More Key Lime Pie, Please? KWE Progress!

I felt a bit motivated to pick up on the FEC Key West Extension project. Lots of the work I managed to do was to clean up some messy roadways, like the South Miami area. US-1 and Sunset is kind of sort of up to date with freshly programmed signals and a new station.

Also, what I'd call part 2 of the Dadeland area, part 1 completed last year, is almost done. This involves a fully functional crossing-intersection at SW 71 AV and SW 84 ST. Put a railroad in the picture and the intersection, with the garage of a Tri-Rail and Metrorail station behind, can be extremely busy. The traffic light design at 71st and 84th proper is partly inspired by International Drive and Conventon Way in Orlando, FL due to its feel and function.
Also, to answer the absence of a rail platform on the Belt line side, as I plan to operate a Tri-Rail line on this line, I'll be adding a station to the south (right) of 84th Street.

Also, I'll add that a more up to date road system will be developed over the coming months, as well as the possibilities of getting the crossings fitted with Ryan's new system. Traffic lights will also be done with hopefully LED coronas.

While the first two pics brought out the roadgeek in me, I saw fit to balance it with a pure railroad scene. I did a rough job of the Homestead Intermodal and Automotive Ramp in the throat between US-1 and Card Sound Road. The original working was skew to both, but I chose to have it parallel Card Sound more instead in a redo that was done the other day. Your pure Florida railroad scene of a FEC loco switching the ramp will be coming to a computer screen near you!

It is also from here where the Turkey Point Coal Trains will have a place to go. An equally level extension to the game map was made two miles east of here, allowing for a loop reasonably close to the actual power plant. That loop is connected to the looping IM yard lead via a spur and turnout by the interchange between US-1 and Card Sound. (This fourth image predates the third image)

More to come, including an ops session with JR's new FEC engines!

West Rail and Y220 Mini-Op Session

As can be seen in this video,

I have begun fancying the vantage point at Hialeah Market Station for the likes of O721, Y322, and Y220 as well as the usual melee of Tri-Rail trains.

The area is part of what defines Miami. The market next to me bears some classic resemblance. West Rail and the rail side of Hialeah Market have been, unfortunately, mere shells of what they were in the past. Back in 1995 or so, it was a bustling yard. Now, a house track became a Home Depot parking lot, the east track's customer stopped taking in rail shipments, and only one customer remains: Antique Brick and Stone.

Traditionally, on a lucky weeknight, Y220 will take freight to the customer.

Combining these factors has allowed for me to make and sim a mini Y220 in the area. Here are some pics:

Departure from Hialeah Yard

4quads at work NW 71 ST

Approaching East Rail

SALCO

After its work in East Rail, Y220 shoves to 46th St and to work West Rail

Back Home

Can Yard, Y'er lookin good!

The Industrial mecca of Can Yard in Auburndale is now almost fully done. All that is left is the spur to Amerigas (I think it's amerigas). It runs by very intricate oil pipelines so it'll be a haul to do.

YouTube: Train R188

A show-off of the last two months of progress on this route. Boy have I done a lot, and this even doesn't have Valrico, I-4/SR39, nor Yeoman Yard. So there's been quite a bit of mileage done.

I am slowly working on Auburndale and eventually going to re-build the area west of it. I did the area between the 570 east side overpass and Auburndale in the old rendition so it's familiar terrain. I even recognized it when I drove that section on March 19 in real life. This then generates the Carters Subdivision. Meanwhile I did have Zephyrhills started and hope to complete that soon. The outlook is bright for this route, but it will all be done like others, over time.

Y121 &The New Jointed Rail Covered Hoppers

I am personally impressed with these realistic Jointed Rail CSX company predecessor hoppers. I think the attention to detail was spot on and looked just like the real thing.

So I took it for a spin in a Winston local, Y121, which Jared Davis, Thomas East, and two others caught in Winston one day.