NS Pittsburgh Line: East (WIP, large images)

Kay9

Bump on a log
Skip the next paragraph if you don't care to read some backstory.

I know I'm not a frequent poster on the forums, but lately I've been itching to make some kind of contribution. A few years ago, I started a WIP thread on Norfolk Southern's Buffalo Line, my hometown route that I had been working on on-and-off at the time. Unfortunately, my desktop had an unexpected and irreparable hard drive failure last year that cost me everything, including the base DEM for the route. Disheartened, I stopped playing Trainz. Recently, however, because my desktop had been going on 6 years old (and low-end to begin with), I experimented with running TANE on my laptop. I found that on the lowest settings it runs comparable if not slightly better than Trainz 12 on the desktop, and because of this, I desperately wanted to get back into route building. I found that a DEM of Altoona to Harrisburg exists on the DLS, and, since there is evidence that Jointed Rail may be releasing the Horseshoe Curve in the near future, I thought it appropriate to continue the Pittsburgh Line east. I am worried about framerates, so I'm splitting the route at Lewistown, which is about the midway point between Harrisburg and Altoona. The segment I've started working on is from Harrisburg to Lewistown, as its closest to home.

I decided to go with an autumn theme. I've always felt there's been a lack of autumn routes and since its also my favorite season, why not. I don't have much completed as of now, but I wanted to share anyway.
Scenery, quality of screenshots, and frequency of updates may be a limited until I can save up enough for a new computer and have the time (being a college student is fun :eek:).

Rockville Bridge
4e120d1e62e7c0a8e93c3a7edd761d4b.jpg


Marysville
2dcc379d3dd345944e4779713387b5bf.jpg


a1a77b8e0d0a4532187c4dfabbb64d6a.jpg
 
I am modelling around 2013 to 2015. I wanted to do the line before PTC was installed and the Pennsy signal replacement was in full swing, not to mention and all of the information I have on Harrisburg's intermodal yard is from after it was renovated in 2012-13.
 
Good to see you back with us.......

:wave: Nice looking route, and Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year, because when the weather is cooling from a hot summer to Cool or Chilly weather, mother nature does this translation of Tree Leaves into amazing colors, just like yours look on the Route.

:( Sorry to hear about the CPU Crash, been thru that before, no one really understands till it happens to them and they lose valuable un-replacable work or pictures.

Glad to see you back, and your Route looks very promising.

:cool: Thanks for sharing your progress and keep those pictures coming when you have a chance!
 
West end of Harrisburg intermodal terminal
708cbe00d98834582c96955e96a64fe6.jpg


My attempt at kitbashing the Harrisburg fuel depot
665c43cbac06c5ebbc601cdf1c18bddd.jpg
 
Interlocking at CP Banks. The signals on tracks 2 and D are oddballs; the lower heads are round, which is a rarity across the PRR system. There's another like these facing southbound on the gantry visible at the top of this screenshot. I used rrsignal's N&W signals as placeholders until I can make my own, since the aspects are incorrect for these particular signals.
cb6d364406e26d2779294ce7571bce25.jpg
 
I haven't had much time to work lately because of classes, but I have managed to make some decent progress in Harrisburg. So much to do...
Also, I've switched to JR's light grey track. There isn't as much variety as the NS tracks, but the ballast is much closer to what we have around here.

bed2b480e5252bd3c88e6b92c34a682c.jpg


Although my content creation skills are limited, I want to eventually attempt to create the passenger terminal in Harrisburg (and some PRR catenaries to boot, this scene looks really barren without them). If anyone knows of blueprints or some kind of basic construction diagrams that are publicly available of the structure, I'd love to hear about them (PRR historical society maybe?).

33d9b6a649783c9d2d3a5956762c86d3.jpg
 
This is very, very, very early in the process, but I found a whole slew of scanned diagrams from the Library of Congress. Should be smooth sailing from here.

48aa3e9b6d113de8f48630fdc7f3c83e.png
 
Quick update:

Not much visual progress lately. I've mainly been correcting grades, naming junctions, testing signals, and swapping ground textures in areas I already have complete.


Testing Trainz Gallery since hostthenpost is gone.

Test.jpg
 
It's nice to see you recreating part of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Middle Division as it is today. Sure, it's not as busy as it was during the zenith of the Pennsylvania Railroad years (during the Second World War), doesn't mean it's quiet. It's still a major link in moving traffic even with three (or two) tracks in some spots (Thank you Conrail. :p) Looking forward to seeing you make this vital stretch of the ex-Pennsylvania Railroad shine in virtual form.
 
Another quick update:

No, this project is not dead, not even close. With the semester soon coming to a close, I should be able to start working on the route more diligently. Also, I finally bit the bullet and bought a new computer now that GPU prices are at more reasonable levels. With a 1070 ti on board, expect a massive leap in graphical fidelity in the coming weeks!

My-Trainz-Screenshot-Image.jpg

My-Trainz-Screenshot-Image.jpg
 
Back
Top