bridges

[sardon]

I wanted to put some narrow gauge track on a bridge so I picked a bridge that has no track and tried to add it together.
Boy, am I ever having trouble. I got it started on one end but no matter what I did the other end stuck way out beyond the bridge and had an x member at the end. If I deleted that the whole track deleted. I never did get it to work.
I COULD just run my regular track accross the bridge I guess but that looks strange since the track on the bridge should not have the base on it I think. Need suggestions.

Don

 

[lewisner]

1) Set your normal track (ideally to the same height at both ends by using "Get Height/ Use Height") 2) Use the Track Straighten Tool to straighten it. 3)Install your bridge underneath the track and use "Adjust Height" to raise the bridge at each end so that the "real" track obscures the Bridge Track.

 

[sardon]

Okay, I was trying to do it on a bridge with no track. Isn;t that possible?

 

[lewisner]

Yep.Repeat as before and bring the "bridge with no track" up under the real track till it looks right.Its important to remember that even if you use a b-w-n-t it may still have Track Attachment Points so you need to keep the Shift key down to stop the real track trying to attach to the b-w-n-t...

 

[martinvk]

It also depends on how it was made and how it was defined in its config file. It could be redefined but for now, using holding down shift while inserting will work.

 

[sardon]

I still have (what I consider) wierd results.

I hope someone can try this and see what it does.

The bridge I am using is: stone bridge single (no track)

The track is ng bridge track.

This is the way they are listed in surveyor. I start out okay at the first end but on the other end it sticks out past the bridge and has an unusual end (which I can't get rid of without deleting all of the track) If I figure how to attach something here I will send a shot

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/joyh28/album?.dir=/bf60re2&urlhint=actn,del:s,1:f,0

Hope photos work

 

[martinvk]

I tried to use the two objects to make a mini route and this is what I got

As you can see, I had no problem integrating the two. Both were raised 10m above the surrounding ground. The track was placed using three spline sections, the middle one was straightened. The bridge is one section placed within and under the straightened track section. The bridge and track object are not connected anywhere, the just happen to be placed very close together.

()=====()====straightened====()====()
.................____bridge____
-----------()....................()

I don't appear to have any anomalous pieces jutting up.

 

[laldfordo]

Curving and lengthening

Going on from lewisner's and martinvk's explanations:

1. Have you tried putting a curve in all that? I guess you can by careful manipulation of the spline points, although the bridge bit presumably doesn't respond to the straighten tool.

2. Has anyone found a, preferably curvable, sort of strong plank you could put under track using the same technique? Despite advice on the forum I still cannot create a long (say 50 metres) single span.

 

[sardon]

So, Martin, what do you think caused the extension on mine with the x piece in it?
You said you placed it with three pieces and I tried to do it with one. Maybe that is where I went wrong. Anyway, I really appreciate you taking time to test it.

Don

 

[lewisner]

Sardon, the cause of the "X" shape is when you make a "bad" junction and the track folds in on itself.I"ve occasionally found that after doing some trackwork the AI won"t drive over it and tells me "The Junction Is missing a Lever".However theres no visible Junction so what I usually do is to drive a train manually till it derails and thats where the Bad junction is.Then I delete the track either side, and there"ll still be a track spline point with a microscopic piece of track."Laidfordo" if I understand what you mean by a "Plank" then "Board Walk" KUID 68236:23060:3 is ok to represent Bridge Decking and also makes a nice surface for UK level crossings.

 

[laldfordo]

Many thanks Lewisner. I've hunted the DLS with many search words but never thought of "board" or "walk"!

The dreaded X junction happens, especially with bridges, when you forget to use the shift key when letting go of a spline. Although people are leery of using Ctrl-Z, I find that always clears the mess away and, so far, has given me no nightmares.

 

[sardon]

You are right. I just found out that it was caused by folding back on itself. I put a bridge down and found that when I tried to start that section of track it would try to go the wrong way. So when I went the other way with it, it folded back on itself. Thanks for the help Lewisner and Martin. You guys are great.