Version 2 of the Western and Atlantic Route is now available for download. Click on the photo above to download the route.

90.2MB

The idea of building the second section of the route, Alatoona to Tilford, has been scrapped in favor of building smaller expansion packs to be released at 1-2 month intervals until the route is finished. Each expansion pack will add at least ten miles of finished track and scenery to the route.

Expansion Pack 1 - Acworth

17.7MB

Included in this expansion pack are:

- Tracks and roads from Milepost 41 (south of Emerson) to Milepost 3 (Tilford Yard).

- Finished scenery from Milepost 41 (south of Emerson) to Milepost 31 (Kennesaw).

- Passing siding at Acworth.

- Talking defect detector at milepost 88.2.

- New custom made buildings as well as new scenery and structures downloaded from Train-Sim.com.

- New ballast and concrete tie textures.

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Route Builders Journal - Almost Home

Good news! For those of you who are fans of MSTS, the Western and Atlantic Route, and CSX in general, I can now announce that the virtual W&A Route is almost ready to fly. I sent it out for testing just before Christmas, and as of this writing, i'm still working on it, putting the final touches on what will be the "Core Route" to which expansion packs will later be added.

Just so you know a little of what to expect, here are few facts about the re-worked W&A Route:

- The main route length is 68 miles, from Mp41 to MP 109; including branch lines, the Etowah Subdivision, and what is modeled of NS's Atlanta North District, trackage comes in at just about 86 miles.

- The look of the route is vastly different. 95% of the forests have been replaced by trees from the Micheal Sinclair collection. Most of the default roads have been replaced. Crossing and Railroad signals have been reworked to reflect a more prototypical look. Many new structures have been added.

- The route now requires New Roads (v3.4 or above) and X-Tracks in order to work properly.

- Frame rates should be improved on the route. MS trees are much fuller than the default trees, so I was able to lower the object counts on a lot of the tiles. No more 1000+ object counts in Dalton, Calhoun, or Adairsville.

If all goes well with testing, you can expect the route to be available sometime around mid-January. In the meantime, you can check out these short videos that give a preview of the route's new look.

GP40 Switching - A GP40 switches a cut of cars at Cartrersville South Industrial Park ( 6min, 30MB )

U23atCalhoun - Switchers running light into the holdout at Calhoun (10MB)

U23atFeedMill - Taking a cut of cars out of the pocket at Gold Kist (20MB)

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Previous Route Builder Journals

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CSX Western & Atlantic Subdivision

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Route Name - CSX W&A Subdivision (formerly Calhoun Holdout)

Version: 2. Uploaded January 24, 2008. For more on the latest additions and fixes, check the Version Information section at the bottom of this page.

Route File Size: 92.1 MB.

Route File Distribution Type: Zip File.

Route Length: 78 miles (with expansion pack, 68 without).

Areas: Acworth, Emerson, Cartersville, Bowen Wye, Catersville DTC Sub (Stilesboro, Plant Bowen), Cass, Kingston, Halls, Adairsville, Woody Road, Lily Pond, McDaniels, Calhoun, North Industrial, Resaca, Tilton, Carbondale (NS), Abutment, Dalton, Rocky Face, Tunnel Hill.

Industries: Sixteen on CSX W&A, five on the Cartersville DTC Block, four on Norfolk Southern at Dalton. Not all industries are listed here, are some are still yet unnamed:
- Cement Plant (Acworth) - Scrapyard (Acworth) - Plant Bowen (Euharlee) - LLH Chemicals (Stilesboro)
- Ampacet (Stilesboro)
- Unknown Industry (Stilesboro)
- Cartersville South Industrial Park(5) (Cartersville)
- Shaw Industries (Cass)
- Marchem Offload Siding (Adairsville).
- Kerry Food Coatings (McDaniels).
- Omnova-Calhoun (McDaniels).
- C&A Fibers (Calhoun).
- Gold Kist (Calhoun).
- Dow Chemical (Resaca).
- North Georgia Industrial Materials (Tilton).
- Omnova (Abutment)
- Microblen (Abutment)
- Caraustar (Carbondale)
- W.F Taylor (Carbondale)
- Abutment Bulk Transfer (Dalton).
- Unknown Chemical Co. (Dalton).

Holdouts: Six.
- Halls (single).
- Adairsville (single).
- McDaniels (single).
- Calhoun (3 tracks).
- Tilton (single).
- Abutment (single, next to transfer yard).

Passing Sidings: Seven.
- Acworth (Acworth)
- Emerson (Emerson)
- Junta (Cartersville)
- Kingston (Kingston)
- Martin-Marietta (Adairsville)
- Resaca.
- Tunnel Hill.

NOTE: All passing sidings are computer controlled. All other turnouts are manual.

Yards: Three.
- Wood (5 track, Cartersville K&A)
- Junta (8 track, Cartersville)
- Interchange yard (Dalton).

