I was just running on a new route that I downloaded for Train Sim. This is the Enterance of the 6 mile long Moffat tunnel in Colorado. The train is the California Zepher.

I think I've seen that tunnel before in person. Exactly where is it?

(Nice pic, btw.)

- Flamberge

If it's the entrance, why are you coming out of it? Wouldn't that make it the Exit??

John Stricker

(OK, OK, I'll quit now and go weld up the Mighty Duke's headers)

How is that game anyway? I always thought about picking it up but always put it back on the shelf thinking it would be one of those I'd get bored with after an hour.

Like most thangs microsft, its got its share of problems. However with all the addons that are avalible it makes up for it. Orignaly it came with about 8 locomotives. With all the addons my copy has grown to include about 470 locomotives and 750 pieces of rollingstock. Activities are a challenge and with all the addon routes and activities that are with them you have alot to keep you busy. Not to mention how much money one can spend on it buying all the addons.
The drawback is that it is a resourse hungry sim. I am running a AMD 1.8 with 512 mb of ram, and a Geforce 5200 and I get anywere from 8 to 30 frames per second, depending on how complicated the scenery is. With all the addons that I have it is taking about 11 Gigs of space so a second hard drive is a must. I have 2 40 gig hard drives. One is almost totaly comitted to Train sim.... Because with all the addons that will be comming out later It will no doubt take more space.
I not only just run the trains in the sim... I am also a Freeware painter. I use photos that I take to reskin the engines, and I have done about 10 engines myself.

This is one of my current projects which is done using photographs of the real engine. this and 7 other engines like it run on a shortline that goes thru my town.

All in all Train sim is like having a Train set only you get a point of view from with in the trains as if you were running the full size trains. Routes are up to 300 to 600 miles long. and if your mildly into trains this is a great eduaction tool as well as a Way to spend hours of free time doing nothing lol.
To find out more visit www.train-sim.com and go into the message area. lots of pointers and screen shots to go thru.

Thanks for the info. I might have to check it out. I think it's going for $20 at target now.

I think I should be able to run it ok. P4 3ghz with twin 80gb drives in sata raid. I got about 90gb of free space that ain't doin nothin.

Its kinda boring after a while but with all the addons it should keep it interesting. I have had it for 2 years and I am not board with it.... That must say something.... Eather Its interesting or I am just that boring of a person lol.

By the way, that is the East portal in the picture he posted. The west portal is right by the highway overpass at Winter Park.

Yes that is what the Kyle is using now, They are leasing them from CEFX. A big change considering The old 4 axle BN GP35's that they were using were less then 2000 hp. These SD45T-2's that they are using now are 3600 hp and it cuts down on how much fuel they have to use to get trains moved on there route... being that they used 3 to 5 engines with the GP35's and now can use 2 to 3 engines with the tunnel motors..... What I mean by Tunnel motors is that large Vent low on the rear of the engine, Its a Better radiator design that SP used on there Routes that had lots of tunnels. Engines would over heat in the tunnels and they found that to be the solution to there problems. And Yes I am from Stratton which is 60 miles from the West end of the Kyle. The Eastern end of the line is in Topeka Kansas. The Kyle is the largest Short line in the World with near 700 mainline miles on the old Rock Island Denver to Chicago Main line.

[This message has been edited by 88_Fiero_2M4 (edited 04-24-2004).]

LOL yeah I shot the Kyle there on the same bridge with the U30C's.

I got some nice shots towards the west end of the line, like Limon, Genoa, Arriba, Flagler, etc. Eventually it was lunch time and I stopped at the Sonic in Burlington, which I believe is nearer to you. Maybe tomorrow I'll scan in a photo or two... That was a pretty cool trip - I caught UP's line through Kit Carson and Hugo, and eventually headed up to South Dakota to see the "other" largest shortline in the world - the Dakota, Minnesota, & Eastern.

I know that sonic well. its my favorite place to get lunch. Glad you enjoyed the area. You must have good luck to catch a train on the Kyle as there is only one a day. I followed a train from Arriba once but by the time I got to Seibert it was almost to dark to get a picture of the train crossing the bridge there. I will be trying later to get some more pictures at that and the Republican river bridge.
I dont get to the UP line at Kit Carson as much as I would like to but I will eventualy. I am looking to try to finish up on some UP and SP AC4400CW's that I am working on.
That UP line you mentioned meets the Kyle at Limon and UP takes over and finishes the trip to Denver. If you ever get a chance to the UP line from Limon West to Denver has alot of Areas for good photos along I-70.
I have heard Rumors that The UP Denver Post train this year will be headed up by the 844 instead of the 3985 like it was last year. I will be there to watch and get photos again.... Hopefully I will make it to Cheyanne this year and get lots of photos.
Right now what limits me is I dont have a Memory card for my camera. I get about 12 photos and I am done.

BTW if you go to the Train sim forum... My name there is Boilerbuster. I am a steam fan most of all however with the reliese of a few new Engines by a few addon makers I have been working on Diesel/ Electric engines. The Screen shot Forum is where to find the majority of my posts there.... as I share my adventures in Train Sim with the community. I have a new one there with the Rollins pass route which has the Moffat tunnel. I ran a SP Chemical train thru the pass and ended it at Winterpark Just beyond the Tunnel.

