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STRUCTURES: The Coal Road uses mainly default MSTS structures, due mainly to the fact that this line is 1500km from where I live, so custom stations etc were currently out of the question. Luckerly Michael Thompson brought out his NSWGR Stations, Signal Boxes and G3 Goods shed when I was half way building it, and he has kindly given permission to include them in the route folder. John Chambers brought out an excellent InterModal Container Crane last year, and this has also been included. I did some simple buildings and road signs, and a simple version of the Mount Thorley Coal Loader, which was scaled from photos. The Route was never meant to be an accurate representation of the structures in the region, but the track gradients and terrain are as accurate as I could model it, restrictions in the Route Editor notwithstanding. Areas I knew were modelled, and this will be obvious to those who know the line. Places I didnt know I just ‘made up’, to either ‘look right’ or to be ‘photographically scenic’. TRACK AND SIGNALS: Track is the MSTS ‘English’ wooden sleepered type, although I coloured the ballast grey to look a bit better. All points are manual type. Station yards are again ‘based’ on reality, although simplified, with refuge sidings and dead end sidings the norm. Again shunting is not the point, running big, heavy coal/wheat trains is. The ‘City’ has big long sidings, with container and slab steel loading cranes. Prototypical Emergency crossovers are provided on the double line section, and come in handy in ‘explore route’ mode, when you end up on the wrong track ! The gradients and curves are based on the official diagram, with one or two exceptions/mistakes. Some ‘long’ sections are shortened to save a bit of space/time. The section Muswellbrook to Wingen was shortened due to shortage of space, plus it was gradiently boring, so after leaving Muswellbrook you go straight to Dartmoor Jcn, and leaving Dartmoor Jcn you go straight to Parkville and onto Wingen. So Togar and Aberdeen to Scone are not included. Signals are MSTS BSNF type, again either located ‘actually’ or ‘logically’ depending. On the four track section they are spaced for busy train running. I do prefer the (Victorian) method of two signal heads for diverging moves, this was possible for ‘facing’ points, but alas if the signal protected a trailing point, then a facing point, it woulndnt ‘read’ properly through the trailing point, causing crashes, so most signals are single light only. No, Werris Creek does not have semaphores, apart from a down home arrival signal and an Up departure signal, both colour lights, thats it. Balloon Loops: All the Coal mines are there (except Mt Owen) with ‘make believe’ balloon loops. I didnt even bother making a real balloon loop, for three reasons - During an activity you would either run an empty train to the loader (then finish) or you would run a loaded train from the loader, so there was no real need to provide one. -It would be difficult to connect up, and I did hear that if you do, MSTS crashes !!?? So I didn’t bother, except for Newdell Jcn-Hunter Valley Loader, which doubles up to form the old main line, so I did try to connect it up, and I spent 2 1/2 hours of trial and error and dynamic track and I actually managed to connect it up...yah...unfortunately when I ‘saved’ it it corrupted the track database, so I had to delete it.The Balloon Loop surrounds are again ‘made up’, I woulndn’t have a clue what they look like. Camberwell Jcn was completely unknown to me, so I just made it scenicly interesting. TERRAIN: As above, areas I knew are shaped the best I could, within the restrictions of MSTS.Most of the landmark places of the line are modelled - Minimbah bank and road overbridge - Singleton Heights - Lake Liddel - Ardglen tunnel and surrounds The route is laid out in a “model railway baseboard” fashion (see map) therefore the lat/long of places are wrong (unless by coincidence) so sunrise/sunsets will not be accurate, although you’ll soon learn where the sun will be by experience. Roads are mostly placed where they should be beside the line and most have the car spawner active. Some ‘main’ roads may be missing, as it’s funny, as the track and gradient diagrams show the ‘unprotected’ level crossings, but not the ‘protected’ ones !, so if I knew a level crossing was there I put it in. MISTAKES: Hmmm...it’s such a big route, some things probably slipped past, especially in later days when it was ‘complete’ and I was testing the activities. Running trains was so enjoyable.... TERRAIN: The dreaded terrain over track does occur at some places, either I missed out on fixing or I ignored or I tried....Anyone who’s used the Route Editor will know, “ hit the ‘y’ key” and sometimes the terrain will conform, and other times...you fire up MSTS to find its still over the track, some areas refused to conform, some come and go, depending. There are some ‘holes’ at some bridges, some descretely covered, some left alone. Some track is ‘floating’ mainly at locations close to roads, where the terrain is at different levels, I did try, the Ardglen surrounds took days to complete. As I laid all the track first, then shaped the scenery, some locations didn’t turn out ‘right’, and some ‘scaled out’ distance wise, either too short or too long. The ‘down’ end of Murrurundi and the up end of Quirindi spring to mind. Drayton Jcn too, just didn’t scale out right. LOCATIONS: As stated, areas I didn’t know I completely made up. Allandale (yes I know its popular, but I’ve never been there), Singleton-Mt Owen, Parkville, Antiene-Grasstree, and others . A tree here, a hayshed there, it becomes quite a challange to ‘fill’ up 10kms of track and green terrain. Townships also had to be filled up, you dont think that was difficult ! Singleton and Muswellbrook was a challenge, however a few ‘big’ structures seemed to fill it up. Strips of houses, at Singleton, Murrurundi, Willow Tree, Quirindi and Werris Ck, were hard to fill up with 1/2 km of housing. I made simple 2d houses to fill up these streets, as they are only seen looking out the side window anyway, I think they succeeded. I would classify Werris Ck as only half finished, maybe version 2 will add more. (ha !) Don’t look too far beyond the railway line, there isn’t much there ! I mainly look at a train via cabview, or #2 view at the loco or the ‘telephoto’ #4 view. If you use a ‘helicoptor’ view, you want see much beyond the trees. Some of the bridges are embarrassing, I know, but theres not much to choose from in the default shapes.
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