trackside objects: general observation

JonMyrlennBailey

Well-known member
Have you ever wondered how amazingly close trackside objects often are to tracks?

When driving past a signal, in inside-cab view, it looks almost as if the approaching signal will
crash right into my cab!

These include signals, poles, sides of bridges, lights, signs and switch levers.

I have often wondered if train crewmen have ever been decapitated or dismembered
by hitting various parts of their bodies on very-close track-side objects as the train whizzed by.

We remember the scene from Silver Streak, 1976, Gene Wilder/Richard Pryor, where a bad guy loses his
head on a passing dwarf signal as the runaway train was barreling through the Chicago yard. The bad guy was being held
close to the ground as he was hanging out the side door of the train.

I have flood light towers in my yards that measure slightly over 3 feet from the ends of the track ties.

The GP40 series diesel locomotive cab side window visors may only clear these towers by about 1 to 2 feet.

I carefully check clearance of trackside objects including trees, poles and bridges to make sure the trains never hit them as they pass by.

You can do this by dragging a train along the trackside object in question while in Surveyor.

I use an extra long-wheelbase car as a Pullman heavyweight to make sure it clears close trackside objects around turns as well.

The engineers should be damn careful when sticking their heads and arms out the windows on my route!
 
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Yah, Jon. I have often noted how badly out-of-scale many of the old cab views are, and the same views get re-used over and over. Probably because doing an interior (I've never done one) is a lot of work and the existing ones are "good enough for now."

Sit in either seat of many of these cabs and see how far out beyond the ballast they extend! On the Appalachian Coal route, lean out the window and see how much bridge steel you eat!

If the cab views were closer to scale, we'd sit within the limits of the ballast prism and except for EV and bay window cabeese, not much beyond the end of the ties.

It's also noticeable that quite a few scenery assets are equally out of scale, in both directions. I've seen this especially in houses.

:B~(
 
If you want to go through the trouble with non-built-in or payware assets, you can move them away from the tracks by adjusting their distance from the tracks. With some objects, such as small signs, I actually moved them a bit closer because they were way too far away and got lost among the weeds.

I have seen dwarf signals in real life that look very similar to the ones in the movie. They are quite close to the rails and many brakemen and freight conductors injured themselves on these, switch stands and other trackside objects, and sometimes debris too, as they moved in and around the yard and stepped on and off railcars.

https://youtu.be/4Rx57jVGfso

https://youtu.be/BqpayZ2JqlU

and many, many more.
 
Never even once was any virtual Trainz asset or driver ever seriously kilt', or maimed, in a sideswipe, or collision ... It's just a game man !
 
If you want to go through the trouble with non-built-in or payware assets, you can move them away from the tracks by adjusting their distance from the tracks. With some objects, such as small signs, I actually moved them a bit closer because they were way too far away and got lost among the weeds.

I have seen dwarf signals in real life that look very similar to the ones in the movie. They are quite close to the rails and many brakemen and freight conductors injured themselves on these, switch stands and other trackside objects, and sometimes debris too, as they moved in and around the yard and stepped on and off railcars.

https://youtu.be/4Rx57jVGfso

https://youtu.be/BqpayZ2JqlU

and many, many more.

Fascinating videos! Thanks!

:B~)
 
That may be the case, but as I have been running and building in Trainz now for several years, now, I can't help wondering about how REAL-world trains and railways are actually laid out with regard to dimensions, clearances, measurements and etc.

Trainzing can spark wonders of the real world of "choo-choo". It can also help me appreciate some of the hazards of real-world rail transportation.

Train crewing and railroad work in general is truly a blue-collar hero's job.
 
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That may be the case, but as I have been running and building in Trainz now for several years, now, I can't help wondering about how REAL-world trains and railways are actually laid out with regard to dimensions, clearances, measurements and etc.

Trainzing can spark wonders of the real world of "choo-choo". It can also help me appreciate some of the hazards of real-world rail transportation.

Train crewing and railroad work in general is truly a blue-collar hero's job.

It most definitely is a real hard-worker's job and not one to be taken lightly.

When I'm working on routes, I take two main things into consideration:

1) It looks cool to do this...

Okay. This is the easy part and then comes:

2) Is it prototypical to have x and what about y?

This is when the idea either remains or goes to the scrap pile. What I have found, by adhering to my rules, is for one I rarely have switch problems with the procedural track. On my very large personal route, one I started in December 2003, I have recently replaced, otherwise excellent track, for the Protrack. Out of the nearly 220 miles of route, I only had 3 bad junctions, and these were some sidings in a mill complex where the curves would be tighter than normal anyway.

Grades and curves... Geeze some of my early track grades were, well a bit steep. These have been adjusted down to more modest heights along with curves. If it's a mainline which will handle high speed passenger and heavy freights, we need long sweeping curves and easy grades. If it's trolley cars and switching, well the curves can be tighter and the grades steeper. Is it possible to run 5000 ton freights up a 8% grade? It sure is in Trainz, which is really funny to see and not prototypical at all.

Another is spacing. I always check that there is clearance between tracks and that the switch stands are on the proper side of the track unless it's impossible to do so. Perhaps the switch stand spacing doesn't matter with 5 meter spacing, but where I live the track spacing is only 4 to 4.5 meters which is quite close. When I have parallel tracks and junctions, I ensure the switch stands are on the outside rather than the inside to ensure my workers don't get squished between trains should another train pass by while a worker is flipping levers.

I'm constantly in search of floating buildings, tracks, and roads, and spend a good amount of time smoothing, adjusting, and moving to ensure there's no space under objects. This is a personal peeve for me and always has since TRS2004 when I first started.

The other is the kind of industries for the region. Coal mines in New England? Absolutely not! A steel mill, or automobile factory? That's possible as well as other manufacturing.

I could go on, but these are some of the things I think about and remedy as I build or rebuild routes.
 
I remember the punk guy from The Young Ones got his head cut off but he was able to walk down the track and get it back. So no need to worry.
Mick.
 
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