New York Division-Bergen Line - Part Deux!

[LuisaA]

New York Division-Bergen Line - Part CC "The End is near"
Post by minerman 146 » Fri Aug 09, 2049 5:50 pm

We did it guys, with update 6666 I finally reached Chicago!

[minerman146]

Here we are at page 100. Its Sunday afternoon and at times like this, I get hope that I can do it, go the distance, and ease his pain.

But first a word from my sponsor: Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer. Forget what you think you have seen with PBR. You might think it’s all PBR and irony, but Pabst Brewing, based in Los Angeles, is the fifth-largest brewer in the U.S. Established in 1844 in Milwaukee and best known for its Pabst Blue Ribbon brand. This was the beer of choice for my grandfather, who not only was judicious, but an ERIE man. I have fond memories of lunch time at my grandparents house. At lunch, my grandmother would make bologna and cheese on white bread but with a kick. She would BUTTER the bread. I would get the usual milk. But grandpa... well a nice pilsner glass would be presented next to the aforementioned sandwich, and ... my grandmother would pour his Pabst from the bottle into the glass. So, remember Pabst Blue Ribbon is good AND true Erie men have one, just one, with their bologna sandwich at lunch.

*Special Note - if you want get an idea of my grandfather's personality and of the Erie he knew - click this Lawrence Welk tune at your own risk. ( you have been warned)
https://youtu.be/2Fcjc9TCEjw . Yes, at my grandparent's house i would watch this program with them... Now that I'm olden, I can come out of the closet and admit I like Lawrence Welk.

Next up: Where are we?

I am actively working on the route, just not at the fevered caffeine and bourbon fueled pitch of previous years. I have rounded the curve out of Middletown station, laid track to Howells, NY and got houses out to 2 miles West. This is not easy. In fact, this is boring. But we do it, we keep going and were gonna finish this darn thing. Right now I am ready to detail Silver Lake and its environs.

Everyone break out your maps.

This is what we got to do - this is it - the end.
1. 8.5 Miles from Silver Lake Road to Otisville Station
2. 13.5 Miles from Otisville to Port Jervis Station
3. 4.0 Miles to Mill Rift, PA

These are the FINAL three phases of the New York Division. From where I stand today its 26 Miles to the end. Can I do it? I honestly dont know. This looks like 12 months of work. Crazy. I will get to Otisville, if I run out of gas or something radical changes (like one of my assets gets discontinued - I will stop). This has been a unbelievable project, we went way further than I and many of you thought. With Port Jervis, we will have, at long last, both a beginning and end. For you nuts, you will have runs that will last over 2 hours, at posted speeds, from one end to the other.

And it will ALL have scenery on it.


So, do what Minerman does and all true Erie men do and hoist that Pabst Blue Ribbon up and toast the New York Division.

Carry On!

[bswitzrw]

A wonnafull, a wonafulla.

Minerman, you're definitely a trooper!

[minerman146]

This is it for me tonight, so lets go to some screen shots. Tonight's feature: Michael Stephan's G7 and Dunmore Cabooses on the Bergen. Yes, they even look better in game.

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I have to tell Michael that his work just gets better with age. The more I use them the more I like em!

Carry on!

[LuisaA]

This is what we got to do - this is it - the end.
1. 8.5 Miles from Silver Lake Road to Otisville Station

Carry On!

Wow I didn't realise Otisville and Middletown were so distant. Looking from wikipedia it seems as if they are just 2 miles.

[minerman146]

I always check the distances by rail from point to point. A cursory glance at a map can be deceiving.

Middletown-Otisville.JPG

This is why I freak out when some wag says " well, the route doesn't go to Port Jervis." Regarding time to complete, there are two measures. 1. Man Hours and 2. Calendar Days. Roughly it is 20 hours per mile. If I work for 3 hours a day, for 7 days that is 21 hours. 10 Miles is 200 hundred hours. So, at that pace, I would get to Otisville in 10 weeks. I would be there by October 21st 2019.

This is not my current pace. I am at 2 hours per day on average.
Carry ON!

[minerman146]

I have had an interesting morning locating research materials and then lo and behold ... THIS pops up on DTM's facebook page. Such detail, and by golly the lettering and numbers are spot on.

DTM_EL_SW1200.JPG

5 years of working on this project ... NOW I worry about being the dog who finally catches that truck.

" i got a fever and the only prescription is more ERIE!"
Carry On!

[bswitzrw]

Cheers, Adam!

[minerman146]

And Cheers right back atcha!

The end is nigh for this thread - I am waiting for the thread undertaker to take this to the great roundhouse in the sky. I want to squeeze in some commentary before we move on to next thread - New York Division Bergen Line - ERIE, with a vengeance !

Good evening, and a happy Wednesday to all. Welcome to this week's edition of the Wednesday Route Update Report. Let's get it on!

Friday Route Update Status:

(X) Firm maybe with qualification and a disclaimer.
( ) Oh, yea we got this!

