• Welcome to SC4 Devotion Forum Archives.

Three Rivers Region

Started by dedgren, December 20, 2006, 07:57:49 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 6 Guests are viewing this topic.

mightygoose

right gentlemen, start your engines...
NAM + CAM + RAM + SAM, that's how I roll....

ecoba

 ???

Uhh, I have two quads on the map, and one of them encompasses sections of two seperate quads. I have myself down for Ford SE, David.

On the map I have Dutchman SE, Marrowbone NE/Ford SE...

???

Ethan

metarvo

This really takes me back, David.  :)  I was thinking that the hidden F-numbered freeway routes are similar in a way to the unsigned Interstates in the U.S.  You were aware that Alaska has four of these unsigned Interstates [linkie], weren't you?  Only these U.S. unsigned Interstates aren't even real Interstate-grade highways, and with no signs, no one could really guess that they were Interstates.

Anyway, back to the main topic.  I'm glad to see the collaboration truly begin.  :)
Find my power line BAT thread here.
Check out the Noro Cooperative.  What are you waiting for?  It even has electricity.
Want more? Try here.  For even more electrical goodies, look here.
Here are some rural power lines.

dedgren

#9543
The third past post reposted here today to get everyone on the same sheet of music for collaboration.  The posts will then be incorporated into the comprehensive backstory section of 3RR [linkie].  The start of collaboration posting today is here [linkie].

Originally posted March 26, 2007 [linkie]

[tabular][row][data]      Rail Transport Division.  This division is charged with the administration and maintenance of the region's 131 miles/211 kilometers of rail lines and associated facilities.



To best understand the task facing the division, it is helpful to have a sense of the historical development of 3RR's rail network.

         The DW&W Main Line.  Rails first reached Three Rivers Region in 1868, when the Duluth, Winnipeg & Western ("DW&W") reached Falls City in the south of the region.  The line ended here for the next three years while a half-mile/800 meter long timber trestle was constructed over the Wind River just west of its mouth.  The trestle was replaced with the current steel truss bridge in 1919.


Demolition of the DW&W Wind River trestle (1919)

In 1870, survey parties were locating the DW&W line north of Pineshore, while at the same time surveying was also underway southeast from Winnipeg.  For about five miles/eight kilometers north of the central city of Pineshore, the line paralleled the Pineshore-Cold Lake Short Line, which was under construction at that same time.  From that point, the line crossed the Cold River, again first on a large wooden trestle, then later on a steel truss bridge now deemed to be one of the most historic and beautiful railroad bridges on the North American continent.


DW&W main line bridge across Cold River

Once past the Cold River bridge, the DW&W route was laid out along the western bank of the Grand River and west shore of Grand Lake.  At Oak Point, a station was established to serve the ferry across the river to Aurora.  North of Cold Lake, the line turned due west for several miles to serve the Taylor Lakes area.  From there, the DW&W route ran north around the eastern foothills of the western portion of the Northern Range, then turned to the northwest to cross a low pass through the range just a few miles over the border into Canada.

By 1871, construction crews building the line reached a place just south of the border in a gap between the Northern Range and the Lexington Hills they called Pvarcoe Station.  A large construction camp was established here along with a sawmill to take advantage of the substantial timber resources readily available nearby.  This camp became the city of Pvarcoe, the northermost point on the DW&W line in 3RR.  The line to Winnipeg was completed when track met in Manitoba just south of McMunn in 1873.

         The Pineshore-Cold Lake Short Line.  By the 1870s, the Cold Lake fishery had reached production levels that outpaced the ability to barge the catch south on the Cold and Grand Rivers to Pineshore during the ice-free months.  Investors, recognizing the opportunity, formed a company to construct an 11 mile/18 kilometer line from Pineshore to the south shore of Cold Lake.  By 1874, the Pineshore-Cold Lake Short Line ("Short Line") was complete and immediately attracted, in addition to freighting the fish, a substantial passenger ridership that had formerly used the riverboat system to travel south.  This had the effect of driving both the riverboat and barge companies out of business, and the Short Line had the entire passenger and freight market for about the next 50 years.  The community of Thunder Bay grew up and thrived during this period around the northern terminus of the Short Line, taking its name from the bay of the lake at the end of the line.

