Australian Railway Tracks

[GarryG]

Not able to get this set ready for Bananas this week due to some health problems I having .. hope to work on it more later.

Cheers all

[andythenorth]

Take care GarryG, hope all comes good.

[GarryG]

Thanks Andy for your thoughts.

Tried doing some work to this set this evening but slow.

Besides my disability also got Shingles in right side and back which had now for other a year and also been diagnosed with Polymyalgia rheumatic. (I can't even pronounce it). Aches and pains in upper arms, shoulders and neck and reduced mobility in arms as can no longer reach behind my back.

The aches in Arms and shoulders make it difficult using keyboard and mouse for very long as muscles in upper arm gets sore. Last few days I could do any of my projects.

But I intend to keep working on my projects whenever I can .. just everyone have to have patience these days for me to get things finished.

On a lighter note:

My plans for this AuzTrack project is each track have its own Depot but they can be used still with any track.

At moment I working on a Old Loco Shed. A few layers of bricks around the base and corrugated iron.

Old Depot1.png (9.52 KiB) Viewed 4169 times

They be in 2 pieces .. The shed comes with the AuzTracks. The part in front with the doors and water tank will be a Path Aware platform tiles.

Old_depot2.png (10.08 KiB) Viewed 4169 times

These should be available with the Pioneer Siding Tracks and the Siding set that comes available in 1870.

I think they will look good end of branch lines.

Cheers all

[GarryG]

Finished the Old Loco Depot.

CountryStationTerminal.png (84.45 KiB) Viewed 4108 times

The Depot itself can be found in AuzTracks under Pioneer Siding Construction (available in 1800) and the Siding Construction (available in 1870).

The Path Aware doors that also has the water tank and coal dump will be part of AuzWaypointsAndMoreFreightStations under "AuzTrainDepot: Train Depots and Add-Ons for AuzTrack Depots.

Looking at changing the images to the semaphore Path Signals as I like these signals on Single lines and crossing loops. Hope to make these changes in coming days.

If like to play around with this new depot here the files needed.

[Pyoro]

The buildings and everything look pretty good, but I just can't get into that ballast. It looks so "tagged on", completely different from the style of all the other art in the game. Doesn't work at all for me

[GarryG]

The buildings and everything look pretty good, but I just can't get into that ballast. It looks so "tagged on", completely different from the style of all the other art in the game. Doesn't work at all for me

My biggest problem is trying to make things to realistic.

The wide ballast idea stops the grass growing between the parallel tracks .. but make it to wide on the outer edges. The ballast even in real only went as far out as where the stanchions are for the Catenary.

The wide ballast out to the sides even to me don't look nice that why I tried to make the maintenance roads to try cover up that ballast.

So last Tuesday I went train riding getting off at Morisset, Dora Creek and Awaba paying particular attention to the ballast and the outer edge to get some ideas.

I took these at Awaba.

This photo is facing north towards Newcastle. Bottom right is the edge of the platform ramp and as can see ballast only goes a fraction wider than the platforms.

Awaba.png (755.22 KiB) Viewed 4045 times

As can see in above photo and this one the stanchions for the catenary and all other infrastructure are along the edge of the ballast.
This second photo is facing south towards Sydney.

Awaba_22.png (565.58 KiB) Viewed 4045 times

So I going back to the drawing board and see what I can come up with.

[GarryG]

Would this idea look a bit better.

I transitioned the ballast along the wide sections so looks like pieces of ballast laying in the grass and snow.

[Pyoro]

It definitely looks better to my eyes.

I don't think the multi-track issue is one that can be solved. I vaguely remember other trackset debates over how wide the ballast should be, and you rarely got anything that covers the entire tile because it just looks odd (Japanese urban tracks are a good exception though), even if generally you don't have a stripe of grass growing between tracks Can't do anything about it as long as tiles are squares, I think ^^;

Although that wasn't even my concern; it was mostly the "art style" of the rocks in question. But with narrower ballast that doesn't show so much anymore anyway ^^;

[GarryG]

It definitely looks better to my eyes.

