Page 1 of 3

Switching Gears

Unread postPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:00 am
by SMMDigital
Whew! Dealing with a route every days gets to be tedious! Sometimes I need to take a break and do something else for a while.

Anyone interested?

smm_3color.JPG

Re: Switching Gears

Unread postPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:14 am
by eyein12
I hear ya jerry! thats what i did. I built a loco to break it up

Re: Switching Gears

Unread postPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:20 am
by glenn68
SMM,
That signal light looks fantastic and very realistic.

Re: Switching Gears

Unread postPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:31 am
by Samwolf
Oh Yeah!! !*salute*!

Re: Switching Gears

Unread postPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:49 am
by SMMDigital
Meh. It always looks better in the modeling program than in the actual sim. This is just preliminary stuff. I've got to go out to the prototype signal and get a few measurments and textures, then we'll be in business!

CSX, and I think some of the more northern Appalachian lines uses these. The particular one I have not-so-good photos of was installed on the Western and Atlantic line in the mid-nineties. I'll be offering this in USDEF and with all of Pike's scripts. Plan on doing 1, 2, and 3 head, as well as a 3-over-2 with lunar white (if I can find a texture photo) on the second head to simulate some of the older signals.

Re: Switching Gears

Unread postPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 10:03 am
by SCLALINE
OMG Jerry You are my freakin Hero!!!! those and the searchlights are exactly What i Need :)

i can get some pics for you if you need them

Re: Switching Gears

Unread postPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 12:32 pm
by PapaXpress
Jerry, would feel up to making a tutorial of how to make signals? I am faced with a problem on my route. Most of the signals are the newer type, and have the ladder on the side but they do not have the safety cage around it. Like this:
Image

Then I have another type which is prevalant along the route that Amtrak fleets run:
Image

Re: Switching Gears

Unread postPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:24 pm
by SMMDigital
If i'm not mistaken, those are SafeTran signal heads with Lincoln Industries structures underneath them. We have several of them around here. The prototype NS AND uses the ones with the safety cages, while the CSX Western and Atlantic uses what is in the photos to replace the ones im making.

Signal tut? Whew that would he a lot of photos, but I might see it I can make something up.

Photos would be great. Especially need them of the three light dwarf gro *!!wink!!* und signal without the glare shield if you can find any.

Re: Switching Gears

Unread postPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:42 pm
by Csxgp38-2
Any chance you could do a 4 head dwarf, like on ex SCL lines? I have pics of one in Apex.

Re: Switching Gears

Unread postPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:01 pm
by SMMDigital
What's on the fourth light? Im not sure if there would be any way to make that light functional. I know that the signal scripts do have call outs for lunar white, but i've not seen them implemented. Show me some pics for this sig. I may use it for the tut.

Re: Switching Gears

Unread postPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:11 pm
by PapaXpress
This is when they were swaping the old signals out for the new (soon after the UP take over of SP)
Image
some others
Image
Image

I will dig up some more later.

Re: Switching Gears

Unread postPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:22 pm
by SMMDigital
Oh yeah. Definitely Safe Tran. Check out http://www.safetran.com/signal_equipment.asp. Do you think the SafeTran signals I made last year without the man-cages would do for your purposes?

On a personal note, I don't like the three-lens Searchlight replacements. They look like the Alien from the 1956 version of "War of the World"!

Re: Switching Gears

Unread postPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:33 pm
by SCLALINE
I posted a pic of the 4 head Dwarf somewhere, i havent been able to find any photos of them, on some of the dwarfs they had a metal security grill over the lights to protect them
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=3588
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21198130@N02/3004141200/

this is a safetran 4 head but might help
http://www.rrsignalpix.com/dsafeofallon.html

this rounded version of the Dwarf is the most common, it is basically the light unit from the mast mounted signals

Some Signals had a Red Searchlight for permanent restrictions
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YhUqIo2pqNs/T ... A+comp.jpg

ive never seen Lunar in practice but in some areas they used a Doll Arm with what im guessing was a lunar color it was bluish
Here is a pic of a doll arm and there is a R2 Dwarf at the Bottom
http://www.railroadsignals.us/oldmainpi ... 7-sig1.jpg

Found a Signal aspect with Lunar watch in the first second of the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOZxCdnXbfQ
http://maxfaqs.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/lunar14.jpg

A Discussion of CSX Aspects
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 93&start=0

http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Signa ... s_scl.html




were going to Jacksonville on Friday, if CSX hasnt replaced all the R2's with Safetran signals i will take a bunch of photos, my wife has an Canon Eos Rebel, shes coming with me and will let me use the camera.

Re: Switching Gears

Unread postPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:57 pm
by Csxgp38-2
SCLALINE wrote:I posted a pic of the 4 head Dwarf somewhere, i havent been able to find any photos of them, on some of the dwarfs they had a metal security grill over the lights to protect them
ive never seen Lunar in practice but in some areas they used a Doll Arm with what im guessing was a lunar color it was bluish

http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Signa ... s_scl.html

were going to Jacksonville on Friday, if CSX hasnt replaced all the R2's with Safetran signals i will take a bunch of photos, my wife has an Canon Eos Rebel, shes coming with me and will let me use the camera.

They use the lunar a lot in Apex, just saw it used yesterday, looked great at dusk! The aspects (from top to bottom, are: red, green, amber, lunar).

Image

Re: Switching Gears

Unread postPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:02 pm
by PapaXpress
SMMDigital wrote:Oh yeah. Definitely Safe Tran. Check out http://www.safetran.com/signal_equipment.asp. Do you think the SafeTran signals I made last year without the man-cages would do for your purposes?

On a personal note, I don't like the three-lens Searchlight replacements. They look like the Alien from the 1956 version of "War of the World"!


Yes, that would work.

And I completely agree.

Here is an interesting site that I found, which has a four aspect (near the bottom, and sadly at a distance)
http://www.railroadsignals.us/signals/color/index.htm