Minimalistic Long Routes

[bigvern]

Well my latest crazy idea is to take a short(ish) route, but then let the imagination run riot. A bit like RSC did when they made the Seebergbahn out of the real geography of the Lotchsberg line. There's quite a few Swiss metre gauge lines for which we don't yet have any resources (track system or trains) but these could make ideal standard gauge tramways. The sharp curves and steep gradients will not seem so out of place as if attempting to replace with sg heavy rail. I'm thinking Chur to Arosa, Montreux Oberland or maybe some of the metre gauge (non rack) branch lines in Eastern Switzerland. We now have a fairly good collection of trams and this would give them somewhere more challenging to stretch their legs!

[paulz6]

Foreign? Yuck!
Two one word sentences short of the Biblical record there. I do think though, that using a real world route as an inspiration for a semi-fictional route is probably very cost effective. It cannot be wrong; no need to agonise over real world details; no need to have complete modelling/scripting/mindless object placement skills, and most users would be none the wiser anyway! And if it can be created in a shorter amount of time for fun for all counterparties, then that is a nice little bankers bonus. Might even get away with charging a high interest rate!
That is not forgetting the signalling works as intended. Places of interest could be added for scenarios though. Imagine a Britain with industry that is economically connected to the rail network? I've had too much.

[bigvern]

Nowt wrong with Swiss railways, other than no one seems to be creating any rolling stock in RW for them!

I was actually surprised, having had a (very) small hand in its creation, that not many people picked up on the fact that the Seeberg line is in fact based on the Lotschberg. As you say, to have proclaimed it as the real thing would have fetched out all the rivet counters at launch, not to mention the real BLS railway probably wanting a cut of the action.

Ultimately, route building is what you're comfortable with. Post release of my last route (for Trainz) I seem to have once again gone into a bit of a hiatus, starting projects off then dropping them as I just can't take the workload involved in doing a long 100% prototypical route. So despite what I said earlier in this thread about linear 30 mile routes becoming boring, to all intents and purposes that's where I'm back at...

[charlie99]

Speaking of the real Lotschberg line.

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/65099 ... 30EFF3ED3/

Watch this space..

[bigvern]

Interesting, then. I wonder if they have started from scratch or used the Spiez/Interlaken base of Seeberg as a foundation?

[chrisreb]

Basing a fictional line on parts of a real line works very well for Totham and at least means it will be 'realistic' if you follow my reasoning.

If you have the motivation I would say go for it as I always like a mix of routes and yours always stay on the hard drive.