recommended routes.

[Ghost42]

I am taking a break and have decided to drive some routes on the dls, I think that at some point rated routes were mentioned.
Due to the sheer number of routes I am going by author and must be missing some really good stuff doing that.
If a route is graded / rated how do I find that?

 

[johnwhelan]

Are you just after UK routes or elsewhere?

Thanks John

 

[Ghost42]

Are you just after UK routes or elsewhere?

Thanks John

Anywhere John, I'll haul coal just anywhere. A few gradients keep things interesting.
Note pixels don't cause global warming.

 

[PhilChorusch01]

For Australian coal routes, I'd recommend!

Illawarra South Coast NSW Australia, by grazlash (Illawarra route has sessions, search for ISCNSW, Steel Struggle, Tangara Time, Endeavour on the coast, there are 11 sessions) I think there are others available.
NSW Sandy Hallow 2 Gulgong, by PGibbons... Just add some really nice and long coal trains bounded for Ulan coal loader
TGR Fingal Line 1955 Narrow Gauge 3ft 6in (1067mm), by pware 'Make sure you download the sessions, all beginning with TGR Fingle Session, there are 13 to download'.

These are the only coal traffic routes that I have, you also have Bathurst to Lithgow and The Great Zig Zag routes by Alikiwi. You would have to merge both of those routes covering from Mt Victoria NSW to Bathurst via the original Zig Zag railway, it would certainly be a challenge climbing S trucks full of coal bound for darling harbour in Sydney

 

[Ghost42]

Thanks for the replies, I'll get busy!

 

[oldman777]

I recommend the British Cornish Railways (TS19) v 1.3 <kuid2:179051:100421:10> route and more than 10 sessions: https://forums.auran.com/threads/cornish-railways-ts19.161584/

Sessions: <kuid2:179051:100929:2>,<kuid2:179051:101041:1>,<kuid:179051:101044>,<kuid2:179051:101027:2>,<kuid:622685:102982>,<kuid2:179051:100486:1>,<kuid2:179051:100934:2>,<kuid2:179051:100926:1>,<kuid2:179051:100943:1>,<kuid2:179051:100949:1>,<kuid:179051:100915>,<kuid2:179051:100895:2>,<kuid:622685:103015>,<kuid:622685:102983>,<kuid:622685:103032>,<kuid:622685:102986>

PS: This is a standalone route and it is several times more than built into TSR19 Cornish Mainline & Branches.

 

[JCitron]

If you are willing to go the payware route, I highly recommend Scratchy's Coal Country. Get the route directly from Jointed Rail and not N3V so you can fiddle with it easily. This is one of my favorite western Pennsylvania-like routes.

If you are interested in some West Coast US and trees. Yes, I know you said coal, check out his Eagle River, also available from Jointed Rail. Both are fairly inexpensive and come with rolling stock as well. I took his Eagle River Railway and merged that into two versions of Legends of the Burlington route also from Jointed Rail making for an extensive east and west side of Washington, Montana, Idaho like route.

 

[oldman777]

There is a great Pennsylvania & Berwind free route, it also works on TRS 19: https://jointedrail.com/product/pennsylvania-berwind/

Another one The BNSF Line Complete Route from hiawathamr with 16 sessions, v 3.7 but it sill work on TRS19.

 

[JCitron]

There is a great Pennsylvania & Berwind free route, it also works on TRS 19: https://jointedrail.com/product/pennsylvania-berwind/

Another one The BNSF Line Complete Route from hiawathamr with 16 sessions, v 3.7 but it sill work on TRS19.

The P&B is free but requires the payware to make the route actually what it is. That's another route with some coal operations too.

 

[oldman777]

The P&B is free but requires the payware to make the route actually what it is. That's another route with some coal operations too.

I didn't notice that there was something missing in the route.
All dependencies that are not present on the DLS are in the links at the bottom of the route download page.
If you mean this content pack: https://jointedrail.com/product/pennsylvania-berwind-content-pack/
then it only has rolling stock and a few sessions. Content list for this pack: https://forums.auran.com/threads/pennsylvania-berwind-content-pack.148490/post-1706007

EDIT: There is indeed an unfinished JR free route, but it is Datsun Junction.

 

[JCitron]

I didn't notice that there was something missing in the route.
All dependencies that are not present on the DLS are in the links at the bottom of the route download page.
If you mean this content pack: https://jointedrail.com/product/pennsylvania-berwind-content-pack/
then it only has rolling stock and a few sessions. Content list for this pack: https://forums.auran.com/threads/pennsylvania-berwind-content-pack.148490/post-1706007

Yes, Coal Country sessions and rolling stock. Those few sessions are really great and can be modified. There are others available plus additional content from K&L Trainz.

The P&B has additional content such as scenery items, buildings, etc., that may or may not be included with the free version. This isn't unusual with Jointed Rail. With that said, I'm not sure if they have changed that since the original version was released. The pay version includes everything. There's a new version of this route coming out soon(tm). Approach Medium has expanded the route substantially and it's coming along nicely.

Now to add a couple more nice routes also by Approach Medium. His Dry Brook and Esopus and the Hudson and Western that can be merged in as a module. Using a bit of artistic licensing, I merged in the H&W, modernized it and put in a turnaround for the trolley line near Esopus. I run freight from the H&W right up to the DB&E mainline. This required reworking the crossover at Esopus and moving the siding over to allow for through traffic in addition to reactivating the grade crossing near the factories. At the far end, I reactivated the abandoned portion of the line and put in a portal to allow for additional traffic on the line. It makes for an interesting operating session.

