Winchester

[Mother of Invention 23]

Where'd you get the parking lot filler for the shopping center?

[Petrovar Ambassador 15]

Where was I during these past updates? I love the way you show your updates...keep it up!

[Equilibria 16]

A great showcase for some new toys, as always. Great updates. I particularly appreciate the taller buildings in the center of town - looks older than most suburban centers.

[PhilsCafe 8]

Great updates, Dan. The map is really helpful for a general overview. I like your use of the FARR in Bradysville, it makes the alignmnt of MP-130 even more realistic.

- Phil

[Hawkeye9 0]

Hey Dan, your last two updates have been great!!!!

Very realistic and ill be back for more!!!!

[TehMondayAvenger 0]

this is awesome man

[WillR116 60]

I have things to say: 1. do Route 617 Backlick Rd and Kings Highway have anything to do with the ones in the DC Area? Two I love how virginian this CJ is, it makes me think I am in Roanoke and DC, wait, Fredricksburg, at the same time, too small for DC but like Fredricksburg. Also a few pages back when Winchester Mall closed, What Interchanges were those modeled after? Never seen them.simsamerica out

[kj3400 178]

I'm liking the FAR. Can't wait to see where we go next.

[dfnva 34]

Bruce (Schulmanator): Thanks. Basically the $200 speeding fine is, more than anything, a way to get revenue for the town police department, though there are some legitimate concerns by residents who claim some people speed through town too fast.

Packersfan: I keep thinking that FAR would be out, but I don't think it is yet. I'm eager for the final version and the new RHW.

Phoenix7: Thanks. Glad you liked the beach with retaining wall. The Food Lion was built, more or less, for the convenience of town residents so they didn't have to drive 10-15 miles to the nearest grocery stores in South Winchester, though now there's the new shopping center 5 miles east on MP-130. I agree that there are some good industrial buildings on the stex, something I will look into. 

SimsAmerica: Thanks. The FAR (Fractional Angled Road) encompasses the puzzle pieces I used for the 22.5-degree- angled roads. I currently have a test copy of it, but I presume the final version, which also includes rail road puzzle pieces, will be out soon. 

Packersfan (#2): LOL Exactly. Thanks!

DeathToPumpkins: Thanks... interesting you mention the pollution as it will be discussed in today's update.

Suplado: Thanks. Glad you liked the farm areas, I used some fences with seasonal trees that I believe were made by Dedgren and are on the stex or Lex.

Travis (SCDawg): Thanks. While I didn't think about it, Bradysville does have a strong resemblance to Gordonsville. For some reason New Market, VA and Covington, VA (lots of pollution in the latter) were coming to my mind when building the town. 

Phoenix7 (#2): Thanks! It's neat how when driving through rural areas, that farms often do go right up to the small towns.

Mother of Invention: I use a couple of things for parking lot fillers. One is the SAM parking lot texture. The other is a parking lot puzzle piece pack I downloaded from the STEX. If you do a search for "parking lot" you should be able to find it.

Petrovar Ambassador: Thanks! I like to present towns the way I like seeing them.... driving through lol.

Equilibria: Thanks. Some of the taller buildings are rather old and include offices for the Beetus Chemical Company... which we'll read more about below.

Phil's Cafe: Thanks... I always like to have a map to show that we are headed to actual specific places. The FAR is great in rural areas. I've been trying to use it and nam curves more in rural areas for a more realistic look, though I rarely use them in developed areas.

Hawkeye9: Thanks!

TehMondayAvenger: Thanks!

SimsAmerica (#2): While I grew up and still live in Northern Virginia, I basically rip off real road names as then I don't have to think of as many lol (I name/number all of my major roads and a lot of secondary roads). The region is based on a composite of Roanoke and Charlottesville. As for the interchange of US-27 Bus and Backlick Rd by the now-gone Winchester Mall, I based it off of the RL intersection of SR-644/Old Keene Mill Rd / SR-617/Backlick Rd / SR-1158 Amherst Ave in Springfield, VA as one has to use surface streets like SR-1155/Bland St for access between SR-617 and SR-644 (SEE BELOW). At one time all of those roads met at-grade with SR-617/Backlick Rd not being discontinuous... but that was 20 years ago. 

