Three newbie questions before starting first route

1st How important is it that I start at the real geographical coordinates in RGE? I am modeling an actual RR (the Uintah NG) but can not zero in to the real life starting point (Mack, CO). After zooming in I am in the Salt Lake area (too far west) or the Denver area (too far east) and can not correct by scrolling Being as RGE does not pick up any terrain , or features, why should I care?.2nd I understand RE places the first track section pointing north by default. How do I orientate it in the direction I want? Can I press F4 and rotate it with the mouse?3rd Where can I find a sharper curve wye switch then the "-173 radius 10 degree turn” wye in the library? Would like something sharper for NG.Thanks for any help, Bill

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RE: Three newbie questions before starting first route, LawrenceKellie, Oct-16-02, 06:09 PM, (1) RE: Three newbie questions before starting first route, bpratt, Oct-16-02, 06:39 PM, (2) RE: Three newbie questions before starting first route, Brad 110, Oct-16-02, 07:27 PM, (3) RE: Three newbie questions before starting first route, bpratt, Oct-16-02, 08:50 PM, (4) RE: Three newbie questions before starting first route, charlie, Oct-17-02, 07:23 AM, (5) RE: Three newbie questions before starting first route, OkrasaGhia, Oct-17-02, 07:34 AM, (6) RE: Three newbie questions before starting first route, bpratt, Oct-17-02, 10:53 AM, (7) RE: Three newbie questions before starting first route, CGW409, Oct-17-02, 05:43 PM, (8)

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>1st How important is it that I start at the real
>geographical coordinates in RGE? I am modeling an actual RR
>(the Uintah NG) but can not zero in to the real life
>starting point (Mack, CO). After zooming in I am in the Salt
>Lake area (too far west) or the Denver area (too far east)
>and can not correct by scrolling Being as RGE does not pick
>up any terrain , or features, why should I care?. You can start it anywhere you want. If you are not going to be using freely available elevation data to terraform it, there is no reason for you to be right on.>2nd I understand RE places the first track section pointing
>north by default. How do I orientate it in the direction I
>want? Can I press F4 and rotate it with the mouse? Yes.>3rd Where can I find a sharper curve wye switch then the
>"-173 radius 10 degree turn” wye in the library? Would like
>something sharper for NG. XTracks 3.3. Download from file library.Lawrence

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Thanks for the speedy answers. The answers create two more questions though.What is meant by "freely available elevation data to terraform it"? Sounds great because the Uintah goes through pretty rough terrain.Briefly - what are XTracks? Are they easy to use and is there any compatibility problem?Hate to sound too dumb but this is my first route after the tutorial.Thanks, Bill

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>What is meant by "freely available elevation data to
>terraform it"? Terrain data is available as DEM files from several sites. (I get mine from mapmart.com)Demex is one tool available for importing DEM data into your route. Lawrence Kellie, a regular here, has written a most excellent tutorial on Demex. Give it a try.Brad Meyer

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Just started the tutorial, thanks for recommending it. Is there a source of information like that on Xtracks, or is there anything different to know?Also, how do I determine the grade in degrees for route editor? As an example - I have a one mile section that climes 40 feet. I could probably do it with Trig, but haven’t used it since I learned it using a slide rule and don’t want to take the time to relearn it now. Thanks for the help guys, Bill

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Here is an Excel spreadsheet for grades to degrees and vice versa.regards,
Charlie

Attachments
http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/3dae9d3e4146a1d9.zip

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Visit my site to learn about XTracks or search in these forums.
If you run into problems or have any questions don't hesitate to ask.
Either in these forums where others can help too or you may e-mail me and I'll try to help with any XTracks problems you might experience.


//Okrasa
Chief Engineer
okrasaghia @ yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/okrasaghia
http://www.geocities.com/okrasaghia/XTracks



Steam: 4-4-0 8, 0-4-0ST 9, 0-6-0 12, 0-8-0 15, 2-6-0 25, 2-8-0 27, 2-6-6-2 37, 2-8-2 40, 4-6-2 56
Diesels: SW8 16, F3 53, F7 54, FP7 57, CPA 58, RDC 61, GP7 81, GP9 82, RS11 86, H16 87, TM 88

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Thanks for all the great help guys, I feel I have enough to dive into it now.Have decided to do a short segment of my route, just using RE and some XTrack, to experiment and gain experience and then do the real thing using Demex.Thanks again guys, Bill

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Bill
A few rules to live by, you probably know them but it can't hurt to repeat them.
Rule 1 Back up your work
Rule 2 Back up your work
Rule 3 There is no rule 3 (sorry Monty Python ref couldn't resist)
Rule 4 Back up your work
Rule 5 Do not install signals, lineside or crossing, siding or station markers until all your track is down
Rule 6 Back up your work

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