bigboy4014
East Broad Top Historian
rpearson i really want a copy of this route! it's making me drool!
East Broad Top Route
- Thread starter philip114
- Start date
Well cascaderailroad sort of talked me into posting some more pics of it. I probably will but in the screen shots forum starting with some in the Mt Union yard. I have a lot of screen shots uploaded to start a new thread. It's a wip so a lot of track and trains and not much else except un-sceniced terrain - as far as the eye can see (a good reason to use ts12 for route operation). But maybe someone will find something useful in it.
As for the map itself it's pretty large 60megs or so in TS12 and it will get only get larger as I'm finding a lot of places that need some additional boards added so probably 3 board filtering each side of the trackline in HOG on the next version I work with. TS12 format is optimized better than previous at least up to ts10. Not exactly sure when they took the images out for the minimap. But it saved a lot of file space. The 5m grid does the opposite but I haven resorted to that yet. For trs04 and 06 the same map would require a considerably larger file.
A while back I broke the track up into manageable sections that I can work with in TRS04 (did I mention using trs04 yet?) well I know my utility programs work best with it both track and terrain generation. So maybe at long last I'll finish the cut and fill part for those programs (I generate meshes to match the terrain in the gnd file so cuts and fills and rock formations are easier to make and match up with the terrain).
I'll have to generate a master map raster image of course since HOG looses all geo-referencing and I'll have to keep track of it in my programs myself. So what I'm saying is basically the map won't be distributed in it's present form but at some future date sections might be made available. For upload to the dls that might be the only way to do it.
I told cascaderr that I'd send him a section of the yard in Mt Union - as soon as I can regen a section of terrain for it. Maybe not til after the holidays at this rate.
Bob Pearson
As for the map itself it's pretty large 60megs or so in TS12 and it will get only get larger as I'm finding a lot of places that need some additional boards added so probably 3 board filtering each side of the trackline in HOG on the next version I work with. TS12 format is optimized better than previous at least up to ts10. Not exactly sure when they took the images out for the minimap. But it saved a lot of file space. The 5m grid does the opposite but I haven resorted to that yet. For trs04 and 06 the same map would require a considerably larger file.
A while back I broke the track up into manageable sections that I can work with in TRS04 (did I mention using trs04 yet?) well I know my utility programs work best with it both track and terrain generation. So maybe at long last I'll finish the cut and fill part for those programs (I generate meshes to match the terrain in the gnd file so cuts and fills and rock formations are easier to make and match up with the terrain).
I'll have to generate a master map raster image of course since HOG looses all geo-referencing and I'll have to keep track of it in my programs myself. So what I'm saying is basically the map won't be distributed in it's present form but at some future date sections might be made available. For upload to the dls that might be the only way to do it.
I told cascaderr that I'd send him a section of the yard in Mt Union - as soon as I can regen a section of terrain for it. Maybe not til after the holidays at this rate.
Bob Pearson
bigboy4014
East Broad Top Historian
oh and i noticed something wrong with your setup of pogue bridge you have it placed short ot that red line there which is the road that is supposed to run under that first part of the bridge..if i'm not mistaken to this day the road is still made of dirt
cascaderailroad
New member
If the DEM has a riverbed channel contour in the terrain, that is exactly where the riverbed is supposed to be ... HOG data colored lines may be way off by +/- 20m (or more) in all directions, so the colored lines may be in total error.
It appears the the creek bed HOG colored line is way up on the hillside (where it should not be) so in this case RPearson might be totally correct in his placement of the bridge ... and the road is asphalt with yellow sidelines. If you place things excatly on the HOG colored lines, usually they are in totaly the wrong placement. The colored HOG data lines are meant to be a rough guestimate, and a rough general guide of where things are to be placed. Constantly pointing out little things that are wrong, just makes building a route a total PITA, with nitpicking, sweating over all the small stuff.
It appears the the creek bed HOG colored line is way up on the hillside (where it should not be) so in this case RPearson might be totally correct in his placement of the bridge ... and the road is asphalt with yellow sidelines. If you place things excatly on the HOG colored lines, usually they are in totaly the wrong placement. The colored HOG data lines are meant to be a rough guestimate, and a rough general guide of where things are to be placed. Constantly pointing out little things that are wrong, just makes building a route a total PITA, with nitpicking, sweating over all the small stuff.
Well to set the record straight, I used MD and HOG to generate the terrain from 10m DEM data. HOG has no concept of geo-referencing so to keep the discussion short I - for various reasons - position the TIGER line data myself. I do visual best fit based on the stream, creek and river that are in the DEM data by adding a layer with the TIGER lines to the image file output from HOG's PIGLET utility (built into HOG to make a special height image file from an ascii xyz DEM input. I use the lines as a general guide to locate things on the map and that's all.
Cascaderailroad, you're correct in that the TIGER data is not that accurate to start with some of it hand digitized 20 yrs ago or more. In the end the terrain and/or track will get manually adjusted to give a workable fit and everything else will be placed to suit. At least that's my current standard for the route. I should have some pic I took of that area a few yrs back. See what I can dig up.
