Laying Virtual Tracks to the Flathead – TrainSimulator 2013

Every day hundreds of people descend on the Flathead Valley to take in the sights and sounds of a passing freight train. But you would never know it if you walked down to the tracks. That’s because these people aren’t standing around Whitefish, Columbia Falls or Essex; rather they’re at home on their computer.

The Pass reaches more than 5,200 feet (1,580 metres) at its summit and forms the southern edge of the Continental Ranges, a major grouping of the Rocky Mountains. Starting out at Shelby, the route winds up and through the flat farmland and open plains before heading into the mountain range through narrow canyons and vast pine forests alongside the Flathead River. Passing through Cut Bank and Browning, the route reaches the summit just after Marias, before descending through Essex and Columbia Falls to Whitefish.

The route is famous for its spectacular bridges, and these are accurately depicted alongside other features including mountain snow sheds, the silo ‘Dalek’ at Browning, Belton Lake, the concrete Penguin at Cut Bank, a large marshalling yard at Whitefish, industrial facilities throughout the route and the 13 mile branch line to Kalispell.

TrainSimulator 2013 Marias Pass http://store.steampowered.com/app/222561/

By Justin Franz

Full Story: http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/laying_virtual_tracks_to_the_flathead/33165/