-
Announcement
-
Simtropolis Returns! 05/26/2026
See here for details about our site recovery efforts.
-
Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'railroad'.
Found 62 results
-
Version 1.0.0
187 Downloads
DESCRIPTION This pack contains eight individual versions of Class 800s, in two types, Passenger, and Hybrid Rail/Monorail. The Class 800s are a variety of multiple units operating in the United Kingdom, based off the Hitachi AT300 platform, and were introduced to replace the aging Intercity 125 and 225 HST sets used since the late 60s. Each DAT contains a single locomotive and coach, all have HD textures and nightlighting. INSTALLATION There are two folders, labelled Passenger and Hybrid-Monorail. Drag ONE file only from either/both folders into your Plugins folder. COMPATIBILITY Every DAT contains one REPlacement loco and coach for it's respective network type, replacing the vanilla Maxis automata. Make sure to remove any other REPlacement automata before using these to avoid clashes. DEPENDENCIES No hard dependencies.- 1 Review
-
- 18
-
-
-
- dsc
- dragonsteincole
- (and 6 more)
-
Version 1.0.0
57 Downloads
"My name is Dr Eggman, the greatest scientific genius in the world!" The Mirage Express is a decommissioned cargo train, that was modified into a passenger train-like 'badnik' by Dr Eggman. However, in this form, it will not trap and try to kill various overpowered critters, but instead transport your sims around in a quick and fabulous manner. INSTALLATION Drag the folder into your 'Plugins' folder. COMPATIBILITY This is a single DAT, containing a REPlacement for the default Maxis passenger locomotive and coach. As such, they will interfere with any other mod that replaces the default Maxis passenger loco and coach. DEPENDENCIES No hard dependencies. Use Dark Nite for the best results for nightlighting.- 2 Comments
-
- 9
-
-
-
- dsc
- dragonsteincole
- (and 7 more)
-
Version 1.0.0
94 Downloads
This set of automata was requested by, and is dedicated to Simtropolis user Odainsaker. DESCRIPTION This file contains three sets of automata, based on the JR Kyushu 787 Series. The 787 series has operated in Japan since 1992 a number of named express services across the country, and a number of 'Joyful train' services such as the 36+3 luxury express. These are HD and come with nightlighting. INSTALLATION There are three folders, drag a single folder into your 'Plugins' folder, or install with SC4PAC. COMPATIBILITY Each DAT contains REPlacements for the Maxis vanilla Passenger loco and coach, as well as two ADDitional coaches. Any ADDitional coaches from other mods made by myself should remain compatible, however this cannot be guaranteed for other mods. For best results, please use a single DAT and remove any other files that REPlace the Maxis vanilla passenger loco and coach. DEPENDENCIES No hard dependencies. Use Dark Nite for the best results for nightlighting.- 2 Reviews
-
- 14
-
-
-
- dsc
- dragonsteincole
- (and 7 more)
-
Version 1.0.0
213 Downloads
DESCRIPTION This file contains one set of Elevated Rail/Subway Rolling stock - A shortened version of the Glasgow Subway 3rd Generation units. The real-life Glasgow Subway is the fourth-oldest underground railway in Europe, having operated since 1896. There is one set, containing a locomotive and coach. Requested by @bhmantan, these are shortened in order to better fit on the tight curves and in-road tramways added in NAM. These are HD and come with nightlighting. Use Dark Nite for best results. INSTALLATION Drag the file into your 'Plugins' folder, or install with SC4PAC (if I set the file up correctly to do so.) COMPATIBILITY This will replace the default El-rail loco and coach, do not use with any other replacement el-rail sets. DEPENDENCIES No dependencies.- 3 Comments
- 3 Reviews
-
- 13
-
-
-
- dsc.
- dragonsteincole
- (and 7 more)
-
Version 2.0.0
552 Downloads
DESCRIPTION This file contains four sets of freight automata, of types commonly seen in use across the UK rail network. The four features are Coal Hoppers (with empty and full variants), Cargowaggons, Box Wagons (with empty and full variants), and 102t tanker wagons. Each type also has a caboose variant with a warning light for night-time running. There are 10 variations of wagon per type, the exception being the cargowaggons, which have 12 variations. All automata have HD textures. Each wagon type will ADD automata, no REPlacements. The cabooses are REPlacements for the Maxis caboose. INSTALLATION Install into the 'Plugins' folder as usual. I would recommend making a folder just for these freight automata, to help keep things organised for future packs. If a freight type has an 'Empty' or 'Full' version, you can use either DAT separately, or use both for more variation. Use only one caboose file at a time. These wagons are also compatible with vanilla Maxis freight wagons. However, If you wish to hide the vanilla Maxis freight wagons, move the included blocker file into the same folder as well. COMPATIBILITY Each set can be used on it's own, for a more consistent rake of wagons, or mixed together in any combination for mixed freight consists. IIDs start at 0xF94C1000 and will also be compatible with vanilla maxis freight wagons, and other freight wagon mods not using the same IIDs. OTHER More trains and progress pics can be found in my workshop:- 4 Comments
- 2 Reviews
-
- 26
-
-
-
- dsc
- dragonsteincole
- (and 6 more)
-
Version 1.0.0
184 Downloads
DESCRIPTION This file contains two new Track Checker vehicles, based on the Amtrak 'P-Trak' Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) concepts. For forward-thinking majors and/or those who prefer a futuristic feel to their cities, the single DAT contains one REPlacement for the vanilla TC, and an ADDitional version. Each vehicle has a high quality texture and nightlighting. INSTALLATION Drag the file into your 'Plugins' folder. To remove, delete or move the file out of your 'Plugins' folder. COMPATIBILITY This file will replace the default track checker, if you are using another track checker mod then the load order will be important, but it is down to the player which REP from either pack is overwritten. The additional Track Checkers are unaffected and will co-exist. DEPENDENCIES No dependencies. More trains and progress pics can be found in my workshop:- 4 Reviews
-
- 14
-
-
-
- dsc
- dragonsteincole
- (and 7 more)
-
Version 1.0.0
326 Downloads
DESCRIPTION This is the Series 0 Shinkansen pack. Making it's debut in 1964 at the opening of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, the Series 0 helped establish Japan's first high-speed rail line as one of the finest, and heavily used in the world. Contained within this download are 2 Heavy Rail passenger train sets, and 1 High-speed Rail passenger train set. Each set is a single DAT that contains 1-2 Locomotives, and 4 coaches, all sets have HD textures and nightlighting. The two Heavy Rail sets are based on the units used on the Hikari and Kodama services, with distinctive liveries. The single HSR set is based on the final appearance of the Series 0 sets, with minor visual differences around the pantographs. INSTALLATION Drag one Rail and/or the HSR folder into your plugins folder. To uninstall, simply remove the same folder(s). COMPATIBILITY Each DAT contains replacements for the vanilla Maxis automata, and three ADDitional coaches. The Hikari heavy Rail set contains an ADDitional locomotive. It is recommended to only use one set of automata at a time. Whilst these sets have unique IIDs and can be used together and with other passenger automata, it is not recommended. The HSR set is a Monorail REPlacement. Whilst it will work on the base Monorail network, visually it is best used on the HSR or Hybrid Rail systems added by the NAM. Please use Hardware rendering mode when using these automata. DEPENDENCIES This mod has no dependencies.- 2 Reviews
-
- 14
-
-
-
- dsc
- dragonsteincole
- (and 8 more)
-
Version 1.0.0
230 Downloads
DESCRIPTION This file contains four SNCF Class BB17000 passenger locomotives. Used on mainly suburban routes into and out of Paris, this fleet of locomotive had a long lifespan, being used from the mid-60's up until the end of 2020. There are replacement and additional variations of each livery, "Île de France"", "En Voyage", " Béton" and "Verte", All locomotives have HD textures and nightlighting. INSTALLATION Drag the files into your 'Plugins' folder. To uninstall, remove from the "Plugins" folder COMPATIBILITY Use only one replacement file. The Additional files can be used in any combination. The IID is 0xcf170a__ DEPENDENCIES No dependencies.- 4 Reviews
-
- 12
-
-
-
- dsc
- dragonsteincole
- (and 7 more)
-
Version 1.0.0
130 Downloads
DESCRIPTION This file contains one DAT with eight 1930's-era rail carriages. These were used extensively by the LNER in the early part of the last century, and were often seen in rakes and consists, pulled by express locomotives such as the A4 Pacifics. All carriages have HD textures and nightlighting. Smoke effects will be affected by graphic settings. INSTALLATION Drag the file into your 'Plugins' folder. To uninstall, move out of or delete from the 'Plugins' folder COMPATIBILITY This will overwrite the Maxis vanilla passenger carriage. The IID family is 0x7faffc__, so should be isolated and compatible with other additional carriage mods. DEPENDENCIES No dependencies. However, these were designed for, and combine well with the Class A4 Pacific mod.- 2 Reviews
