Light Rail Items

[susanaes]

Hey guys I'm stArting up a Light Rail Line and I was wondering if you guys know where I can find some Light Rail catenary and some good tracks I could use instead of the street-running rails only kind. This is a kinda San Diego MTS based route btw, and yes I've tried the DLS already.
Anyway thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Vern]

Check out the SAM range, there's some sleeper based tram track available, quite bendy and chunky (1m?) and deep ballast so you don't need to fiddle spline height too much to overcome the floating. It doesn't have overhead wire built in though. There's various tram and trolley wire types available. After experimenting with separate wires and poles on a current WIP route I have to say I prefer splines that have the wires and supports integrated as it is just too time consuming to try and line up the track objects to separate splined wire. If you are doing a rural or interurban style route, it might be worth bringing in the catenary from Avery to Drexel in TS2010, would not look out of place though of course it depends on the required wire height and whether or not you are fussed about the pantograph or trolley pole always exactly touching the wire.

 

[JCitron]

I'll vouch for Vern on the wires. I recently changed out my track-object trolley poles and spline wire in favor of the integrated all-in-one splines. They are so much easier to fiddle with and get into place. As nice as the individual poles were, I found I had to constantly readjust them if I added a spline point to the tracks, and if the track moved, I'd have to fuss with the trolley wire all over again.

If you're interested in some great looking stations, check out the Tram stations, sometimes marked S-Bahn or U-Bahn. by various German makers. Ice (and I can't remember the rest of his name), made some awesome tram stations, they're shortish platforms with modern glass enclosures. I've used these a few times on various routes. The alternative would be to use AJS tram stops, or other smaller invisible stations and place bus shelters and small buildings for stations. In some towns a storefront was the station if you're going that route.

The Sam tram track is awesome as it has the guide rail built in and takes the corners nicely. The poly count is really nice too so it doesn't affect the frame rates too much.

John

 

[JackClare1995]

^ Iceman2117, John

May I ask, what assets do you use for tram wire? I've been using the tram red tall pole, tram 1t and 2t and contact wire 20m assets by paulzmay, but as you say it is unbelievably fiddly and they're not suited to UK Segregated sections due to the lack of facility to use wires with both a support and contact wire (like heavy rail)

 

[susanaes]

Thanks for the advice and help mch appreciated guys and btw im using rwagena nice low floor trolleys nice do you have any other websites i could look at

and heres a good pic of what im talking bout track wise

Also you guys know of other websites where i can find like station items like in this pic i did manage to find some on the DLS

@Vern i am kinda going for that interurban style cuz like i said im trying to base this off San Diego Metro sort of.

 

[JCitron]

Jack,

I used Paul's 20m wire which sits just under the little, and I mean really, really tiny clips where the wire is supposed to be held in place. It's really tricky to line up but it looks good when it's in place.

Susan,

The San Diego system used Siemens Duweg trams at one time. The new ones shown here might be a variant. Check out Alterr's content for his Frankfurt U-Bahn route. He also has great stations, not interactive, and a bunch of the Siemens trams to go with it which can be reskinned. His route comes with other content as well you might find interesting including some other trams.

I've also downloaded stuff from Ptram a tram-related Trainz website.

http://www.ptram.eu/

His stuff is a bit older, but with some fiddling, as in a couple of missing dependency replacements, I was able to get the trams to load fine. They are similar to the ones you show above and in the usual various colors you'd expect trolley cars to be in.

John

 

[JackClare1995]

Cheers John, that's a great help!

@susanes: Crikey that's a long platform! There is a tram that looks a lot like that one, it's called the BN LRV. I use it quite frequently. I bet you (or someone else) would be able to reskin it very easily into the San Diego MTS livery

As for track that looks like that, try SAM Track - III/B class 3 v1 (and the Low variant as that reduces poly's). I use it and it looks spot on to the one in your shot, even has the same ballast

 

[susanaes]

Where can i find theses tracks Jack?

 

[susanaes]

I've also downloaded stuff from Ptram a tram-related Trainz website.

http://www.ptram.eu/

His stuff is a bit older, but with some fiddling, as in a couple of missing dependency replacements, I was able to get the trams to load fine. They are similar to the ones you show above and in the usual various colors you'd expect trolley cars to be in.

John

Yea JC i wish i could check out those downloads on that site but every time i click on that tab it never takes me to the download section always to the log in page.

 

[JCitron]

Yea JC i wish i could check out those downloads on that site but every time i click on that tab it never takes me to the download section always to the log in page.

That's new as of today as I was there yesterday without issues. It's easy to create an account and it's free to download. You can pay him about $12.00 for faster access which I did and highly recommend.

Sorry I about that...

John

 

[susanaes]

It's ok friend but no worries got that problem fixed

 

[susanaes]

- post deleted -

 

[JackClare1995]

If you go into the Content Manager, then search "Sam Track - III/B class 3 v1" they'll be on there

I've included a screenshot of the tram I mentioned, the BN LRV and that track ^ so you can see what they both look like. You can use the trams with and without the centre section...

 

[Vern]

All the SAM track is on the DLS. There's probably over a hundred types in total, with around 10 - 15 for trams. He also does matching ballast terrain textures for most of his ballast colours.

 

[susanaes]

Thanks guys for the help this project of mine will start rolling smoothly when i get it started right now im working on the tram cars. Now as for the Wires we talked about where can those be found?

These are the trams im using (im currently working on the center car)

 

[JackClare1995]

You have two options when building overhead wires:

1) Use wire splines with supports attached to them. This method is faster but because there's nothing to guide the height of the wire relative to the track, on gradients the alignment of the wires can be a bit all over the place.

2) Use wire splines with no supports, and use trackside item supports such as the Tram Red Tall Pole and Tram (1t/2t) Side Arm assets along with spline Contact Wire 20m

 

[susanaes]

Ok thanks and thanks for the help with the SAM Tracks they look great turns out i had them installed already go figure lol anyway do you guys know what kind of tunnels i could to go with my trams so i could put them underground?

 

[rjhowie]

What about the poles and wiring from AJSmith? He does both poles for the 2 pavements as well as for a centre between tracks. His tram track and poles, etc are British inclined.

 

[NormP]

For Tunnels I use "Tunnel 3 Without Track" (Author rodgilfr) <2:82100:24000:2>you need to tick 2004 on the DLS, it works on ts10 and 12 no problem.
Track spacing suitable is 3.5mt. a bit fiddly setting up, so I Placed the track and then the OH Wire plus supports to the required Heights, before placing the Tunnel over it and dropped the tunnel down to suit, use grid mode if you need to place spline points to bend the tunnel.
Where needed I used a dig hole for the entry portals but had to hide any gaps left.

NormP.

 

[susanaes]

So guys for street running purposes what roads would you recommend?

Also do you guys know where i could find these catenary wires?