New V3: Florida East Coast Miami to Ft. Pierce

[brickbuilder711]

Florida East Coast Miami to Fort Pierce VERSION 3 (1024x768)

Well V2 didn't turn out too well, so I decided to do a full scale V3. The route will run from Hialeah to Fort Pierce.

Some know me to be doing Nikos's route. I am taking a long break from that for two reasons,

1. I want to operate trains over real FEC mileage on TS2009
2. The route's FPS tested me after all the progress I did, I might get more external RAM

Anyway, I bring you a preview of what's to come, from a garage near NW 74th Street in Hialeah

 

[brickbuilder711]

FEC Miami to Fort Pierce Version 3 WIP (1024x768)

And one more, looking west from West 8th Avenue Crossing

Also, though I have an abbreviated version, it is not my preference anymore to run on that short version. Long trains cannot fit...

 

[illinoiscentral]

Hey brickbuilder,
I really like your screenshots there! Route building is alot of fun. I am involved in two route building ventures, the first as most know, The CNO&TP with backyard, and the second my own route for myself, The fictional CSX Bartsville Branch.
Good Luck with your route!

 

[brickbuilder711]

Hey brickbuilder,
I really like your screenshots there! Route building is alot of fun. I am involved in two route building ventures, the first as most know, The CNO&TP with backyard, and the second my own route for myself, The fictional CSX Bartsville Branch.
Good Luck with your route!

Thanks for all the support,

You may know that I've been doing a massive plug for Nikos1's KWE, though I've enjoyed it, I got a little tired of both focusing a lot on it and of dealing with dwindling FPS and constant errors when driving a train!

I have been longing for a prototypical FEC run, not a fictious one. I did have an abbreviated one (See "Two Upcoming South Florida Routes" but thought that one was unrealistic (I didn't even know Croissant Park existed back then until a later stage and still did not include it!) so I went with a V2, still dissatisfied, and now I'm working on this.

Meanwhile when it comes to CSX, I will be doing three routes from the Florida Business unit. One will be the Sanford Sub. Someone did try to do it, but the project looked to have been abandoned, and I want to start from scratch, especially since I know the area pretty well. Another will be a difficult one, the Bone Valley Area. My flagship project for CSX will be the easiest one, the Homestead Subdivision and parts of the Miami Sub. If fishlipsartwork can model Broward and Palm Beach counties, that would be exceptional, but that wouldn't be expected right away. That would be the only fit with Miami-Key West.

My FEC route will not be a DEM, that will be why some Surveyor pics will show a ruler or two. I will try to keep it as close as possible to the real thing while being mergeable with Richard's FEC2020.

 

[illinoiscentral]

I find route building to be a huge undertaking. I had no idea how long it really takes, when you are a perfectionist like me, it takes a LONNNG time! I am so picky about textures!

 

[brickbuilder711]

I find route building to be a huge undertaking. I had no idea how long it really takes, when you are a perfectionist like me, it takes a LONNNG time! I am so picky about textures!

Agreed;

Texturing is very time consuming.

I hope to have more pics tonight or tomorrow.

 

[chrisracer8903]

Looks good.

 

[brickbuilder711]

Looks good.

Thanks;

I'll have more screens tomorrow

 

[brickbuilder711]

Some searching found me standard gauge concrete track. I want to know your opinion on how it looks, or will look on the layout. Anyhow, this shot shows the first bit of progress on Iris Interlocking.

 

[illinoiscentral]

Wow still looking good! Its great to see someone dedicated to the FEC I never knew about it until an issue of Trains Magazine [Kalmbach Publishing]
Also I sent you a PM.

 

[brickbuilder711]

Thanks...

I did get your PM but haven't had much time to reply.

About Trains Magazine, I just keep on reading that same issue hundreds of times. It is a great issue, though it is obsolete. Much of the trains in the schedule are abolished.

It is interesting to point out what they have done in one year's time. They cut trains. They have that ramp in Titusville. Many more happenings have actually happened.

If you look carefully at the screen, you may notice a rail joint. That is the only fault in the concrete track, amid the fact that I have seen joints in the FEC in areas other than Iris Interlocking, they are rare. At Hollywood, MP 348.8, I have noticed a joint. The game's track has joints placed too closely. The ties are separated too much.

Keep in mind that the track is a BETA though.

 

[brickbuilder711]

I have two Before-and-afrer showdowns between Versions 1 and 3;

Version 1 NW 62 Av or W 8 Av

Version 1 Iris

Version 3 W 8 Av

Version 3 Iris WIP

 

[brickbuilder711]

I took a demo run of my first ATLS channel for this route

The local switcher of area industries swung by eastbound through W 8 AV.

 

[brickbuilder711]

Change of track....

Before

After

Thank you gfisher!

 

[WCL]

Looks good.....I see there was a lil traffic jam up on that intersection :hehe:

 

[illinoiscentral]

Looking better all the time...keep up the good work...very good to see someone dedicated to their favorite railroad!
Cheers!!!

 

[brickbuilder711]

Looking better all the time...keep up the good work...very good to see someone dedicated to their favorite railroad!
Cheers!!!

Thank you!

 

[illinoiscentral]

You're quite welcome!
My CSX Route is coming slow...but on the other hand I'm getting the hang of grades. Keep up the good work, you have my interest.

 

[brickbuilder711]

FINALLY! NEW SHOTS!

Further construction on the route brought me to where I am today. The bridge shots are definitely going to look SWEET!

I will input a shot of our OFFICIAL track standard. I did temporarily regress to MP-track to save on frame rates and so my computer doesn't melt.....

After that:

The first few shots are from WIP sections of NW 57th Avenue.

The last shot will be from the NW 74th Street bridge

OFFICIAL TRACK STANDARD

NW 57TH AVENUE

POTENTIAL 'ATTRACTION': BRIDGE SHOT

Enjoy! Hopefully I will progress soon!!! :wave:

 

[brickbuilder711]

I tweaked areas like W 8 Av and E 21st St to Google Earth maps...

Also, I converted back to gfisher track only for screens and/or sessions.

Next up I should run 202-14, a light power move to Lauderdale to pick up IM and to Ft Pierce to take Tropicana to Bowden.

IT'S A BRIGHT, SUNNY DAY IN FLORIDA...

AND I AM POSITIONED ALONG W 8TH AVENUE WAITING FOR FEC TRAIN 202-14

WHILE THEY BUILD 202 I STROLLED AROUND, GETTING VARIOUS AREA PICTURES TO MODEL IN TRS... LOL, THE IRONY :hehe:

THIS I TOOK ON MY WAY WEST ON 74TH STREET.