Reading & Northern: Phase II shots

Rooneth3808 · Dec 4, 2007

Reading & Northern: Phase II shots (56k warning)

Not content to rest on my laurels, i've been working hard on the second phase of the Reading & Northern since the release of the first.

Some of these shots are old, some are new. All are still works-in-progress to varying degrees.

First the eastern end of the system.

Jim Thorpe (it's the name of a town...there are a lot of weird town names on the R&N...as you'll see

). This town is getting its own custom station, since it's the home of the R&N's regularly scheduled passenger excursions.

The Hometown High Bridge.

Now out on the western part of the system...

Site of the Blaschak Coal Company siding. The actual breaker building is in the background. Haven't added any foliage or details or arranged the buildings properly yet, just thought it was a cool picture.

Coming into Mahanoy City.

The RR bridge in the middle of town that AngelC made today. It was originally a triple track bridge, but now weeds occupy two of the three ROW's (barely visible after the jpg conversion).

Also, check out my Lehigh Gorge screenshot thread for more phase II shots here: http://trainzforums.com/index.php?topic=480.0

nnavel · Dec 4, 2007

Like wow Josh - very impressed by the R&N route! I did have a question though. A long long time ago I was babbling in the old forums about reskinning the bridges on my Reading layout so they would have "READING LINES" in green/gold or black/white like 3 of them do here in Reading. Looks like you've managed to paint the bridge Reading green and add the black diamond on the bridge in Mahanoy City. Ive seen pictures of the real thing and it looks just like your screenshot.

Gee....how'd ya do that?!

LVman · Dec 4, 2007

ehh, takes a long time to explain.
@Josh-- Man, more teasers!! Cant wait to see this one unfold...
As for 'Jim Thorpe' You mean 'Mauch Chunk' Right?..:hehe:
Cheers,
Sean

WCL · Dec 4, 2007

Wow....Very nice....Done tomarrow....LOL j/k

...Keep up the GREAT work

Rooneth3808 · Dec 5, 2007

nnavel said:
Like wow Josh - very impressed by the R&N route! I did have a question though. A long long time ago I was babbling in the old forums about reskinning the bridges on my Reading layout so they would have "READING LINES" in green/gold or black/white like 3 of them do here in Reading. Looks like you've managed to paint the bridge Reading green and add the black diamond on the bridge in Mahanoy City. Ive seen pictures of the real thing and it looks just like your screenshot.

Gee....how'd ya do that?!

A little inside information

then AngelC just makes the object like she does any other, then adds the text. The bridge is not a track object or spline, just a simple regular building.

Now more shots.

Did a lot of general work today, but i threw this together to replicate a real photograph. And of course i had to get the small dragline in which you will see all over this area

.

(real picture: http://forums.railfan.net/Images/RBMN/MCYD.jpg )

Mahanoy City now with the Kaier's Brewery building in...or well the closest representation of it that i have at the moment.

MC looking to the southwest.

~Roon

torino72 · Dec 5, 2007

Very nice work! I was impressed with your Phase I.

nnavel · Dec 5, 2007

OK gotcha - thanks. As I said, routes looking good!

Rooneth3808 · Dec 14, 2007

Thanks to the early snowstorm today, i got a break from final exams and got some more work done. Here's the results:

Just outside of Mahanoy City, approaching the Blaschak Coal south switch.

Rounding the curve and passing some of their anthracite processing (bagging etc) buildings that AngelC made for the project.

Their railcar loading ramp is down towards the north end of the siding.

Looking out over the Mahanoy Valley. There is one thing in this valley, and thats coal. Most the land is either currently being strip-mined, is piles of waste coal and other excavated dirt, or occupied by buidlings (although forests are starting to take over the older piles).

Now, Mahanoy City yard.

Approaching the yard. The track beyond the switch leads to the huge, but abandoned since the 1970's, St. Nicholas breaker (http://undergroundminers.com/mahanoy.html).

Looking over an empty Mahanoy City yard. The yard was originally built to serve the St. Nicholas breaker, but is now used mostly for car storage (which helps account for the almost complete lack of maintenance).

Thats all for now!

~Roon

Fred931 · Dec 14, 2007

Wow, Nice Job!

Awesome! but I have 3 questions: First, when is the release date? 2, Is this available for TRS2006? & 3, final exams?? are you a college student or something?

Michael_Evans · Dec 14, 2007

Your route is looking great! :udrool::mop::udrool:

2nd/3rd pic
red building with dump truck and ramp outside, what is it and where can I get it?

