Good Proto-Freelanced Material from the Lonestar State
Dec 9, 2016 15:25:54 GMT -5
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fr8kar likes this
Post by dak94dav on Dec 9, 2016 15:25:54 GMT -5
Just thought I'd try to contribute back to this great community, and share this for someone who might want to use it or draw inspiration from it:
There's been a sort of revival in the remote reaches of southwest Texas for an old rail line known as the South Orient, running from San Angelo to the border town of Presidio.
____________________________________________
The freelanced railroad at a glance:
Name: Various
Location: Southwestern Texas
Theme: Modern shortline
Length: 376 miles
Era: Present day
Primary traffic: Crude oil, frac sand, machinery, grain and agricultural products, intermodal
_______________________________________________
First, a little background on the railroad. Nothing I could type would outdo these awesome "Rails West" blog entries I found that give rare glimpses of the South Orient. The photography that accompanies it is spectacular in its own right, and really gives the feel of the western Texas wilderness.
The last Santa Fe train operated over the line:
www.google.com/amp/s/atsfinroswell.wordpress.com/2014/03/01/the-last-one-was-cold-and-rainy/amp/
And during the following South Orient Railroad years (keep scrolling on this page, several entries here with lots of good photos and info):
atsfinroswell.wordpress.com/?s=South+Orient&submit=Search
I would also recommend browsing through Mr. Wes Carr's pages and photos.
www.trainweb.org/southwestshorts/so.html
Due to diminishing traffic, the South Orient Railroad sold the line to the Texas Department of Transportation. TXDOT then in turn leased the operation to Texas Pacifico Transportation, a part of Ferromex, in 2001. In recent years, traffic has boomed from its former levels due to oil drilling activity. Trackage has even been upgraded to welded rail in many areas. The most recent game changer, however, is the discovery of one of the largest oil reserves in U.S. history.....right in the vicinity of the old South Orient line near Alpine, Texas.
money.cnn.com/2016/09/08/investing/apache-huge-oil-discovery/
My idea is that the the Texas Pacifico could be modeled as a successful modern shortline....something it is actually starting to become. There are a number of different directions one could go with this scenario, but I envision the line being a Genesee & Wyoming company. One could model the railroad with several of the G&W family orange units along with some units in the former operator's scheme.....as for that, many possibilities as well. The real Texas Pacifico has used either patched out lease units or blue and white CIT Rail lease units. One could chose this route, or even come up with their own paint scheme. Another option may be to use Ferromex units (part of Texas Pacifico's parent company) and reletter them for Texas Pacifico. Leased power from Union Pacific or BNSF thrown into the mix is also viable way to go.
As for traffic, crude oil and frac sand unit trains will be the bread and butter of the railroad. Some seasonal grain traffic will exist towards San Angelo, should one decide to model the eastern portions of the line. Though the international bridge over the Rio Grande in Presidio was burned down in 2008, efforts are being made to rebuild it. This could mean unit grain trains and other freight service bound for Mexico could exist. The South Orient Railroad actually had a small intermodal service going in the 1990s, but failed to secure enough business it to keep it in operation. Since this is a proto-freelanced railroad, we could say the bridge remained in service and a modest intermodal service still exists from the border to the D/FW area via Ft. Worth & Western trackage rights. Maybe unit coal trains would be sent to the border for export as well. Lots of possibilities!
Motive power? Since I envision it as a G&W company, I see a healthy number of orange SD40-2s of various descent....maybe a snoot nose and a tunnel motor thrown in for variety. A few GP38-2s and GP40-2s should be included for light duty chores. Perhaps the railroad has purchased some standard cab Dash 8s like the Arizona & Eastern.
I believe this "comeback kid" of a railroad would make a very interesting concept to play with. There are so many possibilities to explore while still having the core aspects of the prototype. Whether you model it as the Texas Pacifico, a modern version of the South Orient Railroad, or maybe the Genesee & Wyoming family's newest addition (how bout the San Angelo & Rio Grande?), this railroad deserves to be considered!
There's been a sort of revival in the remote reaches of southwest Texas for an old rail line known as the South Orient, running from San Angelo to the border town of Presidio.
____________________________________________
The freelanced railroad at a glance:
Name: Various
Location: Southwestern Texas
Theme: Modern shortline
Length: 376 miles
Era: Present day
Primary traffic: Crude oil, frac sand, machinery, grain and agricultural products, intermodal
_______________________________________________
First, a little background on the railroad. Nothing I could type would outdo these awesome "Rails West" blog entries I found that give rare glimpses of the South Orient. The photography that accompanies it is spectacular in its own right, and really gives the feel of the western Texas wilderness.
The last Santa Fe train operated over the line:
www.google.com/amp/s/atsfinroswell.wordpress.com/2014/03/01/the-last-one-was-cold-and-rainy/amp/
And during the following South Orient Railroad years (keep scrolling on this page, several entries here with lots of good photos and info):
atsfinroswell.wordpress.com/?s=South+Orient&submit=Search
I would also recommend browsing through Mr. Wes Carr's pages and photos.
www.trainweb.org/southwestshorts/so.html
Due to diminishing traffic, the South Orient Railroad sold the line to the Texas Department of Transportation. TXDOT then in turn leased the operation to Texas Pacifico Transportation, a part of Ferromex, in 2001. In recent years, traffic has boomed from its former levels due to oil drilling activity. Trackage has even been upgraded to welded rail in many areas. The most recent game changer, however, is the discovery of one of the largest oil reserves in U.S. history.....right in the vicinity of the old South Orient line near Alpine, Texas.
money.cnn.com/2016/09/08/investing/apache-huge-oil-discovery/
My idea is that the the Texas Pacifico could be modeled as a successful modern shortline....something it is actually starting to become. There are a number of different directions one could go with this scenario, but I envision the line being a Genesee & Wyoming company. One could model the railroad with several of the G&W family orange units along with some units in the former operator's scheme.....as for that, many possibilities as well. The real Texas Pacifico has used either patched out lease units or blue and white CIT Rail lease units. One could chose this route, or even come up with their own paint scheme. Another option may be to use Ferromex units (part of Texas Pacifico's parent company) and reletter them for Texas Pacifico. Leased power from Union Pacific or BNSF thrown into the mix is also viable way to go.
As for traffic, crude oil and frac sand unit trains will be the bread and butter of the railroad. Some seasonal grain traffic will exist towards San Angelo, should one decide to model the eastern portions of the line. Though the international bridge over the Rio Grande in Presidio was burned down in 2008, efforts are being made to rebuild it. This could mean unit grain trains and other freight service bound for Mexico could exist. The South Orient Railroad actually had a small intermodal service going in the 1990s, but failed to secure enough business it to keep it in operation. Since this is a proto-freelanced railroad, we could say the bridge remained in service and a modest intermodal service still exists from the border to the D/FW area via Ft. Worth & Western trackage rights. Maybe unit coal trains would be sent to the border for export as well. Lots of possibilities!
Motive power? Since I envision it as a G&W company, I see a healthy number of orange SD40-2s of various descent....maybe a snoot nose and a tunnel motor thrown in for variety. A few GP38-2s and GP40-2s should be included for light duty chores. Perhaps the railroad has purchased some standard cab Dash 8s like the Arizona & Eastern.
I believe this "comeback kid" of a railroad would make a very interesting concept to play with. There are so many possibilities to explore while still having the core aspects of the prototype. Whether you model it as the Texas Pacifico, a modern version of the South Orient Railroad, or maybe the Genesee & Wyoming family's newest addition (how bout the San Angelo & Rio Grande?), this railroad deserves to be considered!