-
- 10
-
-
-
- dsc
- dragonsteincole
- (and 6 more)
-
Version 1.0.0
353 Downloads
("Silver Link" smoke screenshot provided with permission from bhatman.) DESCRIPTION This file contains seven Class A4 Pacific locomotives in both passenger and freight versions. The A4 Pacifics were streamlined express locomotives built for the LNER in the mid-30s. One of the most recognisable and evocative locomotive designs, the most famous member of the class, "Mallard" holds the world record as the fastest steam locomotive, achieving a top speed of 126mph on 3 July 1938. There are 5 passenger "_P_" locomotives. "Falcon", "Golden Fleece", "Mallard", "Silver Link" and "William Whitelaw". There are 5 additional ("ADD") versions. One freight "_F_" locomotive. "Dominion of Australia". There is one additional ("ADD") version. And one replacement "_FS_" for the Maxis Steam train. "Sir Murrough Wilson". The additional ("ADD") version of this is a freight locomotive. All locomotives have HD textures and nightlighting. Smoke effects will be affected by graphic settings. INSTALLATION Drag the files into your 'Plugins' folder. COMPATIBILITY Use only one replacement Passenger and one replacement Freight file. The Additional files can be used in any combination. DEPENDENCIES No dependencies. However these were designed for, and go together well with the Gresley teak Carriages mod.- 3 Comments
- 5 Reviews
-
- 15
-
-
-
- dsc
- dragonsteincole
- (and 6 more)
-
Version 1.0.0
313 Downloads
DESCRIPTION This file contains two sets of Elevated Rail/Subway Rolling stock - the Glasgow Subway 2nd and 3rd Generation units. The Glasgow Subway is the fourth-oldest underground railway in Europe, having operated since 1896. There are four 2nd Generation sets of locomotive and carriage. And one 3rd Generation set of locomotive and carriages. INSTALLATION Drag the files into your 'Plugins' folder. Use only one replacement set. Additional sets can be used in any combination. The 3rd Generation C1 carriage is an additional carriage for that set, and does not replace anything on it's own. COMPATIBILITY Use only one replacement set.There are replacement and additional versions of each set, and they can be used in conjunction to create mixed livery sets. DEPENDENCIES No dependencies.- 8 Comments
- 5 Reviews
-
- 14
-
-
-
- dsc
- dragonsteincole
- (and 7 more)
-
Version 1.0.0
577 Downloads
DESCRIPTION This file contains four new Track Checker vehicles. As much as we all "love" the vanilla Maxis track checker, these TCs will add a bit more variety to your rail networks, whilst not looking out of place. The single DAT contains one replacement for the vanilla TC, and three additional TCs included. Each vehicle has a high quality texture and nightlighting. INSTALLATION Drag the file into your 'Plugins' folder. COMPATIBILITY This file will replace the default track checker, if you wish to use another track checker replacement, make sure it is loaded AFTER this mod. The additional Track Checkers are unaffected. DEPENDENCIES No dependencies.- 9 Reviews
-
- 21
-
-
-
- dsc
- dragonsteincole
- (and 6 more)
-
Version 1.0.0
224 Downloads
DESCRIPTION The Class 165 and 166 are diesel multiple-units, built in the early 1990's for suburban, fast and express services, and used by multiple operators over their lifetime. There are four pairs of locomotive and carriage, in four liveries - Network SouthEast, First Great Western Link, First Great Western, and GWR. All models have nightlighting and HD textures. INSTALLATION Drag one set of files from a Livery folder into the plugins folder. COMPATIBILITY The engine and carriage will replace the Maxis vanilla passenger and carriage respectively. As with most passenger train automata, mixing and matching between different sets will create inconsistent results, it is recommended to only use this set by itself. As this is an HD model/automata, please use Hardware Rendering to avoid any issues. DEPENDENCIES This mod has no dependencies. -
September 20, 2004 Population: 3,090 The Kanin Line The Kanin Line is a 106-kilometer railroad that branches off the Norland Line in Dunderland, Norway. From Dunderland, the railway line traverses through the Scandinavian mountains, eventually ending in Stokkvågen (a small port city located 38 kilometers west of Kanin Fjord). While primarily designed to transport cargo, the line also provides passenger service. Treacherous terrain prevented the use of electrical trains; therefore, the Kanin Line operates all-diesel locomotives. Construction of the Kanin Line began in April of 2000, requiring four years to complete. Stokkvågen Station began operating in May of 2004 and passenger train service began in July of 2004. Construction of the railway was a direct result of the explosive growth of the port city of Stokkvågen. Stokkvågen’s population grew 63% between 1997 and 2004, increasing from 9,817 to 16,060. Cargo traffic in the city’s port increased five-fold in that same period. The Kanin Line provided a cheap land-based transportation system, allowing Stokkvågen to directly ship cargo into the interior Norway and Sweden. Unfortunately, the Kanin Line does not directly connect to Kanin Fjord. Topography, recent residential developments, and construction costs combined to prevent a financially feasible route into the town. This left Kanin Fjord off of Norway’s rail network. Exclusion of the town was to the ire of its residents and the Navnår Corporation. Engineers left the possibility of a future connection to Kanin Fjord open, but only when such connection became financially viable. As a public relations appeasement to Kanin Fjord, the rail line was renamed the Kanin Line in honor of the town. Within the Kanin Fjord region, the Kanin Line has 3 stops. The first stop is at Nolborg, the other two stops are in New Kanin Fjord. The line crosses over Hjortfjorden 5 kilometers north of Kanin Fjord over a region of the fjord known as De skarpe (“The Sharps” in English). Additionally, a rail maintenance yard was constructed on the northern shore of a part of Kaninfjorden known as Stille bukt (“Quiet Bay” in English), for the repair of passenger and freight locomotives. The maintenance yard’s location was close to the center of the Kanin Line, providing minimal travel distance for trains needing maintenance. New Kanin Fjord New Kanin Fjord is a boom town located at the confluence of E220 and the Kanin Line on the northern shore of Kaninfjorden, and directly adjacent to the new a rail maintenance yard known as Baldur jernbanegården. The town is located approximately 7 kilometers to the east of Kanin Fjord and 6 kilometers west of Nolborg. The completion of the Kanin Line and associated maintenance yard required the construction of new homes and apartments to house workers. While not directly part of the Kanin Fjord municipality, New Kanin Fjord along with Nolborg are considered part of the Kanin Fjord micropolitan area, that has a combined population of 3,090. Construction of the town began in April 2003 and was completed by August 2004. Kanin Fjord has a population of 454 residents. Unlike American towns which are governed by a complex system of zoning laws, no such laws exist in Kanin Fjord, and developers as a result packed as many homes and apartments as possible into an area only 0.08 km². A population density of 5,517 per square kilometer. New Kanin Fjord’s 454 residents are crowded into 75 homes and 8 apartment buildings. In addition to housing, developers provided amenities for the new town. A new high school and elementary school were constructed to educate the worker’s children, a police station to better manage crime, and a recycling center to process the town’s garbage. There is even a grocery store, gas station, auto repair shop, and multiple shops. New Kanin Fjord resolved many of the region’s problems. Development of the town provided a solution to Kanin Fjord’s land crisis. Flat topography surrounding Stille bukt offered the ideal location for a large rail facility and a new town. The location was perfectly situated along the shore of a naturally protected harbor allowing for the possibility of a future port. Additionally, the location was well situated for Kanin Fjord’s Norse believers who had a fear of the water, by providing jobs that were not directly located along the water’s edge. Aerial Photo New Kanin Fjord Baldur jernbanegården Kanin Line management offices combined with shops and restaurants for maintenance yard employees. New Elementary and High School Residential Development Night Shots Town Entrance
- 3 Comments
-
- 10
-
-
- kanin fjord
- cities skylines
- (and 4 more)
-
Hello I have started to use underpass recently, so traffic doesn't stop when a train passes. I wonder how can i make sure the roads and avenues are actually connected underneath the ground? in Cities Skylines player actually need to build roads and avenues to make sure they are actually connected underground, just like how we build metros tunnels in SimCity 4. btw, i have another question, which graphic setting should i let the game run on? i'm currently letting the game run on DirectX, because i saw someone on YouTube saying that Direct X will allow the game to use the most out of a system, especially for computers with high-end hardware. but i also see people saying that SimCity 4 should be run on Software. Thanks.
