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About... Losely based on Bessemer and Lake Erie and Baltimore and Ohio Railroad trackage in western Pennsylvania, here is the Allegheny Rails route! Mostly following real-world railroad grades through properly modeled terrain, this route tries to incorporate the ingenius concept Richard Garber introduced with his Ohio Rails route: two railroads compete over some major industrial cities, battling not only each other but also the sometimes rough terrain. While town and location names, track layouts, and grades are mostly prototypical, I heavily freelanced the industrial background of the route and added some extra spurs/sidings and branchlines, allowing for a vast amount of possibilities to create activities. In this MSTS route, the B&O and B&LE railroads follow the Allegheny River all the way from Pittsburgh to Parker. Along the line, the Bessemer branches off to Butler, PA, and Branchton, PA. The B&O also has two branches, to Butler and to Queen Jct. For the sake of more "playing value" of the route, however, I had to modifiy the real-world trackage quite a bit. In reality, the trackage covered in this route was owned by several more railroad companies than only the B&LE and B&O. I also added a fair amount of additional trackage, industry sidings, and double-track main or passing sidings. Back to Top Activities With version 1 being released, a first pack of activities is out too! It covers both railroads in diesel eras. More activities will come soon! Please follow the links below to learn more details: B&LE Steam Activities for Allegheny Rails B&LE Diesel Activities for Allegheny Rails B&O Steam Activities for Allegheny Rails B&O Diesel Activities for Allegheny Rails Back to Top Pictures Pittsburgh B&LE's and B&O's downtown and suburban trackage in and around Pittsburg, PA Click the image! Allegheny Valley Both railroads' parallel mainlines up the valley of the Allegheny River Click the image! B&LE Secondary B&LE's Freeport-Butler and Butler-Branchton lines Click the image! Odds and Ends Everything else... Click the image! (Please note: All pictures shown on this site are resized screenshots from the route in Microsoft Train Simulator. All you can see here will be in the route you can eventually download!) Back to Top Progress News 20 February 2008 Version 1, most likely already the final version of this route, released on train-sim.com 23 Dec 2007 Update on scenery progress, the route is now all done on the Pittsburgh - Freeport - Butler - Branchton (B&LE) and the Pittburgh - Freeport (B&O) lines. The rest is mostly undeveloped, except for the Kittanning / Ford City region. I might finish scenery up the Allegheny valley towards Kittaning or even Parker on both sides (both railroads) and then go for a pre-release and add the Butler - Parker and Queen Jct. - Allegheny lines much later. 8 Sept 2007 This website was launched Version History Version 1.0:released Approximate Scenery Progress Overview Map as of February 20, 2008 Back to Top
Website © 2007-8 by Michael Stephan.

About...

Losely based on Bessemer and Lake Erie and Baltimore and Ohio Railroad trackage in western Pennsylvania, here is the Allegheny Rails route! Mostly following real-world railroad grades through properly modeled terrain, this route tries to incorporate the ingenius concept Richard Garber introduced with his Ohio Rails route: two railroads compete over some major industrial cities, battling not only each other but also the sometimes rough terrain.

While town and location names, track layouts, and grades are mostly prototypical, I heavily freelanced the industrial background of the route and added some extra spurs/sidings and branchlines, allowing for a vast amount of possibilities to create activities.

In this MSTS route, the B&O and B&LE railroads follow the Allegheny River all the way from Pittsburgh to Parker. Along the line, the Bessemer branches off to Butler, PA, and Branchton, PA. The B&O also has two branches, to Butler and to Queen Jct.

For the sake of more "playing value" of the route, however, I had to modifiy the real-world trackage quite a bit. In reality, the trackage covered in this route was owned by several more railroad companies than only the B&LE and B&O. I also added a fair amount of additional trackage, industry sidings, and double-track main or passing sidings.

Activities

With version 1 being released, a first pack of activities is out too! It covers both railroads in diesel eras. More activities will come soon! Please follow the links below to learn more details:

B&LE Steam Activities for Allegheny Rails
B&LE Diesel Activities for Allegheny Rails
B&O Steam Activities for Allegheny Rails
B&O Diesel Activities for Allegheny Rails

Back to Top

Pictures

Pittsburgh

B&LE's and B&O's downtown and suburban trackage in and around Pittsburg, PA
Click the image!

Allegheny Valley

Both railroads' parallel mainlines up the valley of the Allegheny River
Click the image!

B&LE Secondary

B&LE's Freeport-Butler and Butler-Branchton lines
Click the image!

Odds and Ends

Everything else...
Click the image!
(Please note: All pictures shown on this site are resized screenshots from the route in Microsoft Train Simulator. All you can see here will be in the route you can eventually download!)

Back to Top

Progress

News

20 February 2008

Version 1, most likely already the final version of this route, released on train-sim.com

23 Dec 2007

Update on scenery progress, the route is now all done on the Pittsburgh - Freeport - Butler - Branchton (B&LE) and the Pittburgh - Freeport (B&O) lines. The rest is mostly undeveloped, except for the Kittanning / Ford City region. I might finish scenery up the Allegheny valley towards Kittaning or even Parker on both sides (both railroads) and then go for a pre-release and add the Butler - Parker and Queen Jct. - Allegheny lines much later.

8 Sept 2007

This website was launched

Version History

Version 1.0:released

Approximate Scenery Progress

Overview Map as of February 20, 2008