SYSTEM AND FILE REQUIREMENTS:

- Pentium III or AMD Athlon 4 computer with at least 512MB of RAM.
- Recommended NVidia GeForce 7 or higher graphics card.
- 300-500MB of Hard Drive Free Space.
- REQUIRED FILES: XTracks version 3.18 or higher. Download XTracks
- New Roads 3.4 or higher.

WARNINGS AND DISCLAIMERS:

1. This file has been tested for viruses prior to packaging and uploading using Norton Antivirus 2007. However, as with any file you download on the internet, trusted source or not, you should run your own virus scan prior to and after installing the file on your computer.

2. This is a partially tested version of the route. It is not guaranteed to work on any computer. It will definitely cough up hairballs if you run it with Windows Vista, or on a computer with a puny graphics card or insufficient memory. You shouldn't test this route unless you are knowledgeable about the quirks and workings of Microsoft Train Simulator. I will not held responsible if you don't know what you are doing and hose your computer system. Use the route at your own risk.

3. Locomotives pictured on this site are demo only, and are not included with the route. Norfolk Southern locomotives by Maple Leaf Tracks. CSX Locomotives: 8021 is a default MSTS SD40-2 repainted by Jerry Conaway. 9004 and 9047 are Maple Leaf Tracks Dash-9's repainted by Jerry Conaway.

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CREDITS: Most of the route objects are the simple default MSTS objects. However, some of the objects are custom made, and some were imported with permission (EULA or written consent) from the people who made them (For a complete list of credits, consult the route README Manual):

Bruce Bridges - Modern Concrete Highway Bridges
Frank Caruso - Tennis Courts
Paul Charland - Assorted Industries, Homes, and Public Buildings
Ted Curphey - MSTS Replacement Vehicles, Pack #1
Ted Curphey - Plate Girder Bridges (Dalton)
Mark Funk - Remote Switch Throw Motors
Mark Glitz - UTLX Tank Car (Static)
Joseph Hoevet - Crossing Signals and Road Warning Signs
Alan Hudson - Replacement road textures
Micheal Laxer - Concrete Ties and Ballast Textures
Ron Picardi - Chain Link Fencing
John Scruggs - JS Carpet Mills
John Scruggs - Southern Railway X-Series Caboose

John Scruggs - Textures for Sun, Moon, and Stars
Micheal Sinclair - Pine Trees and Pine Forest Backgrounds
Gary Sprandel - Manual Switch Throws
Hank Sundermeyer - BNSF Replacement Signals
Teemu Saukkonen - Enocel Superpack buildings
Teemu Vehkaoja - CTC Signal Cabins
Harold West Jr. - Ski Boats

The folowing models were made by SMM Models Exclusively for this Route:

Ampacet
Brick Houses 1-3
Assorted Highway Bridge Piers
CSX Local Office
Calhoun Dental Associates
Calhoun Electrical and Plumbing Supply
Cartersville CSX Office
Cartersville DTC Block Girder Bridges
Crossing Signal Circuitry Cabinet
CVS Pharmacy
Concrete Rail Bridges
Dollar General Store and Sign
Etowah River Bridge and Piers
Gold Kist Feed Mill
Kerry Food Coatings
Large Signal Circuitry Cabinet
New Houses 1-3
Norfolk Southern Cantilever Signal Bridge
PFC Houses 1-3
Plant Bowen - 500kv Transmission Towers, Cooling Towers, Smokestacks, Main Building, Stack Beacon, Coal Conveyors
Resaca Railroad Bridges, Abutment, and Piers
Resaca Grocery
Resaca Post Office
Shaw Industries - Stilesboro
Signs - DTC Block, Speed Limit, Whistle Post
The Town of Adairsville
The Town of Kingston
The City of Cartersville
Downtown Dalton
Two Level Duplex - Siding and Brick
Western and Atlantic Milepost Markers


All of these objects (except for some that were designed specifically for this route) were downloaded from Train-Sim.com ,the world's largest online community devoted to Virtual Model Railroading.

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Version Information:

Patch 1.9.9.10267 (Beta)
- Final Beta installment of the route; the next version will be Full 2.0.
- Adds five miles of track, from milepost 48 to milepost 43.
- Downtown Cartersville, the Etowah River Valley, and north Emerson are modeled.
- Corrects milepost and speedpost issues between Mp50 and Mp57.
- Replaced five signals with permissive type signals to bring route up to prototype standard.
- Whistle markers still being placed.

Patch 1.9.6.9247 (Beta)
- No additional track added to the Western and Atlantic Route.
- Junta Junction is now officially open, though some parts of it are still incomplete.
- W&A / K&A Wye is now operational, as well as the first three miles of the Etowah (K&A) Subdivision.
- Seven miles of track have been added to the Cartersville DTC Block, taking the route all the way to Plant Bowen and back.
- Basic structures and the "Loop" for Plant Bowen are in place.
- Added "W" type Whistle-Post signs to all crossings north of Calhoun.
- Searchlight-type signals added to the Etowah Subdivision.
- Milepost marker replacement continues on the W&A.
- Speed limits and updated signs placed on Bowen Wye and the DTC sub.