By the 1920s, though, the region's road network had developed to the point where it was more economical to truck the catch directly from Thunder Bay to the processing facilities and markets in Pineshore, and the Short Line's fortunes entered a steep decline.  The widespread adoption of the automobile for personal travel caused ridership on the line to virtually cease, and by 1932 the carrying of passengers was discontinued as the business fell into receivership.  The Short Line was abandoned altogether in 1954, and most of the track was taken up and sold for scrap, athough some sections still remain to reward the railfan ready to brave a bit of a hike and the area's infamous mosquitoes and black flies.


Short Line tracks in 2005

The right-of-way of the Short Line north of the DW&W Cold River bridge remains largely intact and is in the hands of the Rail Transport Division.  There has been growing discussion about turning the line into the region's first rail-trail, and bills to provide funding for this development have garnered an increasing number of votes in the 3RR assembly in each of the past several years.  Many landowners adjacent to the right-of-way, however, oppose the conversion, citing concerns over littering and vandalism, leaving prospects for a rail-trail, at least for the next few years, uncertain.

         The DW&W Highland Spur Line.  In 1884, significant iron ore deposits in the form of hematite [linkie] were discovered in the Pine Mountains along the western border of the region.  A mining camp that was established just north of the deposits quickly grew into the city of Highland, and the DW&W began laying track on a 28 mile/45 kilometer spur line (the "Highland Spur") to serve the area.  The line begins just north of Falls City, heads west across the South Fork of the Wind River, then across Broad Prairie.


Highland Spur line crosses an original trestle just east of Walnut Grove

West of the farming village of Walnut Grove, the Highland Spur turns to the northwest along the east bank of the beautiful Leaf River valley.  At the city of Boissevain, the line crosses Neeley's River and then enters the upper Wind River valley in the final miles before reaching Highland.


Highland Spur line along the Wind River

While the Highland Spur primarily carried freight, it attracted a steady ridership based on the relative remoteness of the Grand Prairie and upper Wind River valley communities.  "Taking the train" was the only way beside crossing the Wind River by ferry just north of the city to reach Highland until 1946, when the road bridge just north of Oxbow was built.

By the 1950s, as had happened in the Mesabi Range ][linkie], the high-grade iron ore in the Pine Mountain mines had played out.  While taconite production [linkie] has to some extent replaced this freight business, of far greater importance is the hauling of timber products, mainly in the form of wood pulp [linkie] to the Seaway port facility in Falls City.  Freight in the form of agricutural products, and in particular bulk corn oil, is similarly hauled on the Highland Spur to the port from facilities in Boissevain.  Passenger service along the Highland Spur ran until 1972.

  The DW&W Des Plaines Spur Line.  By the turn of the 20th Century, it had become apparent that the shoreline of Hotham Inlet east of Pineshore to the base of Iron Hook Cape was a very desireable place to live.  The DW&W availed itself of the opportunity presented by constructing a ten mile/16 kilometer long passenger-only spur line (the "Des Plaines Spur") from East Pineshore to the city of Des Plaines along the north shore of the inlet.


DesPlaines Spur line heading east toward Des Plaines

The line also extended a brief distance west into the city of Pineshore to the east bank terminal of the Grand River Ferry.

The DW&W's action was a foresighted one, as near shore residential lots in communities like Long Beach that sold for $50 in the early 1900s now sell, almost 100 years later, for $500,000: a ten thousand-fold increase.  Commuters have remained highly loyal to the line during its century of operation, and this was even further enhanced when the Grand River Ferry was replaced by a rail tunnel under the river in 1974.  Express commuter trains during the work-week can now whisk a rider from the Des Plaines terminal to Pineshore Central Station in just under 18 minutes.

  The DW&W Wolf Lake Spur Line.  The construction by the DW&W of a 15 mile/24 kilometer spur line to the city of Wolf Lake in the 1920s was, for a time, similarly successful to the Des Plaines Spur Line, albeit for different reasons.  This line was constructed to extend commuter service to Haypoint, but past there the main objective was to provide bulk agricultural and wood products freight services to Wolf Lake.


