LV - The Forks of the Delaware

[Kree8tiviT]

plan

Isegrinns I dont know if you have overread my question, so I ask it again:
are you planning to extend it through the "gap"?

Yes.

My original ( and probably overly-ambitious ) plan:

to the west - will definately extend thru Bethlehem & Allentown - and possibly as far as Macungie & Alburtis.

to the north - Definately Northampton, Catasaqua, Coplay. Probably continue that thru Palmerton, Tamaqua, and on up to the Lehigh Gap.
The LV North Branch thru Wilson Boro, Forks Twsp, - definately need to include the cement industries & slate quarries - so Nazareth, Tatamy, Stockertown, Belfast, Martins Creek, Bangor, Roseto, and Pen Argyl. - possibly as far as Portland

east - into New Jersey - want to be able to include the Musconnetcong Tunnel.......so will need the Alpha, Bloomsbury, Three Bridges areas.
Northern New Jersey would like to have Hackettstown & Washington, and the tunnel at Manuka Chaunk.
Southern New Jersey - Riegel Ridge, Flemington.

to the south: Emmaus, Hellertown, & Quakertown.

Just the "plan" - remains to be seen how much can actually accomplish.

Mark
.

 

[cascaderailroad]

BUMP Please post more screenshots and updates on your progress ... we all love your work

 

[specter02147]

I always see old CNJ tracks, right of ways and bridges in the Pine Barrens, it is awesome to get an idea of where it all ended up back in its heyday.

Much cooler than a couple old rusted out routes, great work man!

 

[rwk]

Great route. You have been working on this for a while now. It's a shame that great routes like this might not be able be enjoyed by the rest of us because of "copyright issues" with modifying content. You could host the route on your own website or something, if you wanted to release it. I live just west of Allentown, PA and I am familiar with the railroads in the area, although I was only born 2 years before Conrail took over everything April, 1976. Then, the galloping horse from Virginia (Norfolk Southern) took over part of Conrail in 1998-1999. I would like to ask, did you model the now gone LV station at Phillipsburg, NJ? What did it look like? The combination CNJ-DL&W/EL station is still there. In Easton the bottom part of the LV station is still there because it supports the tracks like a bridge, but the CNJ station is gone.

 

[Kree8tiviT]

Thanks for the comments. Yes, I continue to work on the route - slowly - but will post when gets to point where presentable.

I would like to ask, did you model the now gone LV station at Phillipsburg, NJ? What did it look like? The combination CNJ-DL&W/EL station is still there. In Easton the bottom part of the LV station is still there because it supports the tracks like a bridge, but the CNJ station is gone.

As far as I know, there wasn't a LV station in P'burg.
The combination CNJ - DL&W station in P'burg I have modeled, pretty sure have posted screenshots of it.
Yes, the CNJ station in Easton is gone - having suffered a fire in the 60's I believe - both the passenger portion and the freight part.

Regards,
Mark

 

[rwk]

There WAS an LV station in Phillipsburg, NJ. It was located at Stockton St. crossing. That's a few blocks east of the Delaware River bridge. CNJ/EL's station is closer to the river. Conrail and NJT actually used the CNJ station for commuter service up to the end of Dec. 1983 for the Raritan Valley Line. NJT took over Conrail's commuter operations in January 1983. The RVL was then cut back to High Bridge, NJ near Clinton. I couldn't find an old photo of the LV Pburg station, though. I'm working on the same route as you right now, in Phillipsburg, NJ, I made a mega route using other's routes like a Reading, PA-Phillipsburg, NJ route combined with a blank DEM from Phillipsburg to Manville, NJ. which I will be laying track on to extend the route. I also extended the route toward Harrisburg using blank DEM as well, and added lines to the north of Reading like the Reading and Northern Railroad a beta route of the full southern half of the railroad as well as my own extension north of Jim Thorpe, PA to Sayre, PA of former LV and CNJ track. Reading and Northern owns that track as far as the P&G paper plant in Mehoopany, PA 30 miles northwest of Pittston, PA. My route is more modern, though. And I cheated, I used a couple of other's routes along with my own blank DEM some generated through TranzDEM by me, and some downloaded off the DLS. Did you build your route from scratch along with all the custom buildings? Did you use DEM for the ground? My mega route is in 2010, and I also have TS 12, there's an updated Reading and Northern route coming for that soon from USLW, as well as a Harrisburg, PA to Phillipsburg, NJ route.