 

[boleyd]

Just a hint: Scratchy's Coal Country is a nice route to merge to another route to add coal activity. I have three routes merged, including Scratchy's Coal Country. Uses this route to add coal functions to non-coaled areas.

 

[Forester1]

<kuid2:526403:100436:1> Wyoming's Powder River Basin by Danddhud. Big time Coal country for both BNSF and Union Pacific.

 

[philskene]

I didn't know there actually was a grading / rating score system.

I have a fair number of routes on the Download Station. Each has a reasonably detailed write up in the Forums. For example:

https://forums.auran.com/threads/new-trs19-model-railroad-the-intencity-railroad.160364/

and

https://forums.auran.com/threads/newish-trs19-route-the-rivercide-railroad-co.157492/

Phil

 

[Ghost42]

The sheer skill required to make these routes/sessions are giving me an inferiority complex, thanks all.

 

[GelGiGue]

The sheer skill required to make these routes/sessions are giving me an inferiority complex, thanks all.

you'll get it, the barrier to entry is astonishingly low. it's less about how much detail you can put in and more about how much you can get away with NOT putting in. although if you're very patient, detailing everything is no challenge in of itself, you just have to understand how the scenery you're modelling works, i.e. town street layouts and topography.

 

[oldman777]

I didn't know there actually was a grading / rating score system.

I have a fair number of routes on the Download Station. Each has a reasonably detailed write up in the Forums. For example:

https://forums.auran.com/threads/new-trs19-model-railroad-the-intencity-railroad.160364/

and

https://forums.auran.com/threads/newish-trs19-route-the-rivercide-railroad-co.157492/

Phil

Hi Phil,

I have all your wonderful routes and sessions for TRS19, and have read all the support threads for these routes.
Could you advise a beginner which route or session is better to start with?

Thanks, Yura

 

[philskene]

Hi Yura --

Thanks for your comments.

Hmm -- the better routes to start with?

The sessions where you have to interact with AI trainz can be both stressful and challenging. This rules out two of my favourites, "IntenCity" and "Krashnburne".

The newer sessions where I now use a very large pop-up message box to give The Dispatcher's orders make things much easier -- though be aware that following the instructions in the sequence given may not be the most efficient way of completing the session. Perhaps consider:

https://forums.auran.com/threads/the-hoofhearted-smelz-ng24-model-railroad.170022/

Or perhaps:

https://forums.auran.com/threads/new-3-ft-36-inch-narrow-gauge-model-railroad-the-jenn-erik-railroad.165389/

If you are OK printing out the session instructions from my write up, this is one of my current favourites:

https://forums.auran.com/threads/new-trs19-model-railroad-the-port-loleta-railroad.161158/

Feedback would be welcome -- are the sessions too confusing, too difficult, ... ?

Phil

 

[oldman777]

Hi Yura --

Thanks for your comments.

Hmm -- the better routes to start with?

The sessions where you have to interact with AI trainz can be both stressful and challenging. This rules out two of my favourites, "IntenCity" and "Krashnburne".

The newer sessions where I now use a very large pop-up message box to give The Dispatcher's orders make things much easier -- though be aware that following the instructions in the sequence given may not be the most efficient way of completing the session. Perhaps consider:

https://forums.auran.com/threads/the-hoofhearted-smelz-ng24-model-railroad.170022/

Or perhaps:

https://forums.auran.com/threads/new-3-ft-36-inch-narrow-gauge-model-railroad-the-jenn-erik-railroad.165389/

If you are OK printing out the session instructions from my write up, this is one of my current favourites:

https://forums.auran.com/threads/new-trs19-model-railroad-the-port-loleta-railroad.161158/

Feedback would be welcome -- are the sessions too confusing, too difficult, ... ?

Phil

Hi again Phil.

Thank you for your clarifications. I bought TRS2019 just a couple of months ago and didn't play much, but mostly downloaded, fixed outdated assets, etc. I haven't played Trainz at all before.
Almost immediately at this time, I liked all your routes right away and I downloaded it all, added links to all topics to bookmarks and printed out all descriptions of the sessions in two languages.
As soon as I get up the courage, I'll start right away. If I get stuck somewhere, I'll ask in the appropriate thread.

My comment turned out to be slightly reminiscent of the confession of a paranoid person afer reading.

Yura.

 

[oldman777]

I have a request for everyone.

Advise any DLS routes for which there are sessions and it is desirable that the number of assets be within a thousand. I'm just running out of hard drive space.
The geographical location does not matter. Fictitious or not, it doesn't matter. Freight, passenger - Any one will do.

This is what I already have:

All Alikiwi routes
All davies_mike57 routes
All philskene routes
All Vincent's workshop routes
Bodmin Wenford Railway TRS2019
City and Country USA TS19
Cornish Railways TRS2019
Liskeard to Looe (TANE)
Polaris TRS2019
Santa Fe Needles Sub – Model RR
TGR Fingal Line 1955 Narrow Gauge (3ft 6in - 1067mm) (TANE)
The BNSF Line Complete Route

Thanks, Yura