How to lay perfectly straight track

[k5laguy]

Hello all,

First of all let me ask, can is there such thing as perfectly straight track?

I would love ot know what tools are available for me so that I can lay perfectly straight track.

 

[harpman]

I'm no scenery guru ( someone else will be along to verify what I tell you ) but in Surveyor, when you anchor a piece of track and then drag the track to the next point and 'set' it, regardless of the shape, you can then go to a little icon on the bottom right of that track tab and click on the 'straighten track' button. Once you do this that piece of track will be perfectly straight.

bill

 

[ray_whiley]

Or you could use lengths of fixed track to build up the length you require. If you use the Auran fixed track sections, this will update to any track attached to it - you can always delete this length of spline track if you wish.

The same applies to curved track of a fixed radius - although this would be very unprotypical since real track is always laid in transition curves ie. gradually tightening.

Ray

 

[slabay]

You can go straight for as long as you want by just extending the track and adding as necessary. Go back where your sections attach to each other and delete the spline point until it is one REALLY long section and then "straighten track"

 

[cascaderailroad]

Use the Trainz tools/ruler as a straight edge.

I use MB_Quad Line as a straight track guide. It is hghly visable in the Minimap mode. It assists when making curves, as it sets your track spacing, when single tracks are connected to the straight sections of MB_Quad Line.

 

[al_sa]

Slabay, Trainz don't handle tracksplines longer then 500 metres really well. So your advice is suicidal
K5laguy Keep the track segments under 500 metres and use either fixtracks (ruins the signalling and trackside) Or just use the gridlines.

 

[gisa]

There are some things on the DLS one can use as a helper. I forget the name, but there are some building objects, which are perfectly straight of a length 1 kilometer and 1 mile. You just place this item, rotate it to the angle you want, then switch to track and lay the spline points exactly on the spline points in the guide. There are also curve templates, but as ray said, it's not prototypical. Then again, trainz regular track does not cant/is not superelevated either but that's a whole other issue.

I would also second al.sa's advice which is to not make huge long segments. If you are travelling towards it fast, it takes more time to render (ever driven a train on a ghost track and then seen it pop up? ).

:wave:

Gisa ^^

 

[trev999]

Nobody mentioned the guides by Martin van Kuilenburg.

One is a station placement guide, kuid2:70337:23017:2.
Another is Guide 2t 4m, kuid2:70337:23083:2 for positioning two tracks either straight or on a curve. Use two guides and twist them for curves or drag one to one side for s-bends. You have to leave them in place otherwise the track moves out of position.

There were some tools for laying yard ladders etc but I don't know if the web site still exists.

Cheers - Trevor

 

[ray_whiley]

For UK track centres (3.5m in Auranspeak) andi06 has some gauges for spacing double track, or you could try my 'way gauges' on the DLS (tick TRS2004) - Kuid 275817:38003 for double track, Kuid 275817:3004 for triple track - the latter could also be used for widely spaced tracks in sidings by ignoring the central connecting point and if you wish to leave the gauge in place on the route, connecting a length of invisible track to it.

Ray

 

[k5laguy]

Thanks guys, I will try to put all of your advice into consideration!

 

[Doug_Gubbs]

Another good resouce is a series of tutorials by Chuck Brite. Although written for 2006, the inormation is applicable to 2010. Go to website http://trains.0catch.com. You will find detailed tutorials on many subjects including laying track, straight track, switches, bridges, etc.

Doug_Gubbs