Loading facilities in Wolf Lake at the mill

The discovery of upsidaisium deposits in the eastern portion of the Northern Range northwest of Black Peak in the 1930s led to the further extension by 13 miles/21 kilometers of the line through the Panther Hills and over the Roaring Fork of the Grand River to a site called Tincup, which grew up near the mines to provide worker housing and other facilities.  By the start of the Second World War, special trains carrying this top-secret mineral south to Pineshore, and then on to a location in the U.S. known only as "Area 52" [linkie] ran several times daily.  These trains continued to run until the 1960s, when the upsidaisium program was cancelled.  After falling into disuse for several decades, the section of the line between Wolf Lake and Tincup, the latter now a "ghost town," has been revived by private investors starting in 1993 as a "scenic railroad," and as such carries over 30,000 sightseers and tourists during each summer season.  The site of the former (?) upsidaisium mine is currently a top-secret facility run by an un-named section of 3RR's Department of Agriculture, and beyond that nobody is talking.

The Wolf Lake Spur Line south of Wolf Lake remains economically viable today, and passenger service has been extended (2002) to the growing community of Geneva.  The carrying of freight, however, remains the backbone of the line's operations.


Freight run on the Wolf Lake Spur Line near Low Light Hills

  Current Operations.  The U.S.-based portion of the DW&W was purchased, in the 1970s, by the Burlington Northern (now the Burlington Northern Santa Fe) [linkie] in the United States.  Its Canadian operations were taken over at that time by Canadian National [linkie].  In 3RR, DW&W sold its assets to the regional government, which continues to operate the various lines under the name "DW&W" under the Rail Transport Division of 3RRDOT.  The only trackage subsequently abandoned by the division was the section of the Wolf Lake Spur Line north of Wolf Lake to Tincup- as noted this section has been reopened as a tourist attraction by private investors.

Aside from operating and maintaining the DW&W lines, the Rail Transport Division also co-manages and operates (with 3RRDOT's Ports and Waterways Division) the rail terminal and Seaway port facilities at Falls Creek.


Falls Creek Seaway port facilities and DW&W yards

The division is also responsible for preserving 3RR's substantial rail history and has set up a museum in the old East Pineshore Station for that purpose.


Abandoned wooden boxcar near Truman[/data][/row][/tabular]



David

582000
D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
The 3RR Quick Finder [linkie]


I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren

dedgren

#9544
The fourth in a series of past posts reposted today to get everyone on the same sheet of music for collaboration.  The posts as we go along are being incorporated into the comprehensive backstory section of 3RR [linkie].  The start of collaboration posting today is here [linkie].

Originally posted April 6, 2007 [linkie]

[tabular][row][data]Natural Resources

  The Three Rivers Region Department of Natural Resources ("3RRDNR"):  This department of the region's government has the mission of preserving and protecting the region's natural resources on behalf of its residents and to develop and facilitate the most productive use of those resources in support of recreation, business and commerce.  The department is further organized into three divisions:  Environmental and Wildlife Protection, Mining, Forestry and Agriculture, and Parks Division.

      Environmental and Wildlife Protection Division.  This division is... [to be written].

      Mining, Forestry and Agriculture Division.  This division is... [to be written].

      Parks Division.  This division is charged with responsibility for the planning, development, operation, maintenance and promotion of 3RR's Regional Park System.

Three Rivers Region has an exceptional system of regional parks.  Consisting of 36 parks scattered throughout the region, these parks afford a myriad of all-season recreational activities to residents and visitors to the region alike.


Waterfront camping at Grey Rock RP just east of Brooks Ferry

The parks include some of the premier outdoor recreation areas in the region.  From beautiful lake shores


Big Slark Lake

to scenic rivers and streams


Exploring the bogs at the south end of McLaren Flowage from Marsh RP

to spectacular high country


Paddock in Tincup RP

anyone seeking a first-class outdoor recreational experience can do no better than to pack up the family and head just a few miles to a 3RR Regional Park.  There's something there to do for everyone!


Kids at Sand Beach RP just north of Truman

Here's a table of all of Three Rivers Region's Regional Parks.



You'll see that some, but certainly not all, charge an entrance fee.  This charge is nominal, ranging from a few dollars up to (3RR) §10.00 per vehicle (2007).  An family unit annual pass can be purchased for (3RR) §60.00 (2007) at any park, or at the park system administrative offices in Pineshore, Highland, Pvarcoe or Wolf Lake.

The Region Park system totals 2,554 acres, as noted, of some of the most scenic areas in 3RR.


Secluded cove at Round Lake RP

All but nine of the parks have camping facilities, ranging from the full-featured


RV/Trailer campsites at Spanish Bay RP

all the way to primitive sites intended for those who travel light.


