USA Freight - BVE2

You'll take charge of one of the beasts of Southern US freight, passenger and mail operations; hauling through some spectacular desert scenery.

Route Overview

The route begins its 34.5 mile (55km) journey at the iron ore hills of Mount Causeway. The station at Mount Causeway still operates passenger trains, but the small yard here, serves it's most frequent customer: the MLFC (Mile Long Freight Company).

From the delivery sidings or station your train roars out of the goods area onto the double track Trans-Desert route where the line falls quite rapidly (a 28 downhill grade in part). Linespeed increases for a while, but you'll struggle to slow your train down for the falling gradient. The lines converge - then a single track viaduct takes you over the murky River Campbell.

Then follows an uphill 30 gradient which soon becomes a rapid decent down Checketts Bank (named after Harry Checketts - the founder of the iron ore plant at the base of the incline). The line runs single track on a rocky ledge, through some tunnels and down towards the Checketts Bank stop. This is a tricky little run. The gradient changes from -31 to -15 and -10 but there is a 15mph turnout at the foot of the mountain, protected by a red signal. You'll have to brake early and harsh in order to approach the signal a speed slow enough to stop at it!

After crossing back from the platform loop onto the main running line the gradient levels out, before starting to climb. Here you will travel through the sandstone rock cuttings for the duration. The line singles out again for the long viaduct at Thingley before falling and rising again over highway Route 56 and up the Oldnall spine ridge. Careful at the summit - tracks double once again and trains are usually diverted onto the 15mph right hand road.

The lines here run along the side of Mount Lloyd. The line was doubled here in 1949 and your track is built on a cantilevered platform on the edge of the existing ledge. Lets hope you don't fail your train here. It's a long way down if you're scared of heights!

Soon the linespeed drops to 35mph as a sweeping right hand curve falls through a falling gradient of 20. Time to test out those brakes again!

As the line levels out you'll hit the lines from North Hesson, for a short fast four track run contained within a deep gorge. The lines shortly converge into a single track for a sharp curve leading to the yard at Brownhills. There can be a signal check here as passenger services to the South turn around at the station. The actual platforms lie on an uphill 20 gradient. It will take some judgement to stop the train in the right place! After the struggle to leave Brownhills the lines climb further up the Western ridge of the mountain, settling back to single track and passing through several tunnels and then reaching a plateau. The gradients here are much kinder. You'll pass through various shanty settlements, more tunnels and forward to the Stimpson Pass.

The pass leads gently uphill, with some breaks in the rocky wall, giving you a glimpse of the surrounding cliffs, canyons and sandy plateaus. You're now heading for the station and freight depot at Carlsberg, where your relief will be waiting on the platform. Its time for your break - a few glasses of ice cold soda and a chat with your conductor before some picking up a later working.

Driving & Signalling

American railroads are very distinctive in their operations. Faced with long distances and cut-throat completion, these railroads developed in their own special flavour. Longer trains, harder use, and flexible scheduling are only some of the enhancements US railroads experimented with between their occasional bouts of receivership.

The following are practices you might wish to incorporate while running the Desert Route scenarios...

SIGNALS: Signals in BVE reflect a block-occupancy control system. Generally, the signal immediately behind the train is red, the next one out, yellow. This being the case, a yellow signal is not necessarily a “reduced speed” signal, but rather a sign to the engineer that he must be able to stop before encountering the signal following.

This means that an engineer who is running late and knows a division well can make up time by holding his speed up while passing a yellow. As long as he knows the location of the next signal and can stop at it, he can proceed at posted speeds. For those on the Desert Route, this is particularly important in some of the longer blocks you might encounter. For example, there is a very long 70mph block following Claghorn. If you know where the next signal is, you can pretty much run this block at full speed, gaining back valuable time. Of course, remember that you are gambling with your career. If you run a red signal, you will be clearing out your locker before nightfall.

Please note that there are two signals that are controlled directly by the dispatcher. Signals 7966 and 7922 will occasionally be set to red, regardless of traffic. Engineers should approach such signals with caution and stop after the “stop point” bar (just like a station) has been reached. The signal will be reset at the dispatcher’s discretion.

BELLS & WHISTLE: The audible devices on your train are there to signal the crew and warn those nearby. There are a number of messages that you, the engineer, are required to make. Assume that “o” is a short whistle (RETURN) and “-“ is a long whistle (SHIFT-RETURN). The bell is sounded with (CTRL-RETURN).

- When standing, air brakes applied
- - Release brakes, proceed
ooo When standing, back up.
- - o - Approaching a grade crossing. Begin signal at “W” (whistle) post.
- - o Approaching meet or waiting locations.
BELL Approach to any station platform or area where employees might be working.

BRAKE TESTS: It would be very bad to start down the slope out of Causeway and find that your brakes have failed. While rolling within yard limits, the engineer should briefly apply his brakes, and confirm a small drop in forward velocity.

All objects and textures built either by or in conjunction with other parties are copyright their respective owners, and wherever possible permission has been sought to include or modify them for the Desert routes. These objects or textures must not be re-used, or adapted for public release without seeking prior permission to the original author/s via e-mail.

All original objects and textures built specifically for the Desert routes are © Copyright Steve Green, and must not be re-used, or adapted for public release without seeking prior permission via e-mail. These include most scenery & train objects (except for those mentioned below or in the download readme)
 

The following people have my gratitude & hold the rights to certain objects or textures:

Mr Gaku: Platform and bridge objects.

Anthony Bowden: Allowing me to take his curved rails from Cross City and adapt them, also for the rolling countryside idea, and shaded train technique.

Robert Raymond aka Bluevoss: Our Stateside friend, for Randomiser, documentation, sound recording, adapting routes for GS4 , testing and timing and providing very useful feedback on US operations.

DOWNLOADS FOR USA FREIGHT [BVE2]

ROUTE and OBJECT FILES	v3 : 11 Nov 2003	DOWNLOAD
SOUNDS	v3 : 11 Nov 2003	DOWNLOAD
GP38 TRAIN	v3 : 11 Nov 2003	DOWNLOAD
GS4 TRAIN	v3 : 11 Nov 2003	DOWNLOAD

All objects and textures built either by or in conjunction with other parties are copyright their respective owners. These objects or textures must not be re-used, or adapted for public release without seeking prior permission to the original author/s via e-mail. Please see documentation for further information.

All original objects and textures built specifically for the USA routes are © Copyright Steve Green, and must not be re-used, or adapted for public release without seeking prior permission via e-mail. These include most scenery & train objects.  

USA Freight © 2003. The route & objects © Steve Green
GP-38 train © Steve Green with some elements provided by Eric Weber
GS4 train © Robert Raymond (aka Bluevoss), Steve Green, Gauges by Brian Higinbotham