Railworks America

Happy to announce that I have loaded to the RWA Library a second large pack of 28 new TOFC vans ridding on GSC-Flatcars.

The pack «Flatcar_GSC_QcR02» will be a second contribution to have a large variety of semi-trailers available to Train Simulators enthusiasts and lovers of the legendary Feather River Route, but quite useful on many other railroads. Now, we will have long colorful consists with numerous TOFCs piggybacking ATSF and Santa Fe, Denver and Rio Grande Western,Southern Pacific, Western Pacific and TTX GSC Flatcars. The collection is made up of railroad owned 45ft. semi-trailers, others owned by corporations and industries; and, a third being vans with tarpaulin covers.

To keep your interest, the package has :
5 TOFC on ATSF flats,
5 TOFC on SP flats,
6 TOFC on WP flats,
1 TOFC on D&RGW flats,
11 TOFC on TTX flats

Thus set 1 with 38 TOFCs and set 2 with 28 new trailers gives us a whopping 66 trailers

... and I still working on the 89ft. TTX twin TOFC package, nearly finished

For those who may have not seen my old message about these TOFC, here is a tiny preview.






Should be in the RWA Library soon, thus more fun to come...

Enjoy, QcRail

Yes

Nice!

Thank you very much....they look great

Great work -- how about a tutorial on how you did the tarp roof on the Campbell's Express trailer.

Harry

harryadkins wrote:Great work -- how about a tutorial on how you did the tarp roof on the Campbell's Express trailer.

Harry

Thanks Harry. I need more info for me to give you a focussed answer. The Campbell's Express was my top challenge and the result of an accident - was searching for descent graphics of the camel and, more difficult to pin point, the font. Since it's been a few months that I did the trailer my memory has to be awakened

To prepare an answer, could you tell me what is your specific inquiry; i.e. 1) does it relate to photoshop rendering techniques or 2) artistic approach to provide a visual effect. For me the 2 are quite different. Since I come from an artistic professional schooling no.1 is a ''mechanical approach'' with a certain given set of graphic tools, which do not always replicate or give a result of reality. As for no.2, it is the key to success - where the manual hand drawned techniques complement the shortfalls of any graphic software. I use my arsenal of drawing and painting techniques.

Harry, you have repainting knowledge with your many repaints of various railcars, thus what aspect of repainting should I focus on ?
Your request is not easy at first, but quite doable since I have a long experience of preparing tutorials - 35 years of teaching Landscape Architecture

Bernard

Hi Bernard,

My main interest was your re-creation of the tarp and its tie-down cords. The tarp has some of the best fabric textures I've seen and the tie-down cords had to be difficult to fit to the textures. How did you handle the transition from the tarp roof to the tarp sides? My graphic skills are mostly self-taught so I'm definitely below your "pay grade."

Thanks for your help.
Harry

Hi Harry,

Your pin-pointed question is all I needed and I've already started the tutorial. I've, also, decided to broaden the scope of the tutorial and addressed it to newbies. You and I and a few others contributors do not need encouragement; we only need help on specific issues. Each of us have strenghts, yet we always learn from someone else; thus my choice is to fuel up the interest in young virtual modelers and offer them a kick-start with painting approaches and techniques. The more the better! anyway all this to say that it wiil take time to produce a level 1 tutorial. Maybe, we could eventually build a library of tutorials focussing on paintind 3D model of all sorts.

First advise : look at how modelers, re HO or large scale - O gauge detail, paint, weather their models. No need to re-invent the wheel then practice makes perfect

Thus, à bientot, and a little patience. By the way, if you are willing you could be my proof reader if you do provide me with your email

Ciao, Bernard

Really nice work as always QcRail

I don't know if anyone has noticed or not, but a lot of the TOFC cars are loaded back to back on the car. How are you going to unload them? Also, I noticed in a Springfield Route scenario where the cars end up at the loading facility with the rear of the trailer up against the dock. How are you going to unload them?

LandN wrote:I don't know if anyone has noticed or not, but a lot of the TOFC cars are loaded back to back on the car. How are you going to unload them? Also, I noticed in a Springfield Route scenario where the cars end up at the loading facility with the rear of the trailer up against the dock. How are you going to unload them?

A real magician never explains his tricks!

Nice answer Looking great and outstanding work.

If i’m Not mistaken trailers were never “driven” onto the flat cars, the were loaded with a loader that picked the trailers up and set them on. That’s what they do now a days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq7OTo3Yz6A

Found some around 7:30 to 8:00 minutes into this video.

Many small TOFC facilities featured a concrete ramp that the flatcars were spotted against. The drivers would back each trailer down the length of flatcars until all were loaded. That's why early TOFC flatcars had fold-down ramp connectors at each end of the car. Each trailer faced the same way and strings of cars had to be turned on a wye to orient the unloading process.

Harry