A primitive site in Wild Horse Hills RP on Pratt Island

Full service sites have 30 amp, water and sewer hookups and full-service restrooms.  At primitive campgrounds, pit toilets


Pit toilets at Eaglesnest RP on the north shore of Cold Lake

and hand-pumped water


Water supply in Rayden Mountain RP primitive campground

are the order of the day.  Whichever you choose, you can be sure that the facilities will always be clean and well-maintained.

Whatever your choice of outdoor activities, 3RR's Regional Parks have them on offer.  There's the region's world-class fishing


Fishing from the dock at Rondy Point RP

for starters.  Of couse, all kinds of boating are available.  There's powerboating


Boating at West Arm RP near Stockholm

from docks and ramps provided for your convenience.


Power boat docks at Big Point RP on Lower Taylor Lake

There's great canoeing.


Canoeing off Little Cold Lake RP on Little Cold Lake


Canoeing at Bass Creek RP

There's kayaking, too!


Kayaking on the Roaring Fork River near Roaring Fork RP

For the equestrian, several Regional Parks offer full-service stables and Horse trails.


A wilderness ride in Paradise RP


Saddling up at Low Light RP, just a few miles from downtown Pineshore

The winter sports enthusiast is not forgotten.  From ice-fishing


Ice-fishing off Bluff Point RP, near Oak Center

to hauling... er, ice, both on water


Annual ice-boating competition held at Round Lake RP

and on land


Snow-machiners on the 13 miles of groomed trails at Low Light RP

3RR Regional Parks have something to offer one and all.


Sand Beach RP and Grand Lake near Truman

The Parks Division hopes to see you at one soon!
[/data][/row][/tabular]


David

582042
D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
The 3RR Quick Finder [linkie]


I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren

threestooges

Now this is what I've been waiting for. Count me in on it for sure David. Good to see all these old posts coming back again too.
-Matt

Silur

Hi, David ...
Excellent Railroad Theme   :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: - waiting new about it - this is my favourite  &hlp

sincitybaby

Hi David!! Long time lurker, hehe sorry about the lurking!  :D

Anyways I am always trying to take ideas from your amazing vast region.  :thumbsup:

I was wondering if I may participate in your project, as I would love to join.  If at all possible, the tile that contains Des Plaines or Falls City.  Just a small urban area.  Thanks again and keep up the amazing work!

Tyler

ldvger

David-

I'm going to chime in and request a quad, too.  Back when I first started reading this MD I was working a lot and didn't want to make the time commitement, but now I have the time and would love to be able to participate.  Working on someone else's project might also keep my impatience to work on my own under control...give me a chance to do some actual building without jumping the gun on my own region.  It's been a while since I did any actual city building!

As for preferences, I really have none.  I think you know me well enough by now to be the best judge of which quad you think would suit me, so you pick one out...surprise me!  Now watch, he'll send me a quad that's all ocean and no land....

Lora/LD

ecoba

Hehe, Lora, I'm sure he'll give you a quad that's not all ocean, maybe a national park. With all trees.... no, just kidding, I know David will give you a nice quad that works perfectly for you Lora.

David, also how will we receive our quads when you send them out?

Ethan

just_a_guy

Alright! Looks like showtime's almost here! I'd like to request a quad myself as well. It seems I probably have the time. And as a personal preference, it'll be best for me if it were an urban/suburban quad (or at least more urban than rural) because I can't say i'm that good when it comes to rural stuff.

I'm really looking forward to how this'll go!
Come and check out my BATting works at:
   
Just_a_Guy's attempts at BATing

dedgren

#9551
My internet has been down or otherwise dodgy (i.e.: slow, slow, slow) for several days during what I'm being told is an upgrade of the trunk line that carries DSL into my corner of Alaska.  I've thus been able to stop by from elsewhere but not to do the couple of remaining big things in connection with the rollout.  It thus looks like this weekend, which is a long one here, is realistic for what I plan to do.

...I mean, you've only waited on me for three years, so what is three more days?

I'm as anxious as everyone who's posted and PMd me, so, like I said- stay tuned.

* * *

I got a kick out of this little blog page applet when I saw it somewhere else.  There doesn't appear to be any catch to using it except for the linkie back to the MapLoco site. 


Create your own visitor map!

