2014 Updates

Just wanted to drop by with a couple goals for the coming year for my Trainz collection...

Just the other day, I announced that the Tampa Terminal is back on track. The focus this time around is the Winter Haven intermodal yard and trackwork. The route has not seen any substantial work for one year, plus where trackwork has been done, is in dire need of work. Lakeland Jct - 10th Street is done, though, and Auburndale, Knights, Vitis (Lumberton to the portal), Kinder-Morgan, and the rest of WH will follow.

Because the trackwork involves a lot of new signalling, I plan to update my signals big-time. They will hopefully seek a new, individualized script. Such a script will also include options to indicate the particular aspect, ie: for a signal like the northbound absolute signal at 46th street in Miami, one can choose diverging movements will be authorized a Medium Advance Approach as the "clear" signal. (I don't know the through signal yet, think it's Approach). New vaders and cantilevers will be designed. This project should go hand in hand with the Miami Sub and FEC main so they get the optimal signals.

Also I'll probably be putting my SLR to use this time, taking texture shots for a new round of models. In dire need: Tri-Rail stations, railroad crossings, speed signs, buildings, signage, etc. for now. I plan to attempt the MIC Central Station at some point (wait, aren't they supposed to open on Friday?)

Tampa Terminal and the South Florida Mega Route will be given pretty even attention throughout the season. Those routes really have potential to provide for fun operations. Needless to say, they represent corridors that are ever changing and will see traffic increases in the future.

News Regarding the CSX Tampa Terminal Route

The route I usually like to do in the winter-spring seasons is the CSX Tampa Terminal area from Tampa-Lakeland-Auburndale-Vitis and etc, pretty much CSX operations in the western half of Florida. Since we're getting back to that time of the year I've started to concentrate on it.

One of my conflicting issues with the route, however, is the ever-changing trackwork. Already areas that were modeled between 2011-2012 have changed drastically. Originally, I was going to ignore the changes, but due to the fact that the changes reflect more trains, and it will improve operational realism to do so, I am adding the new changes into the new year.

Key changes include:

• Siding between Lakeland Junction and 10th Street near Kathleen
• Siding in Knights
• Super Siding between Lumberton (1 mile south of Vitis Junction) and Ellerslie (ex. Distant to Dade City)
• Big improvements to Winter Haven including the new intermodal ramp set to open next year

Expect screens to show up over the Holiday break.

Tampa Terminal Back in Business after SP1 Snafu

I am glad to say for the most part all the missing dependencies in the CSX Tampa Terminal route (aka "CSX Tampa-Winston-BV") have been since resolved. Since I moved to a pooched TS12 SP1 installation, I lost some files when trying to back up my content, and when I reinstalled the game to the correctly installed SP1 they showed up missing. A couple of obsolete signals of mine and dispensable assets from others show faulty but I think with those being removed or replaced, (and with a new signal system slowly in the works from yours truly), the route is back on track to be released in the future.

The missing dependencies were mainly textures that aid strongly in speeding up the routebuilding. The color textures form an atlas roadmap of the area which allows roads and infrastructure to be pinpointed easily.

Plant City

Back after a little break in Trainz. Plant City is now continuing to grow in Trainz, with me building outwards of the diamond. Much of this has been inspired by my recent trip to Plant City a couple of weeks ago.

84 Lumber is shaping up at Park and US 92. This is a steady customer along the A-Line. You can even see the beam cars from the intersection.

At best it could be said that I improvised this high school. The property was recently detailed last week.

The NW corner of the "Improvement League" per Google Earth has also been textured.

Areas like Oaklawn (above) and Calhoun (below) are also beginning to shape up. I caught a few trains at Calhoun St in particular so I was quite motivated to detail the crossing.

There remains a whole lot of work to do. Much of the balance of it is to get Plant City to Auburndale completely finished. Also, before I graduate I hope to have quite a bit of S-line trackage towards Zephyrhills textured.

Y322 Mini Ops Session

Did a little switching around the Miami Terminal on the mostly blank boards of Y322, the Downtown job. Did it the old style if you want to call it that, first down to the spur then to East Rail. You can see me working Family & Son and then SALCO.

West Rail and Y220 Mini-Op Session

As can be seen in this video,

I have begun fancying the vantage point at Hialeah Market Station for the likes of O721, Y322, and Y220 as well as the usual melee of Tri-Rail trains.

The area is part of what defines Miami. The market next to me bears some classic resemblance. West Rail and the rail side of Hialeah Market have been, unfortunately, mere shells of what they were in the past. Back in 1995 or so, it was a bustling yard. Now, a house track became a Home Depot parking lot, the east track's customer stopped taking in rail shipments, and only one customer remains: Antique Brick and Stone.

Traditionally, on a lucky weeknight, Y220 will take freight to the customer.

Combining these factors has allowed for me to make and sim a mini Y220 in the area. Here are some pics:

Departure from Hialeah Yard

4quads at work NW 71 ST

Approaching East Rail

SALCO

After its work in East Rail, Y220 shoves to 46th St and to work West Rail

Back Home

Lakeland

Another railroad town is finally in progress in Trainz... This one being beautiful Lakeland, FL.

The city has numerous lakes and ponds around it and features Winston Yard out west, a big hub for BV ops.

Downtown feels like an old, classic town. Been there, done that. I railfanned the area several times lately which allowed plenty of images, videos, and knowledge of the area.

