Railroad Tycoon 3: Alternate USA

Railroad Tycoon 3 might not be the greatest strategy game or have the best graphics but I like it. Particularly with the coast to coast expansion pack. One of the scenarios 'Alternate USA' begins in an early 20th century America were the Revolutionary War never happened. As such the continental USA is divided into 10 different nations. The player starts in the Great Plains Union in the centre and has to build relations with the other countries by building a railway to each one and then transporting a select number of a certain type of cargo to it each year. It is a hard but fun scenario. Anyway being the flag geek I am I wondered what the flags of these countries might be so I have some designs.

Great Plains Union 

There is not a lot of information given about the country you start in other than its mostly agricultural. I suspect it might be predominantly of Native American origin although that might be me thinking of the Plains Nations factions from Empire Total War.

The flag is based on that of Colorado, but with an arrow head emblem in the centre

 New England

New England is the nation from which most of the other nations trace their origins from. It remained loyal to the British Empire during Dixie's war of independence in the 1860s and eventually gained its own independence through diplomacy and politics. 

Even though it is independent the fact that it gained its independence through diplomacy leads me to believe that New England might be a Dominion like Canada and share the British monarch as head of State so an ensign based flag is still in use. The badge with the Cross of St George and the pine tree is based on historic New England Flags.

Dixie 

 Originally the southern British colonies were administered from New England but they broke away in a civil war in the 1860s. They  eventually gained their independence from both Britain and New England with help from France to form a country called Dixie.

Inspired by the real life US flag. At first the Dixie rebels used the New England flag but with the Union Canton replaced with stripes. As Dixie broke away from New England the shield was replaced with one solely representing Dixie. This featured the rattlesnake which was a symbol of the American colonies.

Louisiana 

Originally part of Dixie the territory was given to France in exchange for French intervention in securing Dixie's independence. 

As the American Revolution never happened its probably a good bet the French Revolution also never happened in this alternate history or at least happened at a different time. So the Fleur de Lys is the French element, the cross representing Catholicism and the rattle snake the historic link to Dixie.

Great Lakes Confederation

  Consisting principally of German settlers who moved west after arriving in New England. These settlers founded the Ohio Territory. This territory eventually grew enough until it was offered membership in New England but instead it declared itself a republic. The other territories around the Great Lakes allied themselves with Ohio; Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota. This collection of states became the Great Lakes Confederation.

The Great Lakes flag features four bars of black, red, yellow and white representing the German origins of the citizens. The centre blue bar represents the water of the lakes with a star representing each of the republics in the confederacy. 

Pacifica 

Consisting of nearly all the west coast of what we would recognise as the Continental United States, Pacifica was settled by colonists moving west from New England and its the territories. During the civil war between New England and Dixie, Pacifica took advantage of New England's distraction and also declared independence. New England focused on the war with Dixie was in no position to constest this, and the game states that "its said New England's true lose in the war with Dixie was Pacifica"

Pacifica's flag is based on the current flag of California as that region makes up the majority of its territory plus who doesn't like the California flag? However as the territory of pacifica is more than California I have included the colours of the Cascadian region (I'm actually a little disapointed the game didn't use the name Cascadia for this country) as Pacifica's borders nearly matches the US part of that region. 

Arizona Republic

One of the problems that Pacifica suffered from was that it had poor relations with the natives who originally occupied the land. In an attempt to pacify the region's tribes Pacifica offered the Navajo People the region of Arizona to settle if they would cease hostile resistance and encourage the other Native Nations to follow their example and lead. This the Navajo and many other tribes accepted but instead of living under Pacifica rule they declared Arizona an independent nation.

The flag is based on that of the real Navajo Nation but with the gold star of Arizona in the centre.

Roosevelt 

Like Arizona, Roosevelt was initially part of Pacifica. Roosevelt is the largest of the American nations in terms of landmass consisting of all the territory west of the Great Plains Union as far as the Rocky Mountains. It borders Pacifica, the Arizona Republic, the Great Plains Union, the Great Lakes and Canada. It has a largely rural lifestyle with ranches being the main contributor to the economy. Disagreement with Pacifica over industrialisation, failure to provide protection from hostile native peoples and local government led the region to revolt. Lead by Theadore Roosevelt the rebellion was a success and Roosevelt became the nation's first president given his name to the country.

The roses in the hoist come from the Roosevelt coat of arms with the bull's head a reference to the ranch culture of the country.

Texahoma Republic 

Last but not least are Spanish speaking nations to the south. First is Texahoma which mainly consists of the territory of Texas and Oklahoma. Originally settled by the Spanish the country was initially the northern province of Mexico before fighting for and winning its independence.

The flag is mostly that of Texas but with the crossed peace pipe and olive branch of the Oklahoma flag under the star.

Florida

Florida's history is mostly that of it being contested by the Spanish, French and British, as a result its current territory is less than what it once was. Originally a Spanish colony Florida gained its independence from Spain in the 1820s with the help and leadership of Andrew Jackson.

The flag of Florida consists of the Spanish Cross of Burgundy defaced with a Sun. 

New/Old station in Londonderry

The long awaited new railway station in Londonderry has arrived. I say new station however that new station in in the Victorian building which housed the station that was replaced by the station which the new station has replaced. Confused yet? Then I'll briefly explain the history.
The railway history of Londonderry is quite long as you would expect for a city that once boasted four termini plus extensive docks railways, so I am only focusing in on one station.

Seal of the L&CR
featuring the arms of Coleraine

The Londonderry & Coleraine Railway Company (L&CR) opened its first station in Londonderry's waterside area in December 1852, although the line would no be completed until July the following year (until then trains from Derry terminated at Limavady Junction).
 Around this time there were other railway lines being founded in Ulster. The Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine & Portrush Junction (BBC&PJ) Railway being the  L&CR's closest neighbour at the Coleraine end, who in 1859 built a bridge over the River Bann to link to the L&CR station in Coleraine. in 1860 The Belfast & Ballymena Railway merged with the BBC&PJ to form the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway (BNCR). By 1871 the BNCR had bought the L&CR giving trains from Londonderry the ability to run to Belfast and Portrush as well as the places in between which is more or less the system operated today. The BNCR rebuilt the L&CR Londonderry Waterside terminus in 1874 commissioning John Lanyon to build an impressive dressed Sandstone structure and that company's initials are still carved into the clock tower. No known records of the original L&CR station survive

Initials of the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway in the clock tower

The station included a booking hall, waiting rooms and offices with a large indoor platform area with two platforms and a "run around" in the centre. There was also a goods yard, turntable and water crane facilities to top up the tenders and tanks of steam locomotives (in later years diesel storage tanks would also be include). The station also included living accommodation for staff. Plus a duel gauge railway that linked it to the city's other three termini and the docks via the lower deck of the Carlise Bridge over the River Foyle. It was quite an extensive site considering it was at the bottom of a hill sandwiched between the buildings of the waterside and river.

View down platforms showing the extensive space to the right for sideings and
where the link to Craigavon Bridge was. It also gives a good impression of how
the station sat between the raised urban environment on the left of the picture and
the river to the right. This picture is of a steam excursion on 1 September 1979 after
the closure of Londonderry's other stations hence no 'Waterside' suffix on the sign. The
Loco No 186 is a Railway Preservation Society of Ireland engine
Copyright William Adams shared under Creative Commons Licence

The station and the railway it served would change ownership many times. Operating under the titile of Northern Counties Committee under the Midland Railway, London Midland & Scottish Railway and UK Railway Executive, until the Northern Ireland government purchased the NCC in 1948 and running it through the Ulster Transport Authority and from 1967 through Northern Ireland Railways which is currently a subsidiarity of  the government owned Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company which trades under the brand of Translink.

