Getting a start on a custom route

[DustinJRaiken]

Having just reinstalled Trainz 12 after the Blue Comet deal that just couldn't be passed up, I've decided to try my hand at once again attempting to create a custom route. Currently, it's nothing more than a short stretch of double-track mainline with a five-track yard and a steam locomotive maintenance facility. However, I do plan to extend the tracks back a bit and add a terminal and coachyard for some station switching. I'll extend the track outward after that, likely along a river. There will be hills and grades, which I may place first to add to the challenge of seeing how this fictional railroad would be built.There's going to be at least one branch line, plenty of industries for local work, and stations for passenger trains. If demand is high enough and I actually get to a state where I consider this route finished, I could possibly release it if I ever learn how. If you have any constructive criticism or suggestions for anything I should add, feel free to leave them here.

Here's the map so far. Only tracks have been laid, and no texturing or terraforming has come yet. I'll try to place terrain, terraforming, and scenery in chunks as I go along the route.



The yard in action. Reading 0-6-0 1316 switches a few cars as CNJ 4-6-2 835 blasts by with a merchandise train.

 

[DustinJRaiken]

After a few days' halt to upgrade my version of Trainz from 47772 to 58414 to take advantage of the half-price deal on the NKP High Speed Freight Set, I'm back in the saddle and slowly working on this little route project. I've extended the mainline out a bit (though I'm not quite sure how to have it lead in to a terminal) and replaced all the default Chinese track with some jointed rail I found from the DLS. I also added a caboose track and an ice house to the yard. Here's the route as it stands now.

[URL=http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/DustinJRaiken/media/Trainz/DustinJRaiken_20150117_0010_zpsbf3fadd1.jpg.html][/URL]

A few screenshots to show the modifications to the route. Reading 1316, seen in the previous screenshots, has assembled a merchandise train spanning two tracks of the yard. As she rests in the roundhouse, the road power, NKP 2-8-4 743, departs the roundhouse.





743 couples onto the first part of her train and backs out of the yard to pick up the second half. Here, we can see the rusty yard tracks, the ice house, and the caboose track.



With the second part of her train coupled on, 743 charges down the mainline. I personally like this repaint of the jointed rail I used for the yard more than the base model, although the ballast seems to be a different size for whatever reason.



If anyone has any suggestions, such as recommending new assets I could find or suggesting revisions to the yard or how I could pull off the terminal, don't hesitate to tell me.

 

[parrthd1]

After a few days' halt to upgrade my version of Trainz from 47772 to 58414 to take advantage of the half-price deal on the NKP High Speed Freight Set, I'm back in the saddle and slowly working on this little route project. I've extended the mainline out a bit (though I'm not quite sure how to have it lead in to a terminal) and replaced all the default Chinese track with some jointed rail I found from the DLS. I also added a caboose track and an ice house to the yard. Here's the route as it stands now.

A few screenshots to show the modifications to the route. Reading 1316, seen in the previous screenshots, has assembled a merchandise train spanning two tracks of the yard. As she rests in the roundhouse, the road power, NKP 2-8-4 743, departs the roundhouse.



If anyone has any suggestions, such as recommending new assets I could find or suggesting revisions to the yard or how I could pull off the terminal, don't hesitate to tell me.

Maybe the K&L Trainz Kanawha's/Berk's, Because they aint blue:hehe:... But getting A few more High quality engines, such as Jointed Rail steam, K&L Steam, And N3V steam. And for screenshots, turn up your quality... The engine terminal should almost always be a separate yard off from the freight yard. The other option (If your talking a passenger terminal) is to put an entirely separate yard, and a large Wye about a mile down from the freight yard and the passenger main should be kept separate from that of the freight main. Looks good!

 

[PVP_playerPro]

"I personally like this repaint of the jointed rail I used for the yard more than the base model, although the ballast seems to be a different size for whatever reason."


If you downloaded JR-type track, you probably got 2 different versions in the one download. for example, when i got it from their website the 2 tracks were "JR LT Gray" and "JR LT Gray light" both with different heights

 

[DustinJRaiken]

I meant the rails are jointed, not that the tracks came from JR. That's going to confuse a few, isn't it?

Trust me, if I ever get the hankering to buy some Trainz payware and K&L is having a sales (if they even do), I'd love to try some K&L payware. I have all of their freeware, and it definitely hasn't disappointed. As a matter of fact, I set up a roster of engines in the roundhouse, and the 0-4-0 94 did make it in there. As you can see, both JR (Reading 1316) and N3V steam (CNJ P-47, NKP 2-8-4) have made appearances in there as well. Once I get the terminal set up, I plan to do a series of station switching shots with Ben Neal's NYC 0-8-0 and 4-6-2. Unfortunately, something's screwed up with my Trainz and it doesn't seem to accept widescreen resolution (or at least it stretches when I do use widescreen), so I'm stuck with 1024x768 for the time being. Should I have the freight main branch into the yard and have the main going west be the passenger main?

