New Marias Pass Route

[ebnertra000]

This is a project I've been working on for a bit now. It is a built-from-scratch route over Marias Pass based on a combination of BN track charts from the early 1990s and modern satellite imagery. The route runs over the same territory as the original MSTS one (Whitefish-Shelby, with the branch to Kalispell). The plan is to finish track and roads, and then release it as an incomplete route, otherwise I'll never finish it. My one question is: Should I add interactives to it?

Anyway, here are some images:

Shelby, with part of the roads in


Glacier Park


Cutbank, whose street grid I slightly mis-sized, but I'm not changing it now
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2pFGwPv]

The mill at Conkelley, which is much bigger than Kuju would have us believe

[CSRX]

Travis, send me a PM sometime about this route. I have some plans for it.

[SD40-2]

This is a project I've been working on for a bit now. It is a built-from-scratch route over Marias Pass based on a combination of BN track charts from the early 1990s and modern satellite imagery. The route runs over the same territory as the original MSTS one (Whitefish-Shelby, with the branch to Kalispell). The plan is to finish track and roads, and then release it as an incomplete route, otherwise I'll never finish it. My one question is: Should I add interactives to it?

Nice work so far. Shaping up to be very nice, even without scenery. Personally, I'd release one version without interactives, and one with interactives, but if I had to choose, I'd go with interactives.

[eric]

I say add the interactives.

TSRE doesn't seem to implode like MSTS did when you make changes post-interactives....

[ChandlerBranchRailfan]

CSRX I'm surprised TS gave you permissions to do this.
How did that happen I wonder.

[ChandlerBranchRailfan]

What Eric said, please add interactives, I'm just gonna cut to the chase and say that it'll make it a lot easier.

Also, I'd like to ask, would you consider building to Harve as BNSF Crews typically run Whitefish - Harve, what about extensions to Sweetgrass (Canada) and Great Falls.

[CSRX]

What Eric said, please add interactives, I'm just gonna cut to the chase and say that it'll make it a lot easier.

Also, I'd like to ask, would you consider building to Harve as BNSF Crews typically run Whitefish - Harve, what about extensions to Sweetgrass (Canada) and Great Falls.

You can find all that in the GN Hi-Line Route File ID 72558 here in the file library.

[PerryPlatypus]

Travis, feel free to shoot me an IM if you'd like BNSF-era track charts for this line.

[ebnertra000]

A slight update:

Track is done with the exception of a couple of the service tracks at Whitefish (the turntable has proven to be extremely janky), and one track in Shelby which I am debating quietly axing (see below).

Roads are mostly done, with Columbia Falls and Kalispell being the last major projects, along with a few spots in the pass.

This brings up two questions:

The first is one track in Shelby, namely at a grain elevator east of town. It is served by a balloon track with a track leading back into the balloon (See image).

The problem is the track highlighted in red. If I build that, that runs the risk of someone creating a circular route. Can OR handle this?

The second question regards US2 in the pass. There are several places where the highway is fairly close to the tracks, but is well above the tracks and/or behind vegetation. Should I still put it there, since in any aerial view the road will be close enough to see?

[dcarleton]

You can have a circular path in OR. The path editor in MSTS would crash if you tried to make a circular path, but the path editor in the OR track viewer doesn't have that problem.

In fact, back when I still had MSTS I once created an activity with circular path using the trackviewer in OR, and then when I ran the activity in MSTS (just to see what would happen) it worked just fine! That suggests that the real issue was with the MSTS path editor.

[eric]

Circular paths were not a problem in msts if there were at least two signals in place to prevent a path from meeting its tail, and at least one interim track node e.g. a switch because the start and end of a track node cannot be the same place.

[SD40-2]

A slight update:The second question regards US2 in the pass. There are several places where the highway is fairly close to the tracks, but is well above the tracks and/or behind vegetation. Should I still put it there, since in any aerial view the road will be close enough to see?

Yes, since while the road might not be visible directly, road traffic might be visible at some angles.

[eric]

Sounds like a great place to bury carspawners.

[ebnertra000]

It is done.

I went with having most interactives in place, with the biggest exception being car spawners.

https://www.trainsim.com/forums/file...leid?fid=90134

[kennyeaton]

You can find all that in the GN Hi-Line Route File ID 72558 here in the file library.

Funny you should mention that route, I'm in the process of loading it up with more scenery items. Gonna start a major makeover on it very soon.

Kenny