[charland]

http://www.elvastowe...code=sst&id=325
File Name: Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville - Version 1 - Full Route
File Submitter: charland
File Submitted: 19 Jun 2008
File Category: Routes

FJ&G v1 A Route for Microsoft Train Simulator.
Copyright 2008 Paul Charland. All Rights Reserved.


REQUIRED ADD-ON'S

This route requires the latest version of xtracks and newroads to be installed. The route was
built using
MSTS bin 1.7.x. Although MSTS bin is not required to run this route, I highly recommend installing
MSTS bin 1.7.x or higher.



LICENSE AGREEMENT

1. This software is distributed AS-IS.
2. In no event shall Paul Charland (The Author) be liable for any damages
whatsoever arising out of the use of or inability to use this route,
even if the author has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
3. You will not use this route for financial gain.
4. You understand that the route contains the copyrighted work of other
authors and these copyrighted works may not be used outside of this
route without first obtaining the written consent (if applicable) of the
author to whom the work belongs.



ROUTE INFORMATION

The route is set in the mid-50s and runs from the New York Central interchange in Fonda about
twenty miles to Broadalbin, New York. The half way point is Gloversville where the FJ&G had their
shops and headquarters. The route serves 66 industries ranging from team tracks to large
tanneries with several tracks.


NOTES ON OPERATION

The grade between Fonda and Johnstown is long and steep, the FJ&G's two Alco S-2s were not
equipped with MU and were rarely run as a double header, therefore freights were generally kept to
ten cars or less. Daily service on the FJ&G included two freights between Gloversville and Fonda,
one mixed train between Gloversville and Broadalbin, and three express trains using their
gas-electric car between Gloversville and Fonda.

To keep to the prototype some industrial sidings and sidings into the enginehouse are as tight as
100 foot radius. If you are spotting a car in these locations you should have no problems with
the appropriate equipment, EMD and Alco switchers both can take a minimum radius of 100 feet
coupled. You may find when pushing some equipment with sprung couplers such as the FJ&G caboose
through one of these curve might act up but try again, I've found this has only been a problem
with the FJ&G caboose being pushed out of the Enginehouse 1 track but not other equipment in the
few other locations where there are tight curves.

ROUTE MAPS

Look for the MAPS folder for four printable maps of the route, they should help you get familiar
with the route and it's customers.

DOWNLOADS

There are three activities provided to help you get familiar with the route, other "real" activities will be or already have been added to the library. To get started you'll need only four downloads:

fjg_s2s.zip
fjg_s2fx.zip
fjg_30.zip
fjg_3.zip

IMPORTANT

Do not run the route through Route-Riter. The compression used to create the beautiful late 1940s
cars is not recognized by Route-Riter and when R-R recompresses the file will say no errors but the route will not open unless all the car S and SD files are replaced.

FINAL THOUGHTS

My goal was to try and capture the look and feel of the FJ&G in the mid-50s before the new
highways started taking revenue from railroads in general and railroads started to decline. For a
short line the FJ&G had a huge number of customers and has been an interest of mine for over
twenty five years. The line's been closed for years now, in the sixteen months it to to create
the route in MSTS one of the structures I've drawn collapsed and two have had serious fire. MSTS
is one way to preserve the history of railroad and the communities they served before they are
lost forever.

Original File Name = fjg_v1.zip

Click here to download this file

[timmuir]

charland, on Jun 19 2008, 06:52 AM, said:

Hi Tim,

I was getting in the mid-teens through Fonda and mid-30s through the rural areas until I added grass and trackside brush, then it was good bye frame rate. I also picked up an oddity after adding the grass and trackside brush, if I use view 4 and it goes to the over the track position, about every fourth time it uses that position as the camera going to a vertical position the screen goes black and MSTS locks up and crashed. I haven't seen people complaining about this so I'm guessing it's my weak video card.