WCL · Dec 14, 2007

Speech Less...Thats all I have to say

nnavel · Dec 14, 2007

More thoughts on the Reading & Northern: this trackage was bought in the 1980s when Conrail sold its "Reading cluster" (several hundred miles of unprofitable tracks in the coal regions that had belonged to the Reading Company). Understand the R&N serves a new brewery built by Yuengling Beer in St Clair. The trains apparently run through part of the old yard, which probably doesnt look like this anymore:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~saintclair/photo3.htm

The northwestern part of the R&N goes from Lehighton to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and I believe it was originally Jersey Central (so its really part of the old Reading system. The R&N has excursions there (the Lehigh Gorge Railroad) with heavyweight coaches painted red for some reason. The other Reading news is that the RCTHS should be moving its GP7 to Hamburg or Temple. And they were apparently donated FP7 #903, which is great. Its in mint condition and can used for excursions unlike #900 which is rotting away in Temple:

http://www.readingrailroad.org/gallery/vignettes1/rdg_gallery_vig1f.html

nnavel · Dec 14, 2007

More thoughts on the Reading & Northern: this trackage was bought in the 1980s when Conrail sold its "Reading cluster" (several hundred miles of unprofitable tracks in the coal regions that had belonged to the Reading Company). Understand the R&N serves a new brewery built by Yuengling Beer in St Clair. The trains apparently run through part of the old yard, which probably doesnt look like this anymore:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~saintclair/photo3.htm

The northwestern part of the R&N goes from Lehighton to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and I believe it was originally Jersey Central (so its really part of the old Reading system). The R&N has excursions there (the Lehigh Gorge Railroad) with heavyweight coaches painted red for some reason. The other Reading news is that the RCTHS should be moving its GP7 to Hamburg or Temple. And they were apparently donated FP7 #903, which is great. Its in mint condition and can used for excursions unlike #900 which is rotting away in Temple:

http://www.readingrailroad.org/gallery/vignettes1/rdg_gallery_vig1f.html

nnavel · Dec 14, 2007

More thoughts on the Reading & Northern: this trackage was bought in the 1980s when Conrail sold its "Reading cluster" (several hundred miles of unprofitable tracks in the coal regions that had belonged to the Reading Company). Understand the R&N serves a new brewery built by Yuengling Beer in St Clair. The trains apparently run through part of the old yard, which probably doesnt look like this anymore:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~saintclair/photo3.htm

The northwestern part of the R&N goes from Lehighton to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and I believe it was originally Jersey Central (so its really part of the old Reading system. The R&N has excursions there (the Lehigh Gorge Railroad) with heavyweight coaches painted red for some reason. The other Reading news is that the RCTHS should be moving its GP7 to Hamburg or Temple. And they were apparently donated FP7 #903, which is great. Its in mint condition and can used for excursions unlike #900 which is rotting away in Temple:

http://www.readingrailroad.org/gallery/vignettes1/rdg_gallery_vig1f.html

Gandalf0444 · Dec 14, 2007

Wow awesome work!
@nnavel triple post?:hehe:

Rooneth3808 · Dec 14, 2007

Fred931 said:
Awesome! but I have 3 questions: First, when is the release date? 2, Is this available for TRS2006? & 3, final exams?? are you a college student or something?

1) The complete "phase 2" won't be ready until sometime later this winter, but if you're good you might find something extra in your stocking before Christmas

.
2) I'm building in 2004, but it should work in 2006.
3) Yes, senior. History major, anthropology minor.

Michael_Evans said:
2nd/3rd pic
red building with dump truck and ramp outside, what is it and where can I get it?

As far as i know, its a small breaker building that sorts and processes the coal before it goes over to the bagging house. AngelC just made it and it will be on the DLS sometime before the updated route is released.

coalminer12 · Dec 14, 2007

The Reading & Northern route has raised the bar for freeware routes in Trainz. It looks as thought that bar is about to be raised again. Incredible work. A quick question, is the route going to have the St. Nick breaker in it? Also what about the Yuengling brewery, it is possible that it will be there too? That would be awesome. I love that beer. Again, spectacular work, keep it up and good luck with finals.

nnavel · Dec 15, 2007

OOPS..something went very wrong in edit mode. I tried contacting the webmaster - didnt work either. Anyone know where the delete function is in edit?!

Rooneth3808 · Dec 17, 2007

coalminer12 said:
The Reading & Northern route has raised the bar for freeware routes in Trainz. It looks as thought that bar is about to be raised again. Incredible work. A quick question, is the route going to have the St. Nick breaker in it? Also what about the Yuengling brewery, it is possible that it will be there too? That would be awesome. I love that beer. Again, spectacular work, keep it up and good luck with finals.

Thanks for the comments. The St. Nicholas breaker will be there, but right now because its "off the beaten path", abandoned, and not easily spotted from the tracks unless you know where to look, it won't get its own custom building or much surrounding detail. (Not to say that i think the place is fascinating, we just don't have to time to do everything

)

Also, the Yuengling brewery won't be in at this time. It's on the Pottsville branch which i haven't touched (or plan on doing at this time). I thought about going up to there and also doing the industries around Auburn, but with everything else i already have in the works, i just don't have time.

Anyway, always glad to answers any questions, now back to unwinding after another weekend Trainz-on-the-Road show

~Roon

P.S. I know i gotta change my sig....just another thing i have to do..

Rooneth3808 · Dec 23, 2007

Here's a map of what the version i'm going to release soon will include. All industries are marked (but not all sidings shown).

And here's some shots far to the east of where i last was. This is up past Haucks, on some of the highest points on the modeled portion of the railroad.

Sitting behind the security fences at the Air Products plant.

After spotting their cars they're back on the main. This shot shows part of the plant in the distance and one of the gated and guarded road entrances. The siding on the left is for extra car storage for the plant.

Looking the other direction (east).

Leaving. This road marks the official spot where the modeled portion will stop for now.

I should be releasing this next version between Christmas and New Years.

~Roon

Reading & Northern: Phase II shots

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