Japan

[pagroove]

Thanks guys. Id say the route is complete just some minor missing ground textures in some places. I can easily paint over that. The TGV route is pretty interesting. It takes you around the whole island. I tend to hang around in Toshin alot with the narrow gauged loop line. Right now I'm trying to explore the interior of the island via the branch lines. Looking forward to the updated version though.

And anupdate it will be.

> I've just completed a new 14,3 km NG line and more is coming. In the next update there will be more than enough NG track. Also I made a container terminal. We need indeed some Japanese container stations and cars etc. I will post some screenshots over the weekend.

> Also an extension to the southeast of the Colden Shinkansen is planned where it will connect the island via the so called 'Colden Landbridge'. This is a combination of undersea tunnel and bridges. Don't know if this is in the update. We will see. I plan to do an update before Christmas.

> Does anyone know of a nice turntable for 1036 mm loco's? I need a place to turn all those nice Japanese steam engines.

In other news. Here's a nice forum (in English) if you want to keep up with the latest developments on Japan Rail etc.:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=484031&page=83

 

[pagroove]

@Acelaamtrak.

Any updates on your model track? Looking forward to it.

 

[acelaamtrak]

Pagroove: Not really very much since I put my last pics on the Model Railroadz tread (if you haven't seen them yet, page 95, post #1420 in Screenshots) but am spending more time on it again since yesterday, am trying to fill the empty area's which still are alot, hard to say when it's complete.

 

[pagroove]

Pagroove: Not really very much since I put my last pics on the Model Railroadz tread (if you haven't seen them yet, page 95, post #1420 in Screenshots) but am spending more time on it again since yesterday, am trying to fill the empty area's which still are alot, hard to say when it's complete.

Wow I've missed the last batch. REALLY GREAT!. I like the display on the wall and the tables too. Looks like a virtual playroom. I look very much forward to a release of this.

 

[pagroove]

I like to write about some updates I made on the Electro Island layout. With Electro Island v1 it was not really an Island. With the update there is now water all around and you can take a drivable ship to sail around the Island (warning at a realistic speed of an ocean cruiser with 30 kph this takes a long time). Side tracks are included to the major ports. There will be cruise terminals in Colden, Novaville, Northtropp and Hazima.

Here's a picture of the total map. Highlighted is what is built. The dark area is the geofiction region of the Icarus Strait the water between Electro Island and Coast. You can see in the South East that a possible extension of the Colden Shinkansen is envisaged.

Here is a map of To Shin (Central City and Novaville). There is a new line from To Shin Terminal to Novaville Harbour. Also called 'Japanese Harbour'. It includes a NG (1036 mm track width) container terminal (not animated). and a passenger station for the passengers of the Cruise Terminal and Novaville city.

The Container Terminal:

 

[pagroove]

To shin Terminal is now at 100% completion. I plan to not detail the area further to save frame rates.

View from the South to North. Note the JR500 departing and the completed track work of the NG lines.

Overview 2: This time from North to South:

 

[acelaamtrak]

Looks nice Pagroove.

I made some progress last few days, here are 2 pics of it.

 

[pagroove]

Looks nice Pagroove.

I made some progress last few days, here are 2 pics of it.

Looks stunning and super detailed. I also have built today. Finished the new 14 km narrow gauge line.

 

[matura]

Hi guys. After a very long time I jump back into work on my maps. I watched your creations and progress on your maps and they are really great. Especially massive map of pagroove and acelaamtrak's model railroad,
which is very detailed. I like that.

Also. New Shinkansen is amazing.

Back to my work.
I don't think I have that much of change to use space here right now to show little changes, but I added 22 screens to my photobucket account. http://s609.photobucket.com/user/MiyuGreer/library/?view=recent&page=1

More soon.

 

[pagroove]

Hi guys. After a very long time I jump back into work on my maps. I watched your creations and progress on your maps and they are really great. Especially massive map of pagroove and acelaamtrak's model railroad,
which is very detailed. I like that.

Also. New Shinkansen is amazing.

Back to my work.
I don't think I have that much of change to use space here right now to show little changes, but I added 22 screens to my photobucket account. http://s609.photobucket.com/user/MiyuGreer/library/?view=recent&page=1

More soon.

Hi Matura. That's very good news. I've looked into your photo bucket account. Great new pics. Are you building a map based existing surrounding or is is also a fantasy track. It has a bit Kyushu flavor. . BTW where did you get that Shinkansen depot from. Al least it looks like the types of depot they have on a Shinkansen line for example at Shin Osaka.?

As a side note I wonder if it is possible to make the first real world stretch of Shinkansen line in Trainz. For example a relatively 'short' stretch from Mahibara to Kyoto for example. Probably it would still require a lot of work because the Station of Kyoto is large and also custom. I am not going to do it for now. I have enough work on my existing lay out for now.

Keep on building .

 

[acelaamtrak]

Matura: looks nice, some of those buildings are that your own creations?

Pagroove: Funny that you mention that, I was thinking last week about making real routes in trainz for Japan, partly for selfpractice, for my future extension (Tsugawa on Sagoda route) and to get an real route into trainz.

Started searching what route/part I could do best with the existing content.
Osaka and/or around seems the best choise to create.

Thought about making the Tokaido main line from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka or opposide Kyoto-Maibara, since we have an few trains ingame that actually drive there (225, 321 series, hot 7000), You could also make Shinkansen then which will be close quite alot and further extensions like Keihan main line, Hankyu, Kintetsu.