 

[nathanmallard]

Where did you get the PA1's?

 

[Kree8tiviT]

LV P'burg?

There WAS an LV station in Phillipsburg, NJ. It was located at Stockton St. crossing.

If indeed there was a LV station in Phillipsburg, it would be something I would be very much interested in modeling - should you ever find any photos of it.

In my route I did reproduce the siding which ran behind Mercer St from Stockton St. - however, my "assumption" was that it was just a holding siding, since all the actual freight interchanges with the Bel_Del and Hudson yards originated from LV Richards Yard - located along the Lehigh River, west of the LV South Easton Yard.

be nice to see some screenshots of your route!

Where did you get the PA1's?

The PA's are, I believe, built-in content - the originator might have been "Whitepass" - I only repainted them.

Regards,
Mark

 

[Kree8tiviT]

Scripted Houses


Work continues on my Lehigh Valley route - currently expanding thru Bethlehem and Allentown.

Find am in need of houses that are more typical of this region and era - and since using TR2006 - had to make my own.

This is the "basic" version of the first one:

I have written script for the houses - allows me to create many variations using just one model instead of having to make a 100 different models.
For example:
Thru the script, can change the color of the bricks

To the rear, can add a patio or enclosed porch

Out front, add a planter or screendoor

Add an awning or shutters

Maybe an enclosed porch

I frequently use Maddie's YARN road system, or versions that I have modified.
One of the "little things" that has always annoyed me - those roads are created with the sidewalks raised almost half a meter above ground-level.
This creates the problem where either the houses sit unrealisticaly below sidewalk level or a pesky gap is visible (see arrow in pic below).
To deal with this problem, I have added sidewalks to the front which sit fractionaly below ground level - thus they do not appear when house is placed at ground level - but when house is raised to match the sidewalk height, they cover that gap.

I have plans for about a half-dozen different styles of houses - the house on the right (above) is the second variety, almost completed.

So by using the script, can create multitude of variations/permutations giving me the look and variety necessary.

Thinking this is a better way to go, rather than having 100 different models (and 100 times more clutter in Surveyor Object tab) - have decided to do same for my cars - writing scripts for them as well.

For instance - My '53 Chevy has 12 different paintjobs - requiring 12 different models.
To add a visor to them requires another 12 models - bringing total to 24.
And to add a shadow to all the above requires another 24 models - totalling now 48 different models of just one car.

The script allows me to allows me to achieve all that using just one model. Much better I think.

Regards,
Mark

 

[Kree8tiviT]

The neighborhood

The purpose, of course, of all that work on the house is to attempt a look and feel that is more protypical for the region and era.
So here is what the neighborhood might look like:

And figured might as well create a wood-frame version, since always useful for that era

Because it is the BACK of the houses that most frequently are viewed from the tracks - is worth effort to put some detail there too

Closer to urban or downtown areas, common to NOT have front yards

And since doing all this work - might as well add Night modes to both the houses and cars - the cars have both a "lit" and "unlit" version - so the parked cars remain unlit.

Regards,

Mark

 

[lsstaten]

That's looks real nice

 

[amtrak2041864]

Looks Great, so real!

 

[Isegrinns]

Wow, great to see you are still active!
Looks good, especially the enclosed porches. Awesome!

 

[Rail4Pete]

This is a very good news to see you are still working (very hard) on this route. Your work is awesome and give me a push to continue on my route too. Thanks ! Rail4Pete

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

God, those vehicles look marvelous. How the hell do you make them?

And the houses are some of the best I've ever seen in Trainz. You certainly have the touch.

>Suppressing modeller's jealousy now<

 

[slabay]

AWESOME houses!!! Not to sound like a gimme pig, but will you be making them available? They'd go great on my Mon Line (if I ever get back to working on it:hehe

 

[Rooneth3808]

Wow, this thread came as a surprise! Allentown back in the "good old days".

Having lived just outside of Allentown (thank God...) for almost my entire life, and having worked for Conrail/NS with Allentown as my home terminal, this route and those houses are spot on! Heck, i look at the pictures of those houses and i wonder if i can see friends' houses.

Incredible.

~Roon

 

[stagecoachdriverdave]

Love these houses!

 

[Isaacg]

I echo the sentiment!

 

[hotgrove]

Those houses are absolutely superb..........the screenshots of the area look brilliant.