I got those ole 'three quarters of the way through the route ' blues....again

[Driver_Col]

Reading John's comments just reminded of something I do on a regular basis, and that is extend/expand a current Route. In the context of this dialogue, perhaps just creating a "trimmed" version of the original planned Route would be a better strategy. Once it is completed, there is no reason why it cannot be extended/modified or whatever else is deemed necessary at that time.

I have a favorite analogy with a Black Forest cake! Give me a large Black Forest cake, and my intuitive desire is to eat it all in one sitting but I would likely be violently sick if I acted on that impulse. However, if I ate it 1 slice at a time over a few days ... it would be heaven.

I also have a strong running background behind me which includes a few marathons(42km). One cannot run a Marathon by simply deciding to do it. One generally works through the other standard distances of 5km, 10km, 15km, 1/2 Marathon, 30km (in my case) .. and then the Marathon. To not follow a structured program of progressively increasing mileage is generally doomed to failure. In contrast, crossing the Finish Line of that first Marathon is a huge moment of personal satisfaction (and exhaustion!!!).

Colin (Driver_Col)

 

[dangavel]

Trainz should be fun , but unfortunately, its a hobby that takes an awful lot of work to create a route that looks convincing , no matter what level you work at,I've chosen to take the more detailed road, if one does a prototype i don't really think theres a lot of choice , as i wouldn't be happy with it otherwise, however , in all the routes I've made I've compromised a lot and cut corners, otherwise they would never be released.
I also get little enjoyment of just making routes for myself, I worked in a job where i hopefully made peoples lives a little bit better and which involved a lot of public reaction in the performing arts , so high standards were mandatory, near enough wasn't good enough. its hard to jettison that attitude. I like to know that others are getting something from the things I produce, if I kept my routes in house I'd probably never finish any of them , having a goal in sight helps me finish them off.
Anyhow I put a lot of my malaise down to feeling my age as I've been digging up concrete and that stuffs up my arms and hands , wish I had got into this hobby 20 years earlier. After taking a few painkillers and massaging acupuncture trigger points I've employed my usual strategy of going off to a less challenging area of the route and when i get bored with that , I'll find another section to work on with more variety ,hopefully once i get over this manual labor energy sap I'll bounce back a bit.

 

[frogpipe]

It does take a lot of effort, but I've come to view it as being the counterpart to physical modeling.

Physical modelers will go anywhere from using models straight from the box, to completely customizing and overhauling and detailing everything to movie studio miniature standards and everywhere in between.

Some just use off the shelf controllers, other custom design complete automation.

So both virtual and real world model railroading can branch out to as many or as few disciplines as you like.

The biggest difference is if I buy a locomotive at a store and decide to customize it, I can. Buy a digital one, and there may be DRM limits to what you can do.

 

[dangavel]

It does take a lot of effort, but I've come to view it as being the counterpart to physical modeling.

Physical modelers will go anywhere from using models straight from the box, to completely customizing and overhauling and detailing everything to movie studio miniature standards and everywhere in between.

Some just use off the shelf controllers, other custom design complete automation.

So both virtual and real world model railroading can branch out to as many or as few disciplines as you like.

The biggest difference is if I buy a locomotive at a store and decide to customize it, I can. Buy a digital one, and there may be DRM limits to what you can do.

Living in Australia, and wanting to model US steam mostly, I found i just could not afford to indulge in model railroading, after spending a small fortune on a consolidation imported from the US in the late 80s and then finding it was missing some tiny screws for the coupling rods that i could not acquire here in oz, I gave it up as a bad job , every approach seems to have its downsides, even the G&D in all its magnificence burnt down .

As our erstwhile prime minister Malcolm Fraser once said ' life wasn't meant to be easy " and when he found himself in Memphis at the Admiral Benbow Inn , a favorite flashpoint of the local underworld with his passport, wallet and briefcase missing as well as his trousers, he knew his prophecy was correct .

 

[AZRailRat]

I employ several techniques to avoid burnout from my Yuma route I have worked going on three years now. First I divide my week working on slightly different things each day. Monday and Tuesday I work around the route close to tracks mostly on industries placing buildings. Wednesday is Fence Building day. Thursday is Urban, placing houses adding streets, etc.
Friday and Saturday are DRIVING days working on a graded MEGA SESSION that services all 33 industries, 21 passenger stations, and uses all 31 locos and 219 rolling stock units. Still working on the THREE HOUR AIR TOUR that flys a Piper Warrior around the route making several approaches to Yuma International Airport.
Then there are days like today when I take a break with 100% FOOTBALL and during the winter Monday and Friday golf....Never bored...Never burnt out...

 

[valbridge]

You got the blues 3/4 in!!!!! I admire that dedication. Usually I am at the blues stage after about 50% knowing what is ahead of me after completing layout/junction/signalling.

Not sure what is the more tedious, a rambling countryside, or cityscape. With the Blue Mountains route it was both and really got me in a tizz. Since making this route I have made better use of picklists but of course as they grow so does the "where the hell is that asset" kind of thinking. Seems to me the more assets downloaded the greater the mystery where things are. Maybe the attention to detail builders are the most frustrated of all which equals endless hours searching for that special asset yet in the final washup sit back and wonder 'how the hell did I manage to do that'.

Then the thought hits you.....where can I improve/correct before releasing!

But hey we do it huh....and feel a certain degree of satisfaction when we see others enjoying the labour of our love.

Currently I am working on a UK route from Reading to Exeter taking in Salisbury and Westbury. Six months so far! Way more to do yet.
My family think the inner child in me is alive and well.

Keep up the good work Dangavel.

 

[Vern]

I think another consideration is that the driving experience when you do finish a route is increasingly unsatisfactory. So much of the train content is ancient now with basic cabs, poor sound (aliased to UTC GM or Alco), no interiors and of course the old chestnut of the semi opaque windows ruining the outside view. No autonomous dispatcher or any form of dynamic routing. No easy way to set up a player timetable run, let alone an extended or 24 hour timetable as we now enjoy in TSW. Some of the stock (like most of the third rail SR EMU's) requires fixing before using, the old issue of the withdrawn engine sounds having never been addressed by the original creator(s) or the CCG. Much of the European and Scandinavian content (and we never got anything much for Norway) sadly shows it is nearly 20 years old.

It is so much easier and frankly more satisfying to fire up TSC or TSW for a quick drive, in routes and trains that for the most part look and sound almost real, not to mention being able to physically move around the environment in TSW. Then we have the new kid on the block - SimRail - currently in the first stage of public play testing. Very promising if a few warts to overcome, with the possibility of driving or acting as dispatcher/signaller and the full version will be coming with its own editor.

That said, I'm not giving up. I actually bought a 3 month FCT a week or two ago, though I have been wondering why TBH and I really can't see me spending £55 on TRS2022 any time soon - would struggle to justify spending half of that. Whether anything - model or prototype -sees the light of day from me in 2023 remains to be seen. I hope it does.