Northlandz route

john2002

Active member
I'm starting to work on a Northlandz map and I have some questions:
Should I do the map in multiple routes or 1 continuous route? Given the design of the layouts having several going over each other and the limits of Trainz's terrain features (no underground civilizations or such) (and the hardware intensity that big routes have), it's probably not surprising I would choose the former (and even if I chose 1 continuous route, I probably would improvise with long stretches of track leading to certain areas so I don't have to worry about such problems)
Should I add stuff the real Northlandz wouldn't have like portals or invisible crossovers in certain areas?
Should I not have the "Model Railroadz" design? (given the place's design of not being like a model railroad club, it's not surprising)
Should I have the bridge supports simply floating in the air? (given that there's not enough really tall bridge assets in Trainz)
Should I give the route(s) a traffic region? (given that they're probably not going to have the Model Railroadz design)
Should I use multiple building assets to stand in for buildings like many of the hillside buildings and factories, the tall hotel in the mountains, etc.?
 
As I wasn’t able to find any routes of your hand on the DLS (not counting a “test your traffic region” route), I suggest starting with a small project first, before going for what apparently is the largest model railroad. Many too large projects have never been completed because they turned out to be too large.

But to answer a few questions:
1 route.
You can do underground stuff; It will require custom made objects. See the “shadow station” in my “M120 two valley” route for a simple example.
It should be the design you like, unless your aim is to replicate something in which case you should go with “whatever you are replicating”.
 
You may have to try different bridges depending on what look you want, but some bridges, trestles and viaducts can get quite tall depending upon what kind of chasm you are trying to cross. This bridge for example: <kuid:523:19721136> Bridge Plate Girder goes through a couple of changes in base the deeper it gets. From gray to yellowish to brown, but it seems to keep stretching. I have seen some trestles that do the same thing, and get taller than would seem safe for a trestle in real life!
 
so I should put samples of all the stuff I want to put in the route on a baseboard so I can remember later?
 
No, you should pick a much smaller project first to get a feel for it to get a feel for it.

That smaller project might just a clearly defined (small) section of the route you like to eventually rebuild or it might be something totally different. Anything at all that will learn you how to build (a small piece of) something like this and gives you a feeling for how a ridiculous amount of work this huge project will be.

Again: with no record of earlier finishing any route at all the chances of you (or anyone else with a similar track record) ever finishing a large project like that are next to none. It would be a waste of your (or anyone's) time.
And trust me, I know.
 
this route if I ever release it may require dependencies that are on JointedRail exclusively (most of JointedRail's freeware is on the DLS), SoCalTrains (dependencies for the SOCAL SUBDIVISION route), The Backshops, TrainzForge.weebly.com, and ReggiesTrainz, plus I may make some custom content for it (mainly reskinned trailers, containers, road vehicles, and maybe buildings, although I may do custom models as well once I get a hang of blender (i'm having trouble getting the exporter plugin working as I have installed both yet i'm getting no "Trainz Mesh and Animation" in the export selection. What did I do wrong?))
 
WIP-Northlandz.jpg

I felt like using a custom traffic region featuring hiawathamr's TRS2004 era road vehicles (they look very HO scale like anyways) since having static road vehicles may be limiting. Some vehicles are on angled roads and some vehicle models aren't tiltable

We don't have enough road vehicles that look like old HO scale vehicles. Anyone have a good selection of them?
 
speaking of reskins i'm officially moving to my silver computer for reskin work (some additional work that can only be done in photoshop such as 3d text will be done on my other computer though). Never am taking 1 month to make a reskin again (it was a LNE 40ft boxcar in blue and white)
 
i've been having trouble deciding what track to use for the route.
i've went through JR MS Lt Grey, JR Lt Grey, TANE 1Trk Wood, and now the shiny rails SAP Protrack
 
It is a tough decision! I think the best way is to lay out some track surrounded by the kinds of ballast and textures you are planning to use and see how it looks. Even using CM preview or laying it out on a plain grid doesn't give you the best idea of how it will look in use...
 
I might freelance some areas since there's not enough reference to the whole Northlandz layout on the internet
And when populating the route with trains, I feel like I should use not only what I normally would use (a mix of locomotives and rolling stock from the 1920's to the present day), but I should also use more crude unprototypical rolling stock from the DLS (including paintshed skins) as long as they aren't too crude-looking
you know, in the style of old model railroad manufacturers.
does anyone have the whole track plan of Northlandz?
 
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From what I have read: Northlandz has 100 very small separate circular continuous run tracks, with 8 miles of track, and 400 tunnels, with hundreds of hugely overly-steep, near vertical, towering mountains.

The Gorre & Daphetid route of John Allen was equally fantastic.

I have looked for a trackplan, with no success.

I have nightly dreams of a twisting, towering mountainous route, starting at -3000' elevation, progressing up to +3000' elevation, with thousands of tunnels, with hundreds of trains, each on their own separate tracks, going in their own tunnel, and do not necessarily exit a nearby tunnel. Where two head on collisions seem impending, as opposing trains appear to be on a tunnel head on collision course, but the tracks never even come into contact with each other.
 
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i've been having trouble deciding what 100 cars to use in the custom 1950's-1990's traffic region for this route (that includes traffic-converted scenery vehicles)
you can also include truck-trailer combos (thus including more than 1 asset for those)
 
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From what I have read: Northlandz has 100 very small separate circular continuous run tracks, with 8 miles of track, and 400 tunnels, with hundreds of hugely overly-steep, near vertical, towering mountains.

The Gorre & Daphetid route of John Allen was equally fantastic.

I have looked for a trackplan, with no success.

I have nightly dreams of a twisting, towering mountainous route, starting at -3000' elevation, progressing up to +3000' elevation, with thousands of tunnels, with hundreds of trains, each on their own separate tracks, going in their own tunnel, and do not necessarily exit a nearby tunnel. Where two head on collisions seem impending, as opposing trains appear to be on a tunnel head on collision course, but the tracks never even come into contact with each other.
i've looked at videos on YouTube and am trying to figure out which track belongs to a continuous loop from a specific train that travels on it
 
As far as I know Northlandz has over 100, separate, continuous run loops of track, and none ever come into contact with any other track.
 
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