Image of a train on a route portraying an ex-Southern railroad route. The route is created by FoodMonsterGuy and is available in Steam Workshop for Train Simulator 2015. I only own the picture.
Greetings,
Ever since I have had this game, I have always thought that it would be a cool idea that a route be made for the Norfolk Southern railroad line that runs between Birmingham and Mobile, Alabama. However, I now realize that creating a route from Birmingham to Mobile would be a tall order. That is why I have decided to shorten my route proposal for the route starting from Selma. The route used to be a part of the Southern railroad before it became a part of Norfolk Southern. I believe that this would be a good route for Train Simulator mainly because of the many freight opportunities and the routes location.
If someone were to relate rail traffic to the routes location, it would make a strong case for a good freight route for Train Simulator. To my knowledge, this is the only route for Norfolk Southern to get their trains to the ports in Mobile. Plus, just outside of Selma, there is a place that is called Marion Junction. There, trains can either go South towards Mobile or West towards Demopolis and (to an extent) Tuscaloosa, AL. In Kimbrough, AL, there is a small yard and the Alabama Gulf Coast Railroad also joins the Norfolk Southern there. Furthermore, Mobile has yards that are owned by three class one railroads: Norfolk Southern, CSX, and Canadian National. As an additional part of history, the old Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio (G,M&O) railroad station is still standing in downtown Mobile.
In terms of industry, the route would also serve Train Simulator well. The industries start appearing near the small town of Pine Hill, AL. In my hometwon of Thomasville, there is almost always an engine on duty waiting to serve some of the industries in our area. The industries really start to balloon around McIntosh, AL. Probably the biggest industry in that area is the AM/NS Calvert steel processing plant in Calvert, AL, which was formerly under the ownership of Thyssenkrupp steel. There are many more industries as the route continues on towards Mobile.
These are a few reasons why I believe that a route from Selma to Mobile, AL would be a good route for those that are into freight trains for Train Simulator. Thank you for reading and please give this route consideration.
Sincerely,
Trainman4501