NP Tacoma Division, Longview - Centralia

[RudiJaeger]

Hello Everyone,

In recent months I've been working on my first route, the Northern Pacific's Tacoma Division, Longview to Centralia, circa 1970. Actually, it tends to lean a decade earlier but sometimes I like to run some BN equipment. I understand routes can take a long time (years) to release and I'm not sure if my attention span or patience will last that long. Hence, there's no guarantee it will ever be completed; but it's a start.

NP Tacoma Division - Longview-Centralia:
Mainline = 61 miles
Hanaford Valley Branch = 5 miles
Weyerhaueser Branch from Longview: to Green Mtn Mill = 35 miles / to Camp Baker (pre-eruption) = 49 miles
Other Branchlines = 28 miles
Total Trackage (excluding yards, sidings) = 143 miles

Current Assets List (as of 23-MAR-2019):

Payware:

Penn Coal (base route)
Stevens Pass (Allen St.lift bridge, Kelso)
Cascadian (structures)
Marias Pass (roads, wig-wam burner, wood trestles)
BLE (bridges)
HSC (dual tunnel portal)
NJC (draw bridge, Longview wye)
SN (Longview bridge)
Soldier Summit (Cat tail reeds)
VNH Springfield (bridges)
Cologne-Koblenz (Characters)
Konstanz-Villingen (vegetation)
RWA Lakeside (vehicles)
G-Trax route assets (included in base sim)

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Freeware:

3DTrains: Trees / Landscapes, https://www.3dtrains.com/products/rw/ru ... apes.shtml

3ds, RWA Library: farming1.zip, feeders.zip

Vulcan Productions: VP Grass Pack, https://www.vulcanproductions.co.uk/routebuilding.html

RWA Library: Railworks Community Asset Project

PierreG, http://ajrailsim.free.fr/
PG_carsUS1.zip (Greyhound Scenicruiser, log trucks)
PG_UScars2.zip (Airstream trailers)
PG_UScars3.zip (Ford, Willys classic autos)
PG_Troncs.zip (logs, tree trunks)
PG_agricol1.zip (Agricultural vehicles)
PG_F-vehic60-70_pack1.zip (French vehicles 1960-1970)
PG_F-vehic60-70_pack2.zip (French vehicles 1960-1970)
PG_Beach1.zip (beach characters)
PG_vaches.zip (cows)
PG_Grand_Nord_pack2.zip (use only the content: PG_Grand_nord_pack2.rwp to get the wildlife)
PG_Afrique_faune1.zip (antelope stunt-deer)
PG_hangars_f1.zip (Farm yard sheds)


Dominique (PapiNic), http://ajrailsim.free.fr/
Pack de véhicules agricole.7z (Agricultural vehicles)
Pack de véhicules de travaux.7z (Construction vehicles)


bernardDeschamp, http://ajrailsim.free.fr/
CFD_OldFrenchVehicles_part1_V5.7z

Peter Bauer, RWA Library: Barns_Silos_Package.zip
Toripony, RWA Library: BarnsSilosReskins_jj.zip

Radiomaster (w/ Denlog models), http://railsim.de/
Radiomaster_Autos.zip (Construction vehicles, buses, trucks, trailers)

Rail-X, http://railsim.de/
RailX_Abrollanhaenger.rar (Construction trailers)

UKTrainSim, https://www.uktrainsim.com/FreewarePack ... nic+Assets
Ambient Audio 1
Blocks-Lofts-Bridges 1
Clutter 1
Foliage 1

Wayne Campbell, RWA Library:
WACampbell_1949_Desotos.zip
WACampbell_1957_Desotos.zip
WACampbell_ThompsonsCorner.zip

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I know it's a long list of dlc, but most of the payware route dependencies are for the required bridges, as I'm trying to get them as close as possible to those featured on the actual route. I also regret having to use some USA-only dlc, but they contain objects which are critical to recreating the route's atmosphere; and atmosphere is my primary focus. I want folks to feel like they are "there" while running the route.

