Steamshots USA..Lets See Some Steam Shots..

[philskene]

Annie --

The Phootnote layout has been suggested for your North American big steam locomotives. Another more expansive layout that might be suitable is this one:

https://forums.auran.com/trainz/show...ramee-Railroad

The grades are mostly not as demanding as in Phootnote, but the overall size is considerably greater.

I'm sure you will recognize the play on words of the title of a famous Western movie?

Phil

Edit:
I'm having problems downloading imEditor. I've found the link to a Russian site but when I click on Download a save screen appears in my browser, but when I click on "Save" nothing happens.

Edit 2:
I've tried using Edge (I'm a convert to Vivaldi) as a browser. I had to jump through a number of hoops (this file is dangerous / Defender / ... ) but I eventually managed to get it.

[KotangaGirl]

Annie --

The Phootnote layout has been suggested for your North American big steam locomotives. Another more expansive layout that might be suitable is this one:

https://forums.auran.com/trainz/show...ramee-Railroad

The grades are mostly not as demanding as in Phootnote, but the overall size is considerably greater.

I'm sure you will recognize the play on words of the title of a famous Western movie?

Phil

Edit:
I'm having problems downloading imEditor. I've found the link to a Russian site but when I click on Download a save screen appears in my browser, but when I click on "Save" nothing happens.

Edit 2:
I've tried using Edge (I'm a convert to Vivaldi) as a browser. I had to jump through a number of hoops (this file is dangerous / Defender / ... ) but I eventually managed to get it.

Hi Phil thanks for the suggestion. Ben Neal's old USRA Mallet looks like being the absolute maximum for Phootnote as the Trainz Forge Challenger and the Big Boy are just plain oversized and look awkward trying to fit between everything. I think I'll stick to running your sessions for Phootnote and not get clever.
'The Mann, Phrom, Laramee' looks like it might be the better choice, - and yes I did get the play on words and now I'm trying to remember when I last saw the movie.

If you'd got stuck I've got IMEditor on Google Drive, but it looks like you won through alright in the end.

#6150. Glad I could help Piere.

Annie

[evilcrow]

To "GLOOP or not to Gloop"in TRS19
If your shiny loks were made using ".trainzmesh" files, read no further as I know no way of altering (you may be able to do something with the texture files).
So hopefully we may be in business when it come to ".im" files. I've found that it all depends on how the original model was made Gmax, Blender or what ever. Results can vary . Remember some authors may not like you touching their creations.
An excellent and so far IMHO the best example of Gloop reduction is the BR Ivatt 2mt (various) recently released on the DLS by 2995Valliant <kuid:248163>, compare it to the "Packaged" version in TRS19.

Tools you will need:
IMeditor https://contentcreation.trainzsimula...edit-im-files/
Trainz Mesh Viewer and PEVSoft Images2TGA http://trainz.shaneturner.co.uk/tuto...t-trainz-tools
you might as well get the rest of his items while your there.
Paint.net or Gimp. I use Paint.net but Gimp may be better for alpha files.

You have to experiment, you can use an "env_metal" texture on one model but may lose detail at a certain angle when viewed in game. You can create a "normal" texture and add it via IMeditor to gain detail and the lok may look too dark. Create a "BMP" file from the original "TGA" file and use that as an ALPHA file in Images2tga when constructing "Normal" files. This list is endless.

Now having seen that UP Big Boy in Smyers's excellent screenshot........................................ ....

Cheers, evilcrow

[smyers]

Many thanks, Ken. Those Trainz-Forge articulateds are so nice...I have them just to look at even if I don't really have the place to run them. Big Boy does need some room to look right.

I have had some success in reducing the shininess of the Greencoast C-16 by lowering the contrast of the parm (parameter) files. The model is so grotesquely shiny, especially for a work-a-day switcher, that it became much more of a burden than an asset. I use Photoshop. While it helped some, it's still not the answer as the loco is still way too "black" for lack of a better word. The soot-covered grey appearance of most K&L locos seems much more appropriate, especially for those big, dirty, freight engines and for the switchers. In the C-16, there several files that need attention and they all have to match to look correct. It still looks out of place next to the K&L locos.

I've used the same technique with normal files to reduce the moire effect present in some assets, particularly my JR Alco s-4 and RS-1. It was blinding till I lowered the contrast in the normal files. That worked really well. All of this can be overwhelming. The "other" sim, which I use quite a bit for my U.K. steam interests, has used the same texturing methodology since its' beginning. Very little seems to have changed and it seems to work.

Good Luck Everyone!
smyers

[RPearson]

Hi Phil thanks for the suggestion. Ben Neal's old USRA Mallet looks like being the absolute maximum for Phootnote as the Trainz Forge Challenger and the Big Boy are just plain oversized and look awkward trying to fit between everything. I think I'll stick to running your sessions for Phootnote and not get clever.
'The Mann, Phrom, Laramee' looks like it might be the better choice, - and yes I did get the play on words and now I'm trying to remember when I last saw the movie.
...

