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MSTS Routes: Canton

Rascal & Cottonwood
For Railworks/Rail Simulator!

In September of 2008, All Aboard's newest project began quietly. There was a strong desire to see an idea come to pass even before I started my original Canton project. It seemed impossible then. But ideas don't die. And now this one just came to life. Introducing the Rascal & Cottonwood. With more detail than any of All Aboard's recent routes, the Rascal & Cottonwood is worth the peek. Coal is the theme. Haulin' is the game. Come, listen to our story. It's about men. It's about railroading. It's about you.

No one thought it was possible then. The mine was full bore open and then it all collapsed. The economy I mean, not the mine. Folks wanted the cleaner stuff and politicians were only too happy to give them what they wanted. But it wasn't right and it left us vulnerable. Without notice and while we were sleeping, billions of dollars were being sent overseas. Thankfully, somebody noticed. Yeah, we were before our time but then, we're America's railroads.

It's 1980 and Reagan is in his first year. He speaks for a robust military. We see a need for coal. We see a need to reduce foreign dependence on oil. And somebody listened. The Rascal Mine reopened and the rails are fixed. We saw the need. You applied for the job. And now you're working for the railroad. This railroad. It's 1980 to us back in Cottonwood, but you -- you in the future looking back at us now, you know what happened. Not twenty-some years later, you needed us. And we delivered. And this is our story. Your story. Of how the Rascal And Cottonwood started us back on the path to energy independence, in 1980.

The story of the Rascal & Cottonwood is of an abandoned route brought back to life by men who saw a need. Developed for Rail Simulator this 16-20 mile route features a coal mine, a coal prep plant and a foundry which are the lifeblood of Cottonwood. The Rascal & Cottonwood route was built in an amazing amount of time features an incredible amount of detail, yet, high frame rates. If you like USA based routes and Rail Simulator, this route, this story, is for you!

	Realistic scenery. You'll need RSDL's Foilage Pack and 3dTrains Rural Landscapes to see all this beauty! Available from railsimulator.com and 3dtrains.com
	Lots of detail as far as the eye can see! Even close-up, you will feel you are there. Picture taken on the outskirts of Foxman
	Tall bridges and rivers with flowing water. Picture taken from below one of the tall trestle bridges leading to Rascal Mine.
	Single track mainline with passing sidings, signals and lots of vegetation. Picture taken from between TC and Cottonwood.
	Rascal & Cottonwood includes 11 scenarios. 1 Free Roam, 7 regular scenarios, 2 introductory scenarios and a scenario called Railfanning. Picture from Railfanning
	Four towns are represented on the route. Here is a picture on the outskirts of Cottonwood. Picture from Cottonwood.
	Like my other routes, you can run any roadname on the route you please. Here we have a 3rd party free repaint of an NS unit and BNSF tanker I used from the train-sim library. These repaints are not included with the route. Look nice though, don't they? Picture taken near Cottonwood Coal Prep Plant.
	Another 3rd party repaint replacing the default version of the coal hopper in front of the Cottonwood Foundry. Picture from Cottonwood.

Important before purchasing! The Rascal & Cottonwood requires two add-ons for you to get the full effect of the beautiful scenery of the route. You will need 3dtrains Rural Landscapes available from 3dtrains.com Please note this package comes in a high res version for $12.50 and a low- res version available for no charge at the 3dtrains forum. I strongly recommend the hi-res version.

Purchasing options for Rascal & Cottonwood below:

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