I'm improving with age

I'll try a few other ideas see if can improve more .. Getting a good ballast not easy .. been several railway locations past few weeks and some places the ballast is a light grey to the pink red colour found at another location.

What I hope to do with all the tracks with ballast use the same colours so they can be used together and look good. Just change the colour of the rail heads between rusty brown to almost white to look shinny and well used.

Shall see what I can come up with .

I don't think the multi-track issue is one that can be solved.

True .. I will give up the idea of the wide ballast in the rail set and only use it with my Station sets.

Cheers

[Gwyd]

I have a suggestion: perhaps have the full tile ballast, but have the trackside fences as a ballast-grass fade. This means ballast bridges the gap between tracks but doesn't take the whole tile.

[Pyoro]

I have a suggestion: perhaps have the full tile ballast, but have the trackside fences as a ballast-grass fade. This means ballast bridges the gap between tracks but doesn't take the whole tile.

I wonder: could the fences be used as way to overlay some "grass transition" instead? That way, a single track would have some transition on the sides, but double-tracks wouldn't.

Might cause all sort of glitches though; no clue whether it could be done to be groundtile-sensitive etc.

[GarryG]

I wonder: could the fences be used as way to overlay some "grass transition" instead?

I have a suggestion: perhaps have the full tile ballast, but have the trackside fences as a ballast-grass fade

This might work .. be a bit like what I was trying to do with Maintenance Trails.

Hope get chance tomorrow to give it a try.

The glitch I had trying to make Maintenance Trails was at junctions as it cut corners I guess you can say .. try NuTracks with a fence and you will see what I mean.

One other problem is those who like snow .. but guess they can pretend the snow plough did a really good job.

Thanks both of you for your suggestion .. shall see what I can do.

[Gwyd]

I feel like snow aware fences may be possible

[GarryG]

Silly me .. yes they are available for snow .. cheers

[GarryG]

Thanks to Gwyd and Pyoro you gave me a good idea that I think is going to work.

The 1st track on left is when laid and game paused before fence line builds.

2nd one after the fence line of grass builds and last on right if 2 tracks are parallel.

Guess I can say you 2 put me on the right track.

As can see a minor glitch one end with extra ballast showing and also need to line them up properly in some other directions.

Shall work on this idea some more and see if can fix some of the glitches.

Cheers

[GarryG]

These might need a bit more tweaking but starting to look good.

I've also changed the flashing lights at level crossings. Instead of the 2 red lights flashing top and bottom of each other they now flash alternative at a angle.

Level Crossing lights-1.png (135.57 KiB) Viewed 3866 times

Going to be busy next few days with other project and also medical appointments tomorrow.

Like to try and let me know what you think?

Here the file.

[GarryG]

Going to change the level crossing signs and lights so they match closer to what is used in my country.

The Cross arms will be made all white. (like the older style ones are/was).

The 2 flashing lights are on either side of the post just below the cross arms.

The Boom gates have 3 or 4 flashing lights along the booms so hope to add these.

But I can't do this today .. be tomorrow or the weekend with luck.

[GarryG]

In the process of changing the Level Crossings for vehicles that drive on left side of the road and designed from images and photos of Level Crossing in Australia.

Australian Level Crossings.png (16.71 KiB) Viewed 3797 times

At the moment these boom gates are included with all the tracks I made. But it is my intention to make different types.

For instances tracks available in 1800 will just have the Cross Arms and with a Stop sign.

I don't know yet if I can make some level crossing gates .. but if I can I will.

Not sure how long will take me to finish this set as also working on changes to my Station sets.

Can try if like and also included the source for any one else who like to try making their own tracks. All coding is in NML.

[GarryG]

New Level Crossings .. these have twin boom gates.

Australian Level Crossings1.png (16.92 KiB) Viewed 3694 times

[GarryG]

Made some gates that was used at major level crossings before the boom gates was invented.

I tested it with some object fences .. but found a problem .. the grass some of the grass has grown so long that it hides the fences.

Maybe the grass along the track edges to hide the wide ballast not going to work.

Will try a few other ideas .. one is to include a fence with the grass.

I shall keep trying.

Cheers