Take a Ride on the New Haven Railroad's Naugatuck Division

[NBandW]

John - thank you so much for the kind words! It's really gratifying to hear that I've been able to capture the some of what made the New Haven unique. Your posts have also been a huge help for me in getting back up to speed with Trainz after being away since the TS2009 days.

Maxxp09 - I hope I can get to a point where it can be released. I've been trying to be mindful about using assets that are primary from the DLS or built-in routes in anticipation of eventually releasing the route, but there's still a lot of missing scenery at the moment.

 

[Maxxp09]

Well, Okay!

 

[NBandW]

Speaking of unfinished scenery...a few shots from some WIP areas near Stratford on the mainline and at Seymour on the Naugatuck Line:

 

[NBandW]

Picking this thread up again with a few shots from previous runs in the Derby/Shelton area:

 

[alexn3vgames]

Oooooooh!!! Nice to see the mainline finally getting some recognition in Trainz!

 

[leader2302]

Your route is absolutely amazing !! I lived most of my life in the Naugatuck Valley and have walked, researched, and photographed this line from Devon to Winsted and you have recreated the line perfectly. I do historical presentations of the New Haven RR at historical societies in the area, and your route is incredibly accurate. The screenshots of Derby Junction and Shelton are remarkable !! Even down to the background houses. That is exactly what that area looks like from photos I have taken and seen.

The track you used is perfect for that route. If you don't mind me asking, what procedural track and ballast ground texture did you use for your route?

 

[ApproachMedium]

Just came across this thread. Really nice work!

 

[SRKing783]

I just saw this thread and already love it! This right here is the closest line to me, the Waterbury Line (though I do more often use the New Haven line if I travel by rail), and I really love seeing this interpretation of the area in NH ownership. I really love seeing what you've done with it so far, and I wish you the absolute best of luck with progress!

 

[NBandW]

Thank you so much for the kind words, leader2302, ApproachMedium, and SRKing783!

It's really great to hear that the towns look good - those have definitely been the challenge when it comes to balancing perfectionism and making progress.

@leader2302 - the procedural track set is the AREA track by trainboi1, which is on the DLS. I've mostly been using the "dirty grey" ballast version, but have also been using the cinder ballast for industry tracks and yards. It's a great fit for any steam- or transition-era route.

I haven't had too much time to work on the route lately, but here are some shots from the mainline at Milford, where I had been working on filling in scenery over the past few months:

 

[NBandW]

A couple more shots at Milford and Devon on the mainline, as well as north of Beacon Falls on the Naugatuck:

 

[Forester1]

Looks like a great time for leaf peeping!

 

[SRKing783]

Going incredible still! Fall's been my favorite season for a while now, so I'm happy to see more fall shots. Great job with the route so far, keep it up!

 

[leader2302]

It's really great to hear that the towns look good - those have definitely been the challenge when it comes to balancing perfectionism and making progress.

@leader2302 - the procedural track set is the AREA track by trainboi1, which is on the DLS. I've mostly been using the "dirty grey" ballast version, but have also been using the cinder ballast for industry tracks and yards. It's a great fit for any steam- or transition-era route.

Thank you for your response and recommendation. I switched all the track in my route to "AREA dirty grey ballast track" by trainboi1 and it looks great!

Unfortunately, I had no luck finding a grey ballast texture to paint on the terrain along the row that matches the AREA dirty grey ballast track.

What is the name of the grey ballast texture you painted on the terrain along your tracks?

 

[NBandW]

Unfortunately, I had no luck finding a grey ballast texture to paint on the terrain along the row that matches the AREA dirty grey ballast track.

What is the name of the grey ballast texture you painted on the terrain along your tracks?

I'll need to double-check the exact texture once I have access to my TRS installation later this week, but I'm using one of the versions of "PBR Crushed Stone [number] Ballast." It's not a perfect match, but it works fairly well.

Not much route progress lately, but here are a few winter screenshots to mark the season. Happy holidays, everyone!

 

[NBandW]

It's been a while since my last update, but I've been making some progress lately. Before I get into the screenshots, @leader2302, the ballast texture I've been using with the AREA track is "PBR Crushed Stone 24 Ballast" by JohnnyC1.

I've been working a lot in the Derby-Ansonia area, trying to fill in some of the distant houses and hillsides. Between the hilly topography and long draw distances, I have my work cut out for me:

In Ansonia proper, there is no shortage of detailing to do around the Farrel Foundry, which is bisected by the mainline, and the downtown/depot area. That said, this area was just about all blank grid a few months ago:

Earlier last year, I had started working around Seymour, the next town north. I can create some semi-complete scenes near the river crossing and depot, but I still have a lot of background scenery to fill in once you move away from those areas (or turn the camera around):

 

[NBandW]

Some more from the south end of the route, with some early Penn Central on a Maybrook freight:

 

[tdstead]

Love NH that's why I built the Valley western in TRS12 to run them specially all the locos by Pweister ... I real mixture of eras in these pics

Great shots

Tom