WIP: Mt. Hood RR

[MadMike1024]

More screens...

http://mdroaming.home.comcast.net/Industrial1.png
Industrial area looking Northeast
http://mdroaming.home.comcast.net/6_train.png
AI train headed West - Town of Hood River in the rear, and industrial area front. 4 lane is I-84.

Laying the track was easy, the rest is tedious, but where the art lives...

BTW! Do any of you have a clean way of easing a vertical curve? The switchback is giving me fits with lumps and bumps . Recall, it's 2.4% up to a turnout and level track, and 2.8% on up the hill from the turnout. Any suggestions will be gladly accepted.

[kin3]

Looking good.

[BigVern]

Re lumps and bumps, it might not be 100% prototypical but you might want to look at using a lofted track support section under the track (embankments) to overcome the uneven terrain. Alternately, just ease the gradient where the track diverges so you don't get the drastic change in height within the bounds of both track sections.

[MadMike1024]

Re lumps and bumps, it might not be 100% prototypical but you might want to look at using a lofted track support section under the track (embankments) to overcome the uneven terrain. Alternately, just ease the gradient where the track diverges so you don't get the drastic change in height within the bounds of both track sections.

I ripped out the track, and lowered the grade a bit, both up and down. I figured a proper length for a transition as being <>120 feet, half again the length of the coaches. I laid the switchback and turnout dead level (correct for the prototype) and extended each leg out about 60 feet.Then taking 120 feet at a jump, lowered the downhill leg .25% at a time until I had the correct downgrade. I did the same with the uphill leg and it seems to be working fine now. Using the grading tool to fill back. I don't know, but you may be able to use shorter chunks.

[MadMike1024]

More screens... have done the river canyon up to the switchback. Still a little to do in HR proper, but putting it aside for now as it's just window dressing.

http://mdroaming.home.comcast.net/Switchback2.png
Standing at the buffer on the switchback.

http://mdroaming.home.comcast.net/HWY35.png
Highway 35 overcrossing coming up from the switchback.

http://mdroaming.home.comcast.net/orchard.png
Just after crossing Highway 35, you see the first of many orchards.

Lots of work left! Hopefully it will get done by Christmas...

[Shortliner]

Your route looks like it's coming along very nicely.

[arizonachris]

Looking good, Mike! Would be a nice Christmas present (you do plan to distribute it?)

[MadMike1024]

Looking good, Mike! Would be a nice Christmas present (you do plan to distribute it?)

I do indeed plan to distribute it! It would be fun to share.

I just purchased RW_Decals, it will help me recreate Odell and Parkdale.

[MadMike1024]

More shots, and the start of the "Rules"

http://mdroaming.home.comcast.net/MP10_Inbound.png
Heading downgrade at MP10
http://mdroaming.home.comcast.net/gravel_mine.png
Ballast mining operation for the UP. The pipes at the right of the track bring water down from a dam to a small hydro-electric plant.

Rules so far:

Operating Rules for the Mount Hood Railroad Co.

Movement on the line is not allowed without a signed release from the dispatcher.
Passenger operations have the right-of-way.
Sandboxes, fuel, and water tanks must be filled before commencing operations.
Water is available at Parkdale for steamers.
For safety reasons, all operations either direction from the switchback to Parkdale MUST be locomotive forward.
The canyon has no crossings at grade, so operations from the switchback to the UP connection can be cars forward.
No more than a total train length of 600' will fit on the switchback, plan accordingly.

So far, this has been fun! I hope you will like it.

[Samwolf]

I've ridden on the Mt hood RR many times when I lived in OC. Looks good and can't wait to be able to ride it again.

[MadMike1024]

After a field trip, I found some more old abandoned roadbed that was for sidings at the Parkdale lumber mill, apparently log delivery and to ship lumber and chips. It turns out that the Odell sawmill also had a siding for shipping lumber. Odell also has a scrapyard that ships a lot of scrap metal. It's beginning to look like a train of freight a day would have been the norm, maybe two during fruit picking. I'm going to include these sidings and pickup points even though they aren't in use anymore. After all, the sim isn't Truckworks...

More to come soon.

[MadMike1024]

More screens...

http://mdroaming.home.comcast.net/marina_etc.png
Highway service area, Hood River toll bridge, and marina... Hood River area is finished (save fuss work!)
http://mdroaming.home.comcast.net/power_plant.png
The little hydro plant just outside of Hood River
http://mdroaming.home.comcast.net/finis ... chback.png
For Kin3... finished switchback area
http://mdroaming.home.comcast.net/Piersons_orchard.png
WIP, will have a truck transfer dock for the neighboring orchards as well
http://mdroaming.home.comcast.net/inbou ... _odell.png
WIP, just North of Odell proper,lots of fruit packing plants... one more siding will go in on the right by the building.

19 more miles to go... I may actually give you folks a Christmas present!

[MadMike1024]

More screen shots...

http://mdroaming.home.comcast.net/river_sawmill.png
Sawmill between Odell and Parkdale.

http://mdroaming.home.comcast.net/pierson2.png
Piersons Orchards from the South.

http://mdroaming.home.comcast.net/pierson3.png
Piersons Orchards from the North.

Odell and Parkdale to finish, then the connecting green tunnels...

[micaelcorleone]

Looks very good!
But have you ever thought of buying a new grafics card? So you could set your Anti-Aliasing to 16 and it would look even better.

[MadMike1024]

Looks very good!
But have you ever thought of buying a new grafics card? So you could set your Anti-Aliasing to 16 and it would look even better.

Actually, I have a SLI pair of nVidia 8800GTs. I have one of them disabled for development, as I'm trying to keep it reasonable for those without higher end video equipment. Using one card, I am trying to keep the frame rate above 40.

I will do the AA16 for screenshots though, it would make them look better.

Thanks - MM