The first step in this railroad construction is to plan. I like to plan my projects well, being sure that everything is how I think will be best. Also, I am in college and so this railroad cannot be built except at certain times of the year, and only piece by piece. I am predicting then that these first several posts will be all planning. What I can give viewers that is exciting is valuable information and great prototype shots of the various railroads I'll be taking inspiration from.
So where do I start? My gut and my experience tells me that I should decide what I want on the railroad first, then find a way to fit what I can into what ever space limits I finds. Also, I want to have something as soon as I can build it, so whatever I start with should be simple, basic but to the point.
Do I start with a mine?
How about a small station?
Perhaps the interchange?
The best place to determine this is through the prototype. The interchange is a very busy place, however this is way too large to be modeled quickly and still look good. Going with a station or a whistle stop is okay; it's small, it's easy and it looks good. However, a station doesn't quite capture the purpose of an industrial railway plus there is not much operating potential. My first option, the mine sounds like something that could work. A mine is the reason the railroad is in existence plus the mine will require one or two spurs to drop cars. Furthermore, by going to the furthest mine, I also model one complete end of the system which is a physical starting point.
So a mine it is then. The mine will require at least one spur so that rail cars can be dropped to be loaded. If I wanted to make the scene incredibly rural, I would leave the track design as that, one spur off of a main line that abruptly ends just beyond the mine. In addition, perhaps a small platform that the occasional boxcar of parts and tools can be parked at could be included.
A second module would have to be built to serve as a staging/fiddle yard/spur lead. As long as the railroad's name is "Bard Creek" I might as well make this second module a bridge with a creek bottom.
Based on what I describe, here is my 3D rendition:
So where do I start? My gut and my experience tells me that I should decide what I want on the railroad first, then find a way to fit what I can into what ever space limits I finds. Also, I want to have something as soon as I can build it, so whatever I start with should be simple, basic but to the point.
Do I start with a mine?
How about a small station?
Perhaps the interchange?
The best place to determine this is through the prototype. The interchange is a very busy place, however this is way too large to be modeled quickly and still look good. Going with a station or a whistle stop is okay; it's small, it's easy and it looks good. However, a station doesn't quite capture the purpose of an industrial railway plus there is not much operating potential. My first option, the mine sounds like something that could work. A mine is the reason the railroad is in existence plus the mine will require one or two spurs to drop cars. Furthermore, by going to the furthest mine, I also model one complete end of the system which is a physical starting point.
So a mine it is then. The mine will require at least one spur so that rail cars can be dropped to be loaded. If I wanted to make the scene incredibly rural, I would leave the track design as that, one spur off of a main line that abruptly ends just beyond the mine. In addition, perhaps a small platform that the occasional boxcar of parts and tools can be parked at could be included.
A second module would have to be built to serve as a staging/fiddle yard/spur lead. As long as the railroad's name is "Bard Creek" I might as well make this second module a bridge with a creek bottom.
Based on what I describe, here is my 3D rendition:
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