Track laying on inclines

[styckx]

Who asked me to try running track on mountain areas?

Oh wait I did.

So, I cloned Castlerock and am creating new stations, and re-doing the line to be a high speed electricfied corridor of sorts. It will be double wide tracks.

Where I'm having issues is running track from a new station I made and trying to make it connect up with existing track further down the line by miles. Before I know it I'm snapping terrain like a mad man around the tracks and am in the grand canyon. By the time I reach where I wanted to meet up with existing track I'm like 6 ft shallow

There has to be an easier way, and snap to terrain stinks cause you end up having oddly un-even tracks running side by side.

[OTTODAD]

The Castle Rock route uses sanb_bars_track01 tracks and Percent values for Gradients.

In the area where you want to put down new tracks find out what the gradient of existing tracks is, also shown at the bottom of the screen when a section of it is yellow-framed.



Now select the same gradient value in the left-hand bottom pull-out and the new track's gradient should match the existing one, being placed from bottom to top



Putting track down in the opposite direction it may be necessary to use a negative -2.4000 gradient percent value.

Trial and error will show you which gradient is best to match the altitude of the track where you want to join the new tracks with the existing ones.

Hacking a route is much more fun than creating a new one, the hard work of creating it having been done by somebody else !

O t t o

[tomkat41]

Just want to add to Otto's post, make sure you turn off "Snap To Terrain" and also the box above the gradient box there's a "1" change it to "2" this is for Two tracks that way both tracks will incline at the same time.

[styckx]

Thanks for the tips, they will both come in handy.

Otto, I was using the gradient settings, but was getting flustered constantly figuring out what it should be when it changes on the terrain. I know route building is slow but that part alone seemed to be stone walling me at the time. I got pretty a decent amount of track laying done last night once I walked away and came back to it so I'm happy.

Another question (sorry but I'm really diving into route building now).

Lakes and water in general. I saw there is a a few water assets, but they are a joke. How are you supposed to make a lake out of an asset that takes up less space then a car. I figured there might be a "paint landscape" for water, but no dice.

[tomkat41]

Thanks for the tips, they will both come in handy.

Otto, I was using the gradient settings, but was getting flustered constantly figuring out what it should be when it changes on the terrain. I know route building is slow but that part alone seemed to be stone walling me at the time. I got pretty a decent amount of track laying done last night once I walked away and came back to it so I'm happy.

Another question (sorry but I'm really diving into route building now).

Lakes and water in general. I saw there is a a few water assets, but they are a joke. How are you supposed to make a lake out of an asset that takes up less space then a car. I figured there might be a "paint landscape" for water, but no dice.

For the lake, there are Four Grab Tabs on four sides, click on the tab and hold then drag it to the size you want.

[styckx]

For the lake, there are Four Grab Tabs on four sides, click on the tab and hold then drag it to the size you want.

Doh. I saw the tabs but every time I tried clicking on them I got the dumb gizmo. I'll try zooming in and doing it again

Thanks guys! That's all my questions for this week.

[OTTODAD]

Otto, I was using the gradient settings, but was getting flustered constantly figuring out what it should be when it changes on the terrain.

Getting the gradients of the new tracks right to more or less match the altitude of where they are to join the mainline tracks requires a few more tricks and fine-tuning to get a junction and it's frog to look right.

That is done with splitting the end of the new track and then using the alignment tool adjust it's gradient so that the new track end is as level with the mainline track as can be.

That done and then adding a new track to the end of the existing one and dragging it over the mainline track should create a perfect junction.

After such tracks editing make sure that all visible tracks double-buffers are being welded.

Below is a junction in the higher Pallen to Angels Falls track, being joined by a track coming up from the lower Port Ogden to Chicago one.

O t t o

[styckx]

Tips worked great and figured out that water!

Before and afters so far. Of my starting point. Goodbye industry, hello mock up of beautiful suburbs.

[styckx]

Couple more questions about tracks I couldn't find an answer to myself.

First: Is there a way to define the space between tracks if you are laying 2 or more? I'm using the SanB mainline track w/ the Hagen track rules so I can get overhead wires. I've decided I hate the Hagen rules because the tracks are entirely too close together. Makes doing crossovers and such a real pain.

Second: Crossovers, switches etc. I notice when I use the above track/rule combo the ties revert to a virtually clean look in the switch area. Looks odd coming out of a "worn" mainline track, then a clean as a whistle switch, then back to the "worn" look.

Third: Where can I change the default speed limit from kph to MPH? Since i'm using the Hagen track rules it's not MPH, and that's what I would like it to be.

Thanks in advance!

Bill

P.S. I bet there is a obvious answer I'm missing and probably making this more complicated than it needs to be

[tomkat41]

Couple more questions about tracks I couldn't find an answer to myself.

First: Is there a way to define the space between tracks if you are laying 2 or more? I'm using the SanB mainline track w/ the Hagen track rules so I can get overhead wires. I've decided I hate the Hagen rules because the tracks are entirely too close together. Makes doing crossovers and such a real pain.

Second: Crossovers, switches etc. I notice when I use the above track/rule combo the ties revert to a virtually clean look in the switch area. Looks odd coming out of a "worn" mainline track, then a clean as a whistle switch, then back to the "worn" look.

Third: Where can I change the default speed limit from kph to MPH? Since i'm using the Hagen track rules it's not MPH, and that's what I would like it to be.

Thanks in advance!

Bill

P.S. I bet there is a obvious answer I'm missing and probably making this more complicated than it needs to be

For the first question, you have to edit the track rules for that track and look for "ParallelDistance."
I think this only works if you are laying track, if the track is already laid I don't think it will work

For the third question, it is also in the track rules, look for "SpeedUnitValue." and put in MPH

The second question, might have to show a screen shot of the track.