Another Platform view on a miserable June day in 1979 showing better the actual
station canopy. Damage from the 1975 bomb visible on the windows. 80 class DMU
number 94 awaits departure with the 1440 service to Belfast Central
Copyright The Carlisle Kid shared under Creative Commons Licence 

Another photo from 23 June 1979. Looking north down the platform from under
the canopy. This picture gives an excellent view of the canopy and how one side of
it was open. This would later be enclosed.
The DMU in the distance is 94 from the previous picture.
The train to the right is an old UTA Multi Purpose Diesel (MPD) Railcar.
Copyright The Carlisle Kid shared under Creative Commons Licence

The station continued in use as Londonderry Waterside station. It was at a somewhat disadvantage to Derry's other stations as it was on the Waterside (east bank of the river), whereas the other mainline terminus Londonderry Foyle Road was on the City Side (west bank of the river) and was hence more convenient to both the city centre and the docks.  The narrow gauge station of Londonderry Victoria Raod was also on the waterside but even this was right beside the rail wagon exchange of the Craigavon Bridge (which replaced the Carlise Bridge in 1933, and is still in use although the lower deck is now used by road vehicles) However despite this it managed to out live the other termini in Londonderry to become the city's sole railway station. Although after the closures of the other stations the Waterside suffix was dropped from the station's name it continues to be known locally as the Waterside Station, other local names for it have been the Midland Station and the Northern Counties Station in reference to the companies which operated it.

Turn around from the previous picture and we see MPD  units 539 & 61. These
were built bu the UTA in 1959 reusing the bodies of 1933 built coaches. This waste not
want not attitude was an Ulster railway tradition and helped prolonged the lives of many lines
Another view of the canopy and the wall. Sadly the booking hall was destroyed in the 1975 bomb
the shed behind the train serving as the ticket office
Copyright The Carlisle Kid shared under Creative Commons Licence

The station was targeted twice by terrorists during the troubles being bombed in 1972 and again in 1975. While damage suffered from the first bomb was relatively light although it destroyed the tea room, the station was not so lucky after the second bomb. It would eventually prompt its abandonment and closure. It destroyed much of the entrance and centre of the building including the staff accommodation and Ticket Office and Waiting Rooms following this tickets had to be purchased from a shed at the end of the platform. The last resident of the accommodation at waterside station was North West Manager Alec Esdale, living quarters would never again feature in any of Derry's railway stations.

View of the station May 1979 showing the extent of the bomb damage
Copyright Albert Bridge shared under Creative Commons Licence

The make shift ticket office used from 1975 to 1980
Copyright The Carlisle Kid shared under Creative Commons Licence

A new station was opened next to the old in 1980. The old station was fully enclosed and used for storage for some years before being sold by the railway. Since then it mostly lay empty although it did have brief periods of use. I remember it being used as a furniture shop. During this time the platforms were filled in with concrete.
The new station featured an island platform at the end of a square building which included a ticket office and small waiting room. It was very much a station built to reflect the decline of the railway and although there were a couple of sidings the track capacity was very much reduced. The people of Londonderry were never really satisfied with the station. Although it might have been apt for the dwindling passenger numbers when it was built, it was very much a cold looking and functional building, with next to no attractive features, with many saying the platform canopy resembled an upside down egg box. Hardly a befitting way to enter Northern Ireland's Second City!

The 1980s built station

Although unattractive as it was it served the city and the railway as well as it was designed to until traffic on the line once again began to pick up with the dawn of the new millennium. With growing public, political and infrastructure pressure Translink upgraded the line, some sections of track were upgraded with continuous welded rail in 2013, later a passing loop was added at Bellarena the next station from Derry to enable an hourly service in each direction. Before that at Londonderry if you missed the train you would have to wait at least two hours.

view from the platform of the 1980s built station.
The clock tower of the old station can be seen to the right