Operating more than two trains in Trainz...

Lots of routes generally have this figured out through AI, but I am still at the caveman stage of doing it myself. I ran an op session yesterday in the eastern section of the route with three trains in conflict of each other.

The story went that Q452 was going closer to being on the law, and E109 empty coal was in the way. E109 tucked into Winter Haven Siding to let Q452 pass so that it would hit Lakeland first.

A SB on the A-line, an R741 in game but in the place of Q187, was fast approaching once this train went past Auburndale. So I slid it into Carters... a perfect but close fit. The 4,800 foot siding can barely hold it.

Eventually the all business R741 overtook 452 on its run to Tampa.

After that, the two Miami trains went on happy and jolly.

This was a generally successful operation. One easy part was no one was in opposite directions to the train but overall it was a priority fight. I could just slam the drive button on all three but didn't choose to do so since the route was incomplete and signal information could be off.

Running three or more trains manually is pretty easy but you need to know all the lengths, locations, distances, and what siding can take them. Automatically it's all boring as you don't have control of the throttle and boy do I like to man it. One challenge is you may lose coordination so your train may end up doing a 60 in a 30.

This multiple train run is the baby step to future operations sessions. Lots of trains meet in the Tampa area, mainly around Tampa proper and along the S-line. When I went to CFL three trains met around Winston within 30 minutes and another was just east of the wye. Tucking trains in, dispatching them to pass each other, and other grueling tasks makes this fun. Expect more in the future.

CSX Q187 past Carters

Had a successful test of the crossing signals and traffic lights. I seem to really like this angle.

Going in Hyper-drive - Rockport

Rockport is a phosphate yard and shipping port. I am beginning to model the area, but in only two days (totaling 5 hours of work) finished the wye and the N corner of the US 41 crossing, as well as many other touch ups around the route area. Wow.

This would be an aerial over the S Leg of the Rockport Wye.

This speedy return to the route is in part due to my interest in returning to the Miami Sub. However, I want to get this finished and out of the way. There's no deadline but I have picked up more of a feel for the route that allowed me to weigh in which areas get the most detail, where simple is effective, and which areas are just cover splines and textures. I feel if I give in one day to detail followed by one day of slappy texturing (miles away from the ROW) it is a systematic way to get the route done faster, and the detail is not compromised.

For instance, I began putting one block of grass texture at 618/US 301. That area is 1.5 miles from the S-line... Do I need to terraform the bridge? No. Do I need to detail the buildings? Not likely. That's where there's balance; getting rid of the LOD that does nothing but lag the game. Having the buildings for about .75 miles is good, when it's industrial park dense. Of course there can be exception when a skyline is separated by 1 mile of water and the track happens to be in eyeshot of the towers.

Anyway more progress should follow as the weekend approaches, but it'll be a little slower as I have a Fairchild competition for Debate.

[Requested] How to Set Up ATLS Crossings in Trainz (Part 1)

I am doing a two-part how to special series on how to program an ATLS crossing since it has been quite requested by many. I overlooked a stopper which is not complicated at all, but configured the channel to work. This is the LCM Tutorial which uses LCM Mode. As I get to doing the Traffic Light tutorial, which will be more complicated, I will apply the ATLS Traffic Stopper. I did this crossing up in a win-win situation; I win by progressing further in my Tampa Terminal route by making one of the crossings (Now guess which one!) and the viewer wins by learning how a crossing can actually work. The same will apply for US 92 in Park Spur.

The video is NOT titled How to.... (Part 1) because Part 2 is Apples to Oranges with this one. Part 2 we go for the complicated stuff. Look for that tomorrow.

Can Yard, Y'er lookin good!

The Industrial mecca of Can Yard in Auburndale is now almost fully done. All that is left is the spur to Amerigas (I think it's amerigas). It runs by very intricate oil pipelines so it'll be a haul to do.

"I Learned From My Mistakes, Honey"

One of the biggest mistakes I made, which horribly affected the Auburndale area, was neglecting to save the game before exiting. I accidentally shut down without saving and lost the one hours' work. Not to say it didn't affect my trainzing for a solid week.... I didn't even bother to work on anything with the route until today, where I was less disenchanted by this loss.

When Auburndale gets its premier expect it to look a little different..... ;)

And not to forget; the big lesson and moral for the day, and especially on Windows 7 when the "Pin to Taskbar" is in use;  check if your Trainz Application is open before shutting down and Save FREQUENTLY.

My big problem is that the save takes 5 minutes each time, and I only save once, or when I am not to use the computer for a while, incognito to the fact that I lose time when I save. Autosave on my PC however does NOT work! It freezes for a minute to prompt you to save again when exiting.

Auburndale 2.0 (WIP)

This was one of the original areas from the route I did in 2010 that was abandoned in favor of this project. While much of the buildings were reused I managed to make some changes compared to that render, those being the track/the scenery around it and the texturing. That's why I did it from scratch, to texture and apply my new routebuilding standards by hand.

Y121 &The New Jointed Rail Covered Hoppers

I am personally impressed with these realistic Jointed Rail CSX company predecessor hoppers. I think the attention to detail was spot on and looked just like the real thing.

So I took it for a spin in a Winston local, Y121, which Jared Davis, Thomas East, and two others caught in Winston one day.

Q604 Fights the Hill!

Another quality production showing off the Gay Rd. side. A few railfans did recently hit the spot so I thought it quite appropriate to model it.