D&RGW Soldier Summit Screenshots

[Major Ursa]

Maple Leaf Tracks has just released its latest route Denver & Rio Grande Western Soldier Summit. Since In honor of this, I got soem screenshots from this route I purchaced recently. This route runs from Mounds, Utah to Provo, Utah. The setting is early 1990s before Southern Pacific took over.

To start things off, I show some passenger shots.

First: BLW's own Rio Grande Passenger Fs.

1. D&RGW F7A 5714 with a passenger train leaving Provo, Utah. Rio Grande had its own trains as well as cars for the California Zephyr. The Fronteer and The Prospector were some of the trains that ran from Denver, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah.


2. D&RGW F7A 5761 with the Rio Grande Zephyr leaving Helper, Utah. In 1971, The Rio Grande joined Southern Railway (with the Southern Crescent) and Rock Island (with thier Rockets) as independent railroads for thier intercity passenger service. Most of the train (domes, coaches, diner, and observation dome) were from cars owned by the Rio Grande for the California Zephyr. The Baggage-coach was from thier regular trains. They used F7 A and B units for power while a converted ALCO PB unit became a steam generator. All of the equipment was spared from Amtrak control. This service became the Rio Grande Zephyr. It would end in 1983 when Amtrak took over.


Now for some other trains using items from other sites.

1. Here is D&RGW SD50 5515 with the Rio Grande Zephyr at Mounds, Utah. Freight locomotives would subsitute for the F7As when needed.


2. Here is D&RGW F3 5521 with the famous California Zephyr at Mounds. The Rio Grande would do the Denver to Salt Lake City portion of the route. The train would start from Chicago, Illinois to Denver via The Burlington Route while The Western Pacific Railroad took care of the Salt Lake City to San Francisco, California part.



Now for Amtrak.

When Amtrak took over the Chicago to San Francisco route in 1971, they had to reroute a portion of it. Since the Rio Grande remained independent, the Denver to Salt Lake City portion would go via Union Pacific by way of Cheyenne, Wyoming. The train itself was renamed The San Francisco Zephyr. The Rio Grande route would be used as a detour if service was disrupted. In 1983 the Denver/Cheyenne, Salt Lake City portion was replaced by the Rio Grande route.

1. Amtrak E8 405 with the westbound San Francisco Zephyr at Mounds, Utah.


2. Now an eastbound San Francisco Zephyr with F45 532 in the lead at Provo, Utah.


In 1983, The Rio Grande allow Amtrak the rights to traverse their route from Denver to Salt Lake City. With that part restored for Amtrak's Chicago to San Francisco service, the train became The California Zephyr.

1. Here is the look of the Amtrak Cakifornia Zephyr from 1983 to about the mid 1990s. F40PHs and Superliners with heritage baggage cars made up the train. Amtrak F40PH 411 has the honors for this westbound run at Mounds.


2. From the mid 1990s to present, the Genesis locomotive would take over. Some of the California Zephyers would have the express cars at the front for a while. Here is one look with Amtrak P40 800 at the lead in Mounds. This one was the basic Heritage baggage cars and Superliners in the consist.


Nets post, the freight trains.

BTW: If any of you have MLT's Soldier Summit route and the SD9 West Pack 1 (the ones with the D&RGW unit), feel free to post your screenshots here.

[Major Ursa]

Now here are my freight shots.

First: The trains that came with the route.

1. D&RGW SD40-2 3126 with a manifest freight in Helper, Utah.


2. D&RGW SD50 5503 with a string of empty coal cars at Provo, Utah.


Two D&RGW SD40T-2 Tunnel Motors

1. D&RGW SD40T-2 5325 at Wildcat Mines with a load of coal.


2. D&RGW SD40T-2 5342 with a dirt train at Provo, Utah.



At las (but not least), a Utah Railway coal drag at Martin, Utah with SD40 9001 at the lead. The power for this train is made up of three SD40s and one F45.



Now some trains I made up with items from various downloads.

Here is D&RGW SD40T-2 5371 with a beer train from the Coor's brewery in Golden, Colorado at Helper, Utah delivering the Rocky Mountain Cold beer to all points west.


Now the Sucessors of The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.

By 1995, Southern Pacific took over operations. Here id SP SD70M 9804 with a manifest freight at Provo, Utah heading east.


Today, The Union Pacific tread the Rio Grande route. Here is UP AC4400CW 5793 leading an auto train at Provo, Utah.


Enjoy![/list]