I would like to squeeze in a quick update before I go on vacation next week. I am rushing to extend the scenery further West, so I can start detailing at "Four Story Juciton" This junction was where the Ontario and Western crossed the Graham Line. Today, a track actually goes off off the old O&W and connects to our line. This is used by Norfolk Southern to deliver to customers in Middletown. There are 2 consignees in range and Foods Company and a Lumberyard. If I cant get the scenery extended far enough I will put up the new consignees. Good news is Joesphp will be getting some REAL O&W track.

Visualizing the end of the build, I can see what we will have to work with going forward with scenarios or you guys just driving around. Between Middletown and Port Jervis is nothing but trees. We get another station, a passing siding and a tunnel and that is it. What is neat about this part of the line ... is we cover the entirety of the Graham Line. As you probably notice, the last level crossing we had was back in Tuxedo about 30 miles back from Middletown. There are no other crossings until Sparrowbush, NY. This is all rural, Southern Tier and a vast expance of forest until, I think, Lake Erie. This is not as interesting as Bergen County. It is very scenic and we do get nice 20 plus miles stretches of 60mph track and elevated curve to run. You can see why the Erie built this for freight, with its 6/10 of a percent grade. This didn't get commuter service until 1983 when main line form Middletown to Harriman was close and the track removed. I would have liked to have done that. I didn't have the assets to do all those little towns and stations justice. What I am alluding to, is that game-wise, there wont be much in AI after Campbell Hall. I hope you guys will still like route with this lonely section!

I hope I have enough to justify an update. I will let you know on Sunday what the status is.

Side note: The super squirrel secret spy project is ON. And DTM will be publishing an EL SW1200 which is good news for this here route.

Lets get ready for Bob to shut the thread down and to move on the next one, the future and beyond.

Carry On!

[ELtom]

Glad to see that you are taking a vacation. Rail Road Bill will be glad too see you.

[minerman146]

First things first "ELtom". Could be El Tom such as in Spanish for 'The' Tom or … it could be E-L Tom. I find that interesting. And he seems to know who Railroad Bill is.
Next Up:
As I will be on Vacation starting tonight, I spent 5 hours jamming the route from 7am to 1230pm today to squeeze out an update - and I just did.

Route Update Number 224
New York Division-Bergen Line 9.9.5.8: 4 Storey Junction

Additions: Scenery Update Middletown, NY. to RT 17M. Scenery extended 2.5 Miles West of Station. Add Crawford Industrial Branch for access to City of Middletown along ROW for the O&W. The update's name refers to the O&W trestle that goes over the Graham Line. Update to Hillburn, add Routes 17, 287 and 87 interchange circa 1987.

Fixes: Signal East at 47.7, Signals East at Bergen Tunnel. Forest due West of Hillburn that did not draw properly. Missing Warehouses in Secaucus.

General Comments:
The update is at about 80% done with scenery. I spent a boatload of time on Foliage and all the cuts on the Graham Line. I couldn't help myself and put in the track for the Middletown and NJ RR. at Crawford Industrial. No siding installation yet. Its a really steep climb up for the Graham Line to the Branch at 2.1% In case your wondering how I render the scenery between Middletown and Otisville as its half obscured by trees and everything is in low-resolution. Well, I got lucky. Some guy put put up a cab ride in a NJT U34CH from the late 90s or 2000 or 2001. Not only can I see the cuts and the signaling, it also fits my rough time period of 2001. If you want to check it out and compare to my work - be my guest https://youtu.be/d91AWnxKhgU. Leave the sound off to avoid the 'odd' chatter. I never heard people like this guy in the cab when I was with my Dad. Mostly, because we didn't let strange people on the train, unless they were employees.

Also, I spent about 3 days working on the highway interchange at Suffern. I was inspired by LuisA to do the work to make it more complete. I hope that someday, I can get back to Mahwah and rework the Ford Plant and update the scenery from like Suffern to Ramsey it needs it bad. LuisA also put up a YouTube of his Middletown to Hoboken Scenario that he is working on. See it here. https://youtu.be/lasBL4a7YLA I watched almost the whole thing, just fast forwarding though the forest areas. His video and scenario is 1 Hour and 50 minutes. This is just from Middletown with stops. I am eager to see how long it will be from Port Jervis - its gotta be 2 hours plus. That is a haul!
Gratuitous Screenshots

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One more pair of shots:

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That is it for now... for tomorrow I beach!
Carry On!

[minerman146]

After a week's hiatus, I am rested, tanned and ready. So here it is this week's edition of the Wednesday Route Update Report. The Final Pages Edition. Let's get it on!
Friday Route Update Status:

(X) I need more power
( ) We can do it, but I don't know how long she'll hold

The good news, is after release I was able to get in another 4 hours of build in. I have been working the route since my return. My route-building mojo is strong as I am focusing on the work I am doing, and not lamenting the distance. Tonight's screen shot is a the map from last week, with an arrow marking the Western reaches of scenery.

