Tracks in O R T S

[seagoon]

Trains are only in the scene but for a fleeting moment. Trackwork is there for perpetuity...

Which is why it was called the "permanent way" (abbreviated to "per-way" by railway people here in Oz).

However, there is little permanence about railway routes today, although there was a funny legal quirk operating here; when the railways were under the control of the State government, if they closed a line (usually rural) and classified the service as being "suspended" they could leave the trackage in place until it rusted away to nothing and the sleepers rotted to dust.

However, if the line was classified as "closed" then legally the Government had to rip up the infrastructure and remove it, returning the route to nature.

Which explains why there are so many "suspended services" across country New South Wales!

[rdamurphy]

Think that's odd seagoon? Here in America, a railroad has the right to abandon a route, tear up the track, and install a walking/biking trail, and then, if they wish, to tear up the trail, put the track back and go back to business as usual! Of course, then, you get the people that LIKE the walking trail all up in arms, but, nothing they can do about it...

I find myself agreeing with Otto. (For those of you that know us, please, pick your jaws up off your keyboards now...)

Track should look like track. Having said that, does everyone realize that EVERY switch in MSTS is absolutely, terribly WRONG? Real turnouts don't curve through the frog or the points. It's straight. Just look at it closely.

The ONLY track that is correct is Mark Hyams MTracks. Watching 89 foot autoracks coasting through the #20 crossovers is sheer joy for me. None of the "herky jerky" back and forth like an N-scale railroad, but the smoothness of the transition through the points, the high radius diverging route, and then the STRAIGHT track through the points through the opposing points, and then curving smoothly back to the other track.

See: https://www.trainsim.com/vbts/showth...murphy+Mtracks. I should make some video showing the difference. but some might find themselves slapping themselves in the forehead for NOT using MTracks...

Robert

[OTTODAD]

I find myself agreeing with Otto. (For those of you that know us, please, pick your jaws up off your keyboards now...)

Track should look like track. Having said that, does everyone realize that EVERY switch in MSTS is absolutely, terribly WRONG? Real turnouts don't curve through the frog or the points. It's straight. Just look at it closely.

Are you sure about that ?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=railway+turnout&num=100&newwindow=1&tbm=i sch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=gDgfUsyLJO6d0wXvr4DQ Bw&ved=0CD8QsAQ&biw=1024&bih=616

[rdamurphy]

Positive:

http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/operations/specs/attachments/amended/turnouts_opt.pdf

http://www.bnsf.com/customers/pdf/indytrkstds.pdf

http://www.csx.com/share/wwwcsx_mura...ual_063003.pdf

http://www.nscorp.com/nscportal/nscorp/Customers/Industrial%20Development/track_design_information.htm

http://www.arema.org/files/library/2011_Conference_Proceedings/Turnout_Design-Higher_Diverging_Speed_in_the_Same_Footprint.pdf

Let me know if you have any more questions...

Robert

[James Collins]

So, OpenRails is going to be an updated MSTS? What about the concept drawings on the OR site showing what appears to be enhanced lighting and weather effects? I thought the idea was to make OR backwards compatible with MSTS and then move forward. Sticking with ancient graphics doesnt sound like moving forward. I guess what Im hearing is, that if I wish to stick with OR, I am stuck with 1990's graphics? Can you imagine in ten years still playing something that looks like Super Mario Bros? The graphics should be enhanced/updated, or whatever you want to call it.

I see that water enhancement was on the drawing board, but tracks, or general lighting enhancement isnt important? Hmm ok.

[baldwin]

The intention with OR is to make version 1.0 compatible with MSTS content excluding editors. Moving on from that through 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0the intention is to improve upon that, and add the required editors along the way. Eventually OR will, I think, leave MSTS behind as it moves towards proprietary formats for models, lighting and other things that go into making the whole.

OR is already ahead of MSTS in quite a few areas.

You have to remember two important facts. First, OR is produced free of charge by people working in their free time which tends to come in small doses. Second, until OR has its own editors and file formats etc we will be tied to whatever is made for MSTS or items that are OR specific, but made in the same way as for MSTS. Concept drawings are just that, an idea of how things might look if everything comes together.

[OTTODAD]

Not intending to disagree with anything said by others on the subject of railway switches, this one:

http://harmersteel.com/capabilities/switches-turnouts/

looks like the ones used in MSTS and TS-2013.

Their frogs are pre-cast using manganese steel and are indeed using short straight rails.

[rdamurphy]

http://www.openrails.org/mission.html

There I definitely a detailed plan on here the sim is going. Subject to change, of course!

Robert

[dcarleton]

I also have to agree with Otto with regard to track. True, this is a train simulator and not a scenery simulator and it is appropriate to use low res scenery items at a distance from the tracks, but the tracks are one scenery element that will always be near the train! And the effort required to implement a good track system is usually minimal and well worth it, especially considering the improvement it makes.

Now if someone could kindly create a Western-Cullen-Hayes bumper and/or a set of wheelstops that are compatible with DBTracks....
For details please see: http://www.wch.com/pdf/catalog/bpfacts.pdf

[OTTODAD]

Now if someone could kindly create a Western-Cullen-Hayes bumper and/or a set of wheelstops that are compatible with DBTracks....

That has been discussed back in November last year and Norbert Rieger of DB-Tracks has said that he would look into it.