Found out the program Transdem which generates terrain, textures and tracks into the game which might be very usefull for it, have still to figure out how it works + buying it.

There are 2 main problems I can see already objects (mainly accurate enough buildings, Shin-Osaka and Kyoto station might be the largest problem) and performance which a new era might solve (hopefully).


If I start creating one of these 2 sections mentioned I will first practise on other parts to learn better how to work with the Transdem, was thinking on the 5.7 km Kintetsu Utsube line and the 1.3 km Kintetsu Hachioji Line (kintetsu 260 from Keimei can be fully used here) and see how that goes.


Might actually even start with 3d modelling, buildings and objects seems much easier to create then trains/wagons, but dont know much about it so hard to say.


But first I will first finish my Modeltrainz route, what is mentioned above is likely to be my next project, hard to say already how it will go even if I might finish it.

 

[pagroove]

You are indeed right. Even the short stretch from Shin-Osaka to Kyoto will be a major challenge. I think that you don't need Transdem for that section as it runs largely through a plain. I studied the stretch on Google maps and also in the 3d mode on Google earth.
The stretch almost constantly runs through industrial parks and urban areas so it will be not easy to do.
If you are going to do it I advise to make the route only with maybe one or two baseboards on each side. Shin Osaka and Kyoto stations will me a major challenge. Although you can also decide to kitbash those surroundings. However Kyoto has a special building near the station with a TV tower and a hotel included.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Tower

I mentioned Maibara as possible starting point because it has a fairly classic Shinkansen station which you can make with the already available content plus it has a nice curve in the station itself as can be seen on this video: (Plus the location between Kyoto and Nagoya is probably more easy as a starting point).

 

[matura]

pagroove: I'm building mostly fantasy. Sometimes I take inspiration from maps, photos, and videos. Kyushu? maybe. The first japanese thing I wanted to build in Trainz was Ichibata Electric Railway. Well. It did not work.

pagroove: You mean this tower? http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/...009 Japan WIP/KyotoTowerHotel_zps8e5a53bb.png

acelaamtrak: Some of them are mine some of them are just converted Google SketchUp models.

BTW. Thanks guys.

 

[hirochi]

SHINKANSEN E5 RED available

consist: 01-----09 + 10rev + 11 + 12rev + 13rev + 14rev + 15rev + 16rev + 17rev

 

[marinemania]

More from the north.

Anyone want to have a guess at where this screen shot is depicting?

While I'm at it I have also been double gauging a number of track segments the hard way.

I have had the most difficulty aligning the track so that the standard gauge trains fit at the platforms

The easy way would be if there was a track that was similar to the one below.

Dual gauge oneside

rail movement

double track gauge

I definitely am making the route payware at the low end of the cost spectrum for the simple fact that it's semi-realistic/fictional to a great degree.

Here's Something else I was preparing but forgot to post a few weeks ago.
Has anyone seen this article yet. I know I saw it 4 hours after it was posted.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201410140037

The video is an amateur video, there was another i was going to include but it was significantly shorter than this one.

Going back Trainz I have decided to go all out and create a quality route that I will only be claiming money over it's creation. I will be using freeware, and as so the content creators will be notified of the circumstances of this route. I will price this route at a pretty low price in order to enable users to get the route despite being payware. I intend to collect money on map and terrain creation which currently are for the most part not made by anyone else (with a few route merged exceptions which I am going to notify those route creators very soon) expect N3V, who made the tools for route building. The route is intended to be for running the E5 Hirochi is currently working on or the H5 Andi is also working on now.

 

[pagroove]

@Hirochi,

Great work again . Will download soon.

Anyone want to have a guess at where this screen shot is depicting?

Hakodate and a piece of Hokkaido?

 

[Railshuttle]

Wow this place is really jumping now!! Nice pics and new trainset guys!!! Question for pagroove: will there be night time operations at your intermodel hub? I didn't see any yard lights there. I've been hoping someone would make animated JR freight container cars for the longest. guess I'll have to use the other ones form Austraila. looking forward to the new narrow gauged lines too. As for me, I've completed re routing the northern section of bullet train on my 2006 line so now the time form Sanito to Quad City is now 1 hour and 10 minutes with the bullets maxing out at top speed along certain areas. I'm gonna try to port this route over to 12 and see what happens. I haven't a clue to the screenshot you posted up marinemania. I was gonna say Kushu but that's waaay off. Nobody has made a custom dual gauged track? Well here are my small pics. enjoy.

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[marinemania]

The fact is that in japan they do have dual gauge tracks. This photo was taken at Odawara[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif], many would recognize it as part of the [/FONT]Akita Shinkansen or Mini-Shinkansen.

I think jointed rail has a good track model which I am considering as the base model for adding a 3'6" rail in the gauge. Following the example as above and doing the double track gauge model. Some 3'6" rails only track would be nice if they aren't already available to the community.

 

[pagroove]

@ Railshuttle. Thanks for pointing out the lack of Yard Lights. I will add them .

Here are some pics from today's test session with the new E5 RED by Hirochi.

1. Really liking the nice paint scheme:

2. Coupling at Colden.

3. Coupled and ready to go:

Coupled set blasts through tunnel under "Temple Mountain" into Hazima Valley

 

[Railshuttle]

Sweet!! One thing though I noticed the last car on the E5 red bullet is a green car. Is that a new feature or is it only exclusive for this train?