The V&O Story - large images
- Thread starter CincySouthernRwy
- Start date
CincySouthernRwy
Trainz Jedi
Kalmbach just did an artical about Allen and the "New" A&O in their "Model Railroad Planning 2009" yearly. In the artical it mentions that the entire railroad has been torn down and Allen and his wife have sold the home and moved to a retirement community where he will no longer have an operating model railroad. The passing of the A&O is a sad day for the Modelrailroading Hobby, be it physical or digital.:'(
Paul
Oddly enough, I believe they also ran an article about rebuilding of the A&O on page 38 - Dave Stewart's O scale Appalachian & Ohio that used Ohio State University colors in its paint scheme. Fortunately, this is not the same Dave Stewart who pitched for the Oakland Athletics in the 1980s' and '90's.
Dave's new trackplan looks like another good Trainz project... like I need new projects with the Susquehanna and the two Illinois coal roads...
Hey Rugrat, I love your sig. Did you have someone make that for you? It looks some real talent went into that.
Consider using a beta tester bfore you release. As the builder of the route, you are hardly qualified to find faults with it!
I'm more of a San Juan/Rocky Mountain fan myself, but since we can virtually have as many railroads as we want, I also enjoy doing some eastern stuff, and do look forward to the release of the V&O, and if you ever do the A&O, will look forward to that one as well.........:wave: :wave: :wave:
CincySouthernRwy
Trainz Jedi
Maybe I'll even correct and finish the Allegheny Midland that I started... but yes, the A&O had crossed my mind. The new trackplan looks pretty good...
Excellent screens!
http://www.3dtrains.com/VandO/index.shtml
Your version of Allen's original layout is looking mighty sharp, for which I'm certain Allen, who is currently without a layout, would be very flattered to see.
Keep those screens coming.
Sadly, this was one project I would have like to have finished, though the pages are still there:
http://www.3dtrains.com/VandO/index.shtml
Your version of Allen's original layout is looking mighty sharp, for which I'm certain Allen, who is currently without a layout, would be very flattered to see.
Keep those screens coming.
CincySouthernRwy
Trainz Jedi
Thanks for the link, Hack! I knew it was out there, but I didn't remember what website. Yes, I think it was summer, just after school was out in June 2002 that someone posted that they hadn't heard about this V&O project project in a while and that it might be dead. So I started laying track in Afton and worked westward...
Here are 2 early pics of Dawson Springs. I'm glad the texturing is much better now:
And this:
This was just after I had installed TRS2004 and hadn't touched the V&O in at least a year. Textures were generally of poor, unconvincing quality. I wasn't terribly happy with the prospect of having to hand plant single trees all over that @#$% layout like I did in N scale. Thank Buddha for Dave Drake's forest splines. There were lots of other things to do... like get through the school year and be a single parent.
As you can see here, the texturing is very convincing of a sandy stream bank and the forest is very well done. Don't worry... I fixed those hood door lines on the SD40's.
One of the things I love about Trainz is being able to model things that you can't do in real life. Allen couldn't fit the KC&B in his layout space, but did model a staging track with a couple of spurs inside the loop at Gage Pass to simulate some of the customer base. I remember reading about a coal mine and I think the lumber industry. So in the above photo, I modeled that mega mine that keeps this end of the KC&B open for rail service. After reading the articles in MRP about the glass industry and the trackplan for such industry on the B&O, I added a glass facility on the KC&B.
Here are 2 early pics of Dawson Springs. I'm glad the texturing is much better now:
And this:
This was just after I had installed TRS2004 and hadn't touched the V&O in at least a year. Textures were generally of poor, unconvincing quality. I wasn't terribly happy with the prospect of having to hand plant single trees all over that @#$% layout like I did in N scale. Thank Buddha for Dave Drake's forest splines. There were lots of other things to do... like get through the school year and be a single parent.
As you can see here, the texturing is very convincing of a sandy stream bank and the forest is very well done. Don't worry... I fixed those hood door lines on the SD40's.
One of the things I love about Trainz is being able to model things that you can't do in real life. Allen couldn't fit the KC&B in his layout space, but did model a staging track with a couple of spurs inside the loop at Gage Pass to simulate some of the customer base. I remember reading about a coal mine and I think the lumber industry. So in the above photo, I modeled that mega mine that keeps this end of the KC&B open for rail service. After reading the articles in MRP about the glass industry and the trackplan for such industry on the B&O, I added a glass facility on the KC&B.
CincySouthernRwy
Trainz Jedi
Steam?
Looks like steam...
If you won't tell it's a fantrip, I won't tell.
This shot reminds me of a quote from "2001: A Space Odyssey"...