After repairing some major technical set-backs with the NP mainline, I'm now laying track for the Weyerhaueser Woods Railroad which ran between the Camp Baker area near Mt St Helens, and their big mill in Longview; some of the route in the Longview-Kelso vicinity was also shared with the Columbia & Cowlitz Railway, and interchanged with the NP's mainline. The woods railway could actually be a route unto itself, so I'm facing a rather large task at the moment. Actually, the cities of Longview / Kelso or Centralia / Chehalis could be stand-alone routes, considering all of the industry involved. I will likely limit the woods route portion to the Green Mountain mill near the town of Toutle, since everything further east is pretty much devastated from the Mt St Helens eruption and I'd rather not guess as to where the tracks might have been. Although I rode some of the route in a hi-rail in 1976, I never got to see the business end of it on the east side; only bits and pieces from fishing trips along the Toutle River.

As it is, much of the route's features are based on memory, and I try not to study any current images too closely; just enough to reference the roadbed, streams, and roads. After graduating high school, I worked several timber industry jobs which now serve as a reference for recreating scenes which will be featured in the route. I left the area in 1982 when I joined the Army, so the images from the sixties and seventies are still preserved in my mind, although I sense they are gradually reaching their expiration date. Of course there are some areas that I never saw in-person, so the route will only be around 50 percent historically accurate, and 50 percent atmospheric. I'm awaiting the 64-bit upgrade before I even think about painting any ground textures.

I don't have any post-worthy screenshots yet, as I'm still in the track laying phase. Although during scenery "practice" on the Penn Coal route, I took some shots of subjects which I intend to re-create in the new route. I'll gradually get them posted into this thread until I can make some progress on the new route. I suppose the best place to begin the show would be with some scenes from the show...

One of our enterprising farmers decided to get out of the dairy business and converted one of his pastures into a drive-in movie theater. Below, we see patrons from the surrounding rural community enjoying their favorite weekend pastime, many arriving early to chat with longtime friends and catch up on the local news:

SWW DriveIn 10.jpg

SWW DriveIn 01.jpg

SWW DriveIn 02.jpg

SWW DriveIn 03.jpg

SWW DriveIn 03b.jpg

[RudiJaeger]

SWW DriveIn 04.jpg

SWW DriveIn 05.jpg

SWW DriveIn 06.jpg

SWW DriveIn 07.jpg

SWW DriveIn 08.jpg

[buzz456]

Boy does that bring back memories.

[RudiJaeger]

Boy does that bring back memories.

Yeah, those were the days when teens bought a car not so much for how many horses that were under the hood, but for how many people they could fit into (and sneak out of) the trunk.

[RudiJaeger]

Some steelhead fishing and log-raft operations:

SWW River 04.jpg

SWW River 01.jpg

SWW River 02.jpg

SWW River 03.jpg

[RudiJaeger]

Harvesting a clear-cut. Here we see the yarder hoisting logs to the landing. The scene includes the crummy (bus) that delivered the crew to the job-site. Closer inspection reveals limbers and choker-setters hard at work. Actually, a dedicated yarder object would make a very useful project for an aspiring modeller.. hint, hint . I had to combine a crane with a utility truck and a radio tower to make a reasonable stand-in.

SWW ClearCut 01.jpg

SWW ClearCut 02.jpg

SWW ClearCut 03.jpg

SWW ClearCut 04.jpg

SWW ClearCut 05.jpg

[GERUNIMO625]

RudiJaeger,
Absolutely incredible! Not just detailed but living detail! It looks like you were there and took pictures while this was all happening. Its just sooo life like!

Boy does that bring back memories.

Doesn't have to be memories, just south of you in Earlville IL., there is a drive in theater. The Troy Grove Sub goes right past there, sometimes we stop and watch a movie since the BNSF interlocking is just north of it. The folks who run it have current releases and everyone always looks like they are having a good time. Good place for a hot date with your better half.

[ErikGorbiHamilton]

Amazing Detail! The Seattle Sub is so under represented. I would recommend using Historic Aerials if you want to take a look at the sub back in the day.

[AmericanSteam]

Wonderful detailing. With the advent of TS2019 64 bit all this detail can be used without the usual crashes.

[ozinoz]

Phenomenal

[RudiJaeger]

Thank you all for your kind comments!

