Road Under a Station

[iain2006]

I am just wondering about the best approach to creating a large station with road underpasses below it and platforms stretching onto bridges. I'm just trying to get an exchange of ideas going rather than seeking adivce per se.

In particular I am trying to create a faithful (as possible) representation of Glasgow Central station (http://www.jhowie.force9.co.uk/glasgowcentral.htm) with the bridge coming over the river into the station however the platform arrangement is proving more than a little complex (other example that would use this approach would be Charing Cross or Blackfriars in London or the road under St Pancras International). Another thing I'm trying to figure out is how to accurately position the low level platforms (an issue with Glasgow Queen Street as well) below ground level and under the main station. At the moment I am looking at staggering the end of the main station (just past the upper level line ends) over a gap between two tunnels where the low level platforms object will sit. Crude but easy enough to hide with buildings.

At the moment I have separated the route into 8 lines crossing four 2-track bridges positioned right against each other giving the appearance of a single wide bridge, and further splitting into 13 lines on the north side of the bridge. The most awkward is the curved/tapered platforms 1-2 (I'm using spline platforms) and how to arrange the "Heilanman's Umbrella" Argyle Street underpass which is below the platforms - I'm thinking I may have to create some kind of combined platform-track-bridge component and a separate building asset to sit on top for the big arch windows.

The entire station I'm using multiple components to construct it in surveyor (roof, foyer, platforms, etc) as it would just be to complex to build as a single asset in GMAX - I need way more practice before tackling a project like that so maybe its for a cold wet weekend in January.

 

[JCitron]

Ian,

This is quite a project, and somewhat complex. I too have built a multi-level station in the past using similar techniques that you have outlined. What would make this project easier for you would be the newer versions of Trainz with layers. Layers allow you to lock objects in place while editing and moving others around.

With TRS2004 you'll have to work on your lower-most layer first, which I would do anyway, and build up carefully from there while avoiding the already in place objects, which can get a bit tricky. There are some stations on bridges, or raised stations with roads that go underneath. I cannot remember the author of these items, but you may have use for them. In my station complex, I used Andi's stations on bridges. This prevented the track ballast from becoming invisible, which happens.

Andi's stations may also be helpful for the lower level. When I built mine, I used a combination of his invisible stations and subway tunnels as the approach to the station. I covered everything up with concrete spline objects and streets. Using the subway (tube) tunnels kept the daylight from coming in, which will happen if the object isn't built for underground use.

I hope this helps.

John

 

[stagecoach]

Have a look at FMA content as he has a lot of bridge kit assets which will make your bridge building much easier. Ive used them to create many wide bridges and under station roads and rivers. You can get platforms that are tunnels so will sit beneath the station and ground level or build the station first at ground level together with walls, floor and roof to enclose it. Then you lower all the assets say 20m so they are all below the ground. Use the FMA bridge assets you can easily put platforms onto bridges.

 

[rjhowie]

That is some project iain2006. I have built the whole of the former Glasgow Tram system which was a giant project and of course the line in Argyle Street running under the Central Station. However I didn't do much with it just a rough approach and stuck anything in only as rough background as it was a tramway I was building. It's on the slideshow on my Trainz tram site for Glasgow. Always good to see something from my home city being attempted!

 

[JCitron]

Have a look at FMA content as he has a lot of bridge kit assets which will make your bridge building much easier. Ive used them to create many wide bridges and under station roads and rivers. You can get platforms that are tunnels so will sit beneath the station and ground level or build the station first at ground level together with walls, floor and roof to enclose it. Then you lower all the assets say 20m so they are all below the ground. Use the FMA bridge assets you can easily put platforms onto bridges.

This is exactly how I built my multilevel station. The FMA bridges worked perfectly because the alpha channel in the station doesn't turn the underside invisible, which happens when you place a station over an open spot.

I couldn't remember the content name last night, so I gave up searching for it after the brain fart set in, and kept the post as detailed as I could.

John

 

[iain2006]

I tried the only FMA bridges I could find however I am only able to connect these to roads, not to railway splines.

KUID [FONT=Verdana, Arial]52:37384
KUID [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial]52:37385

As for the station, well building this has turned out to be alot easier. I have discovered that "Terminus Station" [/FONT]KUID:67906:28051 included in TRS 2004 (under Third Party UK - Trackside) is infact based on Glasgow Central. I only stumbled upon this when I placed it in my route by accident while scrolling through the list. Needs some internal detail added but that's simple enough to do with things like the DS Shop Front assets.

 

[stagecoach]

Click on download station top right of this page put fma in the search window and untick all boxes except 2004 and below. There are 700+ assets available. You could also use bridge kit which gives you other items to construct your own bridge.

 

[JCitron]

I tried the only FMA bridges I could find however I am only able to connect these to roads, not to railway splines.

KUID [FONT=Verdana, Arial]52:37384
KUID [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial]52:37385

As for the station, well building this has turned out to be alot easier. I have discovered that "Terminus Station" [/FONT]KUID:67906:28051 included in TRS 2004 (under Third Party UK - Trackside) is infact based on Glasgow Central. I only stumbled upon this when I placed it in my route by accident while scrolling through the list. Needs some internal detail added but that's simple enough to do with things like the DS Shop Front assets.

These are both rail and road bridges. You put your track on top of the bridge, or you connect a road to it. I lay the road spline on top of the bridge too if I use them as road bridges because they look better than the brown mud-texture that's on the bridge top its self.

John

 

[iain2006]

I must be missing something with bridge then. When I try to lay it the bridge, its surface runs at ground level unless I connect it to a road on higher terrain.

 

[stagecoach]

Most bridges are like that. Click on advance and in the top left of the new screen click again. Now left click, keep holding it down, on the spline point and raise the bridge. Bottom left is the grab spline height, click on this and then on the new spline height you just did. The box will show the spline height, click the right hand digit and then click on the second spline point and it will raise to the same level as the other one. You can also put the spline height directly into the little box and click on the points.

 

[rjhowie]

Being a Glaswegian I have always been fascinated by the Central Station and it's approaches. The removal of one of the two bridges into it I always thought odd (you can still see the pillars from Glasgow (road) bridge. Then the addition of another platform and there are also a further 2 in the Low Level suburban Argyle Line. My understaning is that there are still 600 odd passneger trains into it daily and then there are a large number of empties. The place is so busy often you will find 2 trains on one platform and repeated across them.

About 6 months ago I thought I was seeing something remarkable. For a matter of 2 minutes at the most only one train in the station. I waited to see if I would se the impossible and for even a brief moment no stock at all - but nope! As I said, I wish you well. It is the busiest station in Scotland.