3 Track Cajon Project

[NStrains]

[Tomcat]

When I lay track I pick an asset, in this case a tree, that I place squarely between the rails while google earth overlay is up. On straights I put them down about every 300 to 400 meters and on curves I will decrease that to every 100 meters, sometimes much closer if the curve is complex and contains multiple radii. I find it too hard to see to actually lay the track while the overlay is displayed. This is the end of a 21.33 mile straight section between Palmdale and Rosamond, first try, best guess at the easement curve 21.33 miles behind me. Absolutely no skill or meticulous planning involved, all pure dumb luck to get this close on the first try. I have never been this close before, will never get this close again. I don't get this close on a 2 mile straight on the first try. Needless to say I'm not going to redo 21.33 miles to get the rails to straddle the tree trunk.

PureLuck.jpg

[BoostedFridge]

Nice work on that straightaway! If you have any more to do like that, PM krellnut. He has a really good trick for them.

[Tomcat]

Nearly completed, adding sidings and industry tracks between Palmdale and Mojave is all that's left to do. Total mileage stands at 1018 and a rough guess at maybe 60 more after the aforementioned tracks are placed.

CajonSubdivision02202017.jpg

[NStrains]

Wow!!!

I'm just hoping my laptop will handle all 1,000+ miles.

[BoostedFridge]

I don't think it makes that big of a difference for performance in game. The route will just take a bit longer to load potentially.

[buzz456]

I don't think it makes that big of a difference for performance in game. The route will just take a bit longer to load potentially.

You are correct. That's why one gets the little stutter and why scenery just pops up. It is only using the current information around where you are at any time. The only reason I shortened the MRL was for the preview version there is no reason to have the extra loading time for the whole route which I think is just indexing all of the stuff.

[Tomcat]

Lancaster, California - Metrolink station

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[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

Lancaster, California - Metrolink station

Cool! I like that subroadbed. Blends the shoulder of ballast nicely into the scenery. Looks so much better than laying the tracks just down over grass and other groundcover.

[Tomcat]

Cool! I like that subroadbed. Blends the shoulder of ballast nicely into the scenery. Looks so much better than laying the tracks just down over grass and other groundcover.

My preference is to use 2 or 3 ground textures for the subroadbed for, as you say, blending the ballast into the scenery. It's labor intensive but the look is worth it IMO. Using several overlapping textures also has the benefit of reducing the sawtooth pattern when painting just off of a cardinal direction.


Some additional night lighting work in Lancaster around the Metrolink Station and filling in some background housing.

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Lancaster Sheriff's Station in the background.

Screenshot_Cajon Subdivision_34.69832--118.13569_21-32-17.jpg

[emdsd90mac]

Excellent work sir!!

[Tomcat]

Excellent work sir!!

Thank you!

Some scattershot work between Palmdale Junction and Phelan just trying to get a feel for the area.

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[Tomcat]

The good, the bad, and the very ugly.

Playing around with distant terrain generation had me jumping for joy... for about 2 minutes.

First shot from the West Colton receiving yard and the San Gabriel Mountains appear in all their glory and take their deserved, prominent place in the background. Second shot at the beginning of the Palmdale cutoff looking towards the same mountains. The San Gabriel Mountains, at a distance of between 11 and 24 miles, were not visible at all before distant terrain generation. Third and forth shots along the Palmdale cutoff looking at the San Bernardino Mountains.

My 0,0 tile is at Summit about 18 miles away, from where I initiated the distant terrain generation. On the East side of Summit, well before I got 18 miles away in the other direction it all turned to crud, see next post.

Screenshot_Cajon Subdivision-Palmdale Cutoff_34.06659--117.40726_16-05-37.jpg

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[Tomcat]

And the very ugly...

Hovering over Barstow, but it is the same all the way from Hesperia. The black boxes fade away as you get near them. I will continue to play around with distant terrain on my clone of the route but I am not very hopeful about the outcome.

Crud.jpg

[AmericanSteam]

I may need a separate drive to store this route on. This is looking good.