Background: The Fort Wayne was built in the 19th century and goes from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Chicago, Illinois in its entirety. I’m proposing only part of it here, specifically the first 50 miles of the route from Pittsburgh to East Palestine, Ohio. Primary operators on the route are Norfolk Southern and CSX. Proposed Section of the Fort Wayne Line: The section for this proposal traverses 50 miles of track from North Side Yard in Pittsburgh just outside of downtown and finishes in East Palestine, OH, which is just across the border from PA. This section of the line covers the entirety of the Pennsylvania part of the Fort Wayne Line. The route follows the Ohio River as it heads North out of Pittsburgh. Once thriving industry and derelict factories can be seen all along the Ohio river heading out of Pittsburgh. The next point of interest is Conway Yard. Conway Yard was the largest rail yard in the world for most of the 20th century and continues to be one of the largest in the United States to this day. The yard would be the busiest point of the route with 60 to 80 trains passing through in real life every day. Continuing North out of Conway Yard the track branches off from the Ohio River and instead begins to follow the Beaver River north. The track passes by the small towns of Rochester and New Brighton before crossing the Beaver River at Beaver Falls junction. The line then begins its heading West towards Ohio. The track sweeps through the hills of Western Pennsylvania before finally crossing the state line into Ohio where the terminating point of my proposal is; East Palestine. Below are various real life locations along the route: Proposed starting point of the Fort Wayne Line just outside downtown Pittsburgh: https://imgur.com/a/TiOLqtR Conway Yard: https://imgur.com/a/BURhcoZ Rochester, PA where the Fort Wayne Line splits and heads north along the Beaver River: https://imgur.com/a/zuFMGpB Ending point of my proposal. East Palestine, Ohio: https://imgur.com/a/DvWWeOU Locomotives and freight cars: There are many possibilities for locomotives and freight cars as the route is used by various operators and used to transport a wide variety of freight from the Northeast to the Midwest. I’m proposing two included locomotives, with only one being partly new to TSW. One of the things that would be entirely new to TSW is Norfolk Southern. Both of my proposed included trains would come in Norfolk Southern black livery. Both would also be available to drive in CSX livery as CSX is also a very common operator along the line. GE Dash 9-40CW: EMD GP38-2: Freight Cars: All freight cars included could come from other TSW routes. Common freight along the line is coal, oil, intermodal, and automobiles. New included freight cars could be included, but are not necessary for full immersion. Conclusion: In summary, I’m proposing bringing the first Norfolk Southern operations to TSW with the Fort Wayne Line: Pittsburgh to East Palestine. With a total of 50 miles of track, the route starts just outside of downtown Pittsburgh before following the Ohio River north to the iconic Conway Yard. After passing through Conway Yard, the route continues north branching off from the Ohio River before heading west towards the PA-OH state line. After making its way through the hills of Western PA, the route ends in East Palestine, OH. Please feel free to offer your thoughts, opinions, and suggestions on my proposal. Thank you!
The easy part is the locomotives because all the American Freight railroads pretty much order the same locomotives but with different requirements and horsepower. That Means the C40-8 from SPG can appear here the reverse is 9-40CW to SPG
I'd suggest a GP60 instead of the GP38-2, the C40-9W, and maybe later, an ET44AC, SD70ACU, and Genset Switcher. A High-nose GP38-2, SD40-2, SD70M-2, and SD80MAC would be cool, too.
Add in the iconic Pittsburgh Line east to Altoona including the famous Horseshoe Curve or as far as Cresson. Maybe throw in the Cleveland Line out to Alliance, OH. Add in the Conemaugh Line east out to Conpit Jct.
