index.php/d ... =22:models)

-1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air Coupes (http://railworksamerica.com/index.php/d ... =22:models)

-60's 70's Car Pack 1 (https://railworksamerica.com/index.php/ ... =22:models)

Now on to the eye candy *!greengrin!* Keep in mind that this is still a work in progress, so you will notice several barren or otherwise unfinished patches in the following screenshots. These will all be filled out and detailed in due time !!*ok*!!

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Winslow Amtrak Depot with a bit of spice to it.

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Trying my best to kitbash certain landmarks...

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Winslow crew change, looking east toward the Gallup subdivision.

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The mainline was widened to 4 tracks in 2020 to accommodate heavy rail traffic.

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A number of former track alignments are sprinkled across the divide.

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Canyon Diablo has been fleshed out a bit more.

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LPG Facility at Darling. In need of a tank car fueling platform for the spur.

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You gotta do what you gotta do. Sure wish we had some newer SafeTran signals for the sim...

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The foamers are out in full force at Cosnino *!!wink!!*

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Cosnino Road looking west.

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Approaching McPhetridge.

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Actual tip: Arizona State Troopers like to hang out in the trees just outside of East Flagstaff. Watch your speed if you're ever there.

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Lots of trailers on standby to load up with fresh puppy chow.

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The other side of Purina looking east.

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East Flagstaff looking west. The crossover was relocated between Fanning Dr. and Steves Blvd.

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Part of the mainline through East Flagstaff was realigned, leaving the old ROW to be built over throughout the years.

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Would you believe that people still manage to get hit here?

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Downtown Flagstaff.

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THE Arizona Divide.

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East Bellemont crossovers.

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Bellemont is home to the rail-served Schuff Steel.

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I knew these old cantelievers would come in handy at some point !!*ok*!!

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This is referencing exactly who you think it is.

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Crossovers tucked away at Chalender.

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Inspired by a neat painting from several years back.

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Williams Junction is home to one of the loneliest Amtrak platforms in the country. It's no longer in service as of 2019.

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The original Santa Fe Depot is also long gone besides the foundation.

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BNSF's Phoenix sub, known by locals as the "Peavine" begins here.

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Downtown Williams. The track closest to the depot is owned by the Grand Canyon Railway.

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Another effort at kitbashing.

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Fleshed out the detail around Williams Depot.

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Grand Canyon Railway Shops.

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The Seligman Sub crosses over the Grand Canyon Railway just north of town.

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The speed limits match :D

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Supai Summit, highest point on the Peavine. This section of the 'vine follows the original ATSF mainline alignment, which ran down the mountain to Ash Fork before winding back up towards Crookton.

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The horsehoe curve at Corva is one of Arizona's best-kept secrets.

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Another big horseshoe curve at Daze.

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Looking west toward the town of Ash Fork. As of 2021, this has become a standard crew change point for PHX trains.

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Back on the transcon at East Perrin, several miles into the Crookton Cutoff west of Williams. This part of the Seligman sub was built in the 1960s to bypass the original, slower mainline through Ash Fork. "Better Way For The Santa Fe" is an excellent documentary of its construction.

As of now, this project has no ETA for release. The first public release will likely be after the Winslow - Seligman portion is fully operational with a fairly even amount of detail. I do have greater ambitions in mind for the route, such as building the west half of Seligman to Needles, but let's just take this one step at a time first. *!!wink!!*
Last edited by Fey96 on Sun Feb 05, 2023 5:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Arizona Divide Modernized

Unread postby buzz456 » Thu Mar 24, 2022 10:23 am

Awesome project. Keep us informed. **!!bow!!**
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Re: Arizona Divide Modernized

Unread postby Mikeov1985 » Thu Mar 24, 2022 5:59 pm

Wow, thank you for sharing! It is looking great. Please keep us posted.

!!*ok*!!
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Re: Arizona Divide Modernized

Unread postby harryadkins » Thu Mar 24, 2022 6:17 pm

Great work!
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Re: Arizona Divide Modernized

Unread postby ex-railwayman » Tue Mar 29, 2022 8:01 am

This looks fantastic, you've done the area proud, your kitbashing skills are very good, well done indeed, looking forward to this release. Unsure about the bears harrassing the signal maintenance worker, I hope he gets down safely from his lofty position. !*roll-laugh*!

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Re: Arizona Divide Modernized

Unread postby Fey96 » Sun Apr 17, 2022 1:26 pm

Howdy! I've taken this last week off from TS for a vacation, but I did get another chance to scout out the Flagstaff - Winslow area in real life. Now that I'm home, I'll be putting my focus into working on this stretch of the map in-game (mostly Darling - Dennison at the moment).

Here's my view of the sunset over Flagstaff the other night, right around Milepost 320. You gotta love it when a TS route is practically in your backyard! :D

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Re: Arizona Divide Modernized

Unread postby Fey96 » Mon Apr 18, 2022 11:37 am

I fixed up the Winslow airport to make it more detailed and presentable. The original version was a bit painful to look at...

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Re: Arizona Divide Modernized

Unread postby Fey96 » Wed Apr 20, 2022 3:53 pm

Gliding eastbound through the curve at Milepost 302, just west of Dennison.

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Re: Arizona Divide Modernized

Unread postby Fey96 » Sat Apr 23, 2022 2:44 pm

This project forced me to learn simple modelling for TS (huge thanks to Mike Adams and his windmill tutorial in the file library !*salute*! ).

Starting off with simple signs first. It ain't much, but it's honest work. At some point I'll definitely take the time to create higher quality models for the public release.

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Re: Arizona Divide Modernized

Unread postby DieselMatt75 » Sat Apr 23, 2022 8:00 pm

Fey96 wrote:This project forced me to learn simple modelling for TS (huge thanks to Mike Adams and his windmill tutorial in the file library !*salute*! ).

Starting off with simple signs first. It ain't much, but it's honest work. At some point I'll definitely take the time to create higher quality models for the public release.

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Amazing work!
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Re: Arizona Divide Modernized

Unread postby Boss1 » Sun Apr 24, 2022 9:05 am

Excellent job on modernizing the route! I lived in Flagstaff for 13 years and it looks spot on. Really looking forward to it. !*brav*!
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Re: Arizona Divide Modernized

Unread postby Fey96 » Sun Apr 24, 2022 3:39 pm

Thank you all for your compliments! It really means a lot to me that people are enjoying the effort that's gone into this project so far. *!!thnx!!* :D


Boss1 wrote:Excellent job on modernizing the route! I lived in Flagstaff for 13 years and it looks spot on. Really looking forward to it. !*brav*!



Honestly Flagstaff has proven to be a bit of a nightmare to work on, but I'm chipping away at it. Even now, it's barely halfway to being completely finished..
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Re: Arizona Divide Modernized

Unread postby Fey96 » Tue Apr 26, 2022 11:23 pm

Whipped up a decal for the Main 1 bridges between Winslow and Dennison.

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Re: Arizona Divide Modernized

Unread postby Boss1 » Wed Apr 27, 2022 9:14 am

Glad that you added the Santa Fe writing on the bridge. Always see it when on I-40.
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Re: Arizona Divide Modernized

Unread postby Fey96 » Wed Apr 27, 2022 3:13 pm

Boss1 wrote:Glad that you added the Santa Fe writing on the bridge. Always see it when on I-40.


They were a requirement. It was disappointing to see them left out of the original map, though I suppose that was due to the old licensing restrictions **!!bang!!**
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