"My God, it's full of trees." Like my blurred-from-the-heat and smoke effects? Are you taking notes, Auran?
Good bird's-eye view of Fullerton:
Simple, yet effective. I don't need people on the sidewalks and Corvettes parked in front of the barber shop and antique stores. I'm not there to count those things, nice as it might be. I'm focused on the action on the other side of the station.
I have to correct something. An earlier screenshot I posted showed a flour barn in Jimtown near JT Tower. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I replaced that a long time ago. I used the NYC freight house and some very weedy tracks:
Ah. That's better.
Looks like steam...
If you won't tell it's a fantrip, I won't tell.
This shot reminds me of a quote from "2001: A Space Odyssey"...
"My God, it's full of trees." Like my blurred-from-the-heat and smoke effects? Are you taking notes, Auran?
Good bird's-eye view of Fullerton:
Simple, yet effective. I don't need people on the sidewalks and Corvettes parked in front of the barber shop and antique stores. I'm not there to count those things, nice as it might be. I'm focused on the action on the other side of the station.
I have to correct something. An earlier screenshot I posted showed a flour barn in Jimtown near JT Tower. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I replaced that a long time ago. I used the NYC freight house and some very weedy tracks:
Ah. That's better.
CincySouthernRwy
Trainz Jedi
More cool shots...
This almost looks like the cover of an annual report...
Looks like the stack talk from that C424 has quieted down. Or #2438 was shut down.
Marshall Chemical in Indian Hill:
The V&O crosses the VM at grade. The connection track is at the far right.
This is the best shot I have of "We Are" Marshall Chemical, the company that owns the patent on the "thundering curd". I guess they do food chemistry. Anyway, I'm sorry I don't have a better pic, but security is tight-tight-tight there. Management acts like they own the place. Good luck getting a shot of their switcher. V&O at one time kept a switcher there dedicated to switching the plant. Nowadays, "just in time" delivery is from Jimtown Yard.
Gotta wonder who in the blue blazes has the fireplace going in the station at Indian Hill. Geeze... it's summer. I hope it's not arson.
This almost looks like the cover of an annual report...
Looks like the stack talk from that C424 has quieted down. Or #2438 was shut down.
Marshall Chemical in Indian Hill:
The V&O crosses the VM at grade. The connection track is at the far right.
This is the best shot I have of "We Are" Marshall Chemical, the company that owns the patent on the "thundering curd". I guess they do food chemistry. Anyway, I'm sorry I don't have a better pic, but security is tight-tight-tight there. Management acts like they own the place. Good luck getting a shot of their switcher. V&O at one time kept a switcher there dedicated to switching the plant. Nowadays, "just in time" delivery is from Jimtown Yard.
Gotta wonder who in the blue blazes has the fireplace going in the station at Indian Hill. Geeze... it's summer. I hope it's not arson.
CincySouthernRwy
Trainz Jedi
Kickin' the glass
The KC&B serves this glass plant:
Four geeps lug the East Local past the plant.
Earlier screenies, of course. I'll get more recent ones next time I'm in Trainz.
Here is the junction between V&O and KC&B. The KC&B curves off to the right.
That was in the days of too-bright-textures and hand-planted trees. Ugh. I love that daylit tunnel look. Makes me almost want to put up big wooden doors ala Jurassic Park and King Kong.
So far, I have a baggage, coach, diner, and sleeper, plus two E8's. All passenger cars streamlined, since I've never seen a pic of a heavyweight V&O car, though I believe Allen took the B&O's lead here and technically the V&O's streamlined-looking cars are actually heavyweights. IIRC, V&O also operated PA-1's.
The KC&B serves this glass plant:
Four geeps lug the East Local past the plant.
Earlier screenies, of course. I'll get more recent ones next time I'm in Trainz.
Here is the junction between V&O and KC&B. The KC&B curves off to the right.
That was in the days of too-bright-textures and hand-planted trees. Ugh. I love that daylit tunnel look. Makes me almost want to put up big wooden doors ala Jurassic Park and King Kong.
So far, I have a baggage, coach, diner, and sleeper, plus two E8's. All passenger cars streamlined, since I've never seen a pic of a heavyweight V&O car, though I believe Allen took the B&O's lead here and technically the V&O's streamlined-looking cars are actually heavyweights. IIRC, V&O also operated PA-1's.
CincySouthernRwy
Trainz Jedi
Freight cars
Two boxcars:
Some shots of Afton:
That was from 2 years ago at least. It's built up since then.
Those engines on the lead are smoking a lot for GP40's.
A lot of heat there from coming down the mountain. Oh, look, there's an E8 and a steamer in the background.
Two boxcars:
Some shots of Afton:
That was from 2 years ago at least. It's built up since then.