Annie

Have you tried Colorado71's USRA Mallet 2-6-6-2 locomotive (<kuid:387564:300871>)? You can probably find some ways to update it too. C&O used 2-6-6-2s extensively in the coal fileds. H4, H5(USRA) and H6 classes were all similar size. The H5 class was rated 79000 lbf TE. While the H4 and H6 were about 67000 and 70000. The mine runs were often double headed with 2-6-6-2 locos. They look right at home on any eastern US coal route. Smaller than the H7 2-8-8-2 and H8 2-6-6-6 they were able to handle the sharper curves on the branch lines.

I have TrainzeForge's Appalachian Right of Way verison 1.0 route. But I'm still tracking down 30 missing deps and it doesn't look as good as in the shots evilcrow has posted. It's just a 7+ mile section straight thru the mountains but it captures the look and feel of the Appalachians. Here's a shot of Ben's H8 and Colorado71's H5 hauling empties in 1 direction and loads in the other.



Bob Pearson

[smyers]

Do you have (payware) JR Legacy of the BN 2? I wonder if that's what's happening with Appalachian Right of Way.

Also KotangaGirl is the tiny JMB mallet at Trainz-Forge...



Best,
smyers

[evilcrow]

Re post #6154 smyers
Thanks for the tip on the parm files.
re post #6156 smyers
Smashing shot of the JMB mallet. I see that you are running it as a coal burner, please what tender you are using? . It looks a perfect fit.

re post #6155 RPearson
I seem to remember I had a bit of trouble tracking things down, what are you missing?



Cheers, Ken

[smyers]

Many thanks, Ken. Yes, I'm running it as a coal burner...



The tender is from the K&L B&O Q3 Mikado. It's about 3 ' longer than the stock oil tender, but the deck plates lined up just right so I went with it. Just re-lettered for my home road, and dirtied up the mechanism a bit. It does make a credible coal burner. I wonder if a different USRA tender would also work.

Great image of #38. Lighting is perfect. If you do decide to weather the side rods, be aware that versions of the engine may share drivers, so re-skinning may affect engines you want to keep cleaner. Though non-JMB Sierra 38 does not appear to be one of them. In my case, it stayed clean.

Best,
smyers

[KotangaGirl]

I downloaded The Eagle River Mallet pair rather than Sierra RR No.38 since No.38 is well outside my timeline for the Angels branch and I wouldn't use it. I copied your neat mod smyers with using the K&L Q3 Mikado's tender to use as a coal tender and I have to say it suits this small Mallet very well. So thanks for that.
These Mallets really are the ideal size for Phootnote & Fourword, but one fly in the ointment though is that the sessions don't work in TRS22 so I might have to bundle everything up and take it back to TANE.

Bob (RPearson), I did track down Railworks C&O H6 Mallet 2-6-6-2 pack, but I haven't really had a proper look at it yet. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction.

[evilcrow]

re posts #6158 smyers and #6159 KotangaGirl

An alternative coal tender for the mallet is the K&L B&O Q3,it's Payware but note the symmetry of the cab roof and the tender. You may wish to invest https://kltrainz.com/product/bo-q3-mikado/




Cheers Ken

[KotangaGirl]

Yes Ken it's like it's been made for the purpose. It's payware, but not really that expensive considering that a really nice locomotive comes with it. This small Mallet is nice to drive, but the engine spec is over boilered and really needs to be knocked back by around 20% I'm too much in a sleepy patch at present to start in on rewriting an engine spec since it's a lot of work to get it right.

[smyers]

Ken and KotangaGirl,

Yes, the K&L B&O tender is what I've been using as well. In fact, I purchased the B&O Mikado just to get the tender for use with the other K&L Mikado, the NKP model. I didn't care for the 6-axle tender on that 2-8-2. To be honest, I hadn't even noticed the cab roof area till you just mentioned it! For comparison, here's the mallet with one of Ben Neal's new 10k gal. USRA tenders. It's notched for easier access for the fireman..



The little engine fits on almost any railway. Many thanks, Trainz-Forge folks.

Best,
smyers

[Dermmy]

Since Mallets with mis-matched tenders seem to be a bit of a theme at the moment I thought I'd post a pic of a pairing I've been running for a while....

The loco is one of Trainz Forge's Eagle River mallets, absolutely as-downloaded, seen here paired with one of the Central Divide's big oil tenders. Footplate height is spot-on, as is the colour match. I cannot recollect which loco the tender originally belonged to, except that prior to the CD skin edit it was definitely DLS-sourced, possibly paired with a 2-8-0 or 2-8-2 reskin by 'fourteen'....

Andy

[smyers]

which loco the tender originally belonged to

It looks like Ben Neal's 12000 gal / 4000 gal 3160 ATSF tender.

Terrific route.
smyers

[philskene]

I, too, have just tried the K&L B&O Mikado tender with the Eagle River locomotive. It looks good.

In the early morning light the small mallet simmers patiently while a gondola unloads at the Ampz scrap yard:





smyers -- as a lover of all that is dirty, grimy and slowly decaying (as most railroads were in the dying age of steam), your screen grabs are outstanding. If I could ask - the building in the background of Post #6162. What is it?

Phil