KJ3400: Thanks! The FAR is great for making more realistic roads in rural areas. We're not going FAR today, though, lol...

========================================

.... And now, a diversion from what we usually do here.

In place of our regularly scheduled drive, I thought you might indulge me to hear some about the starcrossed history of the town of Bradysville as well as its history of corruption. 

Bradysville was founded not long after the civil war was over by Henderson Florence Brady, a former confederate soldier. Brady thought that a town where the Lewis Branch empties into the Wanata River would be a prime area to grow a town. However, as the major railroads went through Winchester and Salem causing both towns to prosper, Brady's vision did not come to fruition in his lifetime. 

Brady served 20 years as the first mayor of Bradysville, dying in office in 1897 at the age of 70. He was succeeded by James Whitmore Brumley who recently graduated from the University of Alexandria in Alexandria, MP. Brumley grew up in Bradysville laboring hard on his family's farm, but his vision, like Brady's, was for a prospering of his town. Getting a loan, he began the Beetus Chemical Company. Resigned from the mayorship, Brumley let the company which prospered in the industrial revolution and folks flocked to the town to get jobs. 

As the Beetus Chemical Company grew in size and stature, there was some controversy over the dumping of waste into the Wanata River over time. Adding to this was a business deal to have Synergy Power build a power plant in Bradysville. Allegations of improper pollution were always quelled by the management of Beetus, though, over time, there was a high cancer rate developing in Bradysville. The mayors over the years were all too happy with the tax revenue and kickbacks coming in from the companies and did not want to jeopardize that.

Over time, a younger Brumley came into the picture. W. Ford Brumley, the grandson of James Whitmore Brumley, became a force in Republican politics in Massopax. 

W. Ford Brumley, who currently is the mayor of Bradysville, had been mayor in the 1960s and 1970s before representing much of rural Piedmont County in the Massopax House of Delegates in much of the 1980s and 1990s. In 1997, he was tapped to be the chairman of the Massopax Republican party. During his tenure in the House of Delegates, Brumley sought to undermine pollution laws to help the Beetus company which family associates still ran. 

All this happened while more progressive mayors in Bradysville tried to mitigate the damage of and reputation of pollution in town by revitalizing downtown with a new beach, parks, and enticing new businesses downtown.

Back to today... Brumley is back to work in Bradysville as mayor and has been more lenient on Beetus than previous mayors have, but has been faithful to getting more businesses to locate in downtown. As such, folks have discovered new stores and restaurants.

However, a trail of dirty money has been discovered by Attorney General Matthew Locke and is being investigated as well as an investigation into legal pollution levels by Beetus.

Only time will tell what is found or prosecuted in this investigation and whether the Brumley / Beetus stranglehold on Bradysville will be loosened....

On that note, Happy Holidays all!

-Dan

[deathtopumpkins 43]

Nice historical upate! Interesting back story, and I can't wait to hear more.

[PhilsCafe 8]

I agree, the curved pieces fit better in rural areas than towns. Great "Christmas update", Dan. I enjoyed the story very much, it adds a lot of depth and character to Bradysville. Lol, Matt Locke, hahaha.

Happy Holidays to you too!

- Phil

[Mike the Mayor 51]

Very nice updates, the discoloured pictures give it a very nostalgic look.

[WillR116 60]

I guessed that from there being a real life Backlick Road that is also Virginia Route 617. Also, I cant believe that I didn't guess that. I cant believe that such a good state has such bad corruption.

[Raysfan16 5]

Wow, that is a great update! Very interesting giving us a background of Bradysville!

[Schulmanator 5,787]

MATT LOCKE!!!!!!!!!!!! lol! Don't tell my mom... she loves him! Though not as much as Abe Simpson! Go Matt Locke!

