Building a route in sections

[steamboateng]

I'd like to build a route for the DLS in TS12 using TransDEM and all DLS content. What I plan is a prototype based route spanning two interchanges to generate traffic. My preference is a New England route, circa 1950 to 1960. However, even in New England, such a route would would be 60 to 100 miles long. I contemplate building the route in 20 to 25 mile sections to keep download sizes reasonable.
I have read that there is a problem in TS12 when joining completed sections with assets applied.
Is this truelly an issue which would make such a project impractical.

 

[pfx]

Yes it is! I have an 80 mile route cut up into sections in order to send it to others. Although I have a 'master' route, this is of no use to anyone but me. Similarly, the sections can be sent but are of no use to anyone else as they can't be recombined.

You can work around it by importing your sections into TS10 and combining them there though. As long as your route isn't too big to upload, it shouldn't then be an issue.

 

[Scottish]

My experience with TS12 is that merging maps is a major problem. Most times TS12 crashes when trying to merge. Sometimes, if the maps are not too big, it is possible to merge a few baseboards into another larger map but the amount of detail on the map being merged directly affects the likelyhood of crashing. This is an issue that many people having been waiting for N3V to fix and many have given up on TS12 and have gone back to TS2010 because of this merging problem.

You could build your map in sections in TS2010 and merge them together in this version. Then make a CDP of the larger merged map and install it into TS12. You can then continue to edit it and add baseboards in TS12

 

[steamboateng]

Gentlemen, I thank you for your learned replies.
I do have TS10 installed. And all TS10 assets are suitable for installation into TS12 (I think?).
So it sounds to me that I should build the route in TS10; allowing users of either to upload as they wish.

 

[Scottish]

All the built-in assets in TS2010 can be incorporated into TS12 either by copying over the .ja files following the instructions on Shane Turner's website, or by importing CDP files created in TS2010 of the ones you want.

Other downloaded custom content which you use in TS2010 can also be used in TS12 but you may have to do a bit of error fixing on some of them.

Scottish

 

[cascaderailroad]

You can build a route in several sections, and later on merge them together ... just make sure you do a preliminary "Test", to see if all the segments of the routes all merge together, and that they are OK, so as to check that everything will line up trackwise and heightwise, in the end product.

A large route with 10,000 baseboards, the only drawback that I can see, is the time it takes your PC to "Save", as it is in essence re-writing 10,000 baseboards everytme you "Save".

You can host your "Huge" route on a hosting site. The only reason I can see to keep your segments small, is so that you can send it in an E-Mail attachment that does not send large files.

 

[bl4882]

Hello Steamboateng,

Don't forget the power of the iPortal. I'm finishing the track on a c1950s-60s 400 track mile segment of railroad from San Francisco to Oxnard, which has taken me several years to do. I've divided it into six segments and the iPortals connect them flawlessly. One section is fairly simple and about 110 miles long, but another is hyper complex and is only about 30 miles long, and San Francisco will be only about 49 square miles. It may not be necessary to join them into a humongoroute if a little forethought is given to the operating schemes. Just something you may want to consider. Good luck with your magnum opus.

Bernie

 

[steamboateng]

Well, the meat of the matter is pretty strait forward, I want to build in sections small enough to allow reasonable downloads from the DLS. I don't plan a huge route, but a section of a prototypical one, say New Haven's Boston to Providence (now Amtrack's Northeast Corridor), or the Boston and Maine's Sprinfeild, Ma. to North Adams, Ma. (which includes the Hoosac Tunnel). Each is approx. 60 miles of track, with interchange traffic at both ends. Allowing that the route would be 3 boards wide along its length, I'm estimating the route could be built in 4 to 6 sections.................does that make for reasonable downloads from the DLS w/Content Manager?

 

[bl4882]

Absolutely. Your concept is quite sane, and it can leave it to the user to physically connect them or allow iPortals to do it. It's the best of both worlds. Naturally you would prefer a physical connection because it is impressive, but bigger is not always better. I'll be on the lookout for your layout.

Bernie

 

[HiBaller]

The Darjeeling route we built encompasses 54 miles and was initially broken up into around 20 smaller sections. I kept the master rote and added the other sections as they came in from the other route builders. We originally started in 2004, went to 2006 and 2009, then finished in 2010. Peter (Narrowgauge) has re-worked the route so that it runs fine in 2012. So, it CAN be done.

Bill

 

[mtldrm38]

Ya know I was first thought with doin Chicago in sections., the USYT was the second actually....
But now I figure do a major route and allow the end user to modify it to what tracks and era they wanna do....
I dont assume many will be excited about such a large route but ya never know I like to modify alot with others ya learn a thing or too....

 

[steamboateng]

Yes. after a bit thought and some research, I believe a 50-60 mile route, modeled in sections is quite feasable. TransDEM can very easily model a route in sections by judicious use of the polyline tool and base board overlay. From my experience, the undecorated DEM map, when loaded into Trainz, costs about 1 mb of memory per mile modeled. Do any of you TransDEM users calculate a similar number?