Rail3D*


 

Fantasy Island


 


The Fantasy Island layout is actually extremely simple - it’s nothing more than a figure-eight of track with a mountain on top of it.

  1. Lay track in a freeform figure of eight, as big or as small as you want.
  2. Temporarily delete a link from one of the tracks at the point where they cross.
  3. Place a marker at each of the open nodes.
  4. Change the elevation of the nodes on both sides of the crossing on the other track to 8m and lock them.
  5. Run Grade Between Markers
  6. Replace the missing link (should be at elevation 0m)
  7. Turn each of the crossing links into a tunnel, turning off Auto Cutting and adding a Tunnel Mouth and appropriate lining and portal scenery (See http://www.markhodson.nl/2kdhelp/251.htm)
  8. Build a mountain over the area of the tunnels by adding terrain points in the middle of the layout (I put the summit at about 30m)
  9. Build the coastline of the island by setting a sea-plane at −3m and then adding a ring of terrain points below sea level outside the area of the track
  10. Generate the terrain. You’ll probably find some excessively deep cuttings and embankments - these can usually be fixed by adding a few Stitch points to the track.
  11. Check that it all looks reasonably ok.
  12. Add trees and buildings to taste (you can use Scenery Spraygun for the trees).
  13. If your line is long enough for more than one train, then divide it into at least three block sections by adding signals.
  14. Add trains, sit back and enjoy

As a finishing touch, I added an oval of Invisible TrackInvisible Track at sea-level and set my paddle steamer going in circles round the island.

Although not very railway-like, this sort of little layout is a great way to practice terrain construction.



 


MRG 26/06/2013 14:09:41