Constructing the Kab Fourword Railroad - a pictorial chronicle

For those interested in Trainz model railroads and those who may have ambitions to create their own model layout, I thought I should do a pictorial chronicle of the construction of the Kab Fourword Railroad. Several of the screen shotz and videos have been shown in other threads. This brings them all together.

The design brief:
This is the first cut at track laying:

Map view:



Three views:







The first challenge -- setting the grades to give clearances when one track passes over another. Maximum gradient is 2.5%



The above is very difficult to interpret. However, replacing the track with trestles allows a much better visualisation of the layout. It's also possible to trace the dumb bell shaped loop on the upper level:







(CONTINUES)

(CONTINUED)

Hmm. At this juncture I thought I should see if track can actually be placed to give the impression that it is on a rocky ledge. Trust me, I soon discovered that I was in unknown territory here. This is a mock up of the best design that I could come up with using assets that were either built-in or on the Download Station:





And a short video:


This gave me sufficient confidence to go ahead with the layout, starting with some track laying at the small town of Fourword which has a classification yard, locomotive facilities, workshop, ferry barge, ... :



And to do the sections where the track runs on rocky ledges:







(CONTINUES)

(CONTINUED)

Now, at this stage I honestly thought that I might be being too ambitious and should just bin the whole project. But after much indecision and anguish I went ahead with the terra-forming:








And another video of a quick lap around the layout:


Now for the texturing. This is the undercoat. HP-gras22 for the hills and mountains, LRW Track Brown Ballast for the level sections and below the water (all orientated N and at the maximum settings)





The track plan also evolved to become this:



(CONTINUES)

(CONTINUED)

Yes, the texture looks very uniform. More texturing, all orientated N and at the maximum setting:
One final change - the track. I had used the LRW brown ballast track. It looks good and seems frame rate friendly. But I found that the LOD (Level Of Detail) cut-offs were just a little too aggressive meaning that at longer distances the track just disappeared. I replaced it with the built-in N3V T:ANE track.

And of course, the floor, the fascia and the brick walls give that model railroad appearance.

Fourword. From foreground to background:


The opposite view:



The "right" section:



The "left" section:



The "central" section - the Kab Plateau with logging camp and the spiral down to the coal unloader:



The coal unloader:



(CONTINUES)

(CONTINUED)

Kohl Mine and the Dry Sort Yard:



Dry Sort Yard and Saw Mill:



And, finally, a quick lap around the layout:


I hesitate to use the word "finished". It's been said that Trainz routes and layouts are never ever finished. It's just that the author eventually gives up.

Phil

Looks good, night and day diifernce from your first pics to your last pics.

... superb ...
grtz
daveric

Great stuff Phil. You never cease to amaze me with your route-building.

Well done mate,
Roy