[WillR116 60]

Wait I realize something, I didnt mean that interchange, I meant rather the ones you asked if anyone could guess which ones they were. I never saw which ones they were. Oddly, There is a Mall, Springfield Mall, right near that real life interchange.

[dfnva 34]

Death to Pumpkins: Thanks, thought it would be a different way to present the trials and tribulations of a town than I usually do.

Phil's Cafe: Thanks. Glad you liked my pun on Matt Locke lol.

Mike the Mayor: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the coloration of the pictures. I did it not only for nostalgia but to add an air of cynicism and mysteriousness. 

Sims America (#1): A lot of corruption exists, sadly, in real life, so I sometimes think about the consequences of corruption in my region.

RaysFan16: Thanks, glad you liked the background info.

Bruce (Schulmanator): LOL. I hope Attorney General Matt Locke will be able to lock up the corrupted officials. There will be an update, with hopefully more puns, on that in the future.

Sims America (#2): Are you referring to the (yet incomplete) Tidewater CJ Preview pics on page 13? I must have forgotten to reveal the answer... which begs the question, which junctions do you think they are?

And now...

The focus of today's update will be driving west, out of Bradysville, along MP-42, which is aptly named "Bradysville Rd" west of town. 

And lucky for everyone, I will have fewer bad puns that a lot of people didn't get lol.

To refresh you on where we left off, here is the terminus of MP-130 at MP-42.

Soon we cross the Wanata River.

After crossing the river, we see a couple of signs...

First, this old reassurance marker and distance sign which dates back to the '70s based on the white-background shield and (deteriorating) white-painted wood posts. 

Sign assemblies like this were once very common in Virginia with shield assemblies using white background shields or cutout shields. Very few still exist, mostly in small towns and in the mountains.

Secondly, we see this sign on the approach of the next intersection.

Eeek, I promised fewer puns, oh well.

Continuing along MP-42...

Just before the next intersection, is yet another older sign for SR-601. Older secondary route shields used smaller signs rather than the full sized ones used now.

Here is the scene at the JCT with SR-601.

A newer, but crooked, signpost with shields, street name signs, and LWS's (little white signs) sits across the intersection with SR-601.

As we drive by more rural scenes, we pass SR-771.

Yet another old signpost with an older variation of the LWS. Like Virginia, Massopax used very small, embossed, plates to mark secondary routes in the days of old. 

I've seen that such old style LWS's still are up in the mountains of Virginia. They were once very common and remember lots of them in Fairfax County when I was younger. Today, the LWS, as a marker of secondary routes, appears to be phased, or phasing, out in some parts of Virginia (esp. Prince William and Chesterfield Counties). 

Luckily for the purposes of our drive, the Massopax DOT put up a sign post with newer LWS's across from the intersection.

Hmmm... a lot of history of route signs... in both ficticious Massopax and RL Virginia lol. Hopefully it didn't bore you, but if you're interested and want to see more, check out these vintage photos of Virginia signs: 

http://www.millenniumhwy.net/summa/summa.html

There are hundreds, it seems, of old VA signs from their heyday, and some from WV and KY as well. 

The next update will be the last as part of our current drive from the northeast to the southwest of Piedmont County as we drive through Pommerey. 

Hope everyone has had a Happy Holiday season!

-Dan

[Raysfan16 5]

Hey, another great update! I got to it before you adjusted your sig and topic description, lol.

Where did you get those rural fences?

[WillR116 60]

nice, and yes. No Idea unless they are the mixing bowl which I doubt.

[deathtopumpkins 43]

Ahh... classic signage.

Some of those signs make Massopax look like it actually IS Virginia! In terms of run-down-ness...

Nice rural area...

Those little while signs are so common around here... they're everywhere once you get out into teh suburban areas...

[Benedict 3,119]

It's been a while, but I do follow your work. Nice vintage stuff!

