So a good historical route that could be made for Train Simulator 20XX is the Union Pacific Branch Line to Boulder City (~30mi), The US Government Railroad (~10 miles), and the Six Companies Railroad (19mi?), which all 3 contributed to the construction of Boulder (Now Hoover) Dam. The year would be set sometime between 1932-1935. The Union Pacific Branch line ran from UP's Arden Yard located just outside of Las Vegas to Boulder City, a distance just a few miles shy of 30. This part of the route would be the easiest part to recreate, as UP still operates on most of the line up near the crossing of I-11, with the Nevada Southern Railway Museum owning the rest of the line to Boulder City. From Boulder City to the Dam site, the railroad was built and owned by the US Government. The line was abandoned shortly after the dams completion, although some parts of this line still exist as a walking trail with the original tunnels as well. On the US Government Railroad, at Lawler Junction, the Six Companies Railroad connected with the line. Here the line ran towards the aggregate plant located near the Boulder Islands, as well as the concrete mixing plants and a gravel pit in Arizona. The actual lines for these would be a little harder to replicate, as most of it is now under lake mead, and the only vague info I have on them is from this wiki article. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_C...panies (Utah Construction,the help of Frank T. Locomotives Union Pacific Locomotives would most likely be what was common steam power for the UP in the Early 1930's Tried to find a roster for the Six Companies Railroad, but couldn't find anything. Thru pictures though there are a few candidates though... 3-Truck Shay 2-8-0 Consolidation 2-6-2 Prairie? 2-8-2 (Mikado) Also interestingly enough, one of the original SCI dump cars still exists too, at the Western Pacific Museum in Portola.
This sounds great. I live in Vegas, and I've been to Hoover Dam several times. The tracks between the dam and Vegas are still there from Vegas to Boulder City. The Nevada Southern Railway Museum runs an excursion from Boulder City each weekend. There is a hiking train that goes through four tunnels near Lake Mead that I've walked a few times. The tracks are gone, of course. This is a great historical route.
Funny enough, the Nevada Southern Railway Museum just got an ex SCI dump car from the Niles Canyon Railway. Photo from their facebook page.
I know this is an old suggestion, but I somehow found a map of the Six Companies Railroad lines that used to exist under what is now Lake Mead.....
Looks to me to be yet another 2-8-2 given the fact that I think I'm seeing a fourth driver right behind the cylinder.
It's a Mikado, since there are no prairies of that design as far as I know (if it was a normal prairie it would have the piston rod connected to the second axle), plus I can also see a bit of that first axle behind the cylinder.
