Chris Gerlach, Tim Muir, Steve Thompson, and help from several others are working on a most remarkable project. They are trying to create a virtual model of the USMRR supply depot at City Point, VA during the Civil War. They have been at this project for several years and their effort has resulted in a spectacular virtual railroad. It continues to improve as they add detail and more realistic features, such as moving steamships.
The images are some screenshots from the virtual project that Chris has posted to the ACWRRHS at groups.io. Members of the groups.io can see more images, but I believe you have to be a member that specific group. The fee is quite modest and it covers the cost that groups.io charges.
Here is how Chris describes the project,
"City Point Army Line USMRR 1864-65
We have started a project to reconstruct the USMRR based at City Point Virginia in support of the final campaign of the Civil War, focused on the Siege of Petersburg. The Union Army restored an older rail line to supply the front lines and constructed over 280 new supply, housing and service structures including a large engine house, car repair shop, other shops and huge warehouses along the shore that supplied freight to the railroad. We also plan to detail out the battlefield, and the James River and all of the shipping and other items but have started with the rolling stock of the Railroad, being constructed by our Trainmaster Tim Muir, and the Route itself, land and scenery, structures and details by our Roadmaster Steve Thompson. This is all being done in digital format and will operate using a railroad simulation program called Microsoft Train Sim but updated in to a new upgraded forma called Open Rails. I am the Project Lead and am leading the part of our team making the structures and models of ships, equipment, figures and clutter. We plan for a development of two to three years. We have been fortunate to have been able to obtain high rez scans of relevant military maps, thanks to Mike Weigal, and various archives and also to obtain many very good high rez glass negative photos from both the US Military Archives and other..."
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| Chris Gerlach writes, "The fine model of the Mason Locomotive the USMRR Gen. J.C.Robinson which was built as the General Haupt and re named. This model took over a year of research and work to finish, and features a complete build of all operating parts, in historically accurate textures and paint schemes as best can be determined from the advice and references available and from Tim's own deep research and 20 years of modelling in great detail of many rail locomotives, and traction engines John Ott very kindly provided the template for the unique lettering on the tender, for which Tim and we all were very grateful." |
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