inventingnothing

Another entry and this time we're going up the valley to the bread and butter of the coal industry of the area. Carbon Vale is also seeks to be a tourist attaction, offering tours of the safer portions of the mine, as well as a quant riverfront and boardwalk. Well, lets stop the talking a show you all a few photos! Before the mining industry moved in, this area of the valley was once the home to a quaint farming community. The Robert's Farm Mill is nearly all that is left. The wooden bridge leads across the river to a hiking trail leading up the mountain on the other side. A wide shot of the minining operation. There's a lot in this picture. On the far left, you see a curved track for trains who turn back here to head back down the valley. This mine is largest in valley and as the locals say "If you don't work for the mine, then you're just passing through" Some worry that the Coal Washer in the bottom right may be contaminating the river, however the mining company claims it's own water tests have found that their systems meet all regulation requirements. Close up of one of the daily coal trains heading down the valley. Close up on the mine operation itself. The complex at the top is the actuall shaft, while the first stage of processing the coal happens in the complex at bottom. One last shot before I go, looks like a few people are waiting on the train to head down the valley and to the city beyond. Sorry for the long-awaited updated. RL gets in the way sometimes. I appreciate all the comments and feel free to give criticism. I'm going for a mix between realism and natural growth. My hope is to offer something new, or at least my own spin on what the game and mods have to offer. I doubt I'll do much modding myself, but I'll try to make sure you'll be wanting to come back for more.

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Thank you! The mine took a bit of creativity with pre-existing lots.I have almost no idea how to use the lot editor and only recently figured out how to make custom trains like that with the iLives reader. The BN hopper car is pulled from a set by Jestarr77. The mine shaft itself is Big John's mine in the SimPeg MTP series, as are the other buildings in the shot. The tunnel was most difficult to figure out and I finally used a fake tunnel entrance and a 1x3 rail lot filler.

Hello, and welcome back to Carbon Valley.. Next entry I'll be showing you just how we got up the valley from Carbon Vista with a tour along the Carbon Valley Scenic Railroad. Today though we're going to explore the area around the #2 Fairview Mine. Built in 1915, this mine was started due to increasing coal demands from Europe during the war. The original shaft was rather small and in the 60s they bored straight into the mountain. This 2nd horizontal shaft also doubled as a holding area for hopper trains waiting to be loaded. In the 70s complaints of pollution coming from the mine created a PR nightmare. To stem the bloodletting, the Fairview Mine Corp turned what was once a weather station into small camp ground only a short hike from the nearest road. Their hope of course was that this would show just how much they cared about the environment. This of course back-fired. The increased access to the area brought in more people who in turn do not want to see their beautiful valley marred by the mine's expanding presence. Coming down the mountain from the mine, as the train cuts through a beautiful valley, the loaded hopper. The trains travel slowly up and down this portion of track due to the tight curves and steep grade. Wouldn't want anything getting out of hand, now would we? Next time we'll switch gears and visit the beating heart of the valley. The town and industry of Vale Carbon. This city journal is completely fictional. The region is the Index, WA map available here on the STEX. I chose the map because of it's mountain topography, suiting very well for mines, winding railroads and small towns. Also, it warned of not much build space, and I take that as something of a challenge. If there's anything you'd like to see more of, or less of for that matter, please say so! I appreciate input and ideas.

Hey thank eclipticalstorm, you're right, that is a bid odd though. Seems to me like those people would love to have that nice view out their back door rather than their front. Thanks for the input!

Thank you

Come visit the beautiful vistas and stand beneath the cooling spray of the water falls of Carbon Valley. Raw Industry juxtaposed against the wonderful scenery of a mountain valley is the theme. So come on in and let's take a tour of our first stop along the way. Winding down through the valley, this coal train is carrying the energy needed to power the rest of Simtropolis. Hidden away beneath this freight line is one of the many beautiful water falls one encounters traveling through Carbon Valley. A view of Main Street, Carbon Vista. This small town lies at the west end of the valley and is a small junction for all points West. Here we see the rest of Main Street as well as the town hall. Even though it is a small town, its economy is bolstered by tourists heading up the valley. Here's a view of the homes of those who didn't make it quite that far. One more for the road... Upcoming: Where's all this coal coming from? A little about me and this up and coming journal: I've always been a fan of sim city but just got into SimCity 4 about a year ago. Quickly coming to boredom I started searching out mods. I want to say thanks to our wonderful modding community for making this game enjoyable. I've used an assortment of rock mods, buildings, automata, and the Olympus Terrain Mod with one of Simpeg's rock terrain mods. If there's anything in particular that stands out to you guys, feel free to let me know and I can show more in upcoming entries. Most of all this is a showcase of the fun I've had. I'll try to update about every two weeks or so as this is a work in progress.