Scenery Objects for the LIRR Route

[Lirr168]

The heck with the details; from a distance, those buildings look great!

[alcoc420]

Here is a scenery object I made today.  It is a typical Caterpillar No.12 road grader.  The Number 12 looked like this from about 1946 to about 1958.  It was seen pretty frequently until the 1990s.  It was a challenge to keep the polygon count down while trying to keep enough shapes to make it look right.  The polygon count is about 700.  This completes the highway vehicles I wanted to make for scenery.  Now I can litter all those industrial areas that back up to the railroad with enough diversity of highway equipment.


Meanwhile I made a typical LIRR  metal monopole transmission tower as seen from Greenlawn to Hicksville.   I have placed them west of Cerro wire, and around Huntington.

[Lirr168]

Looks cool.  I can remember seeing those when I was younger - I was into trucks and trains back then, lol

[JG2703]

did you ever get a new MSTS yet?

[alcoc420]

Here are two scenery objects I made yesterday. One is the Jamaica office of the LIRR; the other is the corridor that connects the platforms.  I estimated the building to be 60x150 and 60 ft. high.  Does anyone know the real dimensions.  The building does not have the notch on the north side, the canopy on the east side, or other details that would slow the frame rate.  The corridor has a green roof because that is what shows up on Microsoft Live Local's birds eye view.  The only other photo I had is a night shot in Steel Rails to the Sunrise.  I drew it at 20ft wide by 10ft high (plus a gable).  Does anyone have better dimensions?  Thanks for any help.

[vince]

>>>"...I drew it at 20ft wide by 10ft high (plus a gable).  Does anyone have better dimensions?  Thanks for any help."<<<

Yes, use either Google Maps or Google Earth.
There is a scale at the bottom left that makes measuring real buildings quite easy.

Vince

[alcoc420]

Vince:
Thanks for the suggestion.  I will use it.
-----------------------------------------------

Below is a typical early 1900s commercial building found in Long Island downtowns.  It is the second model I made for my work as a town planner.  In December I started to use TrainSim Modeler, and found it to be a quick and easy program for rendering new buildings, renovations, additions, etc.  Both buildings I made are within sight of the LIRR, but not close enough to be useful in MSTS in their actual locations.  This one happens to be Kings Park Plumbing Supply (restored).  The other is an office in Smithtown, but is not typical enough to be useful on the LIRR route.

[alcoc420]

This is a typical State Parkway bridge on Long Island.  I think it too blue, even though it is textured from photos.  Also, I will probably stretch it vertically a little.  The scene is the Northern State Parkway bridge, looking toward the northeast between Hicksville and Syosset. The LIE bridge is barely visible in the background. The same bridge will be used on the Meadowbrook, the Bethpage, the Wantagh, the Sunken Meadow, the Belt, and the Cross Island.

[Lirr168]

It does a littler more blue than I would expect, but I have to think that it does look different at different times of day in different weather and has also faded with age.  The color is a minor detail; it looks really nice.

[alcoc420]

Here a few more scenery objects for the lirr.  The screen shot shows a typical dump truck from the 1950s through the 1970s.  It is an International R-190 series truck with a 9ft. 4-6yard dump body, a one-way plow, and a tailgate sand spreader.  I don't know why it has a triangular shadow.  Behind that is a Pfitzer Juniper, a common evergreen shrub that is tolerant of dry soil.  Beyond is an Eastern White Pine, about 50 feet high.  Also, in the midground is a red brick garage.  If anyone wants the truck, send me a pm.

[alcoc420]

I corrected the stray shadows and polygons by breaking the cab and hood part into two parts.  The windshield does not have the curve of the prototype, but I don't think it is worth the extra polygons.  Further, I copied the plow truck, and deleted the plow and spreader to have just a dump truck.  No more highway department trucks for me; this is probably more than enough: dump truck, dump truck with plow and spreader, tandem axle dump truck, road grader, tractor shovel, steel wheel roller, bulldozer, and street sweeper.
[/

[Youngbronxballer]

were do i download this route and the M-1's?

[ch00ch00]

Jamaica office - I haven't been there in over 20 years but the overhead walkway never connected to the office building.
Ed Schleyer

[Super Chief]

Here is a St. James station I made tonight.  The photos for the skin textures were taken in 1982 or 83.  Does anyone know how long before then the station was painted from white to red?

It was red pretty much the whole time I lived there (30 years) and I moved there in August 1969. I vaguely remember it being white for a very brief time after I moved there, but then there was a "restoration effort" of some sort, and it was then painted red. So I would say, sometime between Aug 1969 and summer of 1970.

[alcoc420]

Thanks!  I would have thought it was a bicentennial effort.