Tips and Tricks-Surveyor

?????? Yes I'll check my memory boards next time I'm in Surveyor....


@ Escafeld, without a point lever AI trains will not be able to pass the junction - which is why we have invisible levers for situations like this.

Cheers,

JB
 
I meant without a visible lever, but does it need anything at all in Trainz?

There are some discreet [sp?] electric point motors available as well, which may suit your purpose. When building tramways I use wh63 a lot, but the actuation noise sounds a little like a sheep (perfect for country situations ;)).

Catch points are also common in stations and yards (where wagons were loose shunted) - see photo below, right hand side. This had a lever for the engine crew to operate, hence why the man is hanging onto the steps of the footplate.
 
First, a TIP; If you"re modelling a "UK Railway:rolleyes: " before 1996 remember that the near abandonment of weedkilling trains and control of lineside vegetation only dates from the creation of Railtrack in 1996.So keep the green stuff well back from the track and no weeds! Catch Points-as I said earlier Catch Points in all examples I"ve seen had a Lever.Honestly.Even in the early 1980s the Slow Lines out of Kings Cross still had neat little cast iron GNR mechanical point indicators.Trap Points were and still are provided where one running line joins another and the crucial difference is that they are actually WORKED either by Point Rods or a Point Motor.They used to be used at either end of a Passing Loop and if the Loop at Cowden (Sussex) had been fitted with Trap Points it would have prevented the head on collision which occurred when the Driver drove through a red signal onto the single line..:mad:
 
American_Connections Attitudes are what kill!:eek: not really, it depends on what kind of attitde you have to a person.like titaniclover.
all adam wanted was to make this thread a stickey thats all.
 
hi, not sure if mentioned earlier in the thread but i have been experimenting with 'path control' and 'path trigger'. i wanted to get the train to stop before it made the next path and carried on with its journey into the yard from the mainline.

i was moving the trigger to get it so far from the signal that the train would reach the trigger just as the signal stopped the train. after some playing around i found the train stops 25 metres short of the signal, so i now place my triggers in exactly the same spot as the signal and set the radius to 26 metres, works great.

i think this would also be a good method for trackmarks as well if you want the train to stop as close to the signal as possible, for example, in yards when there is restricted room. i havent tested it on trackmarks but i think it could be useful

cheers

Gav
 
hi, not sure if mentioned earlier in the thread but i have been experimenting with 'path control' and 'path trigger'. i wanted to get the train to stop before it made the next path and carried on with its journey into the yard from the mainline.

i was moving the trigger to get it so far from the signal that the train would reach the trigger just as the signal stopped the train. after some playing around i found the train stops 25 metres short of the signal, so i now place my triggers in exactly the same spot as the signal and set the radius to 26 metres, works great.

i think this would also be a good method for trackmarks as well if you want the train to stop as close to the signal as possible, for example, in yards when there is restricted room. i havent tested it on trackmarks but i think it could be useful

cheers

Gav
Test it the second time around. I have been trying to get my roller coaster to stop in the exact spot every time, and I find there is little consistancy in this program!
 
i ment when first placing in the route if you do it all at once.
and another!
careful when doing water it seams that when water is touching andothr water mass when yuo go to do the hight it will move with it.
 
A common problem in Surveyor is how to use a Bridge to cross a wide Cutting.Often the Abutments are too short, and if you stretch the Bridge the span may appear too long.Theres a simple solution as I show in the photo below.I"ve used "Plate Girder Bridge" to cross 2 tracks.First I lay the basic bridge across the tracks and set the height by placing 2 Locos underneath and allowing about 4 feet clearance.This is important because Plate Girder Bridge has an extra deep girder.Then I click "Get Height" and "Use Height" to make sure both ends are the same height.Next I form another section of bridge and VERY gently stretch it until it forms a new Abutment but stop stretching it before it forms a girder.I place the end of the new abutment in line with the bridge abutment after using Use Height to make sure the new abutment is the same height.Its best to line both abutments up in an Aerial view.On the left side of the bridge you see the completed abutment - the Blue Brick makes the join virtually invisible.Of course , while you manouevre the section into position you must keep the shift key pressed down so that they don"t physically join up! This will work with nearly any Trainz bridge and repeating sections of abutment you can construct a long brick viaduct..:p
betterbridges1jy8.jpg
 
Underbrush

I don't know if this one's been covered previously or not... I'm modeling an area in the Eastern U.S., where vegetation is everywhere, and one thing I've had a hard time locating is good impenetrable-looking underbrush. I've found a very effective solution to be to place low-poly trees (the cottonwood trees are especially effective for this) and lower them with the height tool until only the tops of the trees are visible. To my eyes it's much more realistic and much faster as well than placing vast numbers of bushes, etc. along the route. If you stick to just a few types of trees the rendering time is minimally impacted as well. (Be sure auto-rotate is on.)

--Lamont
 
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