Looking for US standard track

Good looking US track suitable for TS 12 seems to be at a premium on the DLS.
I've tried gfishers 132# track...........great looking and perfect ballast match, but way too memory heavy; over 8 Mb
I've tried various SAM track............good looking, but bolted fish plates are not prototypical US spiked fish plates; good file size.....about 1 Mb
I've tried TSM track...............absolutely a great looking track, especially the added rail joiners and track gaps........but it's Russian width negates its use.
I need a standard gage track with gray ballast, spiked fish plates and a reasonable file size, perhaps 2.5 Mb or less; and LOD,
Anyone out there have any suggestions.............?

I'll be watching this tread with great interest!

Dave

McGuirrel has a range of US tracks under "Ultratrack" if you search on the DLS.

steamboateng said:

Good looking US track suitable for TS 12 seems to be at a premium on the DLS. I need a standard gage track with gray ballast, spiked fish plates and a reasonable file size, perhaps 2.5 Mb or less; and LOD, Anyone out there have any suggestions.............?

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Try searching the DLS under the category of "Track" under the username of "MSGSapper" and you should find several good quality U.S. standard tracks. Example: SAP Lightly Rusted Track Wood SG

Try "Via Madera Creosotada" by: avez kuid:185037:101016

I still stick with good old Philskene's and Josefpav's: MP Track Woodv2, MP Rusty, MP Transition, MP Tunneltrack Dark, as they are chunky mesh, very low poly, and curve fabulously in turnouts.

For 36" gauge I find the Via estrecha tm 1000 mm 2 mts by: Joxemai kuid:148561:38004 is just a few mm off, and you can't even tell the difference.

I tried Greenery, RTS Tracks, and thousands of others ... super detailed, super high poly, and 99% of tracks kink horribly in turnouts.

You can re-skin track if the ballast or ties are not your desired color tint.

Unless you're using a very slow computer, with everything in high resolution these days you want to stay away from chunky mesh tracks (aka MP Wood) because their primitive mesh shapes are really starting to look ancient by today's standards. RTS/SAM series are fine but they're mostly eastern-European style bolts or pandrol clips instead of US-type spikes. Some of TSM's stuff are unbelievably realistic but are all slightly wider than standard gauge. Some folks can tolerate that, others (like you and I) can't.

http://jointedrail.com/index.php/freeware/trackside-items/high-detail-track.html
http://uslw.net/downloads.php?action=cat&cat_id=4

Also, the built-in JR tracks (look in the Mojave route) are a great general-purpose track. It's beginning to age a little now but with a little reskinning it can be pretty fantastic too.

nicky9499 said:

Unless you're using a very slow computer, with everything in high resolution these days you want to stay away from chunky mesh tracks (aka MP Wood) because their primitive mesh shapes are really starting to look ancient by today's standards. RTS/SAM series are fine but they're mostly eastern-European style bolts or pandrol clips instead of US-type spikes. Some of TSM's stuff are unbelievably realistic but are all slightly wider than standard gauge. Some folks can tolerate that, others (like you and I) can't.

http://jointedrail.com/index.php/freeware/trackside-items/high-detail-track.html
http://uslw.net/downloads.php?action=cat&cat_id=4

Also, the built-in JR tracks (look in the Mojave route) are a great general-purpose track. It's beginning to age a little now but with a little reskinning it can be pretty fantastic too.

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We've been through these already and for the same reasons you mentioned. The JR track is okay, but is more Midwestern and Southern than Northeast and New England. Reskinning their track is difficult too, or at least for me it is. Their newer ST track is a bit over the top on the polygons though and does drag.

The track on USLW is okay, albeit, a bit old now too with GFisher track being nice looking, right color, etc., but the LOD is wrong and doesn't load up properly.

The other tracks, I agree, that are mentioned by Cascaderailroad are bit old now with the Via Madera being a v. 1.3 asset. The Via Madera Creosotada is nice looking, however, but it floats about 3 meters off the terrain since there's nothing under it, which is typical of the splines from that period. It's as bad as the roads from that period in this respect, and the floating will be a problem with the DEM-based route.

The SAP track is okay, but the ballast is too dark. I've used the rusty track myself for sidings that I bury with grass and debris, but the ballast is wrong for the mainline.