Paul :-)

You know, I did experience the vertical 4 crash twice. One with LNE FA-1's and the other with an old version of my Ma&Pa doodlebug. In the case of the doodlebug, I realized it was the older version with issues so ran the newer fixed version and purposely tried to crash the sim without success. So it may be the model causing the black out. Maybe :(

As for the 4 camera views centering over the track, I have a theory it's probably due to the near proximity of those bushes' bounding boxes. I have the same issue with the PE and it happens with Wayne Campbell's L&PS in the areas where objects are close to the tracks.

[charland]

Hi Tim,

I also tried a half dozen different pieces of power to see if it was my S-2s causing the problem or something else, everything I tried crashed once in a while in view 4. As you said, it has to be something close to the track causing the crash, like the grass and lineside brush.

You can go into the SD file and remove the bounding box information, is there any need for vegetation to have collision properties?

Paul :-)

[timmuir]

charland, on Jun 19 2008, 09:21 AM, said:

Hi Tim,

I also tried a half dozen different pieces of power to see if it was my S-2s causing the problem or something else, everything I tried crashed once in a while in view 4. As you said, it has to be something close to the track causing the crash, like the grass and lineside brush.

You can go into the SD file and remove the bounding box information, is there any need for vegetation to have collision properties?

Paul :-)

I don't think vegetation needs Bboxes. I just ran another test and crashed the sim with the downward 4-cam view again, once right away and again after about 7 or 8 similar passes, each with two different known stable models. It has happened everytime where there are bushes in close proximity to the tracks. This is by no means a scientific test, by the way. Has Paul Precht or anyone else mentioned this?

Tim

Added a few minutes after downloading the full version from here, installation (flawless and speedy :( ), and testing the full release, I got another crash about 3/4 mile from Fonda just after this shot was taken:

 Just_B4_Crash.jpg (161.5K)
Number of downloads: 1

Love the looks of this route, Paul, it really has a lot to look at. I'm very impressed with the amount and quality of work you've put into it. Thanks for making it available here, too. (The download speed of 523 kbs sure beats TS's 27kbs! )

:(

[pnrailway]

Tim,

I was having some problems a couple weeks ago, on one of the betas but it was a vid card issue with corrupted drivers. Have since taken care of the issue and have not, at least lately, had any crashes even using those highly detailed trees and bushes I sent you shots of, even with them close to the tracks. With the trouble you are having I am not sure what could be the cause at all while with Paul's, it most likely has to do with his vid card or perhaps the drivers. If you both have nVidia's, and I think you both said you did, try downloading drivers from here: http://www.omegadrivers.net/ They are specifically made for gaming and graphics and it may help. I was having problems with the straight nVidia drivers and switched to these awhile back it it helped frame rates - went from single digits to low teen before the switch to upper 20's to 30's and higher depending upon the route - had as high as in the 60's - after installing the new drivers.
http://elvastower.com/user/Screen-June2008-568.jpg

http://elvastower.com/user/Screen-June2008-569.jpg

http://elvastower.com/user/Screen-June2008-574.jpg

http://elvastower.com/user/Screen-June2008-575.jpg



Paul

[timmuir]

Thanks for the tip on Omega drivers, Paul. I recently updated from nVidea, which did help some irritating issues I was experiencing with TSM, but not speed and performance. Did you have to uninstall your previous drivers, or did you overwrite?

[pnrailway]

Tim,

The new drivers just overwrote the old.

Paul

[timmuir]

Well, Paul, that didn't improve my frames at all. But like I mentioned in my last letter, it's probably due to my high quality image settings over performance settings, so it's my own fault. :(

[charland]

I too downloaded the drivers and do see some improvement but, just sent two hours trying to get back online! I now have this little icon in my tray with two computers and an exclamation mark, something about my local area 5 connection is screwed up... but don't have a network!

Any idea how to make this go away would be appreciated!

Tim, I spent a lot of time in New England railfanning back in the early '80s before Guilford happened, it's not too much different then the scenery on the FJ&G... which I've never set foot on but have a thousand pictures of.

Paul :-)

[pnrailway]

Tim,

I am sorry it didn't help, it did help my frame rates after I changed.

Paul,

I am not sure what caused those problems because when I switched divers it didn't effect anything but my video as far as improving video in graphics and games.

Paul :wacko: :lol: