Re-Creating a local rail line

[LTONKRACK09 0]

I live in the greater LA area so I often use Google Maps to scope out urban and industrial areas to gain ideas about what to create my city around. Only recently did I see this on GMaps, https://maps.google.com/?ll=33.882432,-118.216377&spn=0.007936,0.013937&t=h&z=17 , its a freight railway that provides direct access from Long Beach port and helps connect it to the port of LA and then to the interior of the state and so on. Its a sub surface rail the goes through the middle of two streets. Its known as the Alameda Corridor and stretches about 20 miles, allowing an unobstructed traffic flow for cars and what not.

 

Ive tried just using hold digger lots and bridges but it seems kinda, 'half baked'. I do use mods(NAM, etc), so that isnt a problem, I just want to know if anyone can point out some specific ones or other ways to give this a more legitimate look. I want to place this in my current city of about 300,000 people directly through my industrial quarter that leads from my ports to some railyards I have set up in the inland. 

 

Thanks for any tips!

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Welcome to the conversation.

 

You will only be able to approximate any scene in this game at best.  It is a game with a purpose of getting Sims to and from work.  The rest is incidental.

 

Don't exercise yourself trying to duplicate something from RL with any accuracy.

[Indiana Joe 1,750]

You can search the STEX and find various railway buildings and add-ons.  As far as infrastructure goes, you have options.  I would recommend one of these two setups:

 

 

or the NAM's newest sub-mod, the RealRailway (beta release, included in NAM 32 installer), and Rivit's  Also be sure to pick up these fantastic from Droric, another NAMite.

 

 

I assume you already have discovered rail yard sets from what you said in your post.  You can also add catenaries if you want.  But it doesn't look like the line you're recreating is electrified.  Making the urban sunken rail will be difficult as you discovered.  You'll have to find some good concrete retaining walls.  They exist, but you might have to hunt around.

[LTONKRACK09 0]

Welcome to the conversation.

 

You will only be able to approximate any scene in this game at best.  It is a game with a purpose of getting Sims to and from work.  The rest is incidental.

 

Don't exercise yourself trying to duplicate something from RL with any accuracy.

 

 

Thanks! Ive actually been a long time player(still not a pro however) and I lurk around here a lot, but only recently did I get in to mods and trying to do these sorts of things. I know an actual recreation would be very difficult if not impossible without my own custom mods but it always worth a shot right? I love the transport aspect, I like to create traffic and think of new ways to diffuse it

 

 

You can search the STEX and find various railway buildings and add-ons.  As far as infrastructure goes, you have options.  I would recommend one of these two setups:

 

 

or the NAM's newest sub-mod, the RealRailway (beta release, included in NAM 32 installer), and Rivit's   Also be sure to pick up these fantastic  Droric, another NAMite.

 

 

I assume you already have discovered rail yard sets from what you said in your post.  You can also add catenaries if you want.  But it doesn't look like the line you're recreating is electrified.  Making the urban sunken rail will be difficult as you discovered.  You'll have to find some good concrete retaining walls.  They exist, but you might have to hunt around.

 

I like the RUM addon, it resembles the 'dirtiness' of how railways actually look imo. Ill definitely be giving these a shot, along with trying to find a new side wall. I have some concrete ones that are for highways but theyre too bright for industrial areas so hopefully I can find some more on the STEX.

 

 

Ill do some experimenting and try and post back with the results or questions I might have