-
Version 1.0.3
594 Downloads
ABOUT THIS FILE About this File This is 5 files in one. YOU MUST HAVE NAM INSTALLED THIS REQUIRES THE NAM HYBRID RAILWAY Simtrak Hybrid Rail Grand Station (HRW)_11e3c7c8.SC4Lot This is a true Hybrid Railway Station serving both rail and monorail travel types. It will produce both regular passenger trains (RRW) and the Electric Simtrak Train (Monorail). Freight trains will be able to pass through. Simtrak Hybrid Rail Grand Station (HSR ONLY)_ef3a765d.SC4Lot HSR/Monorail only version of this HRW station. This will only produce the Simtrak electric train (Monorail). Regular Passenger trains (RRW) and Freight trains can also pass through this station. Simtrak HR Station RRW add on_706443ec.SC4Lot It will produce Regular Passenger trains (RRW) (NOTE NEW DEPENDENCIE FOR THIS) Lot must be separated by one tile from HR Only Lot or RRW trains will bleed over to HR Network I use Ped Tiles to Separate them See Picture Simtrak Hybrid Rail Grand Station (RRW ONLY)_59d3963b.SC4Lot This is a brand new lot created by Tyberius It will produce Regular Passenger trains (RRW) The Electric Simtrak Train (Monorail) will be able to pass through and also freight trains. Simtrak HS Train Simtrak HS Train This is the Simtrak High Speed Electric Train. This train acts like a monorail train Reskin of Thalys High Speed Train This turns the in game monorail into an Electric High Speed Simtrak train THANK YOU rivit INSTALLATION YOU MUST REMOVE ANY PREVIOUS SIMTRAK VERSIONS IF INSTALLED FOR THE NEW TRANSIT SETTINGS TO WORK YOU MUST BULLDOZE ALL OLDER DEPOT VERSIONS THAT ARE IN YOUR CITIES. THIS CAN BE DONE AFTER INSTALLING THE NEW VERSION IN YOUR PLUGINS FOLDER Just add the Simtrak folder to your Plugins folder. You also need the below Dependencies In my cities I like to have the Hybrid Railway a dedicated "Electric High Speed Railroad" with just the Simtrak train (Monorail). If you want to do this you can delete: Simtrak Hybrid Rail Grand Station (HRW)_11e3c7c8.SC4Lot Simtrak Hybrid Rail Grand Station (RRW ONLY)_59d3963b.SC4Lot If you want True Hybrid Rail you can delete: Simtrak Hybrid Rail Grand Station (HSR ONLY)_ef3a765d.SC4Lot Simtrak Hybrid Rail Grand Station (RRW ONLY)_59d3963b.SC4Lot If you want just the Regular Passenger trains (RRW) you can delete: Simtrak Hybrid Rail Grand Station (HRW)_11e3c7c8.SC4Lot Simtrak Hybrid Rail Grand Station (HSR ONLY)_ef3a765d.SC4Lot If you are totally confused by now YOU DO NOT NEED TO DELETE ANYTHING THE FOUR LOTS CAN STAY IN THE MENU WITH NO PROBLEMS Dependencies: Network Addon Mod v44 and above (Hybrid RailWay must be installed) https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=851 BSC MEGA Props - Misc Vol02.dat https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1771 BSC MEGA Props - SG Vol 01.dat https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=746 SM2 Mega Prop Pack Vol1.dat https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/32980-sm2-mega-prop-pack-vol1/ SM2 Mega Prop Pack Vol3.dat https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/32982-sm2-mega-prop-pack-vol3/ Jim CarProp Pack 1.2 http://hide-inoki.com/bbs/archives/sc4_0860.html NOTE: THIS IS A JAPANESE WEBSITE I HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH DOWNLOAD IT APPEARS TO BE SAFE KOSC SuperSHK MEGA Parking Textures https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/31006-supershk-mega-parking-textures/ BSC Textures vol02 https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=638 PEG MTP SUPER PACK https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/20966-peg-mtp-super-pack/ THANK YOU rsc204 ulisse CorinaMarie rivit Tyberius06 Without these SC4 Members answering my many questions this mod would not have been posible. Thank you to the people that created all the awsome props- 6 Comments
- 1 Review
-
- 13
-
-
-
- passenger depot
- hybrid railway
- (and 6 more)
-
CHAPTER 20 -- THE DRY DOCKS 01
Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS WILHELMSHAVEN
Chapter 20: THE DRY DOCKS 01 The picture above shows USS Mississippi in Dry Dock #4 at Bremerton Navy Yard in Puget Sound, circa 1940. This is a text book example of a dry dock, but could, more properly, be called a “graving dock” – more of that later. Dry docks are hardly a modern invention. In the reign of Pharaoh Ptolemy IV Philopator (221-204 BC) the enormous “Tessarakonteres” rowing vessels were said to have been built in a basin remarkably like a dry dock. A pit beside the Nile with stone props and cross beams provided the building platform, while a temporary channel from the river flooded the pit so the finished boat could be floated out. The Romans had their own version of a stone channel connected to a nearby river at Narni (modern Stifone in Umbria). And the 11th Century Song Dynasty is said to have used a system similar to the Egyptians. But “dry docks” remained crude affairs until 1495, when England’s Henry VII commissioned the first modern stone dry dock at Portsmouth. At 526 years of age, it is the oldest surviving example still in use. It hosts the Monitor HMS M-33 – a WW I survivor. With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, the dry dock came into its’ own. Wooden lock gates were replaced with hollow steel doors or massive caissons opening and closing laterally on roller paths. Steam engines were introduced to operate the gates and winches, and huge pumps that could drain a dock in a matter of hours rather than days. No longer did ships rest in dug-out “ponds”, but in durable cut stone or concrete basins. While today’s dry docks have been improved by electrification, computerization, and even robotics – the basic concept remains unchanged. USS California dry docked at Bremerton Naval Yard for permanent repairs and reconstruction after the Pearl Harbor attack. IMPERIAL DRY DOCKS The Imperial Dry Docks in Wilhelmshaven are located on the southernmost piece of what was then dry land on “The Mainland”. The docks and their attendant industry occupy a swath extending across the entire width of the peninsula along the lower portion of the main channel. They are “sandwiched” between the “Refit Basin” on the north, and the reclaimed land of the “Double Quay” area to the southwest. The two basins on the right are called “The New Docks”. They were constructed as the fleet grew in size and numbers and the Imperial shipyards expanded to cope with the naval arms race. The smaller dry dock on the left is, of course, “The Old Dock”. Each dry dock basin has a dockside crane line and working area on either side to provide complete access to all parts of the ship under repair. A rail line behind the dockside provides direct supply and transport for parts, raw materials, and large components or machinery. And beyond the rail line is a complete array of warehouses, machine shops, timber stores, and foundries, forges, and casting works. The two metal buildings pictured are Maxis – Grundstrom Copper and Kiwi Flooring. Grundstrom, in particular, has some very good night-lighting. The rest of the warehouses are by “NOB” from his “1905 Naval Series”. The paved areas are from NBVC’s Container Port collection, and the rest of the 6x17 lot was dressed out with a wide assortment of props from the “prop box”. The train is delivering a load of steel plating, some generators to be installed aboard ship, and an assortment of pipes. Tons and tons of material have been assembled in preparation for the coming work and dozens of workmen can be seen going about their duties. Pictured in the “East Dock” is HMS Rodney – one of four Admiral Class battlecruisers under construction when “Peace” suddenly broke out in 1918. In reality, the Admiral Class was to have consisted of Hood, Rodney, Anson, and Howe – but the cessation of hostilities removed the urgent need for more capital ships, and the horrible state of British finances dictated that work be stopped immediately. Each of the huge battlecruisers was expected to cost in excess of 6 million pounds – far more than any warships that had ever been built in Britain! With imminent bankruptcy staring England in the face, every spending cut that could be made would help keep the “wolf” away from the door. After much political “dithering”, and with great reluctance on the part of the Admiralty, it was decided that HMS Hood would be finished, and the other three ships canceled. The two cranes dockside are from the “PEG SNM Series” and, as it turns out, they are remarkably similar to a 250 ton capacity model that began to appear in US Navy dockyards around 1943. With the coming of WW II, the US Navy was confronted with the realization that their dockyard infrastructure was either non-existent, or hopelessly out of date. The preceding decade had followed close on the heels of the Wall Street “Crash of 1929”, and “The Great Depression” had quickly descend upon the United States and the world, in general. Throughout the 1930’s there was precious little money voted for Naval Expenditures, and almost all of that had gone toward maintaining the battlefleet. Consequently, when Pearl Harbor was attacked, innumerable contracts flooded out of the Navy Department – not just to build more ships, but to expand and modernize the vitally necessary dockyards and equip them