The net phase was a station refurbishment. Translink gave the public a choice. They could refurbish the 1980s building, repurchase and renovate the old Victorian station or build a new station further up the line by the relatively new foot bridge over the Foyle known as the peace bridge. In fairness from an operational view the latter might have been preferable giving closer and more convenient access to the city centre and the Translink bus depot via the Peace Bridge.
However in the consultation the people of Londonderry (myself included) voted by about 60% to renovate the old waterside station. That renovation began in 2018 and as well as renovating the Victorian building included track and signalling work and building new platforms. There are two platforms which unlike the original station are completely outside one running down the side of the building. They are much longer than the previous station with the intention to cater to longer trains not just NI Railways trains but also steam train excursions and rail tours like the Belmond Grand Hibernian. The track includes a run around which should help facilitate these trains. A tea room has returned to the building as well as a shop. The waiting area is spacious and artistic, with reminders of the city's railway heritage and local points of interest.

A clock that tells the time

the renovated frontage

view of the ticket office on the left with waiting area beyond

where the opening for the track and platforms once was, there
is now a window gazing onto the platforms

One of the installations celebrating the rail heritage
Note the Great Northern did not owned the Foyle Road station
Not mentioned is the company that did, the Northern Counties Committee! 

Looking South. Platform entrance on the right.
This photo offers a view of the canopy and brickwork

The tea room to the left of the south entrance

A 4000 class DMU stabled in the sideing

The old 1980s station is set to be demolished and form part of the road area of the station which is not only to serve as a train station but a regional "Transport Hub" with bus connections too.
While it might not be a restoration it is certainly a new lease of life and one that sees the building serving as a railway station which is the function it was built for

Golden Spike: 150 of transcontinental railway

As anniversaries go the 150th is a pretty significant and as a railway enthusiast today's anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railway is particularly so.
For an American this should be a significant occasion for the provision of not only a safe, reliable and quick overland route connecting the east and west coasts of the country not only helped advance industry, business and economy but it helped unite the country socially and culturally and thus helped forge a national identity.

The story of Transcontinental railway is that of two companies racing to connect the east and west by rail. In the east building west from California was the the Central Pacific Railroad and in the east building west from Nebraska was the Union Pacific. Both companies faced challenging conditions both from natural obstacles such as deserts and mountains as well as opposition from hostile groups such as bandits, gunmen and most significantly Native Americans whose way of life the railway threatened. Eventually the two companies met at promontory point in Utah. There on the 10th April 1869 the two lines were a single length of track apart. In a ceremony the the last length of track was laid joining the two lines by a joint team. The last spike which connected the rail to the sleeper (ot tie to use the American term) was made of gold.
For a more detailed history of its construction I would suggest following the link to watching episode 6 "The Line" of the BBC series Seven Wonders of the Industrial World.
Promontory was not however an ideal location and the Union Pacific sold there track between Promentary and Ogden to the east of the Great Salt Lake.

staged photo of the completion ceremony of the transcontinental railway

The Central Pacific would later merge with the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, and they later built track (a series of causeways and bridges) across the Great Salt Lake. thus while track remained at the original meeting place it was reduced in importance as the mainline bypassed it via the shorter, quicker and more efficient route over the Salt Lake. Union Pacific would eventually acquire the entire route buying out the Southern Pacific in 1996. Today the Promontory is a national historic site not only with a visitor centre and museum but track and working replicas of the Central Pacific locomotive No 60 'Jupiter' and Union Pacific No 119, that regularly reenact the Last Spike ceremony.
Upon completion it was possible to cross the continental United States in a mere week in comfort and safety which was in contrast to the six months of toil and danger via wagon train or by sea via the most dangerous seas in the world. This could be done for $150 which was relatively inexpensive compared to the $1000 dollar cost of a waggon train.