Patch 1.9.6.9067
- Corrects speedpost issues at Bowen Wye.

Patch 1.9.6.8307
- Will patch earlier versions or can be used as a standalone unit.
- Removes default objects from the install routine and uses a batch installer.
- Route is "officially" complete down to MP 50; however, Junta yard and part of the Etowah Subdivision are now part of the route.

Patch 1.9.5.8147
- This patch replaced v 7297
- 17 miles of track and scenery have been installed from Martin-Marietta to North Cartersville.
- New scenery objects added to Calhoun, Dalton, and Adairsville.
- Object count reduced in the Abutment Yard area in order to improve framerates.

Patch 1.9.5.7297
- New license documents for third party objects are included.
- Seven miles of new track added, from Martin-Marietta to just past MP59 north of Kingston. Hall's Hill and Holdout are included in this release.
- Two new objects have been added; Brick Home 1 and the Voluntary Action Center (Calhoun). Textures have also been added to the Shaw Hiring Center in Dalton, though the work on this object is still incomplete.
- Improved track textures have been added. The rails, tie-plates, and ties are photos from the actual prototype.
- The Path file for train AI-1 on the Northbound Merchandise Freight has been changed so that the train does not disappear when it reaches the south end of Martin-Marietta siding.
- Per suggestions from Joseph Hoevet, the modeler of the JJH Crossing Signals, a few tweaks have been made to a few crossing signals and the colors of the railroad signals.
- Stop signs, crossbucks, and crossing warning signs have been added to crossings from Calhoun to Kingston.
- An updated details.ace file has been added to the route.
- Documents Credits and Thanks and CSX Western Atlantic Route have been updated to provide up to the minute information on the route. These new documents superceed the old documents provided with the original route. Any old documents that are not updated with this patch should be regarded as current.

Build 1.9.5.7127 (FINAL BETA)
- Textures applied to Resaca Grocery and Dollar General Store.
- Resaca Post Office installed.
- Bridge piers installed under Clem Holland Memorial Bridge at Resaca.
- Crossing signal replacement complete.
- Fixed issues with NS Signal Bridge and Resaca Bridge Pier that caused them to flicker and disappear when moving out of camera view.
- Installed objects and scenery from north Dalton to the eastern ascent of Tunnel Hill.
- Corrected placement of milepost and removed unneeded ones from the route.

Patch 1.9.3.061307
- Calhoun Electrical Supply and CVS Pharmacy installed in Calhoun, though some sidewalk textures yet to be applied.
- Railroad bridge in Resaca completely replaced by model more closely matching the prototype.
- Oostanaula River riverbed at Resaca has been raised and scenery redone to give the area more realistic appearance.
- Highway 41 and Clem Holland road bridge have been realigned to closer-to-prototype locations.
- Resaca Grocery and Dollar General Store installed, though these models have not yet been textured.
- Manual track database has been changed to reflect changes in track around the Resaca Bridge. Any activities written for this route should still work, as the route path itself has not changed.

Patch 1.9.3.060807
- Scenery and textures installed to the south end of Martin-Marietta siding.
- Began replacement of crossing signals with more realistic signals.
- Installed CSX office and Dentist office in Calhoun.

Build 1.9.3.060407
- Tracks, signals, and scenery installed to the south end of Martin-Marietta Siding.
- Rail bridge at Resaca replaced by bridge closer to prototype model. As of this release, the bridge is not finished.

Patch 1.9.2.051107
- Tracks, signals, and scenery installed to downtown Adairsville (MP69).
- Route length is extended to 40 miles. Marker locations between 69-78 and 87-106 are not correct.

Patch 1.9.1.043007
- Tracks, signals, and scenery installed to north Adairsville.
- Route length is extended to 37 miles. Marker locations between 69-78 and 87-106 are not correct.

Build 1.9.041707
- Extended rail line one mile south, to Holcomb Road. Total line length = 32 miles
- Extended Norfolk Southern line 1 mile north to allow longer NS AI trains to be ran through Dalton.
- Fixed a "rough patch" of misaligned rail at Abutment Bulk transfer that was causing derailments when trying to switch the yard.
- Fixed the location of milpost markers 78-86 to correspond with prototype locations. All other marker locations are suspect and should not be trusted.
- Began installing scenery in North Dalton and Rocky Face areas.
- Equipped the route with Load and Detail info screens at route startup.
- No activities for route.

Build 1.9.040107
- Tracks installed to planned northernmost point - north of Tunnel Hill.
- 80% Scenery Coverage, up to north Dalton.
- Disabled collision properties at all road crossings.
- Installed newer version of Gold Kist Feed Mills.
- No activities for route.
- Route compressed and packaged using Route Riter UHARC exe.

Build 1.9.022707
- Tracks installed to north Dalton.
- 80% Scenery Coverage, up to south Dalton.
- No activities for route.