Developer Milepost Simulations’ latest Train Simulator Classic route will take you to the legendary Colorado narrow-gauge Alpine Tunnel route!
Narrow-gauge railroading in the Colorado Rockies has always had appeal that bordered on the mystical. It was a place where brave and skilled railroaders and diminutive but potent steam locomotives battled with the unforgiving challenges of mountain railroading. And among the many memorable narrow-gauge lines of Colorado, few if any were more legendary than the route that climbed to 11,600-foot-high Alpine Tunnel.
Soon, the Alpine Tunnel route, as originally built by the fabled Denver, South Park, and Pacific and operated by the Colorado & Southern, will come to Train Simulator Classic!
Created for Train Simulator Classic by acclaimed developer Milepost Simulations, the upcoming C&S Alpine Tunnel route extends from St. Elmo to Pitkin, Colorado, a distance of around 22 miles, and will recall a portion of Colorado & Southern’s Gunnison Division during the period 1905-1910.
To climb up and over the Colorado Rockies via Alpine Tunnel, grades of 3 and 4 percent were the norm, along with a twisting path that included multiple horseshoe curves and treacherous paths set to the very edge of towering cliffs. Most noted of all was the “Palisades,” a stone wall and embankment constructed to support the line as it clung to a vertical stone face. Such was the challenge of the railroad that it frequently required three or even four locomotives to power even a modest freight.
Constructed by the Denver, South Park, and Pacific (DSP&P) during 1880-1882, the railroad would endure the financial difficulties so common to Colorado narrow-gauge lines, becoming the Denver, Leadville, and Gunnison (DL&G) in 1889, falling under the control of Union Pacific in 1894, and finally included in the new Colorado & Southern in 1899.
At Alpine Tunnel, the railroad operated an engine house with enclosed turntable as well as a small depot. More than 1,700 feet in length, Alpine Tunnel also boasted of lengthy wood snow sheds at each portal. Never rich in traffic, the line hauled coal and mixed tonnage as well as passengers, often using mixed trains to serve both. In time though, the route proved simply too tough and too brutal to operate, and it was often closed during winter and other periods. A cave-in at Alpine Tunnel in 1910 was the final straw and the railroad ceased operation.
As created for Train Simulator Classic, the C&S Alpine Tunnel route will bring to life the railroad’s handsome Baldwin-built 2-8-0 Consolidations (originally constructed for the Denver, Leadville, and Gunnison), and will include a captivating roster of nine types of narrow-gauge freight and passenger equipment. The route will beautifully replicate the magnificent Colorado mountain scenery of the region and include yards, servicing facilities, stations, and lineside mines and structures.
A selection of nine career scenarios will deliver the realistic – and exceptionally challenging – experiences of serving as engineer to battle Colorado’s unforgiving yet majestic mountains.
Milepost Simulations’ Alpine Tunnel route will take you back to one of railroading’s most remarkable and memorable eras – and bring you the full experience of steam-era railroading in the extraordinary Colorado Rockies! The C&S Alpine Tunnel: St. Elmo to Pitkin Route is coming soon to Train Simulator Classic!
Coming soon from accomplished developer Milepost Simulations, the C&S Alpine Tunnel: St. Elmo to Pitkin Route will bring legendary and dramatic steam-era narrow-gauge railroading to Train Simulator Classic! Making the eastbound climb toward Alpine Tunnel, Colorado & Southern 2-8-0 No. 68 and two sisters are lifting tonnage through the scenic Colorado Rockies near Quartz.
The upcoming C&S Alpine Tunnel route extends from St. Elmo to Pitkin, Colorado, a distance of around 22 miles, and will recall a portion of Colorado & Southern’s Gunnison Division during the period 1905-1910. Baldwin-built C&S Consolidation No. 68 is passing the depot at St. Elmo (above), while at snowy Pitkin, a trio of C&S 2-8-0s is departing with a mixed train (below).
The C&S Alpine Tunnel route features the railroad’s B4D-class 2-8-0s, which were built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1890 and originally served the Denver, Leadville and Gunnison. The diminutive but potent locomotive will be provided in standard configuration and with a large snowplow affixed.
At an elevation of nearly 11,600 feet, C&S No. 68 and a passenger consist are about to enter the east portal of 1,772-foot-long Alpine Tunnel at Atlantic (above). On the west side of the summit tunnel, the railroad hosted a stone engine house (below), which included an enclosed turntable.
Jaw-dropping scenery was the norm on the Alpine Tunnel route, and nowhere more so than on the west slope of the line between the summit and Woodstock. C&S 2-8-0 No. 64 and a short freight are easing along the sheer cliffs at the “Palisades” (above). On the rear of the freight is a four-wheeled wooden “bobber” caboose (below). The upcoming route will include nine types of C&S freight and passenger rolling stock.
With nearly constant grades of 3 and even 4 percent, the Alpine Tunnel route required multiple locomotives to tote even moderate tonnage. A trio of C&S B4D 2-8-0s are placed front, middle, and rear as a freight out of Pitkin climbs toward Quartz.
The upcoming C&S Alpine Tunnel route wonderfully recalls the small towns, yards, and lineside structures of the turn-of-the-century era. C&S Consolidation No. 64 is spotting gondolas at the Golf Mill near Romley (above), while sister No. 63, with a flanger attached, waits on the wye at Hancock for a train to stop and take water (below).
C&S No. 64 leads a mixed train upgrade approaching Woodstock. Milepost Simulations’ Alpine Tunnel route will take you back to one of railroading’s most remarkable and memorable eras – and bring you the full experience of steam-era railroading in the extraordinary Colorado Rockies! The route is coming soon to Train Simulator Classic!