Model Railway layout plans and TRAINZ

[ray_whiley]

After reading recent discussions on using model railway layout plans in TRAINZ - and as a break from vainly trying to upload some recently created custom content to the DLS! - I spent a few hours yesterday writing down my thoughts on how I use these plans. If anyone is interested, these notes are now on my web site and can be seen by clicking here.

Constructive comments would be welcome.

Ray

 

[Dap]

Should I model a model or the prototype ?

Ray,

Nice website. Rather than thinking about modeling a model layout (which is foreshortened and condensed), why not consider modeling the prototype? Start with using DEM (Digital elevation model - Wikipedia) to create the terrain. This will make the model reflect the prototype without compromise of space. It will also allow you to model the operations in real time without having to compromise the timetable to accommodata foreshortened distances or to run with a fast clock.

There is a collection of DEM maps here. GAURC » Terrainz And there are also some on the DLS. This is like having someone build all the benchwork and terrain including roadbed for your layout. All you have to do is lay the track and roads on the colored lines, add textures and structures and then plan your operations.

David

 

[Vern]

I think there's been a few attempts at Kalmbach plans over the years, including the famous "Hungry Horse" layout from 101 Track Plans.

More recently, I thought about trying to lay down Peter Denny's "Buckingham Great Central" in it's latter day format, but using the real DEM and true mileages of the area. However that has been overtaken by other ideas at present.

The other argument is that rather than building a fictional branch from Aylesbury to Buckingham (well Grandborough to Buckingham) the effort would be better spent recreating part of the real GC, say from Aylesbury to Rugby.

If you're freelancing then model plans can certainly give ideas or guidance as to suitable track plans, but the scope of Trainz has expanded so much from the early days I suspect many contributors now think well beyond something on the model scale.

 

[ray_whiley]

Thanks for the comments. I will certainly follow up the suggested links.
Perhaps I should have said that I have also had a go at prototype track plans and in fact have laid the track and trackside items for the West Norfolk Railway, which used to run from a junction at Heacham on the Lynn to Hunstanton (my boyhood area) to Wells-next-the-Sea. This is a true representation of the station layouts from the book on the two lines by Stanley C Jenkins but no scenery as yet. However, I have recently tried scanning maps with a view to using the methods suggested.

 

[halbert5150]

I like your ideas. In HO layout design parlance its called compression. You compress the features you want to model from the prototype into what can fit in your garage. In trainz we don't need to compress nearly as much.

I love the DEM based true to prototype (right down to the location of every switch and signal) level of detail, but why not some railroads that are represented on a mid sized layout? Something from 5 to 25 baseboards long. We don't see too much of that in trainz. I've had a few layouts like that and its real nice to come home from a hard day at work and run an entire days worth of railroading in a couple of hours.

 

[JCitron]

What I've done in the past is to scale up or down images of model layouts so they fit across a 1k x 1k Basemap, or divide the image up so it fits across as many as it takes.

I then lay the rail and landscape the route. It can take as much work as you want to put into it.

Recently I did the Scenic and Relaxed, which I plan to upload to the DLS at some point. I tried awhile ago, but had some technical difficulties which got in the way and then I got busy.

Wherever the land wasn't used, I sculpted it down and darkened it so it was as though the layout was sitting on a foam base. I used backdrops to hide the hinder land where nothing was located.

When viewing and driving the little route, it's almost like seeing my old N-scal model railroad when I built it many years ago. The only difference is there was no plaster, glue, and a mess to clean up.

What was interesting is I had similar issues with the track layout on the virtual route as I did on the real thing. There's a small yard at the front, but the track layout is awkward to work with. In the 1:160 route I had, I added a few extra turnouts and crossovers, and this helped quite a bit. The problem though had to do with the approach grade to the yard throat being steep and affecting the turnouts. The issue was the same with the virtual model railroad, and now I can see this program as an important tool for model railroad testing before the first spike is laid, or plywood cut.


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John