I was delighted to receive some correspondance from Ron Paludan in Arizona. Huntsville was where his railfanning experience began in his teens, from 1972-1976. Now Ron is retired and enjoying recreating those memories through the use of train simulation. I invited him to send me some screenshots and a summary of his work. Impressive! RWH

I just wanted to drop a note to let you know that your website has been a major inspiration and resource for my Trainz Railroad Simulator project: Huntsville railroads in the 1960's to 1970s. In the spring of 2022, I started a project that I had contemplated for many years: a virtual recreation of railroading in Huntsville, Alabama from the 1960s to 1970s. The route was constructed using Trainz Railroad Simulator 2019 and it covers Southern Railway and Louisville & Nashville trackage in the downtown area. Freeway construction, fires, and renewal have erased most of the infrastructure that existed 50 years ago, but I had some photographs that I had saved from the early 1970s. Combined with online resources, especially Hawkinsrails.net, other railfans, and old aerial photographs, I have been able to re-create a few memories of my early railfan experiences. There are layers for two different dates - circa 1972 and 1966. The 1966 layer has some older equipment and structures, such as the NC&StL freight depot (built in 1896 and demolished in 1968) and operating sessions that include the final days of passenger service on the Southern Railway.