Route Proposal: Norfolk Southern's Rathole ( Cno & Tp 2nd District )

Discussion in 'Route Suggestions & Proposals' started by Blacknred81, Apr 20, 2020.

  1. Blacknred81

    Blacknred81 Well-Known Member

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    Another idea thanks to Pentrex.

    Located between Danville, Kentucky and Oakdale, Tennessee, the "Rat Hole" got its name for the numerous tunnels, steep grades and curves. However a realignment project in the mid 60's removed most of the tunnels along the line. The route today full of magnificent cuts and tall bridges would still make a great route for TS2020, with Norfolk Southern power on hand.
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    The route would primarly focus on the line between Danville and Oakdale, a length of about 130miles, and could also include where the route splits north of Danville at SJ Tower (For trains coming from or going to Cincinnati or Louisville), and south of Oakdale in Harriman, (For trains coming from or going to Knoxville or Chattanooga).
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    Highlights of this route would be the numerous single and double track sections, the high cuts, and impressive bridges such as the one over the New River south of Helenwood.
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    Equipment for this route would be any locomotives NS rostered from the 90's till now, including older power like Hi-Hood SD40's and GP38's , C39-8's to newer power like ET44's or the rebuilt AC44C6M's
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    Also the route could also be back dated for the Southern Railway, and include their locomotives, as well as things such as the Radio Cars for mid train helpers (NS used these as well), or the unique Hogshed cars originally built for Tobacco, but reused for other products later in life.
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    Last edited: Apr 20, 2020
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  2. Buynot

    Buynot Well-Known Member

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    I remember hearing about this line on a documentary about Southern 4501. Looks like a very scenic route! It would be great for screenshots if this gets made.
     
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  3. NEC Railfan

    NEC Railfan Well-Known Member

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    I would rather have it set in the Southern Railway era in the 70s just before the NW merger.
     
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  4. colin#3623

    colin#3623 New Member

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    1st. On the map Cincinnati is in the wrong spot
    2nd. I prefer the modern day NS version
     
  5. pugilist3

    pugilist3 Active Member

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    Great idea for a route. Would love to see this in train simulator.
     
  6. itstypicalrailfanner16

    itstypicalrailfanner16 Active Member

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    I like this suggestion, but here's the problem. When Saluda Grade was made, that mofo was butchered by HIS and DTM. The route was okay, it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. The Rollingstock was meh, but DTM and his butchered NS Locomotives was the final nail in the coffin. I'd like to see more Early Norfolk Southern routes and even some N&W and Southern pre-merger routes, but Saluda Grade made me regret even suggesting that route in the first place.

    See, I'm not from Georgia, I'm from Connecticut, one of the most boring states you could possibly go to for railfanning. But I do research and I am really into trains, hence why I prefer Pro Range addons as they're much better than the traditional addons we normally see for Train Sim. To be fair, there were some good Non-Pro Range addons, such as the GP40-2 Pack and the GP9 pack, however, there hasn't been anything that good since. And again, back to Saluda Grade, I just don't even think it's a good idea suggesting great American routes anymore, especially not after the bullshit Feather River Railway route "enhancement". That thing was horrendous, way more horrendous than I'm normally used to. Because of those two mistakes, I just don't even know if it's worth recommending great real-life routes to see development as true-to-life Train Sim Classic routes. The next NS route is more than likely going to get butchered again, along with the same ole reskinned rollingstock as well.
     
  7. itstypicalrailfanner16

    itstypicalrailfanner16 Active Member

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    We have enough Modern NS stuff. I wanna see something that's not modern, some old American Railroading, I'm tired of looking at modern stuff all the time and I'm not saying this because BNSF is known for having boring power, it's just me being tired of all this modern stuff. I want to see some old stuff, some more pro-range old goodies, actual pro-range locos and routes, not terrible routes and loco addons with a "Pro Range" label slapped on their Steam Store page thumbnails (cough-cough Saluda Grade and Amtrak P40DC cough-cough).
     

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