[OTTD] Mop Screen Shot Thread

[supermop]

So I have been meaning to start documenting games for awhile, and decided to use progress on my grf as a reason to go ahead with it.

This game is my first with YACD, using Foobar's unofficial build. I wanted to try out the newer versions of FIRS and the new river feature, but was not yet willing to give up some level of cargo destination. The hardest adjustment for me thusfar is the lack of the 24hr/departure board patch.


Lets get started:

The game takes place on a Baltic archipelago in the early 50's. The islands are characterized by the occasional large hill, and many small rivers and streams emptying into large winding bays and inlets. The villages are small and somewhat isolated from the outside world. The economy of the region supports a few modest industries, but has been primarily maritime for centuries with relatively little agrarian activity. The islands are being left behind by development in the rest of Europe, and making a living without leaving for the mainland looks like it will only get harder.


Pasila is a small mining village in the relatively more developed eastern area of the largest island. Recently the small vein on the west edge of town has been depleted, and the larger deposits are located further up the mountain, past the rapids of the Pasila River. A new deep shaft mine is established, but will not be able to use the river to bring coal down. With the economic survival of the town at stake, and little chance for outside investment, the town decides it must take on development of transportation itself. A committee of stakeholders forms the Pasila River Canal Company to construct a series of locks on the river and secures a large loan from a consortium of banks on the island.

A dock is built as far up as possible, and orders are place for a small steamship to carry the coal to the coast. The company needed a compromise between a canal boat and a seagoing vessel as funds did not allow separate ships for each leg of the trip. Orders were placed for a small freighter, to be named for the village that had pinned their hopes on her. While the type usually has an oil burning boiler, the MS Pasila was modified burn locally available coal.

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The company constructed a steep minimum gauge tramway to reach the mine itself, and bring coal down to the docks. Coal burning locomotives were ordered from the mainland and began hauling short rakes of mine carts. The grades involved let the line act as a gravity railroad while full, with most of the engines' work done hauling the much lighter empty carts back to the mine.

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MS Pasila steams past Kauhakoski, a larger town on the way to the coast.

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[supermop]

To cover the huge capital expenses, Pasila would need steady, industrial scale clients for its coal. Part of the company's mandate therefore included establishing and operating transport and delivery contracts. Imatra, at the mouth of the inlet had been home to lime manufacture for generations, as the slow currents of the inland water ways led to limestone rich sand and gravel settling and accumulating nearby. The town was also a hub for shipping, and seemed like a good fit. The company bought a disused shipyard and dock in Imatra's inland harbor, and began stockpiling coal there. The harbor's old tramway was used to make regular deliveries to the Imatra lime kiln.

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Needing more limestone than they could source themselves, Imatra contracted with PRCC to dredge from Tapanila Bay, on another branch of the inlet. The company took out further loans to purchase a utility boat and fit it out for the task.

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The harbor's electric railmotor makes two coal deliveries for every one stone delivery. The vehicle makes a quick stop at its depot to clean out the cargo hopper between runs for different materials. How a little coal dust manages to spoil a bunch of briny gravel is beyond the longshoremen.

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[supermop]

On a max height 25 game of 1.5.0 rc1, I managed to get a bauxite mine at height 25....


Solution: Switchback narrow gauge mountain railway using Iron Horse and the Ore Loading station to transfer to the standard gauge network!

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The trains are carefully scheduled so that the uphill empty train waits in the far end of the siding until the downhill train reverses in the near end with its load. Above this point to the west there is a loop around a small peak on the side of the mountain. The little trains are top and tailed with Iron Horse Walker diesels as there is no room to run around on the hillside!

There is no room for another passing place, so the system is limited to two trains, which have a cyclic capacity of about 120% the mines production. While they could easily carry engineering supplies in the gondolas on the way up, I have no interest in boosting the production and subsequently spoiling the cute railway with increased capacity or conversion to standard gauge. The aluminum plant down the line gets most of it's production from the gung ho scrap yard in the valley anyway. This line has now run for about 10 game years without jamming so best to leave well enough alone!

Back on the other side of the map; Kolari, last seen here had seen more work by 1967, with the eastern branch fully doubled and electrified with 3rd rail, and connected for through running to points south and west. In a few more years, the east branch will effectively become the new passenger mainline from this point north.

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The three single car slammers have been replaced with new metro stock, and the cascaded railcars have been marshalled into a train waiting near the center of the view to run down to Kolari West Yard and Depot, where they will be put to use increasing the local service on the old mainline. An express from the old mainline is entering the station on its way to the southern coast, and a westbound train is waiting in the northern yard between runs. Its route will take it as far as Kielometsa Central, just out of frame in the first picture. In the upper right you can just catch the red taillight of an oil unit train heading north.


A few years later in the company's primary city of Savonkallio. The next city up the line from Kolari, it's a once-small town nestled in two parallel valleys, with a small hill next to the town center:

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The old mainline runs along the western edge of the city center, where local and south coast express trains stop, and oil trains pass at speed. The eastern branch formerly terminated at Savankallio Valley, near center of view, but now continues north along the coast. The 3rd rail local services terminate at the northern station with a buffer visible at upper right. The diesel local services on the old mainline have been upgraded to four car, all slammer, trains, and pass through the northern station as well. A short vulcan hauled train is approaching Savankallio South, running a truncated northeast coast service to gather timetable information in advance of express through service on the east branch. The short chinook hauled freight has just dropped a load of food from Kolari Mill in the goods siding, and will collect farm supplies from the fertilizer plant on its return.