[phoenix7 3]

Yay button copy old stuff. Alot of the signs you made remind me of a town a little south of me where most of the road signs are falling down and gratified. You are great at making realistic signs. I think, in addition to the suggestion I made last update about getting some heavy industry, you should also download some custom fields and farms that use them to get more variety.

[suplado! 23]

wow -- those are cool signage with even a slanted signs, awesome work!! the travel looks nice too alot of things to see again

[dfnva 34]

Raysfan16: Thanks. The Lodgepole fences I believe are from the Rural Development Kit by Kant01 on the STEX. I just downloaded RRP Woodend Fences from the LEX which I used in this coming update.

SimsAmerica: Thanks. The intersection of US-84 and MP-17 is based on the Seven Corners JCT of US-50, VA-7, VA-338, and SR-613 in Falls Church and the intersection of I-34 and MP-17 is a volleyball interchange much like I-395 Exit 4 in Alexandria (VA-420/Seminary Rd). 

DeathtoPumpkins: Thanks. I should drive around Hampton Roads more the next time I'm down there if there are more older signs. It seems VDOT is consistent about replacing old signs and signals here in Northern VA. 

Benedict: Thanks! Glad you like it.

Phoenix7: Thanks, it's fun making older signs, it wish there were more of them left around here. Quite a while ago, I downloaded some farm packs from Simgoober, but I'm planning to download some other ones too.

Suplado: Thanks, it was fun to make the old signs.

And now...

And our final leg of this drive commences as we continue west down MP-42/Bradysville Rd.

Here's a zoomed-in look at the MP-42 culvert over the Pommerey Creek. I've been working a lot with ploppable water creeks lately. The result looks pretty good.

Continuing along, we pass an intersection with SR 851/Broward Rd and Organic Hills Farm.

Here is a close-up of the Organic Hills Farm. Wow, a lot of cows here. This farm is the largest supplier of organic milk for Mort's Markets in Massopax.

Thus, we continue westward.

As we enter the eastern reaches of Pommerey, we pass SR 1310/Lake Pommerey Drive.

SR 1310 is the main access road to Lake Pommerey Park.

Taking a slight detour, here is Lake Pommerey in all its glory, featuring a campground and a path around the lake.

A close-up reveals a FESTIVUS MIRACLE! Animals can walk on water!!

Where SR 1310 crosses over the Pommerey Creek, the creek, uh, temporarily ends... Does anybody know if there's a puzzle piece or something that fixes this?

Alas, back to Pommerey. The major cross street is this very small town is SR 638/Rolling Valley Rd which terminates here at MP-42. 

In a way, we've come full-circle because we began this drive in the northeast of Piedmont County along MP-165 and SR-638 used to be part of MP-165 before it was downgraded west of Salem in the 1980s.

In fact, a mileage sign, once you're on SR 638 still marks Deltown as a control city, a vestige from when this was still part of MP-165.

And thus, we exit the region and our drive ends.

And thus, it's over. But the fun doesn't end here, we'll begin a new drive through the region soon and I'll present you with some options of where we can drive.

Thanks for visiting, Have a Happy New Year!

-Dan

[Petrovar Ambassador 15]

very nice update dan! Happy New Years!

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Awesome! The rural areas look great and I am truly impressed with the swimming and water walking animals.

But, I have to ask, shouldn't Perdition Rd be SR-666?

[WillR116 60]

nice update, question, whered ya get all the RRP stuff? I saw the Fences and Culverts on SC4 Devotion but wheres the other stuff?

[Raysfan16 5]

Hey Dan, another great rural update. Thanks for showing me the fences.

About the creek stuff, either don't show it in the cj, hide it from your pics, or use culverts(even though it won't look like a park)

[phoenix7 3]

I like the RRP farm, and Pommerey looks like a nice town to live in. The bridge over the creek looks cool, even though the creek kinda dies.

[suplado! 23]

wow -- very scenic...the animals add a lot of farm feeling...