Powder River Basin: The Orin Line

The discovery of vast amounts of low sulphur coal in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming has brought new life to heavy haul railroading. The mining operations are on an immense scale and railroad operations have grown to handle the traffic of nearly 400 million tons of coal per year.

The Prototype

Constructed in the late 1970's by Burlington Northern Railroad, BNSF's Orin Line is the epitome of modern heavy-haul railroading. Maintained and operated by BNSF, with Union Pacific possessing joint ownership, the Orin Line sees over 50 trains per day serving the twelve mines located on the subdivision. This is North American railroading at its finest - heavy traffic triple-track main lines, complex junctions, and massive operations at the mine loadouts. The Orin Line is anything but flat - at an elevation of nearly a mile above sea-level and with over 700 feet of elevation change along the line, operating a train here is not for the feint-of-heart. Handling a loaded coal train with 134 cars and 18,000 trailing tons over the steep undulating grades requires every ounce of skill from even the best engineers.

The Route

The Orin Line route for Microsoft Train Simulator faithfully recreates nearly 100 route miles in the Powder River Basin - extending from the fertile valley of the North Platte River, through the arid grasslands of Wyoming, to the rugged badlands in the heart of the basin. Single, double and triple track main lines, The junction between the BNSF and the UP at Shawnee, the UP's coal staging yard and offices at Bill WY, three different coal mines - its all there.

Over three years in development, the Orin Line sets a new standard for prototypical accuracy in MSTS. Thoroughly researched from actual engineering documents and drawings, in-cab video, aerial imagery, over 2000 photos, and input from those who actually built and maintain the railroad - the Orin Line route is accurate down to the finest detail. The track, the signals, every lineside structure and bridge - all accurately recreated from the prototype. On the Orin Line - If it's there, then it's there.

Availability

The Orin Line is currently in final stages of development and will be released in 2005.

Watch these pages closely for for further news on The Orin Line.

Visit The Orin Line Gallery!