to handle the vast armada that would become the US Navy. These cranes were a small, but crucial, part of that gargantuan effort. This is the large pumping station at the head of the dock. This unit is capable of draining or filling the dock in just a matter of a few hours. The water is pumped in from a series of intakes along the harbor seawall and enters the dock through carefully placed discharge tunnels that are designed to flood the dock evenly and produce no measurable currents. The valves are simply reversed to empty the dock. This pumping station handles the needs of all three dry docks. The station is built from various props centered around the large Maxis water pumps. GRAVING DOCKS Dry Docks come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and strange configurations. For example; the Howard Hughes research vessel, Glomar Explorer, contained a “dry dock”. The bottom of the hull was open, allowing a massive “grapnel claw” to descend and close around the sunken remains of K-129, a “Cold War” era Soviet diesel-electric submarine. The idea was to hoist the wreck into a large bay for examination – the “dry dock”. A bit “exotic” – but another example of a “dry dock”. When most people think of a dry dock, what usually comes to mind is shown in the picture of the USS Mississippi – and that is called a “Graving Dock”. In preparation for use, a “docking plan” is drawn up showing where the “keel blocks” and supporting “bilge blocks” are to be placed underneath the structural “ribs” of a given ship. Unsupported, the ship’s great weight would bend hull plates, stress riveted seams, and even warp the alignment of rudders and propeller shafts. With support blocks fixed to the floor, the dock is flooded and the gates opened to admit a ship. Above, you see a view of HMS Rodney’s forward main battery turrets. Had they all been completed, the Admiral Class battlecruisers would have carried eight 15 inch/42 caliber guns arranged in four superfiring twin turrets, two forward and two aft. Her guns were capable of firing a 1,920 pound shell out to 30,000 yards. At the rear of each of the distinctive looking turrets, there is a 30-foot optical rangefinder mounted for use when in “local control”. Just abaft “B” turret is the heavily armored conning tower, usually used only in battle. On its’ roof, you see yet a third 30-foot rangefinder, this one connected to the ship’s gunnery control system. At the very top edge of the picture, you can just make out a 9-foot rangefinder mounted on the roof of the masthead “fighting top” (also connected to the gunnery control). Below is a view of the stern main battery turrets, also with “local control” rangefinders. If the main gunnery control system was damaged in battle, or malfunctioned, the “Turret Captains” could switch to “local control” and continue the shoot using the optical device to range. With a “stereoscopic rangefinder”, the rule of thumb was – the wider the device, the more accurate the range estimate. Of the Admiral Class battlecruisers, HMS Hood was the only one to be completed, in May, 1920. At nearly 47,000 tons, she was the heaviest warship afloat, the longest, and with a speed of 32 knots, she was the fastest. And she held those records for twenty years. This view shows her boat deck and the approximate location where one or more shells fired by the KMS Bismarck struck her in May, 1941. The investigating board determined that at least one shell struck a magazine, breaking her in half, and she went down in three minutes with only three survivors. There is some irony in the fact that she was named after Admiral Sir Horace Hood who died at the Battle of Jutland when the battlecruiser HMS Invincible was struck in a magazine, exploded, and went down with all hands. USS UTAH BEING MANEUVERED INTO DRY DOCK #4 AT NEW YORK NAVY YARD DURING HER FINAL “FITTING-OUT” WORK, CIRCA 1912. Maneuvering a battleship into the confined space of a graving dock was difficult and time consuming – requiring a high degree of expertise from the Captain, the gentle prodding of a pair of tugs, and winches hauling on “guide” lines run from either side of the bow. When the warship was deemed to be properly positioned, hawsers were made fast to the docking bollards, the gates closed, and massive pumps began lowering the basin water level. While there was still enough water to shift the battleship around, divers went down to check the positioning of the blocks. If all was well, the divers were removed, the pumps restarted, and the remainder of the water removed – leaving the ship high and dry on the blocks. USS NEW MEXICO IN THE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY DOCK FOR FINAL INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS FOR HER TURBO-ELECTRIC DRIVE, 1918. Note the “keel blocks” beneath her stem and the fine sweep of her “clipper” bow. For those of you unfamiliar with the term “turbo-electric drive” – it is, simply put, an alternative form of propulsion for ships. Triple expansion steam engines had long been the standard, but the machinery was large and quite heavy – and there were limits to the power that could be generated. In 1884, Charles Parsons invented the steam turbine, and quick to realize the possibilities, he established the Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company. By 1905, Parsons was able to sell his first set of turbines to the Royal Navy – another “first” for HMS Dreadnought. In the beginning, all steam turbines were “direct drive” – but there were problems. The steam turbine develops maximum power at high speed. But the power must be transferred to a propeller which operates most efficiently at lower speeds. If a propeller rotates too fast, it produces a “blizzard” of air bubbles – but no forward thrust. The fancy name is “cavitation”. The solution was the introduction of “geared turbine drive”. A set of heavy duty, precision machined, gears was installed to reduce the high speed power of the turbine to the low speed operation of the propeller. This also required a solidly built clutch system to allow for reverse speeds, and additional hull length to accommodate the gearing – adding more and more weight to the ship. While geared turbines proved effective and reliable, the Americans were not satisfied with the complicated, heavy, and over-long arrangement. They took an experimental idea from the General Electric Corporation, Marine Division, and “scaled it up”. Having first tested the novel propulsion system in the aircraft carrier Langley, it was then installed on a trial basis in New Mexico – making her the first “turbo-electric drive” battleship. With this arrangement, nine Babcock-Wilcox boilers provided steam to four General Electric steam turbines, driving four alternators that fed current to four electric motors coupled directly to four shafts. The numerous advantages included shorter propeller shafts, allowing for better subdivision inboard of the propellers and rudder – alternators and motors that could be cross-connected to provide redundancy in the event of failure or battle damage – the ship’s speed could be varied by switching on or off a given number of motor poles – and high speed reverse was nearly instantly available by a simple switch. The long, heavy, complicated, and expensive gear and clutch systems were eliminated, reducing both machinery weight and engine room space – and with shorter propeller shafts, the engines could be placed closer to the stern, reducing the overall hull length (read considerable cost reduction). A total of five classes of US battleships would be equipped with “turbo-electric drive”, and though they proved reliable, the experiment wasn’t exactly “the magic bullet”. High voltages were difficult to handle and there was a 40% decrease in the power-to-weight ratio – sufficient for 21 knots – but no more. Within a decade of launch, all the ships had undergone a “Refit”, and geared turbines were installed. HMS IRON DUKE IN A GRAVING DOCK, POSSIBLY 1919. Graving Docks can accommodate a wide variety of tasks – and are absolutely essential to some. Contrary to the appearance of their massive, lumbering, bulk – a floating battleship can be quite delicate. If a warship is too heavily loaded (stores, ammunition, fuel – and in some cases, too much armor plate), it will ride deeper than it’s designed waterline depth. It could, conceivably, founder in heavy seas. On the other hand, when moored at a dock for repairs, fuel is often removed, ammunition may be removed, and heavy components as well. That could include items of considerable weight – portions of the armor belt, heavy steel deck plates to gain access to compartments below, gun turrets, engines, turbines, generators, etc, etc. As weight is removed from the ship, it begins to rise and rides higher than the designed waterline depth. With all that weight removed from the hull, the ship’s center of gravity shifts, the topside becomes heavier – and the result is an expensive, capsized battleship, sunk at the dock. Obviously, parking the ship on blocks in a Graving Dock was a much better option. Plus – you could work on anything and everything while she was in that condition. The Royal Navy had a long tradition of “polishing brass” and keeping the “paintwork