Bob Pearson
Cascaderailroad, you're correct in that the TIGER data is not that accurate to start with some of it hand digitized 20 yrs ago or more. In the end the terrain and/or track will get manually adjusted to give a workable fit and everything else will be placed to suit. At least that's my current standard for the route. I should have some pic I took of that area a few yrs back. See what I can dig up.
Bob Pearson
Well located the pics I was after of that area - just had to locate the right cd.
The road is paved but I don't know what the status was back in the 1920's which is roughly the time frame I'm modeling. The bridge as modeled has some differences with the existing but overall it certainly has the right look.
I took these back in Oct 2006.
Bob Pearson
The road is paved but I don't know what the status was back in the 1920's which is roughly the time frame I'm modeling. The bridge as modeled has some differences with the existing but overall it certainly has the right look.
I took these back in Oct 2006.
Bob Pearson
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bigboy4014
East Broad Top Historian
there are absolutely amazing pearson i wish i was able to go out there and do thisWell located the pics I was after of that area - just had to locate the right cd.
The road is paved but I don't know what the status was back in the 1920's which is roughly the time frame I'm modeling. The bridge as modeled has some differences with the existing but overall it certainly has the right look.
I took these back in Oct 2006.
Bob Pearson
bigboy4014
East Broad Top Historian
BigBoy4014, and especially I, wish to apologize to Philip114 for stealing his thunder ... I really don't know who restarted this interest in remaking the EBT ... but we want Philip114 onboard, as well as RPearson, and any others who have an EBT interest.
It is said that no idea is truely original ... and is only an offshoot of something that you once saw someone else do.
Philip114 gave me some great ideas .... and has a caboose perfect for this route ... now it is time for me to give back to him, what I like to do best ... lay track and buildings.
Alot more work to do !
and i want to apologize to you as well , for jumping on you the way i did, i got so caught up in this project that at one point in time it was the only thing i had, and when nothing got done i jumped on you for it when i was just afraid of this wonderful project we've worked on was about to vanish, never once in my life have i ever seen a big project through to completetion, so if you will let me on board, i will see this through with you no matter how long it take.
it was not my intention to make things the way they came out and i hoipe you can forgive me
cascaderailroad
New member
Did a little more work on it since I sent you the last CDP ... but still haven't completed track past Rocky Ridge ... A WIP CDP may be available sometime soon ... but it is no where near complete ...
Railwoodman
Well-known member
Really nice work 
This route is a lot of work from what I've read, very interested in your progress.
This route is a lot of work from what I've read, very interested in your progress. Zeldaboy14
Owner of ZPW.
Hope to see this continue! It was looking good in November of last year.
Railwoodman
Well-known member
While trying to get information on this railroad, I'm running into conflicting news as to its continuing existence. The latest is they are buying the standard rails to a industrial park? With what, thought they were broke and a completely volunteer group. For a source of income to continuing running. To the scrapping of cars. Does any one of you live in the area have a clearer picture as to it's future. I wrongly thought it was a nation landmark, and the Commonwealth was helping. Would be a shame to lose this railroad history.
cascaderailroad
New member
I think the RR will continue to sit in bankruptcy, and continue to rot, being vandalized by illegal scrappers, I think neither the State or Federal government cares much at present.
The RR sat in dormancy for 30 years, when its shop closed in the 50's ... and I suppose it will again sleep in deep hibernation for years to come.
If not for the the Kovalchick family, it would have never re-opened in the first place.
The RR sat in dormancy for 30 years, when its shop closed in the 50's ... and I suppose it will again sleep in deep hibernation for years to come.
If not for the the Kovalchick family, it would have never re-opened in the first place.
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Railwoodman
Well-known member
Well that sucks, just when I thought there was another great railroad to visit. It's gone, guess I waited just a bit to long. But do you know what cars were to be scraped, and to whom if any profit was going too. And I had read the state was going to help, guess that's just wishful thinking.
cascaderailroad
New member
The surrounding area has little tourist features, few motels ... What the area needs is a gambling resort to be built by someone like Donald Trump, employing hundreds ... then the RR would see more customers.
Insurance, and boiler inspections, and real estate tax's, cost allot ... It's not like fill er' up with coal & water, and fire her up !
Insurance, and boiler inspections, and real estate tax's, cost allot ... It's not like fill er' up with coal & water, and fire her up !
bigboy4014
East Broad Top Historian
well i do hope i can see it at some point...maybe having an updated cdp will get me running trains on over what we have so far
bigboy4014
East Broad Top Historian
over the years the state says they're going to help out the EBT and every year the EBT asked for funding it never made it past the paper work and the few times it did it was immediately refused
bigboy4014
East Broad Top Historian
actually i need to correct this, but the railroad closed in 1956, the kovalchick scrapping company bought the line in early 57 the line reopened for tourist service in 1960 at which point at least a year and a half of restoration efforts were being done in order to reopen the 5 mile portion for the town bicentenial celebration
bigboy4014
East Broad Top Historian
i see you finally put the yard right yays!