 

[DustinJRaiken]

Well, I've already run into a few predicaments. First off, I'm having a bit of trouble deciding what track to use. The track closest to the foreground is by dricketts, and it's definitely the most detailed of the bunch. What's preventing me from using it, though, is the ballast which is mostly underground. The two tracks in the middle, made by jmann, are what I'm currently using and work very well. However, the rusty track's ballast is slightly bigger than the grey ballast track's, which stands out when I form a junction between the two. The one in the background is the default Chinese track, which I initially used before looking for an alternative. If there's a solution for leveling the two jmann tracks, finding a version of the dricketts track with a wider ballast, or just getting a new type of jointed track overall, I'd like to hear it.



Also, I'm having trouble with the proposed terminal. Every terminal I've found on the DLS is either too big, too modern, or not a US model. I'm looking for a steam/transition era terminal with 6-8 tracks and possibly a run-through track to continue the line outward from there. I tried the Jacksonville Terminal, but I can't seem to find the appropriate platforms for it and it looks just a tad bit too big for what I had in mind. It'll be the one I use if I can't find a better terminal. Again, if anyone knows of a terminal which matches what I have in mind, don't hesitate to tell me.

However, that's not to say absolutely no progress has been made on this route. In the vein of the default Appalachian Coal route, which I borrowed the Radford roundhouse from, I added tracks on the right of the roundhouse leading to the yard and the mainline.



Also, I've added a roster of steamers to the roundhouse; one default, two payware, and the others freeware. I plan on keeping their numbers for the model railroad feel I aim to capture in this route, although there's no guarantee that'll happen. Either way, I'll leave the route blank if I release it so the user can use their own locomotives. From left to right, we have N&W 2-8-8-2 2181, H&BT 2-8-0 38, NYC 4-6-2 19, NKP 2-8-4 769, CNJ 4-6-2 832, Reading 0-6-0 1316, and PRR 0-4-0 94.

 

[lego207]

If you're looking for some really good tracks similar to the one nearest the camera in the first shot last post, definitely look into this. Although one thing you can do is go into the 'Advanced' tab of the tracks menu and raise up that track up by ~0.2. It'll bring up that ballast nicely.

Good luck on your route!

Cheers,
SM

 

[DustinJRaiken]

It's the same model as the bottom track I showed earlier (which is my personal favorite, save the ballast issue), but I did consider raising the track. Is there a way to raise track without manually adjusting each and every spline, or is manually adjusting every last spline the way it's gotta be? Either way, thanks for helping a noob like me with this stuff.

As far as progress goes, I'm thinking about how I'll do the route. I may go for a dual-line approach like Rich Garber's Ohio Rails for MSTS, with a high speed riverside mainline and a slow, steep, and scenic secondary. I hope to include at least one branch for each line, as I love me some quaint branchline operations. I hope to get this route released if I finish it, even if it takes decades.

 

[PVP_playerPro]

I meant the rails are jointed, not that the tracks came from JR. That's going to confuse a few, isn't it?

Trust me, if I ever get the hankering to buy some Trainz payware and K&L is having a sales (if they even do), I'd love to try some K&L payware. I have all of their freeware, and it definitely hasn't disappointed. As a matter of fact, I set up a roster of engines in the roundhouse, and the 0-4-0 94 did make it in there. As you can see, both JR (Reading 1316) and N3V steam (CNJ P-47, NKP 2-8-4) have made appearances in there as well. Once I get the terminal set up, I plan to do a series of station switching shots with Ben Neal's NYC 0-8-0 and 4-6-2. Unfortunately, something's screwed up with my Trainz and it doesn't seem to accept widescreen resolution (or at least it stretches when I do use widescreen), so I'm stuck with 1024x768 for the time being. Should I have the freight main branch into the yard and have the main going west be the passenger main?

probably, now that i re-read that i know what ya mean, lol.

And i would try USLW'S track if you don't mind floating ties above the ballast. (if you use the high-poly version it might be a different story, i don't know)

 

[DustinJRaiken]

Unfortunately, it's too late for that, as I've decided on the JR track linked above. The entire route is now converted to that track, with the mainline using the ST 132# Jointed Rail Track [A/Clean/New] and the yard using the ST 100# Jointed Rail Track [A/Rust/New]. However, if I'm to make any more changes, it would be to change the mainline track to a repaint of said 132 track with flange squeals.