smart”, and painting a battleship was regular work – until you got to the waterline. A Graving Dock was the only possible answer. Another problem was the persistent nature of marine growth. In warm salt water, a ship’s hull accumulates an ever-thickening layer of barnacles, muscles, rust, and actual seaweed – “fouling the bottom” and creating “hydrodynamic friction drag”. A prolonged period at sea could reduce a 21 knot battleship to 18 knots, while lengthening travel time and increasing fuel consumption. The solution was to dry-dock the ship at least twice a year, literally scrape the growth off the hull, and apply a “resistant” coat of paint – a process referred to as “graving” (hence Graving Dock). Just for the record; though modern science and chemistry have been enlisted in the fight, “fouling” remains a problem. Much as I would like to have kept this chapter “short & sweet” – that has not been possible. Dry docks and the work carried on in them – though seemingly simple – can be quite complicated. And, as it turns out – just as complicated to explain. Since I am already more than a thousand words over my usual limit, I have decided to split the subject into two chapters – more to come. Of course, none of this would have been remotely possible without the excellent ships models provided by the skilled and generous @Barroco Hispano. THANK YOU -- THANK YOU...... If you enjoyed anything you saw – please punch the “like” button so I will know. A comment would be even more informative. Comments and critiques requested and gratefully accepted. All questions answered promptly to the best of my ability. THANK YOU for your visit ! NEXT TIME…...The Dry Docks 02.- 8 Comments
-
- 14
-
-
-
- harbor
- battleships
- (and 6 more)
-
CHAPTER 19 -- THE REFIT BASIN
Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS WILHELMSHAVEN
Chapter 19: THE REFIT BASIN Just a quick observation. In the picture above, two men from a small boat are standing on a “ledge” built into Arizona’s side. That “ledge” is the top edge of the 13.5 inch thick armor belt designed to protect against short range fire as well as plunging “near misses” that might actually strike below the waterline. The “armor belt” is clearly visible for most of its’ length. The term “refit” is both vague, and all inclusive. It covers a whole range of actions, but might be, more properly, understood to mean “refit, repair, and modernize”. REFIT Every battleship periodically went in for a “refit” – but historians are often vague about the details – so “refit” could mean almost anything. But ship’s service records (similar to a “Regimental History”) mention frequent “refits” – usually twice a year – sometimes more often with hard use. It was a lot like taking your car to the mechanic for a check-up. Bearings were removed, cleaned, inspected, greased, and reinstalled. Lubricating systems would be drained and refilled. Coolant systems drained, flushed, and refilled. Hydraulic system seals inspected and replaced. The boiler fires were pulled and fireboxes cleaned. Boiler water tubes were inspected and replaced as needed. Moving parts, like crankshafts and pistons were greased and inspected, and turbines inspected for fractured blades. These were mostly things that could not be done while on active service, but not so major as to require dry docking. USS MARYLAND REFIT AT BREMERTON NAVY YARD, PUGET SOUND CIRCA 1936 REPAIR Anyone owning an automobile knows there are a hundred things that can go “wanky” in your car – burned out lights, leaky seals, engine wear, and transmission slippage – to name but a few. A battleship was a unified, interconnected, mass of moving parts – more than any other mechanical object on Earth. Gigantic engines, several stories tall, moved upwards of 40,000 tons dead-weight through mountainous seas for days on end and thousands of miles of continuous steaming. Breakage and wear, with the occasional “failure”, was inevitable. Atlantic gales could pound decks with the force of a steam hammer, while Pacific Typhoons could rip railing stanchions out of the deck and tear inch-thick metal bridge screens into twisted shreds. And then, there was always the occasional “fender-bender” with another ship. So regardless of the circumstances – repair was a foregone conclusion. USS MARYLAND REPAIR AT BREMERTON NAVY YARD 1942. ARMOR PIERCING BOMB DAMAGE FROM PEARL HARBOR ATTACK. MODERNIZATION This requires a bit of explaining. The birth of the modern dreadnought battleship in 1905 fired the “starter gun” for the largest and most costly naval arms race in history. Nations suddenly found themselves burdened with fleets of pre-dreadnought battleships – now obsolete and unable to stand in the line of battle. Outgunned and outclassed, their warships would have been swept from the seas. The result was a mad rush to build new fleets of modern dreadnoughts to protect sea lanes and maintain prestige-standing as a “great power”. The lamps burned late into the night at every Admiralty design office in the world. Wherever a new keel was laid, foreign naval attaches and spies flocked to gather intelligence. When the intelligence was received back home, their design bureau began planning a new dreadnought – bigger and better than the competition. USS OKLAHOMA REFIT AT BREMERTON NAVY YARD, PUGET SOUND, FEBRUARY 1941. Great Britain, as the leader, had to build “more and faster” to guarantee an advantage over the next two biggest navies combined. That was the “Fleet Standard” in those days. A numerical advantage over the combined fleets of Russia and France ensured that Britannia would rule the waves. Even before HMS Dreadnought was accepted from the builder’s yard, the three-ship Bellerophon Class was laid down in 1906, the three-ship St. Vincent Class in 1907, and the two-ship Neptune Class in 1908. The only other naval power capable of such massive building was the United States. But though they kept a watchful eye on their “cousins in the colonies”, the British saw no serious threat from that quarter. And Britain, in effect, had four powerful dreadnoughts in service before any nation launched a single challenger. Imperial Germany would eventually take up that challenge. The “numbers game” was all well and good, but like any “drug”, it was addictive and had side-effects that resonated throughout every navy possessing dreadnoughts. (1) If your enemy built a dreadnought, you had to build one bigger and better. (2) Science, technology, and engineering got into the act. Each succeeding class would have more guns, bigger guns – more speed, bigger engines – more armor, thicker armor, a better armoring scheme – better fire control systems – etc, etc. (3) There was always the price tag to be considered. The last British pre-dreadnoughts had cost 1.4 million pounds per ship. HMS Dreadnought cost 1.7 million. With each class designed to be bigger and better, it was inevitable. The last WW I era dreadnought battlecruiser (Hood) cost just over 6 million pounds! So “bigger and better” sounded “Jolly Good” – until the bill arrived in the mail! Some side effects were more obvious than others – though the cost was a bitter pill, indeed. But one hidden drawback was “designed obsolescence”. As each new class of dreadnought improved on the last one – it made the preceding battleships less and less modern. HMS Dreadnought was launched in 1905. By the outbreak of war in 1914, she was considered “second class” and unfit to lay in the line of battle. Advancements in size, science, and improving technology had ended her useful life. And so it was in ALL navies – though worse in some. The shipbuilding industries in France, Italy, and Russia were so slow that ships were often obsolete before launching. USS ARIZONA REFIT AT BREMERTON NAVY YARD, PUGET SOUND, EARLY 1941. The heightened political tensions in the second decade of the 20th Century provided ample excuse to continue building expensive new battleships that rendered older ones obsolete. And when war finally erupted – armaments industries went into high gear – especially heavy artillery and shipyards. By November, 1918, Germany had collapsed and the Allied Powers found themselves victorious – but bankrupt. The entire geopolitical map of Europe had been altered forever, monarchies had been swept away, and the world economy was in a shambles. Germany was desolate, large swaths of France were laid waste, and Britain could hardly find tuppence to rub together. The phenomenally expensive cost of modern industrialized warfare had driven even the victors to the brink of collapse. The Washington Naval Arms Limitation Treaty of 1922 saved the world from a new and exorbitantly expensive naval arms race that seemed to be shaping up between the victorious nations. The treaty, basically, limited certain nations to a given “tonnage allowance” in warship categories – battleships, cruisers, etc, etc. This, in effect, provided a solution to the problem of what to do with older, high-maintenance warships. Only the best, biggest, and most modern could be kept within the tonnage limitations. Old pre-dreadnoughts and “second class” dreadnoughts were done away with – scrapped or expended as gunnery targets or subjects for weapons testing. The treaty also included a ten-year capital ship “holiday” – current construction to stop immediately and no new battleships or battlecruisers until 1932. This neatly eliminated the political problems of trying to spend scarce taxpayer money on “big-ticket” battleships. Without new construction – fleets with aging battleships had to find some inexpensive way to remain competitive – thus was born the concept of “modernization”. USS NEVADA UNDERGOING MODERNIZATION AT NORFOLK NAVY YARD, 1927. The idea was simple – at least in concept. A good example is the 1927 modernization of USS Nevada. All of eleven years old at the time, Nevada was taken into the graving dock at Norfolk Navy Yard and the work preformed between August, 1927, and January, 1930. The reason for the long delay was two fold; (1) The US Congress was miserly and refused to fund the entire cost in a single fiscal year, and (2) The Navy didn’t complain because it allowed them to keep the dockyard labor force on the payroll. It was critically important to maintain a labor force experienced enough to construct and repair the complicated and technically demanding battleships. But the work, itself, was of some interest. The old “lattice cage” masts were cut down and replaced by tripod masts with huge multi-level fighting tops for modern spotting and fire control systems. Her direct-drive steam turbines were lifted out and replaced with a new set of geared turbines from canceled construction. These would use less fuel and provide a greater operating radius. Her main battery turrets were modified to allow 30 degree elevation – extending her gun range from 23,000 yards to 34,000 yards – much more compatible with modern fire control capabilities. Anti-torpedo bulges (blisters) were added to the hull to provide better protection against ever-improving models of torpedoes. To make room for the “bulges”, Nevada’s original twelve Yarrow boilers were replaced with smaller and far more efficient “BE” models. Catapults were added for two spotter aircraft along with eight new 5 inch anti-aircraft guns. The old, cramped, bridge was replaced with a stronger and more spacious structure accommodating the new fire control devices. And, in a momentary fit of brilliance, it was decided to relocate her 5 inch secondary batteries from their hull casemates to the main deck. Unlike most “refits”, this job was done in a dry dock rather than a “refit basin”, largely because the “torpedo bulges” radically altered the hull. The remaining US Navy battleships all underwent much the same “modernization”, though each class differed somewhat. The New York Class is a case in point. In 1926, both she and her sister Texas, had their fourteen coal-fired boilers ripped out and were converted to modern oil-burners – in addition to the other changes. So under treaty limitations and the financial constraints of the “Great Depression”, navies the world over hung onto their aging dreadnoughts and made do with technological “upgrades”. A thorough modernization often added a decade or more to their useful life. USS ARIZONA TAKING ON STORES AFTER COMPLETING MODERNIZATION. Pictured above is an area overview of the Refit basin (center). In the upper right corner, you can just see the end of the “Fitting-Out Basin” with the barge wharf. Below that is the administration offices responsible for managing the industry and facilities sprawling over “the Mainland” area – mostly the “Fitting-Out Basin”, “Refit” Basin, and the large “Dry Dock” complex. Due west of that is the central warehousing facility for the base. And in the bottom left, you can see a portion of the dry docks. You might well ask why there are two basins as well as a large dry dock complex. Almost all the work done by the two basins could be done in the dry docks, while basins were unable to do work below the waterline. But it is simply a matter of volume. The two largest Imperial naval bases, Wilhelmshaven and Kiel, were equipped in this manner because they possessed the only “government” shipyards – Kaiserliche Werft Kiel and Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven. While private builders might construct battleships, not all of them were equipped to do the fitting-out work. (The cost of an essential 250 ton cantilever crane was outrageous!) Others might not have the expertise to install engines or main gun systems – so the alternative was to move the hulls to a government yard for completion. At the same time, Wilhelmshaven often had more than one dreadnought on the slipways. Launching and fitting-out schedules had to be arranged carefully to avoid overlap. (I would love to have included shipyards in my harbor, but no one has yet created a realistic, game-scale lot – or “prop” warships to go in it.) This is a closer view of the basin. On the docks, you can see various supply and repair parts, as well as stacked containers filled with a variety of parts common to warships. The smaller cranes are used to hoist the stores aboard. Trains are brought directly behind the docks to facilitate unloading, while farther back are assorted machine shops, forges, casting plants, and assembly shops. The industrial buildings are Maxis, with most of the warehouses and the big crane from Nob’s “1905 Series”. Some “filler lots” (barrels, tanks, storage containers) are from various @T Wrecksseries. Concrete surfaces are either NBVC “Container Port” or “Paeng Grunge”. Virtually everything was re-lotted and “dressed out” with a multitude of different things from the “prop box” (what you find in EDITOR). The “docking control towers” on either side of the entrance were borrowed from a Maxis airfield. 384_REFIT BASIN OVERVIEW NIGHT Here is a detail shot of activity around the shops and train. A smaller “Bipin” crane is unloading steel girders and cases of mechanical equipment, while courtesy of @APwe have sailors preparing propellers for shipment to the dry docks, and at the far end of the dock, a naval detachment has arrived to assist in loading anchors onto the same train. Note the impression of “controlled chaos”. Gainfully employed dockyard quays were literal hives of activity – ten or fifteen different jobs aboard ship being simultaneously supplied from the dockside stores – a hundred or more workers milling about – steam whistles screeching, and smoke and steam belching from the locomotives. And only five more hours before quitting time and a pint at the pub! This is a detail shot of the Forging and Casting shop. Sometimes during a refit, older warships would have to replace highly specialized broken parts. Due to their age, it was often necessary to resort to old methods – casting the part from molten metal, forging it, then machining the part to the proper fit. This is the Maxis “Graber Smelting” lot – chosen because it suited the task and because it is actually quite a fine model. The detail, weathering, and authenticity is excellent work and the night-lighting is some of the best in the old “vanilla” game. The warehouse on the left is Maxis, while the older ones on the right are from “Nob”. Again, these were re-lotted and dressed-out with props, while the surrounding areas were filled in with a variety of custom 1x1 lots. Across the road is the office of the Refit Basin Controller. He sees to the daily operation of the basin and labor force. Here you can get a better look at the detail on “Nob’s” dockyard crane. It’s remarkably accurate and was, doubtless, taken from either a surviving example, or old pictures of Japanese dockyards. It could have been made just a bit taller, with a longer “jibe”, but is very authentic, nonetheless. Here, it is depicted as an aging, but still valuable, cantilever crane of 150 ton capacity. Refit basins were not equipped with the larger 350 ton cranes because they were not expected to handle extremely “heavy lifts”. If there was a heavy lift to be made, the ship would be moved to the Fitting-Out Basin where the large crane was installed. It was, simply put, financially prohibitive for a dockyard to invest the huge sums of money to buy more than one large cantilever crane. Some shipyards could not afford even one such crane. Just along dockside, you can also see two very nice 100-ton steam cranes by @AP. This picture also has another angle on the equally authentic “Graber Smelting” building. I did enhance the smoke effect just a tad. Two Viribus Unitis Class dreadnoughts have been moved into the basin to receive a complete upgrade of their fire control systems. A compartment in the hull, below the armor deck, will be converted to hold the “plotting room”, complete with electrical and communication leads, plotting boards, and mechanical computing devices. The 150 ton cantilever crane will be used to install two improved 25-foot stereoscopic “main system” range finders in heavily armored cupolas fore and aft, while the 100-ton steam cranes will install improved 20-foot, armored, optical range finders to the rear of “B’ and “X” turrets for use in “local control”. Once the hardware is installed, electrical and communication leads will have to be run from the range finders to the plotting room, and thence to the main battery turrets. When finished, the battleships will proceed to the gunnery range for a test shoot. The Austro-Hungarian Navy, in the end, would have a brief