Bear Creek & South Jackson - progress reports - Building a Mountain Railroad (1080p)

I can't claim much credit for the winter shots. Other than futzing around with the climate control (and I sure hope the climate control is accessible in driver in the new combined driver & surveyor version of Trainz - having to switch back and forth is a royal pita - especially with a big route that takes significant time to save and load) to figure out how to make snow appear the snow effects were an accident. I gave zero thought to winter scenery when I was constructing the route. Indeed, I needed to be careful where I took the winter shots because a few of the green textures I used weren't seasonal and looked very out of place surrounded by white.

I suppose I should go though and retexture those green places. If there was a way to instantly shift between summer and winter that would be much simpler. When did N3V say the multi-function version was going to appear?

grayish: I'll try checking out those trees you mentioned although I have a bunch of st_rmm_elka_ trees and I don't recall them getting white coats...

I didn't check, but now I'm wondering if the CPU/GPU temps dropped 10 degrees while doing all the winter scenes...

H. Fithers

Ummm... I just went back and looked at some of the shots that I know use the st_rmm_elka_xxx trees and I saw no snow covering on them.

Winter shots 1 thru 9 are festooned with them.

FWIW

H.Fithers

horacefithers said:

Ummm... I just went back and looked at some of the shots that I know use the st_rmm_elka_xxx trees and I saw no snow covering on them.

Winter shots 1 thru 9 are festooned with them.

FWIW

H.Fithers

Click to expand...

There are only 2 or 3 out of 80 odd trees that are seasonal - I seem to pick them all the time when I don't want seasonal.
cheers
Graeme

Just a quick note, obviously this looks great. I know most of those trees don't appear to be seasonal, and I'd prefer it that way myself. I find those that are, you end up with a white screen that makes it hard to see any detail, even the track. Too much white makes me stay away from those types of tracks or sessions, just my opinion obviously. To me they look great as is.

Once in a Lifetime

While I was planting mileposts I realized that one more mile will make 100 on the BC&SJ. Probably 15 to 20 more after that for complete mainline. Some of it still needs scenery completion yet though. Milepost 97 is visible in photo 15 of the winter screenshots above.

When I walk in the layout room (HO scale layout) I often wonder "Well, how did I get here?" (to paraphrase the Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime"). Now I get that feeling when I walk into my computer... er, open the BC&SJ in Trainz...

H.Fithers

Stopping for water at Oyster Bay...

The track committee watches at Oyster Bay while the Garibaldi Turn makes a water stop before heading back to East Breton yard.

How many different ways are there to shoot the same scene?


(1)




(2)




(3)




(4)




(5)




(6)




Brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department of the Bear Creek & South Jackson Railroad.

H. Fithers

Haha, very nicely done. Each shot shows a different angle and a different perspective on the details in the shot. I enjoyed them all!

horacefithers said:

While I was planting mileposts I realized that one more mile will make 100 on the BC&SJ. Probably 15 to 20 more after that for complete mainline. Some of it still needs scenery completion yet though. Milepost 97 is visible in photo 15 of the winter screenshots above.

When I walk in the layout room (HO scale layout) I often wonder "Well, how did I get here?" (to paraphrase the Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime"). Now I get that feeling when I walk into my computer... er, open the BC&SJ in Trainz...

H.Fithers

Click to expand...

You must have worked like a Trojan to create that length so quickly and to the level of quality you have achieved. Its just a tad bigger than you can get with a "real " model railroad.Compared to what I've been working practically non stop for the past 2.5 years on my 80 mile route i still have at least a years work to go, although as its prototypical and no longer intact there's been a lot of research involved and drawing up plans for model makers to create all the buildings and bridges etc , making sure the dem is the right height and all the grades are right.. there's a lot more freedom to move with a freelance route , its a wise move and probably a lot more fun to create..

If I was building a prototype route, I'd still be trying to learn how to use Blender to model all the stinking' buildings and bridges. Using off the shelf stuff makes route construction much easier if a tad less unique than a full prototype one.

Being retired helps a lot on getting the time.

HF

horacefithers said:

If I was building a prototype route, I'd still be trying to learn how to use Blender to model all the stinking' buildings and bridges. Using off the shelf stuff makes route construction much easier if a tad less unique than a full prototype one.

Being retired helps a lot on getting the time.

HF

Click to expand...

It would take sooo long to build the models as well as the routes, I did build a couple of simple items for the Cumbres and Toltec but realized i would never ever finish the route if i did it all myself, then, as i didn't want to do an existing route, i did the one i'm working on now, I was lucky the late ben Dorsey was free to build me a heap of bridges and buildings and now Paul who worked on the winter Rollins Pass is helping out. Retirement does help, I'm in the same boat, but i have high blood pressure so have to go a couple of long walks a day to keep my weight and BP down which limits time to dedicate to the hobby. My biggest issue re dedicating time is i have a shoulder issue , all that repetition with the right hand on the mouse does not do it much good.
Even tho you've used off the shelf stuff you have done an amazing job in that short time frame. its looking lovely. I miss the freedom of a freelance route, a well planned route such as yours is equally as good ( and possibly has more variety than ) many prototypical ones which often have stretches where nothing much changes over 20 or 30 miles .

wow i am amazed at the quality, detail and imagination you are showing on this route. This is how good sim scenery is made....you are one of the best i have seen yet in any format. thanks so much for sharing your process. wow.