Oh we can be picky sometimes, but once this is done it's done and the rest of the fun begins. It's almost like being "Goldie Lox and the Three Bears"! We'll find something eventually that's "just right".


John

I tried reskins of both wood and conc versions of the JR track for my route and it wasn't too difficult, I don't mind uploading my psd's (with JR's permission) for you guys' reference. The concrete is a little bit trickier because there's a version where the ballast spills over onto the sleeper.

Textures aside, I still think the JR mesh is as quintessentially American as it gets, all while being gentle on the framerate and easy to line up at turnouts. With some alpha trickery you can even have a sleepers-only version.

nicky9499 said:

I tried reskins of both wood and conc versions of the JR track for my route and it wasn't too difficult, I don't mind uploading my psd's (with JR's permission) for you guys' reference. The concrete is a little bit trickier because there's a version where the ballast spills over onto the sleeper.

Textures aside, I still think the JR mesh is as quintessentially American as it gets, all while being gentle on the framerate and easy to line up at turnouts. With some alpha trickery you can even have a sleepers-only version.

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Thanks Nicky. I'll let Mike make the call on the track from here and whether he wants to use it.

I agree the JR track is the most "American".

When I tried reskinning the track, mine turned green.

John

Yeah........! I'm pretty frustrated with the limited options out there. I went through everything you guys referenced so far, and JR MB lt gray comes closest to my very picky requirements. Even that is 'iffy'! LOD is absolute requirement, so all the older track won't cut it, nice as some of them are. Thanks to all, so far, for your assistance and recommendations. John will testify how picky I can be about track (trees, buildings, rolling stock,........etc.).:wave:
Nicky, if you can get permission from JR, I'd like to see your reskin in a CDP.
Getting to the point where I may end up doing my own track. I know............:hehe:
But I've got to learn the new spline stuff anyway for track catenary, so this may be as good a time as any to get into it........
I'm still open for suggestions....................

Yup. Mike can be pretty picky when it comes to stuff like this.

In the end we might end up with a YATS! or Yet Another Track System!

John

Just like the real railroads here in the US, we gotta upgrade and modernize! Tane ain't gonna like that older content.:'(

The author "jmann" (author kuid #77174) has some excellent US-style track on the DLS. His most recent stuff is his "Track II" series, which are immaculate assets. He has bridge track with checkrails, welded rail, and jointed rail. All of those come either with or without snow, and the welded and jointed rail track also comes with or without rust. The entire series is a must-have and I highly recommend it.

The only downside to his track is that it comes with one color of ballast; gray. To negate that downside, however, is the fact that jmann includes this license: "Free to the Trainz community. Use or modify as you see fit." I have reskinned one version of his track to a red color which can be found on the DLS as <kuid:653172:100048> and with matching ground texture <kuid:653172:100070>.

My suggestion is that track designers start all over again, and create new tracks for T:ANE (as well as making these same assets also work in 09,10, 12). Again when T:ANE comes out there will be a slew of asset designers that go full force right into that higher trainzbuild, with no regard whatsoever that any of these new assets will also work in 09, 10, 12 ... Backwards compatibility to lower trainzbuilds should be adhered to.

Track should be low poly, so that framerates are not hindered.

Track should be weathered and dirty, with occasional ballast on the ties, instead of immaculate, milled, waxed & polished new ties.

The repeat rate should be @ 2m, so that you don't get 12m straight segment kinks in turnouts.

Ties should be occasionally cracked and splintered, with weathering, somewhat haphazardly laid on slight angles L & R, but not so much that the ties are sticking out 1 foot in either direction, making it look like really slipshod MOW crew, slapped down track with little care in the world.

GN1996 said:

The author "jmann" (author kuid #77174) has some excellent US-style track on the DLS. His most recent stuff is his "Track II" series, which are immaculate assets. He has bridge track with checkrails, welded rail, and jointed rail. All of those come either with or without snow, and the welded and jointed rail track also comes with or without rust. The entire series is a must-have and I highly recommend it.