Those engines on the lead are smoking a lot for GP40's.
A lot of heat there from coming down the mountain. Oh, look, there's an E8 and a steamer in the background.
CincySouthernRwy
Trainz Jedi
Gondolas
Old:
Intermediate (1963-68):
New:
A blue autorack:
Don't like blue? How about red like Conrail used?
Don't worry. I've got yellow, too.
Old:
Intermediate (1963-68):
New:
A blue autorack:
Don't like blue? How about red like Conrail used?
Don't worry. I've got yellow, too.
CincySouthernRwy
Trainz Jedi
The truck dump on the KC&B. Trucks dumps are so common and easy to model that you just have to have at least one on any Appalachian layout. I named this one Honey Run in honor of the one on the prototype Clinchfield Railroad.
A little further up the line, just less than a year ago was the site of a derailment. Eight cars dumped their payloads admist a morass of wheels, axles, and mangled sheet metal. Today, the remnants are growing weeds:
A little further up the line, just less than a year ago was the site of a derailment. Eight cars dumped their payloads admist a morass of wheels, axles, and mangled sheet metal. Today, the remnants are growing weeds:
CincySouthernRwy
Trainz Jedi
Updated glass plant
Here are current views of the glass plant on the KC&B:
Now a change of venue... Afton Tower:
After looking at what Allen did with his backdrop in his remodeling efforts while updating to 1975 and moving the Smith Sub connection, I have to modify the hills behind the industrial district in the background.
Here are current views of the glass plant on the KC&B:
Now a change of venue... Afton Tower:
After looking at what Allen did with his backdrop in his remodeling efforts while updating to 1975 and moving the Smith Sub connection, I have to modify the hills behind the industrial district in the background.
CincySouthernRwy
Trainz Jedi
Afton
Here are some more detail shots of Afton:
Draw distance really comes into play here.
IIRC, Allen removed the turntable at Afton and the roundhouse was left standing and sold to a business of some sort. So far in Trainz you cannot have a roundhouse without a turntable. Therefore, I went a different direction and kept the turntable thinking that I might want to backdate things and make a steam/early diesel version.
Afton passenger terminal. And below from the air...
Here are some more detail shots of Afton:
Draw distance really comes into play here.
IIRC, Allen removed the turntable at Afton and the roundhouse was left standing and sold to a business of some sort. So far in Trainz you cannot have a roundhouse without a turntable. Therefore, I went a different direction and kept the turntable thinking that I might want to backdate things and make a steam/early diesel version.
Afton passenger terminal. And below from the air...
You might want to look into hte AJS turntable system, just create the turntable + roundhouse then delete the turntable. have done it multiple times myself.
I might have to have a go at a V&O skin myself sometime... nice work!
William
CincySouthernRwy
Trainz Jedi
You might want to look into hte AJS turntable system, just create the turntable + roundhouse then delete the turntable. have done it multiple times myself.
I might have to have a go at a V&O skin myself sometime... nice work!
William
I have that system. I've always thought the roundhouse attached to the turntable. Hmmm.
What are you looking at reskinning? (So I don't duplicate your efforts.)
So far, I've made:
Alco S2's, S4's, FA's, RS3's, RS11's, and C424's
EMD SW1200's, SW1500's, E8's, F7's, GP7's and 9's, GP30's, 38-2's, 40's, SD40's and SD40-2's,
GE U25C's (using the C30-7, so maybe I should call it a C25-7?) and Dash 8's,
Baldwin DS4-4-10's,
40', older 50', and modern 50' boxcars,
2 styles of 2-bay covered hoppers
3 styles of gondolas
4 styles of autoracks,
100-ton coal hoppers (4 versions),
H-62 hoppers (three versions),
70-ton hoppers (3 versions),
USRA 55-ton hoppers (three versions),
3 styles of cabooses (AT&SF red, baywindow blue, extended vision blue)
passenger cars (Auran streamlined baggage, coach, diner, sleeper)
I probably need to add an SD9, PA-1, observation car, pig flat, Trainmaster, SD50, and see if I have made (and stored) any 3-bay or 4-bay covered hoppers.
There. I think that is all.
The differences in the shades of blue drives me mildly nuts. Those Baldwins keep wanting to show up too purple-y. Now that I look at that RS11 again, I have no idea how those vents along the top of the hood got messed up. Where they originally like that on the RS11 downloads? I'll add that to my list.
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CincySouthernRwy
Trainz Jedi
These keep showing up too dark:
That autonumber feature is very annoying. I like having the number boards filled in, but the "chosen font" makes a mess of the cab side.
That autonumber feature is very annoying. I like having the number boards filled in, but the "chosen font" makes a mess of the cab side.