Middletown-Otisville.JPG

As I move West, I think of the next challenge; Otisville. I will be bittersweet to punch through the mountain and on the next and almost final leg of our journey. The end will be tough, it will be complex, and it will be the capstone - The New York Division. I don't know about you, but for me, this truly is impressive. An entire division of 90 miles, yard to yard. I hope to surprise you with the finish and challenge you with glorious freight runs that have a purpose and a meaning.

I also look forward to creating more rolling stock for Michael Stephans site. I have 6 cars ready to go since April. I am sitting on them until I start again with the painting. Currently there is an EL SW1200 in production with DTM. I hope and am working towards having more EL equipment generated including one doozy of a model.
There is so much to look forward to in the coming months, it will be a wonderful finish for all the work that has been completed thus far. As always, do carry on.

And that's the way it is, August 28th, 2019, this is Minerman146 for the New York Division-Bergen Line. Good Night.

[AmericanSteam]

On his fiery SW12 with the speed of a slow order, a cloud of diesel smoke and a hearty Hi-Yo Silver! The EL Ranger rides.
My apologies to the Lone Ranger.

[minerman146]

So here it is, this week's Wednesday Route Update Report, Lone Ranger Edition. Let's get it on!

Friday Route Update Status:

(X) Horse say "no kemosabe"
( ) "Hi-Yo, Silver! Away!"

I don't know about you, but Wednesday, snuck up on me like a jealous brave after I got the hairy eyeball from his squaw. Hey it could happen, I'm good looking!
We continue the drive Westward towards Howells, NY on the way to Otisville. There is so much to see, we got... uh trees uh, overpasses for country lanes and 2000 feet of swamp! Someone might find this interesting ( I hope ) but I am not deterred by all the darn houses on ridges, twisty country roads and rocky cuts.

Lets go to the map!

Middletown-Otisville2.jpg

See? I told you it was going to be slow going! But, we ARE moving and that is the key thing.

Now, there have been some interruptions due to the Super Secret Squirrel Project. As the researcher and muse on this project, I get a call and I respond. Let me tell you research takes time and lots of it. This impacts my route building, but its such an great thing that is being worked on, when you finally see it, you will understand.

That is it for this week. See you next Wednesday, unless something interesting comes up before then.

Carry On!

[minerman146]

Good evening friends and welcome to this edition of the Wednesday Route Report.
So, lets check that status shall we?

[ X ] I am so very sorry
[ ] Yes, I have commitment

Route progress is going very poorly. Due to exceptional one-off work commitments I have been engaged in the past 5 days with an ongoing situation. Common sense dictates that I defer 'play time' during such events, and I have performed my work duties. In the past 7 days I have logged 3 hours of route work. Below is our progress map for this week.

Middletown-Otisville3.JPG

Actually there is more done than you know, and when its released you will see my faithfulness to all the little things that make this place what it is.

I should say this about the route, I sensed it was time to stop as I said at Campbell Hall. I was concerned that my other obligations would catch up at long last and interfere with my progress. That time is at hand. Please indulge me as I now struggle to get even 60 minutes of work in during the next 7 days. I will try and that is what I promise. I am sure you all agree, that I have gone further than we all expected. Be assured, that if its time to stop, I will tell you.


I think for the past 3 or so years I put up a picture of the Manhattan Skyline as seen from Hoboken. Please believe me that circumstances involved in time period I chose for this 'modern' era was coincidental. Truth be told, the Harmon Cove Station closed when line was rerouted to serve Secaucus Junction in August of 2003. I should have left the old main line in and left Secaucus out. I still regret that. I hurts that I didn't go back further in time as I wanted. With what I had to work with, and really, it was the desires of the community that the Bergen should be modern. It was also the fact that BING had very old aerial maps in2015. Much of the old stuff you see, it because of this. Those maps are now gone from the internet. I felt I was blessed to go back to the late 90s and 00s to capture scenes that are now long gone. When I was working on the route at this time, and as someone born before these structures were built, I remember them when they were new. My father remembers seeing them built. With the losses of that day and the loss of a different time I so fondly remember, I made the decision to include what you see below.

This was a difficult decision to make, and to be tasteful. I mean it to be a quiet remembrance. The structures are just 'there'. My only connection to the place is a job interview I had in 1992 at a company called Insurance Services Office. I think it was on the 40th floor of WTC1. This was the only time I was ever there. It would have been such an honor to work at such a company and at such a place. I was so excited I brought my newly-wed wife on the trip to spend the day after the interview. It was not in the cards for me to get the position. I wish I had.

So this scene is but a small gesture to them on that day. It is a gesture of respect to the City of New York. It is a way we can relive our shared past. In some small way, if it gets you think about the love we have for our country and our people, then I say Thank You for remembering with me. God Bless them and those who are with us today and those who lived on, beyond that day.

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