The only downside to his track is that it comes with one color of ballast; gray. To negate that downside, however, is the fact that jmann includes this license: "Free to the Trainz community. Use or modify as you see fit." I have reskinned one version of his track to a red color which can be found on the DLS as <kuid:653172:100048> and with matching ground texture <kuid:653172:100070>.

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Hey. Thanks. I'll take a look at it.

John

Good Morning Cascaderailroad, and all
Seeing as this thread has been pulled a bit toward creation, here's a few things regarding modern standard track splines.

The new spline system introduced in TS2009 is actually quite powerful. A few of us are now creating splines that will change their repeat length depending on the curve radius and spline length (distance between spline points). With a good LOD, they can be very good on performance, even when the closest lod is very high poly. So low poly tracks are not necessary anymore (although the splines should still be designed to be efficient, you can have a lot of detail in them without having a big impact on performance).

We certainly don't recommend that the 'default' mesh be 2m, as this will kill performance. Instead we recommend that you have a longer mesh that has it's mesh 'sliced' along it's length to allow it to curve nicely, and then have a shorter mesh in the track lod tree that caters for extremely sharp curves, or short spline lengths. My VR 80lb track set that I recently uploaded to the DLS (sorry, broad gauge only at the moment) uses 3 lengths within the one spline, so far I've not managed to have any visible 'kinks' in the track (even with curves that are actually too tight for prototype trains to get through!). Granted, it is a fairly complex setup (both mesh, and config), but it does work very well. Plus you can then use prototype track lengths and sleeper spacing And yes, it's not overly weathered/etc, however IMO it does somewhat capture the look of a well maintained stretch of track prior to the 1940s in Victoria

Trainz also supports 'random' meshes being put in along a spline, which made be able to represent variations in sleepers, ballast, etc.

As to tracks for TANE, we've already stated a few times that TANE will require new tracks to take advantage of the procedural track features. These tracks will not be 'backwards compatible' with earlier versions, although I'm sure a creator could make similar (or identical) looking tracks for it. It will be the creator's choice as to which versions they create tracks for. If they wish to upload to the DLS, they'll either be able to upload for TS12 or T:ANE. Or both if they wanted to do the work to make the tracks to both 'standards'.

Regards

steamboateng said:

Nicky, if you can get permission from JR, I'd like to see your reskin in a CDP.

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The reskinned tracks were granted release permission and can be found in the dependency pack at www.ccrx.us. However psd's (or other non-trainz files) are not allowed in the CDP so I'll have to send that to you. Hit me up on Skype or email using the icons below my username.

Cheerio,
Nicholas

Personally I'm currently using #132 JR Track (They've made a few different sets of track) and have been very happy with it to date. I've been using the JR Concrete sleepers off Mojave, and I HATE the Purple Ballast Texture, but I found by putting a certain Hue of Grey Ballast Texture beneath you can actually visually "Drain" the Purple out of it. I have yet to find a decent substitute for Concrete Sleepers.

Though I need to look into GN1996's recommendation.

I too am curious to see if anyone else can provide any new resources for good American track.

Falcus

GN1996, I have downloaded and checked out the track you reference. It's a good track, but way to dark, I think. With a lighter gray ballast, however, it looks as if it would resemble newly laid creosoted ties. Thanks for the lead. I'll look into reskining it.
Zec, thanks for the heads up on new track designs for T:ane. If I do a new track for TS12 I certainly have no qualms on upgrading it for T:ane as I will have all the info here. I will certainly look into your new track.
Presently I'm looking at TSM track WWL SK 1; KUID2:593815:100643:3, which is a track built to Russian standards, as a model. It has two spline lengths, 5 meter and 25 meter, in both high and low poly versions. Of course my track would be built to a standard US cross section. I already have the data for the prototype ballast/track profile. Right now I'm thinking 6 meter and 12 meter sections, and possibly a 24 meter section to match US standard 40 foot jointed track sections. But putting it all together in the config.text will be a challenge.
If I do decide to make new track, I'll certainly be calling out to you guys for help!
Thanks again all for your suggestions.
Please continue.

mike

I will second what gn1996 said, I have been using jmann' s track II, it is great for a north eastern USA route. I don't like the JR track since it looks pink to me and pink looks good on girls not track and it is high polly and not good for yards with many parallel tracks.