How do you create a canal?

KLR17

New member
My first post and a total newb here.

I want to place a track, river and canal quite close to each other. Despite searching on this forum and on Google, I haven't been able to locate any particularly helpful info.

Is it possible to create a channel with a crisp edge or is it necessary to mask the sloping edges with additional landscape?
 
Welcome to the forums and to Trainz, KLR17.

To get the crisp edges, you need to use wall splines. There are a gazillion of them, not kidding here, on the Download Station and built-in. Look for Retaining walls, and even CanalWall, canal side, canal bank, also spelled as one word and separate.

Here's a bunch of canals splines for starters with some locks and other related buildings too:


<kuid2:36638:38001:1> canalbank2
<kuid2:61109:37001:1> VFUK CanalWall01
<kuid2:36638:38002:1> canalside1
<kuid2:61109:100002:2> VFUK_CanalLock01
<kuid2:46219:37038:1> Canal Spline 01
<kuid2:36638:38003:1> canalside2
<kuid2:36638:38004:1> canalside3
<kuid2:36638:38000:1> canalbank1
<kuid2:36638:27007:1> canalsteps2

<kuid2:217096:500124:1> old stone canal cottages 1

<kuid:149987:137044> FMA2 canal wall f L30
<kuid:149987:137043> FMA2 canal wall L30
<kuid:149987:137045> FMA2 canal wall L80

<kuid2:60238:38231:1> Canal Wall 2
<kuid2:60238:60017:1> Small Canal Lock 3



<kuid:36638:26011> canalbridge2
<kuid:36638:10027> canal locks
<kuid:61109:100003> VFUK CanalEnd01
<kuid:36638:27012> canalgate2
<kuid:36638:27017> canalgate3
<kuid2:60238:38230:2> Canal Wall 1
<kuid:36638:27006> canalsteps
<kuid:36638:26007> canalbridge
 
These Route's may help you a bit? :D

<kuid:75377:100262> Canals Route
<kuid:75377:100263> Canals Session for Route

A sample canal set up. Ive used all types of locks and wheel lift to show the capabilities of running a canal. Any missing assets will be animated people from http://www.neoklai.org/load/8 they are not required for the route to work.


<kuid:117948:100273> Middleton with canal
<kuid2:117948:100274:1> Middleton with canal - Session

This three board layout was designed to run on low end PCs. The layout is identical to the Middleton for Laptops layout with the addition of a canal and narrow boats.
The loco, rolling stock and narrow boats were specifically designed by John Whelan to have low impact as were the scenery objects. Visible loads of coal, stone, sand, cattle, sheep and passengers can be conveyed from one station or loading dock to another. Portals on the railway and canal extend the flexibility.
 
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These Route's may help you a bit? :D

<kuid:75377:100262> Canals Route
<kuid:75377:100263> Canals Session for Route

A sample canal set up. Ive used all types of locks and wheel lift to show the capabilities of running a canal. Any missing assets will be animated people from http://www.neoklai.org/load/8 they are not required for the route to work.


<kuid:117948:100273> Middleton with canal
<kuid2:117948:100274:1> Middleton with canal - Session

This three board layout was designed to run on low end PCs. The layout is identical to the Middleton for Laptops layout with the addition of a canal and narrow boats.
The loco, rolling stock and narrow boats were specifically designed by John Whelan to have low impact as were the scenery objects. Visible loads of coal, stone, sand, cattle, sheep and passengers can be conveyed from one station or loading dock to another. Portals on the railway and canal extend the flexibility.


I may have created the rolling stock and the canal barges with the help of many others including Vulcan but my track laying skills and canal digging skills are very much none existent. Chris Nawlins is the track laying and canal digging specialist.

Cheerio John
 
hope this helps! <3

My first post and a total newb here.

I want to place a track, river and canal quite close to each other. Despite searching on this forum and on Google, I haven't been able to locate any particularly helpful info.

Is it possible to create a channel with a crisp edge or is it necessary to mask the sloping edges with additional landscape?

I would suggest making a small dip in an area where you can put water for the canal, then use the copy paste tool to make the straighest edges for the canal, so it looks man-made
then, i would use a canal spline. i can't think of any right now, but if you look for "canal" on the DLS i'm sure it could work!
 
Thanks for all of your input guys. I'll work through all these suggestions. Bit late in replying because I must need to turn on notifications.

I guess I can deconstruct some of these layouts to see how the canals were created.

I must be a bigger plank than I thought, as I'm finding absolutely nothing intuitive about Trainz!

Started off building a terrain in TransDEM, but couldn't work with the result, so tracing some OS map tiles and manually adjusting the ground levels to the contour lines then blending based on my knowledge of the area.

Are there any decent single decker trams that you could suggest? What does one do for 3' 6" gauge track?

So many questions! I've sat through hours of tutorials and each time I start to work on the layout, I'm stumped within a couple of minutes.
 
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