Chris

Thanks crisger, but I think I'm blushin'.....

HF

you can call me Chris and ya you earned it... both large scale choices and the detail and how to use it..you got the touch.

keep going

Chris

New hi-res map of the BC&SJ...

I've uploaded a hi-res version of the BC&SJ route plan (10594x4930 pixels). People who care can download the full resolution route map.

This version is 1920 x 1080 but the lettering will be pretty fuzzy...



The route is coming together. More pix soon...

H.Fithers

This is awesome!!

Now if a Siskiyou Line route shows up, my Trainz heaven will be complete!

The Roller Coaster ...

In the region between tunnel 7 and tunnel 8 (west of Deschutes Junction) the track passes through and area of relatively mild but closely spaced hills and ridges. Because the elevation changes are small in height and duration the engineering department didn't fully excavate the cuts and elevate the fills to make the line level. The crews call this track "the rollercoaster".

This is well east of the mountains and the resulting rain shadow has turned it into a high desert area. No lush forests of Douglas fir trees here!

The company photog grabbed a bunch of shots of this newly finished area.

(1) A long eastward freight led by an SP 4-10-2 and 4-8-2 approaches tunnel 8.




(2) Looking east toward tunnel 8.




(3) Lots of vertical track arc here.




(4) Crossing Lass canyon heading west.




(5) Lass Canyon is the deepest ground furrow in this area.




(6) Looking east back toward Lass Canyon (and tunnel 8 way in the distance)




(7) In '52 gravel was the norm for road surfacing in these sparsely populated areas.




(8) This area alternates between huge farm tracts and virgin scrub and rocks.




(9) The low hills (they're not THAT low, just far away) demarcate the roller coaster area




(10) Heading west with double headed 4-10-2 SP-2 locos up front smokin' it up. These engines have 3 cylinders (vs the standard 2) which gives them a distinctive sound.



Standby for part 2 of "the rollercoaster"

H.Fithers

The Roller Coaster (part 2)

continuing from where we left off...


(11) Long train, short hills...




(12) I thought a dry wash was appropriate for the area and whadya know? This one sort of popped into existence.




(13) Another view of the wash. I don't think it would be advisable to be down there if it starts to rain hard...




(14) Yes, the track is still acting like a roller coaster...




(15) Ditto




(16) Cresting one of many local (sub) hills in a cut.




(17) Grade crossing out here in this area of high visibility and low population and traffic make due with simple crossbucks.




(18) Standing back a bit further from the grade crossing




(19) Passing a farm.




(20) Heading west within 1/4 mile of tunnel 7.




Thanks for lookin'!

H.Fithers

In the vicinity of Sherman Butte...

Sherman Butte is a tiny town next to lower Bear Creek.
This area is in the rain shadow of the mountains and thus is not particularly wet.

Here are some shots of the area, in town and environs.

(1) Running east toward tunnel 7.




(2) Same bridge but heading west.




(3) A teensy bit further west of that bridge




(4) Tracks and road crossing the same gully




(5) The second of the two multi-span Warren truss bridges in the area.




(6) Same bridge, different angle




(7) Coming off that bridge heading west toward tunnel 6.




(8) Emerging from tunnel 6




(9) Tunnel 6 in the distance



More on the way in part 2...

H.Fithers

Sherman Butte (part 2)

Continuing from my previous post...


(11) Almost to Sherman Butte following lower Roberts Creek.




(12) "That's quite a mound." "No, it's a butte." "And right pretty, too..." (adapted from The Firesign Theater's Temporarily Humboldt County Skit)




(13) I think that butte needs more work on the texturing .




(14) Coming 'round the bend.




(15) Yes, there is a depot at this station. And a water tank.





(16) With roads like these it's no wonder there's not much traffic out here at Sherman Butte. More trains than vehicles. The tiny town trails tantalizing between the tracks and creek.




(17) Leaving town westward heading upgrade to Roberts Creek (the next siding).




(18) View of the west end of town.




(19) Proximity to water in the creek spurs the vegetation's growth.




(20) One of the benefits of freelancing is the opportunity for creativity. I experimented with some radical erosion in the cliff face here. I'm undecided about whether to keep it or not.



There's still more terraforming to be done in this area. Hope you liked these shots anyway.

Horace Fithers

Well done route , looking fantastic . Really looking to see more of your work . The roller coaster part was interesting and well done . looked to be a challenge to run . LOL I like a good climb .

Matt