Although these shots focus mainly on track, who says there can't be a train? N&W 2181 from the previous shot heads east with a heavy coal drag in tow.



After dropping off her coal drag, 2181 returns to the roundhouse to wait for her next assignment.



Hopefully I'll be getting to the terminal next. I just gotta find a decent model and learn a bit about how to lay out a terminal and I'm set. Now that I plan on having two lines in this route, should both of them share the yard I already made, or should I make a new yard for the other line?

 

[DustinJRaiken]

With a dry spell in terms of how I should lay track, why not take advantage of the opportunity to start texturing? The texturing honestly isn't much at the moment, just being some grass, ballast, some fallen coal from the coaling tower, and some sand in the sandhouse, but it gives the route much more atmosphere. However, I would like to know if I can re-apply the default grid texture for track placement and such. I also extended the yard out, since the yard looked a little small for a city which would house a terminal. Like always, here's the map. The leftmost baseboard is currently unused due to a change in the mainline leading to the proposed passenger terminal.



Now, for your regular choreographed scenes on this hardly-started route. It's another busy morning for New York Central 0-8-0 240 as she waddles through the engine terminal for her daily switching chores. In the background, a slew of road engines wait for their next call to service.



As 240 switches the yard, she seems to be startled by the sudden appearance of a local passenger train with NYC 4-6-2 19 on the point. Where's she headed? Hopefully, she'll have a destination in the next update.



One of the things that bothers me about texturing is the ballast. It may be me, but this ballast looks awfully oriented to one side.



Now, with most of my posts come some ideas for the route and a noob question. First and foremost, I have a solid vision of how I plan to lay out this route. I'll have a fast mainline flanking a river on the south end of the route and a mountainous line like the default Appalachian Coal route (which hardly runs above 10 FPS on this computer, even though it has 16 GB of RAM), both terminating passenger-wise at the eight-track terminal which will have four tracks for each line. I say passenger-wise because parrthd1 mentioned having both passenger and freight mains, which I've seen in Michael Stephan's Allegheny Rails route for MSTS. On the topic of the AR, I'm highly considering copying said route as the slimy dirtbag I am and adding a narrow-gauge logging line, although I could've also been inspired by looking at some of Ben Neal's old yet timeless NG stock.

Now for the noob question; is there any way to add the default grid texture to a baseboard you've already textured? I'll likely make revisions to this route as I go on, and the guidelines the grid provides come in handy for positioning the double-track (soon to possibly be quadruple-track) mainline. Also, I noticed some textures called Seasonal Grass 0x, and I'm wondering if I should use them in place of the grass texture I already have now. If any time is the best time to change textures, it's now. Feel free to chime in on any of my issues.

 

[PVP_playerPro]

Now, with most of my posts come some ideas for the route and a noob question. First and foremost, I have a solid vision of how I plan to lay out this route. I'll have a fast mainline flanking a river on the south end of the route and a mountainous line like the default Appalachian Coal route (which hardly runs above 10 FPS on this computer, even though it has 16 GB of RAM), both terminating passenger-wise at the eight-track terminal which will have four tracks for each line. I say passenger-wise because parrthd1 mentioned having both passenger and freight mains, which I've seen in Michael Stephan's Allegheny Rails route for MSTS. On the topic of the AR, I'm highly considering copying said route as the slimy dirtbag I am and adding a narrow-gauge logging line, although I could've also been inspired by looking at some of Ben Neal's old yet timeless NG stock.

Now for the noob question; is there any way to add the default grid texture to a baseboard you've already textured? I'll likely make revisions to this route as I go on, and the guidelines the grid provides come in handy for positioning the double-track (soon to possibly be quadruple-track) mainline. Also, I noticed some textures called Seasonal Grass 0x, and I'm wondering if I should use them in place of the grass texture I already have now. If any time is the best time to change textures, it's now. Feel free to chime in on any of my issues.

To return the grid, i think all you have to do is search for it in the content search filter.(that's where i found it in 2010 so i assume 2012 would be the same). But if you do find the grid texture, try not to change the size of the texture or scale because the grid can be different sizes rather than the default.

 

[Thai1On]

It is so good to see the beginning of another "steam is king" route. So I curious, do you have a name for this new line? Where will it be generally located? What era are you aiming at? And last, do you have a back story the route?

I like the river running idea as I am doing something very similar except I running a 4 track mainline.

Dave