Pentecosta V4 route, Oncoming template Options

[dgionet]

Almost two years after news of its future update, Julien Cachemaille has released at the turn of the year Pentecosta 4. And the sidings have been marked for AG. Shortly after, I have started looking into the route for construction of the templates

Here is the previous topic to help our users recall the first reference with Pentecosta.

http://skylinecomputing.com/forums/index.p...p;hl=pentecosta.

Although I have been silent on the forum since the beginning of the year in terms of template projects, I have been working a template package for the last six (6) weeks. I didn’t post anything yet; wanting to make sure this template could reach completion before testing. It had become one of my biggest personal projects ever and among the most difficult and challenging.

There will be more than 650 serviceable sidings for the seven (7) templates. Two of these templates will be along 700 km of mainline (EB and WB). Some of the paths have been split because of problems of broken paths related to one single continous path, I couldn’t succeed in installing a 450km path. Four others templates will be for LOCALS template, one for each direction (EB,WB,NB,SB) which will depict local runs along the remaining 400 km of secondary lines. The last one will be the YARDS template for the main areas with large yards and its surroundings.

The whole package has more than 160 regions, more than AG can handle in one SWLTDB file. During the region settings for each path, AG couldn’t reach the window where the different paths are assigned to regions. This is why the SWLTDB file had to be reworked and split in two separate SWLTDB files (one for the Mainline templates and another for the LOCALS template) trying to make the number go below 100. I have kept an original SWLTDB containing all 160 regions in case something happens during construction. After the split the LOCALS SWLTDB file ended with 102 regions, still above AG’s capability and couldn’t go any further. After scrapping some less important areas and going below the 100 mark, AG was able to proceed ahead to complete the region-path settings. Later it has been decided to split the LOCALS in four and rework all SWLTDB files to keep only the regions associated with the paths.

Since Pentecosta has many areas where there are sharp and/or twisting curves, steep grades and even switchbacks on the secondary lines, it has been decided to allow (for the LOCALS template) only 40-45 feet long freight cars to move along these tracks. The SWLACT and SWLTDB files had to be rebuilt to redefine some cars as short cars and also redefining the respective regions to allow only short cars along the LOCALS template. Because of some short sidings for meets, I would suggest for the LOCALS of having a maximum of 15 to 20 cars. A pair of GP38’s will be the player engines for the LOCALS while three sd40-2’s will be able to handle more cars inside the EB and WB mainline templates. On one part of the Mainline templates, the user will be driving left-hand, that is between Mimizan and Nova Bavay.

AI traffic is present in all templates, customized for almost all player paths in all templates. Each player and traffic path has been carefully checked to avoid a Mexican standoff or just a stall along their respective paths. Only Eight (8) downloads are required, all from Trainsim.com and all downloads are from Julien’s mega stocks.

Here’s the total count for Pentecosta so far: 35 Activity files, 104 service files, 88 path files (about half for player and half for traffic files), 7 traffic files and 35 consist files. That is subject to change with testing.

I have set tonight the last traffic paths for the last template (YARDS). Now the real test will begin. If some of you are willing to test the package, welcome aboard! I have no screenshots yet but these will be coming as testing advances.

So that’s it for now. Will update later as testing progresses.

[dgionet]

Hello to all,

After resuming with the testing, I have decided to make a major change to the package. The motive power ( sd40-2 and GP38) have been completely replaced be ALCOS (C424,C430,M630,M636,M640) as it was initially planned a few years ago at the time of Pentecosta 3. In the locals template and in the mountains, use of two GP38 s (2 x 2000 hp) were considered insufficient to handle steep and twisting grades with about 15 cars whether going up of down. The locals will have now as basic motive power three Alco C424 s (2400 hp each) which will make 7200 hp of power to handle the grades. The mainline EB and WB template will have 2 M640 s (2x4500 hp), the equivalent of three sd40-2 s. Also some minor changes are being done to the package.

I will be sending to Ted the updated package and am still awaiting news from KQXZ to send him the files.

I am including some of the last shots with the Geeps and will give you an idea of how steep and twisting some areas are which needed the change of engines. Also they will fit well with the railfill which includes F-units and older alcos.

Also included are some screens of a SLG-activity between Jujuy and Maribamba, which includes four (4) switchbacks, seen among the shots.