TrackPlanning.com

NY Signal drawn 
with 3rd PlanIt by Walter Griffin

What Randy's Layout Needs...

Paul, if you could make a model of this modern, double-deck commuter train used in The Netherlands, I'd appreciate it greatly. So would a lot of other people you've not met. Here are some photos that could help. The model is made by Lima. I took these with the built-in flash just to get them done tonight. The measurement marks are more readable in the full-size version I zipped up for you. Note... I copied/pasted one ruler at 45 HO feet so it had visible rules where flash bounce otherwise obscured the ruling. Second row, on the right.

If you do these, I'll set up proper lighting and a tripod and get textures that look nice. Next trip I'll get a few of the prototype... it would be nice to have a clean one and a dirty one, an old one and a new one, and maybe a car with graffiti on it.

One very nice thing about this prototype is that its lines are very distinct, end to end. The drive unit's nose has some curves, but it can be approximated with not too many triangles. We'll use alpha in the textures if we want to make the windshield, doors and windows transparent or translucent. Notice how the top of the drive units is recessed underneath the pantograph, so when one isn't being used it has much less wind resistance. The passenger cars look like they'd be eight rectangles for the body, two more for each end, then trucks and textures. The drive units would be derivatives with changes in the roofline and the engineer's end.

Click here to download high-resolution images in a 1.2Mb zip file

Here is the real thing:

This is the drive unit. One of these is on each end of a commuter train. Both are exactly the same.
Even though it is a drive unit, its space is mostly for passengers because of electric propulsion.

Here is the train as it approached. It gives you a flavor of the dimensions of the cars and the unique front end.

While this picture is missing the lower right, it's the only one I could find with a complete non-drive unit.
Notice that all the mid-train cars are the same, save for a first-class designator here and there.

If you'd like something really unique, this is fondly called a "Boeing" and it's still in wide use.

I'm sure Frank would be able to get some dimensions if you wanted to take up the challenge.
The double-deck is the new, quiet, very-cool design that would excite many people.
The Boeing is eye-catching and might be relatively simple.

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Last modified: October 05, 2003