Hellooooooooooooo-oooooooo-ooo-oo-o-o, 3RR lurkers!  We see you!

It'll be interesting to see where folks have turned up from over the course of a day.

Later.


David

583351
D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
The 3RR Quick Finder [linkie]


I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren

deathtopumpkins

Well you don't HAVE to have it link back to the site... the URL code is perfectly removable when you post it. The site's terms of use might require you to leave it though.

And seriously, three days is not much at all... $%Grinno$%
NAM Team Member | 3RR Collaborater | Virgin Shores

Getron

Hi there,

New version of Big Borther  &mmm?

Keep it up.

Greetings from the Netherlands.

mayorfabz

Nice map. Heck I can even see myself on it  $%Grinno$%
Fabien

dedgren

#9555
Here's part of the log created by Big Brother MapLoco.

[tabular][row][data]Wasilla, AK, United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:56:29 -0500
Henderson, NV, United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:44:09 -0500
, , Canada   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:41:42 -0500
Cagliari, Italy   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:30:21 -0500
Biel, Switzerland   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:27:13 -0500
Vancouver, BC, Canada   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:24:21 -0500
Sydney, Australia   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:08:12 -0500
Cincinnati, OH, United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:51:27 -0500
Chicago, IL, United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:45:45 -0500
Montreal, QC, Canada   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:40:29 -0500
Jyväskylä, Finland   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:35:43 -0500
Surrey, BC, Canada   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:30:43 -0500
Beaverton, OR, United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:28:52 -0500
Melrose, MA, United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:19:02 -0500
Brisbane, Australia   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:16:04 -0500
Belmont, CA, United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:04:34 -0500
Rotterdam, Netherlands   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:01:58 -0500
Edinburgh, United Kingdom   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:56:58 -0500
Gettysburg, PA, United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:55:08 -0500
Cedar Rapids, IA, United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:54:01 -0500
Hermitage, TN, United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:50:24 -0500
Massagno, Switzerland   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:49:12 -0500
, United Kingdom   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:41:25 -0500
Wasilla, AK, United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:39:08 -0500
Poole, United Kingdom   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:23:30 -0500
Congonhas, Brazil   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:17:47 -0500
Montpellier, France   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:16:53 -0500
Denton, TX, United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:16:52 -0500
Mendoza, Argentina   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:12:22 -0500
Christchurch, New Zealand   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:07:57 -0500
Hampton, VA, United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:05:03 -0500
Gent, Belgium   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:02:14 -0500
New Westminster, BC, Canada   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:55:38 -0500
, , United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:54:54 -0500
, United Kingdom   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:52:01 -0500
, United Kingdom   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:36:18 -0500
Moose Jaw, SK, Canada   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:31:26 -0500
Jettingen, Germany   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:31:12 -0500
Toronto, ON, Canada   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:30:14 -0500
, , United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:29:34 -0500
London, United Kingdom   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:29:03 -0500
London, ON, Canada   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:27:59 -0500
Manhattan Beach, CA, United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:27:45 -0500
Tlaquepaque, Mexico   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:23:58 -0500
Saint Paul, MN, United States   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:21:45 -0500
Albufeira, Portugal   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:17:10 -0500
Minnedosa, MB, Canada   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:17:01 -0500
Linköping, Sweden   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:15:43 -0500
Gourin, France   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:12:17 -0500
Nogent-sur-marne, France   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:09:24 -0500
Zabrze, Poland   Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:08:34 -0500[/data][/row][/tabular]

Any of those look familiar?


David

583507
D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
The 3RR Quick Finder [linkie]


I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren

canyonjumper

QuoteVancouver, BC, Canada Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:24:21 -0500

There I am ;D

QuoteWasilla, AK, United States Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:39:08 -0500

Who could this possibly be?

           Your friend,
                          Jordan :thumbsup:
I'm the one who jumped across the Grand Canyon... and lived.

Toichus Maximus


ecoba

#9558
Hmm, don't see me on there, I know I've visited in the last... while, anyway maybe my security won't let you in, I'll check it now though, to see if it automatically updates.

And, Jordan; wouldn't you be the guy from Surrey?

Ethan

deathtopumpkins

Oh no! They're watching me!
QuoteHampton, VA, United States Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:05:03 -0500
NAM Team Member | 3RR Collaborater | Virgin Shores