If you look at the first picture there is actually something that looks like spikes but only one per sleeper, I would expect to per sleeper on at least one side of the rail. Shoes? US narrow gauge lines where usually simple built, the rails would normally be spiked directly on the sleepers.
This is normal US practice for all except for Heavy Duty/High Speed Main Lines. Certainly for Branch and secondary lines, this is the reason 4 wheel stock was replaced very early on with bogie stock (to reduce derailments!). Following is a photo from a Rock Island pictorial book Multi railroad used track near St. Paul, Minnesota. Check the near track and then that under the train!
There are actually 4 reviews on Steam for this route; 1 is positive, and 3 others are negative from people who don't even own TSC or the route.
They must have arrived subsequently plus I only tend to read the English language ones as Steam doesn’t have a built in translation widget.
Where are these 4 reviews? There is one review in English who does not like the route because of the older assets There is another review from a German chap who likes it but just says "Wo ist das Handbuch?" I cannot see the others
Mr Tom Foolery replied 4 times and has zero hrs logged via Steam for the product. I am not personally interested in Narrow Gage otherwise I would purchase it and make comment. It states 'Same Old Assets'. The DLC uses a Colorado & Southern Baldwin B4D-class 2-8-0 Consolidation. I cannot comment if this is a new or reused asset.
The B4D was used with Clear Creek but has had some texture upgrades as well as being backdated to 1900-1910 era. Most of the other rolling stock has also had some upgrades and been backdated. Some new rolling stock is included such as the Flanger which is a completely new model. The route also includes many new custom scenic assets such as the engine house, depots and various mines.
I'm driving it, and I cannot find anything wrong so far. The scenery is great, though rather sparse; what do you expect at high altitude?
B4D Locomotive The loco included is a Baldwin 1890 built 2-8-0 Consolidation for the Denver Leadville and Gunnison Railway. When the locomotives were built they were the most powerful locomotives on DL&G and well suited to the mountain grades and tight curves of the Colorado narrow gauge. In 1902-1903 the class were heavily rebuilt by the C&S at Denver with new boilers. When air brakes were introduced they had air tanks placed on top of the boiler between the domes as was standard on narrow gauge C&S locomotives. They were renumbered 63-70 by the C&S and classified as B4D. The locomotives regularly worked through Alpine Tunnel and were often found on the remaining section of line Buena Vista to Romley after the line stopped being a through route. In the late 1910s all C&S narrow gauge locomotives were given the distinctive Ridgeway Spark arrestor which caught burning cinders leaving the chimney while not affecting the flow of the exhaust. It was introduced to solve the problem of forest fires caused by steam locomotives. The cinders could be emptied from the pipe down the side of the smoke box once they had cooled down. The Ridgeway Spark arrestor was often known to railfans as a Bear Trap Spark Arrestor. The distinctive air tanks and spark arrestors were a unique feature of the C&S narrow gauge from the late 1910s until its closure. The B4Ds worked the Clear Creek lines up until they closed as well as the former South Park lines. In the early 1930s Locomotive #70 was converted to an oil burner and therefore had its Ridgeway Spark Arrestor removed as it was no longer required. As Denver was the only locomotives facility to be able to service an oil burning locomotive, after its conversion #70 was restricted in its use and so become a very regular locomotive on the Clear Creek lines. Some of the specifications of the B4D are shown in the table below. Boiler Pressure Traffic Effort 150psi 17,643lbs Driver Diameter Cylinder Size 37 inches 16x20 inches Tender Coal Capacity Tender Water Capacity 6 tons 2,200 gallons Weight of Locomotive Weight of Loaded Tender 38 tons 23.5 tons Combined Loco and Tender Weight 61.5 tons Unfortunately all the B4Ds were scrapped once the C&S closed their narrow gauge system apart from #69 and #70 which were acquired by the US army during WWII to work on the White Pass and Yukon. Sadly they too were also scrapped after the war in 1946. Some similar C&S Consolidation Locomotives are preserved including #60 a B4C displayed at Idaho Springs and #71 a B4E at Central City. - 8 -
Hi! It was tough to drive the train. You have to keep a close eye on the boiler pressure and water consumption. Exciting drive! Nice scenery!
