DWBennett55
Member
All,
Here are a couple of sessions for Jointed Rail’s Santa Fe, Needles District model railroad route. The sessions are now available on the DLS. The sessions were developed with T:ANE Build 90955.
<kuid:417385:101617> Santa Fe: Needles 1.1
<kuid:417385:101616> Santa Fa: Needles 2.1
You can either search for those kuid’s or use my username, DWBennett55, to find them on the DLS.
Nothing very special here with switching the main activity and a little (very little) mainline running. The first session involves switching a couple of industries in Needles and making up a train for Barstow. The second session involves some more switching and then gets the train on the way to Barstow. Several AI trains add to the flavor of the first session and I couldn’t resist adding a Santa Fe passenger train in the second session.
I’ve tried to make sure the only payware locos and rolling stock are the ones included in the T:ANE package (famous last words). From my filtering in the Content Manager, the SD45, Ce-11 Caboose and, JRPX ACF covered hopper cars are included in T:ANE as they, for example, have as a dependant Kickstarter Country’s Fossil Fuel session which is in both the standard and deluxe editions. The gondola cars and the F7A&B units are on Jointed Rail’s site in the freeware section. The rest of the cars are either built-in or on the DLS. I am rather mystified with the Tank Train C being a dependency (<kuid2:45324:300001:3> TankTrain C) because I don’t use the train in my sessions. It must be one it’s dependencies that make it included; not sure. Anyway, let me know of any missing dependencies and I’ll try to figure out what they are. I have not change the route whatsoever; all that’s been added are the loco’s and rolling stock (plus the rules, etc. for the sessions).
As a personal comment on the route, it is very well done and I’m guessing faithfully follows the MR plans. However, I found that the switching activities to make a train up without going out of the main area (i.e., no switching junctions on the back side of the screens) created plenty of back and forth moves to get the cars into position to add to a train. You’ll find out what I mean when you work the sessions. When I was first playing around with the route in the Needles area I was trying to build a train using the “back side” switches and found it rather difficult to be sure I was really making the switch changes I wanted. That was when I decided to go with the switch work in the main area of Needles and all that entailed.
The speed limits are what make the first session so long (lots of 5 mph sections); not complaining just explaining. I’m one who does complain that most route developers don’t put realistic speed limits in their routes; they just leave the default 40 mph alone. 40 mph in a yard or shop area? Nope. You will notice in the second session a common problem (not the author’s fault) that the speed limit for the SW1500 at the start of the session and the SD45 pair right after you switch to those loco’s is 40 mph for the first little stretch of track. The only way to change that is put a speed limit (invisible) right in front of the loco to get things under control right away. I’ve done this before in my sessions (I believe the start of the second LotBN vol. 2 session has such a speed limit). Why didn’t I put one before SF5332 this time? Don’t know. Maybe it was to be able to make this point.
You will also notice that the route is not set up for passenger service with right-hand running on the mainlines and clockwise running on the route. Because of the way I made up the train in Needles and gathering the cars at Cemex with right-hand running and wanting the train to meet the passenger train (i.e., the freight meets the passenger train; the passenger does not follow the freight), the passenger train had to be running in a clockwise direction.
Starting in Barstow, the passenger train had to crossover to the right-hand track and stay there for right-hand running on the trip to Needles. To get to the Needles passenger station while traveling clockwise on the route, the train would have had to forego right-hand running from Barstow to Needles for one trip using the left-hand track on the mainline. This would have potentially created a conflict with our train so there is no “station to station” trip for the passenger train in the second session. Since the passenger train was mostly an after thought during the session development, it is what it is.
Additionally, I would have preferred that no trackmarks been included in the base route. This is just a personal preference and not a criticism.
Anyway, enjoy the session. Thanks,
Here are a couple of sessions for Jointed Rail’s Santa Fe, Needles District model railroad route. The sessions are now available on the DLS. The sessions were developed with T:ANE Build 90955.
<kuid:417385:101617> Santa Fe: Needles 1.1
<kuid:417385:101616> Santa Fa: Needles 2.1
You can either search for those kuid’s or use my username, DWBennett55, to find them on the DLS.
Nothing very special here with switching the main activity and a little (very little) mainline running. The first session involves switching a couple of industries in Needles and making up a train for Barstow. The second session involves some more switching and then gets the train on the way to Barstow. Several AI trains add to the flavor of the first session and I couldn’t resist adding a Santa Fe passenger train in the second session.
I’ve tried to make sure the only payware locos and rolling stock are the ones included in the T:ANE package (famous last words). From my filtering in the Content Manager, the SD45, Ce-11 Caboose and, JRPX ACF covered hopper cars are included in T:ANE as they, for example, have as a dependant Kickstarter Country’s Fossil Fuel session which is in both the standard and deluxe editions. The gondola cars and the F7A&B units are on Jointed Rail’s site in the freeware section. The rest of the cars are either built-in or on the DLS. I am rather mystified with the Tank Train C being a dependency (<kuid2:45324:300001:3> TankTrain C) because I don’t use the train in my sessions. It must be one it’s dependencies that make it included; not sure. Anyway, let me know of any missing dependencies and I’ll try to figure out what they are. I have not change the route whatsoever; all that’s been added are the loco’s and rolling stock (plus the rules, etc. for the sessions).
As a personal comment on the route, it is very well done and I’m guessing faithfully follows the MR plans. However, I found that the switching activities to make a train up without going out of the main area (i.e., no switching junctions on the back side of the screens) created plenty of back and forth moves to get the cars into position to add to a train. You’ll find out what I mean when you work the sessions. When I was first playing around with the route in the Needles area I was trying to build a train using the “back side” switches and found it rather difficult to be sure I was really making the switch changes I wanted. That was when I decided to go with the switch work in the main area of Needles and all that entailed.
The speed limits are what make the first session so long (lots of 5 mph sections); not complaining just explaining. I’m one who does complain that most route developers don’t put realistic speed limits in their routes; they just leave the default 40 mph alone. 40 mph in a yard or shop area? Nope. You will notice in the second session a common problem (not the author’s fault) that the speed limit for the SW1500 at the start of the session and the SD45 pair right after you switch to those loco’s is 40 mph for the first little stretch of track. The only way to change that is put a speed limit (invisible) right in front of the loco to get things under control right away. I’ve done this before in my sessions (I believe the start of the second LotBN vol. 2 session has such a speed limit). Why didn’t I put one before SF5332 this time? Don’t know. Maybe it was to be able to make this point.
You will also notice that the route is not set up for passenger service with right-hand running on the mainlines and clockwise running on the route. Because of the way I made up the train in Needles and gathering the cars at Cemex with right-hand running and wanting the train to meet the passenger train (i.e., the freight meets the passenger train; the passenger does not follow the freight), the passenger train had to be running in a clockwise direction.
Starting in Barstow, the passenger train had to crossover to the right-hand track and stay there for right-hand running on the trip to Needles. To get to the Needles passenger station while traveling clockwise on the route, the train would have had to forego right-hand running from Barstow to Needles for one trip using the left-hand track on the mainline. This would have potentially created a conflict with our train so there is no “station to station” trip for the passenger train in the second session. Since the passenger train was mostly an after thought during the session development, it is what it is.
Additionally, I would have preferred that no trackmarks been included in the base route. This is just a personal preference and not a criticism.
Anyway, enjoy the session. Thanks,
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