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The Union Pacific's La Grande Sub would be classified as a mountain route, but it only has one tunnel, located near MP 204 (Hinkle is at MP 185) between Hinkle and Pendleton, OR. I have nearly completed the track laying of Phase I and I have begun to work on constructing bridges, roads, and of course the lone tunnel. It is located mid curve and on a grade of about 0.5%. Instead of making do with the tunnel track piece selection, I am wondering if it's possible to build a tunnel model in Gmax, and place and position it as an object in the Route Editor. At the ends I would place and align the tunnel openings. This way, I won't have to disrupt the curve with track pieces that have uncommon radii. I have basic knowledge of building and mapping in Gmax, but any help on accurately constructing a model that would fit the dynamic track piece would be great. Has anyone already tried this? Is it a practical approach?Any feedback is appreciated...:Matt: UP La Grande Sub (Phase I) Tracks: 95% Scenery: 0%
Hi Matt,do you have 3DTrainstuff's Tehachapi II route? It uses exactly the approach you described for several of the tunnels in sections of dynamic track, except for the fact that both portals plus all the tunnel walls are one single scenery object. For an examples, one of the two tunnels between Cliff and Bealville as well as both tunnels between Bealville and Caliente come to my mind here. If you have that route, take a tour in RE. The .s files in question you'd be interested to have a look at are jwg_tunnel02.s, jwg_tunnel03.s, and so on.A nice side-effect: A tunnel using this technique doesn't send the player back into the #1 view when the train enters the tunnel (as MSTS is unaware of there actually being a tunnel), meaning that it is easier to get some nice screenshots when a train enters or leaves the tunnel.Lukas a.k.a Swissie
Thanks,It's good to hear that this method has been used and proven to work. Unfortunately I don't have Tehachapi Pass, but I think I get the idea. If someone would be so kind as to send (e-mail) me Tehachapi's tunnel .s and .sd files (IF it's okay of course? I'm not sure) I would appreciate it.It makes sense to model the tunnel and portals as a single shape, though it would be more complex and harder to map. We'll see which is more practical as I begin to experiment with it... This way, you can choose to drive through it or hang outside in the #4 view waiting for the train to emerge. I've always disliked the fact that I get bumped to the cabview whenever in a tunnel...:Matt: UP La Grande Sub (Phase I) Tracks: 95% Scenery: 0%