All the best

What an interesting year it's been! lots of drama as usual, a few doing the 'Hokey Cokey', a few lobbing toys from their pram and arkham asylum re in acting ground hog day again.
Never a dull moment for sure. :)

For me it's been a busy year, a difficult one but rewarding.
The biggest thing to happen on my route was Bob helping me with the track, I say helping me, I mean helping himself.
I just watched from the side line at his wonderful work.
So my route was about 23 miles, it is now a wopping 100+ miles and a pretty impressive network.
The name changed from Wear Valley Railway to Weardale & Teesdale Railway to reflect the new lines, it should make for an interesting experience.

When it was just me working on the route I would just tinker here and there, drift from one asset to another without a real plan of how to tackle the project. It is nothing like a work project, with a team so much more can be done and progress can be amazing.
One man working on it 2 or 3 hours a night will always be a challenge.

My advice for creators in 2013 is to pair up or find a like minded group to enjoy your hobby with, so much more enjoyable and feels worthwhile.
The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy what you do because you will never have the time back!

All the best for the new year.

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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

Latherbrush Bridge

I am almost happy with the foliage (for now) so I am now able to start laying assets along the route. Here is an example at Latherbrush Bridge.

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Embankment Update

Almost there, looks different enough now, still need to match some colours.

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Grass Verge

Getting my house in order with assets and matching up textures so that they all sit well together.
I have deleted foliage I thought was not needed, (I did have way to much) Here at the top of the dam head I have a couple of assets that make up the grass verge.
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Damhead terrain

Just a quick terrain painting hour around the damhead.

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Wearhead New hill test

Yes, I've been here before, yes, it looks like nothing has been done. I keep ripping it up and starting again!
Anyway, this is the last time I start my terrain textures again( I do however need to make new trees). Modelling the houses for Wearhead village nest, then will look to make the engine shed.

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Merry Christmas part 2

And so Christmas 2012 comes to an end.
No snow this year so I will not do the usual card.
Instead a random image, Merry Christmas everyone.

Flexi-row housing

Having planned to make Bishop Auckland out of huge blocks I have turned against that idea, mainly because  of the time involved but also I'm not sure all the terraced housing needs to be so exact away from the track.
I will be making around 20 or so different brick terraced houses and making different rows of different lengths. I have also added some foundation polys so that if the houses are on a hill (which they often are) then you don't see them floating.
I am hoping this different approach as used on some of my other routes will help speed up some areas of the route.
I will of course still be making 'specials' for key areas where generic just will not do!

Here is a quick example of what a scene looks like with just using 1 asset in a flexi row.

cheers
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Track all done but the shouting...

Bob can not be bothered to spennymoor time on the route..

Relly Mill to Durham

Brandon Colliery to Dearness Valley

Bishop Auckland to Brancepeth

Darlington to Bishop Auckland

Newgate Street

I've started the surrounding area to the station, here is the first bits of Newgate Street, will work my way down to the Wear Valley Hotel and down to the 4 clocks. The buildings are pretty simple shapes, because I am filling in the whole town I have made a call on where I will use my polygons, hopefully the textures will more than make up for the lower poly housing.

In other news,

I was never keen on drama's or soaps, period or otherwise, however it is certainly entertaining seeing Vera Duckworth and co doing a state side show.

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Almost there..

Starting to feel right now. Once the surrounding area goes in I will feel much better.

Station Progress

Now that TS2013 is out my focus this weekend has been on the Station.
I have finished the platform edges, and missing buildings as well as cleaned up many of the loose ends.
My next task is to make the 2 or 3 different lamps that were on the platforms.

I will also need to re-bake the whole station with a new light map. The one I did many moons ago has long since broken.
I look forward to showing the progress over the next few days.

regards

Derek

Are we there yet?

It's been one of those days, (is it done yet..? what about now!?) just when i should be popping the champers
I get dragged into something. :)

So in between scenario playing, I have just been tinkering in the editor as you do, put a train on some tracks in my wood and drove around, amazed at how great it looks and feels.

cho cho boys, see you on the other side.

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The new cool

I'm digging the occlusion boxes. lots of fun to be had here!

What's in a name?

Very topical, so here is the new name for the route:

WEARDALE & TEESDALE RAILWAY

Name change to reflect the Track work.

loading screen mock-up

Bishop track

Time to update what was there.. and it may mean a couple of painful changes to my beloved BA station model.

Nurse...scalpel....

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Heading north this weekend

Hope the kids don't mind a few research trips..
:)
I'm sure it will pee it down for most of it, usually does over Bank Holiday weekend. Will probably not make it to Cayton Bay this Monday but you never know.

In other news, the inmates over in the East wing of Arkham are still rattling their tin cups against the bars in hope to attract some attention, but no sign of the Dark Knight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLyoog562x4&feature=g-all-xit

WIP route map

28 Stations... It's going to be a magnificent octopus.

Heading into the Dales

Bob continues his trek into the dales. Here 3 key stations upto Wearhead.

Wolsingham

Stanhope

Frosterley

The network is looking pretty impressive I have to say, more than an A to B... :)
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Crooks! - More Bob Progress

Crook

Etherley (Witton Park)

Wear Valley Junction

Crook Goods