The Best addon Makers are www.mapleleaftracks.com There based in Canada and are the ones who made the Kicking Horse Pass Route for Train sim, that I fetured in a few other screen shots I posted here.

[This message has been edited by 88_Fiero_2M4 (edited 04-24-2004).]

I went through that tunnel going form Denver to Grand Junction to pick up a Fiero for a friend. While in the tunnel, some dip wad kept going from our car to the forward car and back, letting in all of the disel fumes....he didn't care that people were asking him to stop either. I smelled like exhaust for the rest of the trip!

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[This message has been edited by Falcon Fiero (edited 04-25-2004).]

Thats when he goes to the last car you open the door and shove him out. lol J/K. I would have Tied him down or something. I have cuffs if you go again and run into the guy. You could always cuff him to his seat.

Last I checked this topic had 130 views. Thats a lot of people who must really think this is *way* off topic

Anyway, like I said I'd try to scan a couple slides of mine of the Kyle RR. This is from 5 years ago - April 1999.

Here is the cool Kyle-painted U30C at Limon, at night:

Here is the train, the next day, switching at Genoa, CO. They had to pull all the cars off every track they encountered so the weed-sprayer truck could come in and spray. That's the sprayer waiting on the mainline on the left:

[This message has been edited by css9450 (edited 04-25-2004).]

Very nice pictures. That Genoa Picture must be looking west twards Limon the way the Earth dissapears behind that farm. Genoa's altitude is higher then Denver by 200 or so feet. Limon is only like 10 miles away but is 1000 feet lower. It also looks like you went facing the right way to get Pikes Peak in the back ground.
I have seen Pictures of those U-Boats as they are called. Every time Kyle repaints an engine into there own like that it eather gets sold or scrapped by Rail America which owns Kyle.
I am really supprised that I even see any GP35's anymore because they are going with engines with the T645 power units. Hence the SD40-W2 and the SD45T-2.
I belong to a Kyle Railfan Groupe on Yahoo. you might look us up. I share alot of my photos there and you would be welcome to join.

My great grandfather Miller G. Stewart was Foreman of the Pennsylvania railroad.

Here he is signing off the LAST (Niagra) steam engine. This was February 17th 1954 and herolded the end of steam locomotion on the Pensy and Ohio railroads.

This is what it says on the reverse

I have several hundred photos he took during his tenure.

Here are some pictures you can add to your collection.

Here the engines are backing onto a siding here at Stratton leaving a cut of grain hoppers at the local COOP.

Here those same engines on the siding leaving the cars, The awaiting Hoppers are on the main line.

Here is a Train I caught at Arriba. This is a bridge just west of Seibert. Sorry for the poor quality. it was late and this was taken from a half a mile away.

9282 picking up some Hoppers here in Stratton.

9330 which is the engine that is above in train sim. I seem to catch this engine in my pictures more then any of the others

9333 the Sister of 9330, I see this engine alot with 9330. On two occations so far. here its on the South Siding here in town dropping off some hoppers. Grain makes up about 75% of Kyles Operations.

9345

Didnt let me post the last two so here they are

9245 and 9254 headed West 1 mile East of Vona.

And Finaly from a trip south to Cheyanne Wells in search of Union Pacific engines, didnt see any and didnt leave early enough that day. I did get the Cargill GP9 at Cheyanne Wells. at the time you came down they had a SW12 as there switcher that they traded for this unit.

quote Originally posted by 88_Fiero_2M4: 84Bill if you want to share those photos with the Railfan community there is a site called www.railpictures.net that yu can post rail pictures to. The Pennsy is a really popular rail road with railfans.

I just may have to do that, thanks

quote Originally posted by 88_Fiero_2M4: I was just running on a new route that I downloaded for Train Sim. This is the Enterance of the 6 mile long Moffat tunnel in Colorado. The train is the California Zepher.

i love it when they name stuff after me HeHe

Dan Moffatt

Here is a small sample of what I have.

I looked into it and my great gradfather was Foreman of Engines.

Here are some of his certs and a letter of his appointment to foreman of engines.

I've got news articles & station pictures

I would say you have quite a collection of rare photos. They might be worth alot. I would Post them at railpictures.net as that may find some interest. Those Eurka type engines that are the 4-4-0 engines are rare. Also if you have pictures of those and 4-6-0 which are called Ten Wheelers.

I already started posting them.
Look for AD4Bill

Funny, I found this pic. It was take at the Baldwin locomotive works in Eddyston Pa. literally just around the corner from where I used to live.

[This message has been edited by 84Bill (edited 04-26-2004).]

Ya I had that problem a little but you have to enter specific info on each photo. Funny I havent been putting any of my photos there. I have now started to add my photos to the line up. Just look for Don Pottorff as a Photographer. I think that will make it so you can find them. there SD45T-2's however so far are just the photos that I have listed here.