Coming from expert developer Milepost Simulations is the Milwaukee Road’s extraordinary crossing of the Montana Rockies – with the Pipestone Pass: Three Forks – Butte Route for Train Simulator Classic! The Milwaukee Road amid the Rockies. It was a remarkable railroad that was a siren to train enthusiasts for decades. Burly, ancient, but potent orange, maroon, and black boxcar electric “motors” grinding up steep mountain grades below fragile wooden-pole catenary. The rugged, remote magnificence of Montana’s Pipestone Pass. Trestles, tunnels – and tonnage that tested the mettle of both machines and men. And soon, from expert developer Milepost Simulations, the Pipestone Pass: Three Forks – Butte route for Train Simulator Classic will bring to life this historic route born of the Milwaukee Road’s grand and bold “Pacific Extension.” The upcoming Pipestone Pass route will extend from Three Forks, Montana, across the Rockies via Pipestone Pass and west to Butte, Montana, a distance of 70 route miles. Utilizing lengthy grades of up to 2 percent, high trestles, and numerous tunnels, the line – a part of the railroad’s legendary Rocky Mountain Division – crossed the U.S. Continental Divide at an elevation of 6,347 feet above sea level. Founded in 1874, the Milwaukee Road (formally, the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad) was the last of three American railroads (along with Great Northern and Northern Pacific) to stretch west from the Upper Midwest to the Pacific Northwest. Between 1905 and 1915, at a cost of $60 million, the railroad’s “Pacific Extension” project extended “MILW” rails westward through South Dakota, Montana, and Idaho to Washington State. The extension included building over five mountain passes, among which was Pipestone Pass and its high elevation crossing of the Continental Divide. To power its trains in this remote, daunting mountain territory, the Milwaukee Road chose to electrify significant portions of its route in the Rockies, Bitterroot, and Cascade Mountains, including the 440 miles of railroad between Harlowton, Montana and Avery, Idaho. To labor under the wood-poled catenary of its new extension, the Milwaukee Road in 1915-16 acquired 42 burly double-unit General Electric boxcab electric motors rated at 3,340 horsepower. Truly built for the ages, the big electrics would toil for well more than a half-century, with the last of these potent GE electrics remaining in service into the 1970s (the Milwaukee Pacific Extension itself closed in 1980). It is the Milwaukee Road’s unique and extraordinary railroading experience – of heavy electrics hard at work on challenging and scenic Western mountain grades – that the upcoming Pipestone Pass: Three Forks – Butte route will offer! The Pipestone Pass: Three Forks – Butte route for Train Simulator Classic will feature: • The Milwaukee Road’s tough and memorable Rocky Mountain Division crossing of Pipestone Pass and the Continental Divide. The heart of the pass extends from Piedmont to Butte with a ruling grade of 2 percent westbound and 1.7 percent eastbound. • Milwaukee Road’s distinctive General Electric boxcab electric motors constructed in 1915-16 in three lash-up configurations (EF1, EF2, and EF5) and two (unbranded) Milwaukee liveries typical of the 1950s and 1960s. • The versatile Electro-Motive GP9 diesel road-switcher in Milwaukee (unbranded) and Northern Pacific liveries. • A variety of period-authentic freight equipment, including the Milwaukee Road’s distinctive home-built, ribbed-side steel bay-window caboose. • Milwaukee Road yards and facilities at locations including Three Forks, Piedmont, Janney, and Butte; classic high trestles; ABS signals; and track signage. • Authentic Milwaukee Road catenary with variable voltage. • Eight challenging career scenarios, featuring Milwaukee Road freight operations across the length of the route. Milepost Simulations’ upcoming Pipestone Pass: Three Forks – Butte route will deliver an enthralling and tradition-rich style of American railroading, all re-created with remarkable visual and operational fidelity – and it’s coming soon to Train Simulator Classic! Read More : Catenary Across the Rockies
Looks quite nice. Can't wait to take Searchlight MILW emds over it. Hope the signalling is well done.
Is the route configured to support existing US electric locos, such as the AEM-7 or ACS-64? Specifically due to signalling. Looks nice but it would be nice to avoid the raw NEC effect where the only thing you do is one loco. Yes, both NEC routes also had the SD40, like this has the GP9.
I'm glad that we're getting boxcabs, but the cab textures are horrific - sub-Kuju level. I expect the sounds and simulation will be too, but I'll be happy to be proven wrong. Hopefully somebody will make an enhancement pack to bring it up to standard. On the other hand, the route itself looks decent.
This is weird! I saw this route and locos 3 days ago in a traingroup on Facebook and now it is coming to TSC. Probably 34:99 Euro like everything else new now. So another wait for a sale before buying it.
Note it says the Boxcabs are unbranded however all they carried in the livery shown was a Milwaukee diamond under the cab side windows so easy enough to "brand" after purchase (for your own use only of course).
I very much doubt the route which was de electrified in 1973 would have Amtrak Era Cab signalling I would be surprised if the locos on the line had cab signalling. But that would not stop you running other US Electric locos over the line - something I might try if I get the route This might be of interest - https://streamlinermemories.info/Milw/Milw73EndofEra.pdf
If that was in reference to my post, it was in regards to the color light signals. The MILW never implemented any cab signalling as far as I know. That said the date actually does fit with cab signalling, just not for this route. it was implemented far earlier than you might expect, with some lines receiving cab signalling before the second world war.
A Little Joe, Quill, and/or Bi-Polar could be good DLC ideas in the future. A Milwaukee Road FM Erie Built set (such a pretty paint scheme on the CMStP&P FM Eries) with an Olympian Hiawatha passenger set, an SD45 (NP and MR), an SD40-2 (both liveries), a GP30 or GP35 (both liveries), etc. could also be good DLC ideas. This is a cool route idea.
I will await yours and other peoples views on how the route is. Having been released last year they should have sorted out any problems before sending to Steam.
The Bozeman Pass route has MILW electrified depots at Three Forks and Trident. Here's a couple of shots at Three Forks MILW depot.
