Train Simulator: Colorado & Southern Alpine Tunnel: St. Elmo - Pitkin

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.

Now, the Alpine Tunnel route, as originally built by the fabled Denver South Park and Pacific and operated by the Colorado & Southern, comes to Train Simulator Classic!

Created for Train Simulator Classic by acclaimed developer Milepost Simulations, the C&S Alpine Tunnel route extends from St. Elmo to Pitkin, Colorado, a distance of around 22 miles, and re-creates 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: St. Elmo to Pitkin Route brings to life the railroad’s handsome Baldwin-built 2-8-0 Consolidations (originally constructed for the Denver, Leadville, and Gunnison), and includes a captivating roster of nine types of narrow-gauge freight and passenger equipment. The route beautifully replicates the magnificent Colorado mountain scenery of the region and includes yards, servicing facilities, stations, and lineside mines and structures. A selection of nine career scenarios deliver the realistic – and exceptionally challenging – experiences of serving as engineer to battle Colorado’s unforgiving yet majestic mountains.

Milepost Simulations’ C&S Alpine Tunnel: St. Elmo to Pitkin Route for Train Simulator Classic takes you back to one of railroading’s most remarkable and memorable eras – and brings you the full experience of steam-era railroading in the extraordinary Colorado Rockies!

Nine career scenarios re-create the extraordinary and challenging passenger, freight, and mixed-train operations on the rugged and unforgiving route. More scenarios are available on Steam Workshop online and in-game.

Included Scenarios

A selection of engaging Career scenarios are included:

• Evening Excursion
  
• Eastbound Mixed Part I
  
• Eastbound Mixed Part II
  
• Westbound Mixed Part I
  
• Westbound Mixed Part II
  
• Winter Helper Duties Part I
  
• Winter Helper Duties Part II
  
• Chalk Creek Local Part I
  
• Chalk Creek Local Part II

More scenarios are available on the Steam Workshop online and in-game. Train Simulator’s Steam Workshop scenarios are free and easy to download, adding many more hours of exciting gameplay. With scenarios being added daily, why don’t you check it out now!

Key Features

• The legendary Colorado & Southern (formerly Denver, South Park, and
• Pacific) Gunnison Division route extending 22 miles through the Rockies [from St. Elmo to Pitkin, Colorado.
  
• Three and 4 percent grades on the famous line climbing to Alpine Tunnel at an elevation of almost 11,600 feet.
  
• The fabulous “Palisades,” where the railroad precariously clung to a rock retaining wall below sheer vertical cliffs.
  
• Colorado & Southern Baldwin B4D-class 2-8-0 Consolidation steam locomotive as built in 1890 for the Denver, Leadville, and Gunnison with and without snow plow.
  
• Passenger equipment that includes combine, coach, and excursion car.
  
• Freight equipment including flanger, boxcar, gondola, reefer, flatcar, and caboose.
  
• Authentic yards, engine facilities, stations, and mines.
  
• Nine career scenarios featuring freight, passenger, and mixed-train operations.
  
• Quick Drive enabled
  
• Download size: 1.4GB