Jerry, that's just the impression I was hoping for; glad it worked. And it's nice to know there are still a few drive-ins left. I'll be putting one in at Longview if it's close enough to the industrial tracks to be noticeable; haven't looked into it yet. There will be another one for sure, midway between Chehalis and Centralia, since the big screen was just in front of the main-line. They also had a kiddie-train that ran a loop around the parking area. I wish there was a way to incorporate an animated gif into the texture file for the screen, although an illuminated billboard with an intermission graphic could probably be used for those night-time scenarios. But for the actual route, I'll just leave the screen blank.

Erik, thank you so much for the link; I was not aware such a site existed and it will be very useful. I wish I knew about it before I laid the track at the Longview wye; not having actually walked the rails there, I was not familiar with the older configuration and just went (mostly) with the current Google version. I had an old NP track chart but I was not certain of it's accuracy, and being one of the major terminals for the route, I wanted lots of options (tracks) to build consists. Hence my earlier comment about the route only being about 50 percent accurate. But that Aerial site you provided is going to bump up the accuracy percentage quite a bit, as I work my way up to Centralia (cross-overs, yards, spurs, and sidings), so thanks again.

American Steam, I'm also looking forward to the 64 bit upgrade so I can start painting. Besides adjusting track elevation, that's actually the only time I ever experienced any crashes while practicing on the NS Coal Route. Same goes for the new route, even though it's not populated with any objects other than bridges, tunnel portals, and water tiles. Btw, here's a tip for any new route builders out there: If you create a free-roam scenario to test your route, it's a good idea to make a backup and remove it from your route's scenario folder before you go back into the route builder; all that extra overhead from loco lights, sounds, and rolling stock textures can take a toll on the memory space; some locos more than others, especially the one's where the lights stay on at start-up.

Ozi, thanks for beer!

Since I'm logged-in (no pun intended), here are a few more concept shots. Some of you may recognize the site of the Emerald Mine on the NS Coal Route; it was removed to make way for a saw mill. Timber is delivered to the mill and turned into lumber and saw-dust. Business has been booming lately, and there is a surplus of sawdust which is sold to a pulp mill further down the line; so the smoke and sparks seen venting from the wig-wam burner are becoming a rare sight. The old mill pond features the abandoned steam shovel which helped construct the original mill site, and is also home to many smallmouth bass and catfish. But it's still a great place to season some of the choice timber offered to discriminating clients. Currently, there is only a single porta-potty at the unloading yard, causing some of the log truck drivers to wait their turn; happily, a phone booth was recently installed so they can call home in the meantime. The Green Mountain Mill on the actual route will likely be very similar to this one:

SWW mill2 10.jpg

SWW mill2 09.jpg

SWW mill2 08.jpg

SWW mill2 07.jpg

SWW mill2 06.jpg

[RudiJaeger]

SWW mill2 05.jpg

SWW mill2 04.jpg

SWW mill2 03.jpg

SWW mill2 02.jpg

SWW mill2 01.jpg

[ET44C4]

Your logging/lumber scenes are just incredible! I can certainly tell you're putting a lot of time and effort into this route to accurately represent the era. Magnificent work!

[RudiJaeger]

Thanks ET, that means a lot; much appreciated!

I'm sort of taking it easy today, as evidenced by all the screenshot posts. I should also mention that I'm working on some Weyerhaeuser stuff to go with he branch-line out of Longview. Aside from the SW1500 fleet, I plan on doing the Geep, skeleton cars, and a caboose or two. Perhaps some Columbia & Cowlitz stuff eventually too. The smoke from that wig-wam burner is probably from all the sticks I have in the fire right now. Still have some major work to do on the trucks for the SW1500; simply cranking up the brightness and contrast on the existing black trucks to make them silver didn't quite cut it. I've not seen any repaints in the library which feature silver trucks, so I'll need to try building the textures from scratch. Then touch up the mapping on the body textures:

SWW Weyerhaeuser SW1500 WIP 01.jpg

SWW Weyerhaeuser SW1500 WIP 02.jpg

[PNWR1854]

Beauty. Beauty Beauty Beaty!!!!