career beginning with their victory at the Battle of Lissa, in 1866, and ending with the collapse of the Monarchy, in 1918. But their officers were well educated and no less courageous than their counterparts, and their service was known to be small but efficient. The launch of HMS Dreadnought led to increased naval tension around the world, and the Austro-Hungarians eyed renewed Italian naval construction with some unease. Suspecting the Italians might ally with Britain in the event of war, the Austrians embarked on a naval expansion of their own – the four ships of the Viribus Units Class. At 469 feet in length, they were small battleships – but handsome in appearance and well-proportioned. The small size reflected the need for cash-economy, while their strategic mission of controlling the Adriatic Sea against Italy did not call for especially large dreadnoughts. The short hull form precluded any attempt at high speed, as there was simply no room for the required boilers. But 20 knots was deemed acceptable when laid down in 1910. A cursory examination shows the decks relatively clear, with a minimum of topside clutter concentrated between the main battery guns. The armored conning tower behind the fore turrets has a small and “spartan” bridge structure, with searchlights grouped atop the bridge, between the funnels, and around the main mast. The twin funnels, closely spaced, give the ships a graceful silhouette and all the boats are grouped forward of the aft control structure. But one item of interest can be seen. If you look closely along the deck edge amidships, you will see a cylindrical object with a “round piece with arms” perched on top. That is an armored cupola housing a 9-foot Barr & Stroud optical range finder / gun director for the six 5.9 inch secondary guns arranged in casemates below, on the battery deck. This feature is unusually sighted and might be unique among all the dreadnoughts. Their most impressive feature was their main battery guns. The excellent 12 inch, 45 caliber, Skoda K-10 model fired at a rate of 2.5 rounds per minute and was well noted for its’ accuracy. Two superfiring pairs of triple turrets were grouped fore and aft – allowing for a twelve-gun broadside. When launched, the first of the class, SMS Tegetthoff, became the first ship in the world to carry triple gun turrets. Smooth working, compact, and well-designed, the entire installation – gun houses, gun tubes, handling hoists, and turret machinery – were designed and built by Skoda Werk, Pilsen, Bohemia. At the time, Skoda was second only to Krupp Werk, Essen in the quality of their product. But considering the marvel of engineering that was their triple turret – the point is, indeed, arguable. (The German Army even bought 12 inch Skoda howitzers to “bust” the Belgian border forts.) Skoda’s triple turret, beyond being forward-thinking and technologically advanced, allowed the Viribus Unitis Class to pack the punch of a full battleship on a much smaller hull. The British and German navies routinely mounted twelve main battery guns in twin turrets, and in the case of HMS Agincourt they mounted fourteen. But this was only achieved at great cost by building a much longer hull, which in turn, required more armor protection and more powerful engines. Sadly, the Austrian naval architects underestimated the threat of torpedoes and mines. The underwater protection was not properly designed and did not leave sufficient space to absorb explosions, nor were the torpedo bulkheads of sufficient strength to withstand the blast. Szent Istvan was torpedoed by an Italian M.A.S. Boat and sank off Permuda in 1918. Viribus Unitis was surrendered to the new Yugoslav Government when the Empire dissolved – and sunk nine days later from an explosive device placed by Italian “Special Ops” swimmers. Tegetthoff was ceded to Italy in the surrender and broken up at La Spezia in 1924-1925. Prinz Eugen was ceded to France in 1920 as reparations and sunk by gunfire off Toulon in 1922. A sorry end to some truly fine warships. MY THANKS to @Barroco Hispano for generously sharing his time and skills to provide these beautiful warships. AND – MY THANKS and gratitude to @AP for his generosity, kind patience, and willingness to share his skills in creating some of the finest cranes I have ever seen and some truly unique vignettes with his props and people. My “CJ” is now much more “demonstrative", and so much more fun with his creations to work with. You will see even more of his creative genius in the coming sequel..."IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN". If you enjoyed anything you saw – please punch the “like” button so I will know. A comment would be even more informative. Comments and critiques requested and gratefully accepted. All questions answered promptly to the best of my ability. THANK YOU for your visit ! NEXT ENTRY…...The Dry Docks, Part 01. -
Version 1.0.0
374 Downloads
This is the Reskin for the Hybrid Railway for the Network Addon Mod 39 (NAM 39) There is one texture set that can be used to make the Reskin but other textures for Ballast Sleepers and Rails can be used (This is encouraged). Instructions to Make Up this Mod Dependencies RVT's Program GoFSH is required to make this mod the current version of writing is (GoFSH 3.6.1) It can be found on the link below. GoFSH Editor You will need the current version of the Network Addon Mod for this mod to show up in game (NAM 39) Please read the points for installing this program on the link above. Before starting - For the HRW Reskin mod you will need about 500MB of space that is freely available on the drive the mod is on. This mod will take about 3MB of space per varient. Future updates will mean a larger mod. This mod is not quite up to the scope of the RRW Reskin. It is designed to reskin the HRW only. Quotes donate that the text was taken from "RVT's" Readme so due credit is given. WARNING: "The scope of this mod means the runtimes are sizeable - it will run fine while you do something else. However the script window stays topmost so move it away to left or right before starting (or if you're on Win10 use a separate desktop). Once the script window is open you can't move the GoFSH window underneath".(RVT 2019) Good Luck - its worth the wait. You need GoFSH 3.6.1 or later to make this Reskin. To reskin the HRW Run the "(Make HRW 1- REDIT Rail SleeperBallast.txt)" file in GoFSH - select your Rail, Sleepers and Ballast - all rail changes Outputs are put into _Install, these are designed to go into Z___HRW Reskin. There will be Three outputs for the base L0 (All required) and Three optional Elevated Texture sets (Choose A B or C). 1)HybridRailway_Textures_DTR 2)HybridRailway_Lot_Support_DTR 3)HybridRailway_Level_Crossings_DTR 4)EL_HybridRailway_(A-B-C)_DTR (Note: Only one of these sets are required) A=Original structural Texture. B=JPN Moonlight Texture. C=Iron Girder and column Texture. (One of these will cover the 99% of the textures used in the Elevated HRW componetry) '==== INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE INSTALLER BUILD ====================== if you are making multiple use-ready sets then archive the contents of the _Install folder for each variant between runs. "It is preferable these not be distributed via the fansite websites due to their size. If you are to be a distributor use Onedrive/Dropbox and advertise the link. Always supply the Rail, Ballast and Sleeper Textures used to make the variant to your end user, so they can make things themselves to match." (RVT) Many Thanks to (RVT) and (rsc204/MGB204) for there input into the reskin project. The key difference with the HRW mod as oppose to the RRW is that it uses a common C0 of Colour Alpha for most of the textures resulting in better customization of the textures. Creators of the HRW Mod. RVT (GoFSH program developer) Eggman121 (Developer for the HRW Reskin) Eggman (2021) Disclaimer While all efforts has been made to eliminate errors, some may still remain. No responsibility is taken for unintended consequences of this mod. Uninstall. To remove the compiled mod remove the following .dat files from your plugins 1)HybridRailway_Textures_DTR.dat 2)HybridRailway_Lot_Support_DTR.dat 3)HybridRailway_Level_Crossings_DTR.dat 4)EL_HybridRailway_A_DTR.dat 5)EL_HybridRailway_B_DTR.dat 6)EL_HybridRailway_C_DTR.dat Eggman121- 2 Comments
- 3 Reviews
-
- 16
-
-
-
-
- hybrid railway
- network addon mod
- (and 5 more)
-
SC4 crashes to desktop when using Real Railway mod
Peter N N posted a topic in NAM & Transit Networks
Hello I have HP laptop notebook G62 with CPU Core i3 4Gb RAM operating windows 10 32-bit version with its latest update After installing NAM38 and when trying it the game crashes when using realrail way addons. I have tried all things written her for Simcity4 crashes with no use 😥😥 -
CHAPTER 10 -- THE COALING DOCKS
Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS WILHELMSHAVEN