This photo of Golden Spike National Historic Site is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Of course business, commerce and industry all benefited from a coast to coast link. Within ten years of the Golden Spike ceremony the line was transporting $50 million worth of freight coast to coast. This facilitated a marked increase in industrial capacity of the whole country which only increased as the railways expanded and other routes opened.
Communication was also improved. Telegraph wires were also built alongside the tracks and many stations had their own telegraph offices. In Fact the golden spike ceremony itself was communicated live via telegraph, famously reporting the word "done" when the tracks were joined. So the rise of modern instant communication is a story that parallels that of the railway.
Of course there were drawbacks amongst the most important of which was the impact of Native Americans. The line crossed their hunting grounds and thus by facilitating westward expansion brought settlers into conflict with them. During the construction railroad workers were attacked and the army was brought in. Thus beginning the various conflicts between the US Government and the various native nations that would lead to the decline of Native American culture and way of life.
While long distance passenger traffic on America's railways may not be what it was with competition form inter state highways and airlines the same cannot be said for freight.

Union Pacific eastbound freight train. Photo by Clay Gilliland
licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

The US freight network currently consists of 140,000 miles of track and employs at least 200,000 people. About 40% of America's freight from pencils to space craft is shipped by rail it still being the cheapest and most efficient method for heavy and long distance transport. The American economy and arguably by extension that of the world is thus dependentant on its rail infrastructure and this would not be the case if there were not a transcontinental railway. That more than anything is the reason why today's anniversary is significant. Happy 150th Birthday Transcontinental Railroad.

Shelvetop Shed Model Railway

One of my great passions is rail transport and so it is not surprising that one of my hobbies is railway modeling. So here is a post about my model railway 'Shelvetop Shed' which some readers might find of interest. Now my layout is not a very big one in fact it can comfortably occupy the top of a large bookshelf (hence the name), however its present location is currently on top of the dining room table.
The layout is a 00 scale inglenook shunting puzzle, measuring 118cm x 31cm.
The theme is some country sidings on the British Railways network some time in the 1950s/early 1960s, that is in the process of being run down although still being relatively busy. Most of the stock I use on the layout is naturally British Railways stock however I am not terribly strict on the theme and often use private owner and Irish stock as well as some pre nationalisation locomotives on it from time to time.
The main aim of the layout is not to recreate a region or period in time but rather provide an amusing platform to conduct shunting (or switching to use the American term).
The layout is self contained in a homemade plywood box that is open on one side to allow viewing and at the top to allow light in as well as the physical placement of motivepower and rolling stock onto the tracks as there is no off scene fiddle yard.

Birds Eye view of Shelvetop Shed layout

The 'surface' on the layout is constructed on plywood and sits on top of a layer of polystyrene insulation. Power is provided to directly to two lines, the headshunt on the top left of the above picture and the headshunt on the bottom right. The points (switch) in the centre is electrically isolated from the top track connecting the engine shed and headshunt. The points are not powered but operated manually via craft wire that connects to the points through holes drilled in the wood.

A Tri-Ang dock shunter and kitbashed Irish J15 0-6-0 shunting. Note the switches for the points protruding from the side of the layout itself.

 Also of importance are three Pecco shunting ramps which are used to uncouple waggons without the need to handle them.

View of the workmans hut & shed (formerly a coach) note the view of the uncoupling ramps (the one in the background by the old coach has since been removed). 

The trees are homemade as is the back wall, most of the ballast and scatter is from woodland scenics as is most of the foliage, The track is pecco but has been carefully coloured in to look more realistic. The British Railways land rover is from Oxford Diecast and the former coach now shed is a cheap HO scale Lima coach which I bought on ebay for the principle some of 99p (most of my stuff is second hand off ebay and bought on the cheap). The buffersops are tri ang ones I got cheap on ebay, although they required the grips to be sanded down a bit to fit my pecco track, the water crane outside the shed is also a second hand tri ang item.

Tri-ang buffer stops in front of a wargame scenery fence adapted for the layout

A Mainline J72 tank engine rests outside the engine shed, Note the water crane

There are no buffer stops at the shed end of the layout the rail end carefully hidden by foliage to give the impression that the track continues on through the trees.

An 8F and a Jinty at work shunting

An 8F couples onto a train