Ambitious plan

Hi all

Just thought I'd share, what to me will be, a few years of love and toil.

I intend to create a route in West Yorkshire with Bradford Exchange as the central focus with the following lines;

Bradford Exchange to Keighley as far as Denholme
Bradford Exchange to Manchester as far as Sowerby Bridge
Bradford Exchange to Wakefield via Cleckheaton as far as Mirfield
Bradford Exchange to Leeds via Stanningley or Pudsey as far as Birstall
The Calder Valley line from Mirfield to Sowerby Bridge via Brighouse and Elland
The Greetland Branch
The Ripponden Branch

Thanks go to Roland Ziegler for his wonderful Transdem programme which I have finally mastered. Also thanks to Mutton for his Mosaic programme which captures the maps for the area and finally thanks to Itareus for guiding me through the early steps in Blender which will become invaluable in creating some of the buildings I will require for the route.

I have created the map with the UTM tiles in place but I do not intend to go any further yet as I want to create the route in T:ANE as I will require vast amounts of cuttings and embankments and I'm hoping these will be much better in the new programme.

Just a few screenshots to show the progress made so far.


A view of the Calder Valley Line towards Sowerby Bridge



A view up the Ripponden Branch


A view North towards Halifax

Halifax station and goods yard


The delightful Queensbury station

And finally the view South from Bradford Exchange which is up a 1:50 incline


One fascinating point about Bradford Exchange was the way the loco's changed ends at the terminus. After all the passengers had disembarked the loco would propel the train up the centre headhunt between the Up and Down lines. It would then uncouple and either pull into another platform or go into the yard to be turned. When the loco had gone the guard would release the brakes, and because the line was on a 1:50 incline the stock would roll back into the platform. No need for station pilots. (I think I'm going to need a brake van that is driveable).

Peter

Hi Peter

This looks to be a fascinating project as I have an interest in this area myself. You look to have a lot of the groundwork done and I look forward to seeing your progress over the next year or two.

Regards

Brian

You Brits just won't be happy until you have a single Map From Scotland to Isle of Wight to Whales..... Still, this project sounds as interesting as all the others, so Good Luck!

Falcus

An ambitious project indeed but good luck with it. I am sure it will be well received.

Bob
Trainz Carriage & Wagon Works UK

Thanks for all the words of encouragement they are most gratefully welcomed.

I know it's going to be a long hard slog so I am going away for two weeks to recharge the batteries. I will post later when I have some developments to show.

Peter

I have found that laying track, curvatures, easements, gradients, concentrating only track (no textures, no trees, no grass, no nothing else besides track) is the best way of doing a route quickly. Applying all the clutter can slow you down.

Hi there Peter,

I look forward to seeing your efforts even though it will take quite some time. I am from Brighouse myself but left many years ago, I have tried (unsuccessfully) to reproduce the area but could never get the DEM figured out, so after a couple of tries I went for the "feel" of the West Riding but never got near to letting other folk even see my efforts. My love of steam trains comes from the days when my father used to take me down to Station Street where I would stand with my feet on the railings waiting for the next old coal train to clank its way to the west, great days... I loved it.

Thank you for stirring up old memories and the best of British mate, you are going to need it to get this project done.

Regards,

Dave