Announcing BNSF Stevens Pass

[buzz456]

Way off topic guys.

[arizonachris]

Way off topic guys.

Picking of nits again, Mr. Coffee?

[buzz456]

Them not me.

[raptorengineer]

will there be new pics showing new distinces mountains from ts2014 that be cool.

[BoostedFridge]

Rick, are you going to have any of the elements of the old GN right of way as scenery?

[GreatNortherner]

will there be new pics showing new distinces mountains from ts2014 that be cool.

Distant Mountains have been installed with the new tools and they work fine. In its "middle part", around the pass, the route is so deep in the mountains that the added distant mountains might not even be noticable in some places, however on the east and west slopes approaching the Cascades the effect is really neat.

Rick, are you going to have any of the elements of the old GN right of way as scenery?

If I may answer for Rick, we're building the route in its modern appearance, thus only little of the old GN remains. A few reminders of the past still remain however, so on our route you'll find the old depots at Skykomish, Wenatchee, Everett, and Cashmere, many old GN bridges, an old GN caboose at Sky (used to be there until a few years ago, in reality it's now on static display near Scenic), many old bridges, and some more things (I don't want to give it all away!)

Cheers,
Michael

[BNSF650]

Anychance of getting the BN snow plow?

[thecanadianrail]

I'm not sure if this was stated already but I was wondering if you are going to set the track roughness correctly like as what the prototype would be like? Most routes that have came out recently have had this implemented fairly poorly and I hope its more accurate in this route. Sidings, spurs and yards should be fairly rough compared to the fairly smooth mainlines and semi smooth sidings.

[ricksan]

I was wondering if you are going to set the track roughness correctly

Sounds like a good idea, but I for one have no idea what is "correct." I have no expertise in this area, but perhaps you do. Which blueprint applies and what settings do you recommend?

[BNSFdude]

In the track settings, a setting of 55 mainline and 65 siding, and 80 on non main track.

[RvA944]

In the track settings, a setting of 55 mainline and 65 siding, and 80 on non main track.

That's a little aggressive don't ya think? HSC was set at 20 for the mainline, and I don't remember what NEC was set to but it was up there, and man I needed a neck brace for that route. And yeah I fixed it!

I think you might want to play with the variables and find a balance between line speed and wonkiness.

Roger

[krellnut]

I like the realism of a rough track, but the problem is the camera follows the roughness. If the #2 camera stayed stationary and only the train rocked, that would be much more realistic, and not so irritating.

[5292nate]

One thing that RSC never got right with the cab sway, is that below about 20 MPH, the train rocks from side to side over bumps. About 30 and above, it bounces up and down. Something I would like to see fixed.

[BNSFdude]

One thing that RSC never got right with the cab sway, is that below about 20 MPH, the train rocks from side to side over bumps. About 30 and above, it bounces up and down. Something I would like to see fixed.

Trains don't bounce much unless they're going from a soft to a hard spot (crossings). If they're bouncing, somethings going wrong. Something I've learned about rocking and rolling, is that it happens around 13-16 MPH on stick rail. and it gets pretty bad, even with 3 Axle trucks.

[GreatNortherner]

In the track settings, a setting of 55 mainline and 65 siding, and 80 on non main track.

That's a little aggressive don't ya think? HSC was set at 20 for the mainline, and I don't remember what NEC was set to but it was up there, and man I needed a neck brace for that route. And yeah I fixed it!

I think you might want to play with the variables and find a balance between line speed and wonkiness.

Roger

Thanks for the suggestions, we will play around with this feature and see what works best.

Judging by the cab ride videos we found and the many pictures we have, I think it's safe to say that the tracks on the Scenic Sub are really well maintained, use heavy rails and deep ballast beds. A big portion of the tracks is also quite new. So I think we should be aiming for a pretty smooth ride. However, even on sidings and many spurs BNSF seems to be spending a lot on maintenance. The only visibly rough tracks you can find along this line are some very rarely used sidings like for example the old yard at Skykomish or some of the industry spurs.

Michael