Chapter 10: THE COALING DOCKS The “Imperial Dockyards Wilhelmshaven” have not always been “Imperial”. From the beginning, the Jade Bight had been valued as the best deep water anchorage on the North Sea coast. The wide expanse of water could shelter any number of ships from the unpredictable storms of the North Sea, and remained ice-free in winter. These simple attributes guaranteed early Saxon peoples good fishing, and easy access to navigable rivers leading inland brought good trade. Over the centuries, the strategically located anchorage would also be eagerly sought as a naval base. Siebethsburg Castle was the first known stronghold on the shores of the Jade – sometime prior to 1383. But it turned to the “dark side of The Force” and was infamous as a pirate lair. The shrewd and efficient traders of the Hanseatic League joined forces in 1433 and destroyed both the pirates and their castle. Some four centuries later, the Kingdom Of Prussia had grown into a heavyweight player dominating much of the North German Plain. During the First Schleswig War of 1848 – 1851, Freidrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia, learned to his great regret that a strong army was no protection at sea. Lacking any sort of navy, Prussia’s seaborne trade was swept from the seas by the Danes. (First rule of seapower – protect your commerce.) Freidrich Wilhelm immediately began buying and building a navy and quickly saw the strategic advantage of a base in the Jade Bight. By 1853, Prince Adalbert of Prussia concluded the Jade Treaty with the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg and secured land on the west shore of the bay to build a naval base. The nascent Prussian Navy consisted of one wooden sailing frigate and one wooden steam frigate, so the small, isolated base quickly acquired its’ first coaling dock. (The associated town of Wilhelmshaven would not be established until 1869.) Prince Adalbert went on to ably command the developing navy and came to be known as the “Father of the German Navy”. Over the next four decades, Prussia established, expanded, and modernized the town, fortress, and naval base into the “Imperial Dockyards Wilhelmshaven”. As time passed, the warships grew larger and more modern – and with prospering industry and trade – they grew much more numerous. The demands of the growing fleet quickly outstripped the capabilities of the old coaling facilities, so a sprawling, modern complex was gradually created to fuel the coal-hungry battleships. The result of much construction and the expenditure of many Marks resulted in what you see below. The complex is bordered on the west by “The Coal Basin” and on the south by the “Coal Basin Channel” – both dredged out during various expansion and modernization programs. The waterways were carefully measured to ensure sufficient sea room for maneuvering battleships into and out of the coaling docks. At the top of the “Basin”, and again at the bottom left of the complex, are the tugboat stations dedicated to handling the never-ending stream of traffic. Three coaling docks on the west and south sides had to be carefully placed to provide enough room for each ship – and – to match-up with the viaducts and rail lines serving them. Needless to say, I made several attempts before the spacing was just right – and a lot more time to get those frustrating curved viaducts in place and the rail lines connected. Once that was achieved, the left boundary of the “handling” and “storage” facilities was established, and the remainder of the complex was built left to right, and then “up”. This is a closer look at “Coaling Dock #1” – built over the original pilings of that first coal pier so many years before. To the left is the second tugboat station, and along the harbor seawall to the right are various warehouses, workshops, offices, and equipment associated with the coaling operation. There is little space wasted and the rail lines and viaducts are squeezed into a careful alignment. SMS Nassau is tied up taking on coal. Nassau was the first ship of the Westfalen Class to be completed in 1909 after approximately 27 months under construction. They were designed in record haste to counter the innovative concepts of HMS Dreadnought (Laid down October, 1905, and completed October, 1906). But the Westfalens were not even laid down until mid-1907, and took between two and three years to complete. It was a clear demonstration of the shipbuilding advantage held by Britain in the coming naval arms race. I would have preferred a system of tall loading hoppers fed by coal cars like those pictured at Pearl Harbor (previous chapter). That would have allowed loading hoppers at the front of the pier to feed coal to the ships through loading chutes. Rail cars running directly beneath hoppers would be faster, more efficient, and eliminate large piles of coal. But I was unable to find suitable lots or props to cobble together a workable solution. It’s really rather odd. Several people have made coal hoppers to load coal – but always into trucks or rail cars. No one seems to have given a thought to visibly loading coal into a ship. Therefore – I had to resort to old-fashioned coal piles and cranes. The coaling dock is in two modules; a 5x4, re-lotted from the PEG “SNM Battleship Pier” and a 5x3 made from scratch for the rear coal piles. I cut the battleship pier down to size and rearranged the platforms on the front end to position the ramp in the center with the crane platforms out on the ends. The cranes were borrowed from the "PEG" Garbage Docks and the “loading control” tower came from a Maxis airfield. To the rear of the coal handling area are the concrete retaining walls of the “Coal Tip”. The coal is emptied out of the cars at the top, and slides down the concrete walls into the piles below. The bucket cranes and bulldozers go to work pushing it forward into piles aligned along both sides of the lot to feed the cranes at the front of the pier. Just as there is no in-game method for loading coal into a ship, neither is there any method for unloading a rail car. Without specially “batted” lots and props, my solution is the “Coal Tip”. My idea uses an elevated platform with dump chutes beneath the track – gravity does all the work. The bottom doors of the car open, the coal drops through openings in the track, into the chutes, and slides down the concrete retaining walls to the piles below. With the props and lots available in the game, it is the most complete and functional system I could devise. This allows the trains to unload quickly, with no manual labor involved, and is similar to actual systems used by numerous coaling stations. In this view, the train unloading coal is on the “outside track. All trains delivering to coal docks run on the outside line. The inside line is reserved for in-coming deliveries to the processing plant. On the backside of the “Coal Tip” are “signal and control” offices to manage arrivals and departures, “dump cycles, and keep them synchronized with others along the line. The two buildings are (I believe) SFBT railway signal towers placed atop a modified section of “vertical” wall. I can’t remember who made the “vertical wall” lots, but they originally supported some very nice street-side parking. NAM viaducts have been used to bridge between the various elevated dumping platforms. Here you see yard infrastructure between Coal Dock #1 and #2. The tugboat station was recessed into the seawall to clear the traffic path of Coal Dock #1. Had they not been recessed, a ship-handling mistake could easily result in the destruction of a pier and several tugs. In the event of emergency along the rail line, parked dump trucks are on hand to maintain the flow of coal to the docks. Spare bucket cranes and bulldozers are available, and the row of workshops and store houses are there for repair, maintenance, and supply. The appropriately “antique” warehouses are by “Nob”. Made fast at Coaling Dock #2 is HMS Conqueror, one of four Orion Class dreadnoughts. Delivered to the fleet in 1912, their increased size and larger 13.5 inch guns led to them being dubbed “superdreadnoughts”. The old British 12 inch 50 cal. gun had reached the upper limit of development. Firing a somewhat lighter shell to greater range, tests as well as squadron gunnery practice, showed the shell weight over a distance led to serious inaccuracy. Thus, to arm the Orions, the Ordnance Board recommended the heavier 13.5 inch shell fired from a shorter 45 cal. barrel at lower velocity. The new gun proved a success and became the standard armament for British battleships and battlecruisers until the end of WW I. Note Conqueror’s graceful lines and simplicity of design, with the superstructure and funnels grouped between the fore turrets and the midships turret. This picture shows the arrangement of Coaling Dock #2 (bottom) in relation to Coaling Dock #3 (top). Tied up at Coaling Dock #3, is SMS Kaiser. She was the lead ship, and name ship, of a class of five dreadnoughts that formed the backbone of the Hochsee Fleet. Completed in 1912, this was the first class of battleships to be powered by Parson steam turbines coupled to a three shaft arrangement, producing an average speed of 21.5 knots. Prinzregent Luitpold was designed for an experimental diesel engine on her center shaft for economic cruising speeds, but the engine was never fitted and she remained slightly slower than her classmates. The armor arrangement was far superior to the comparable British Neptune Class and equal to or better than the succeeding British Orion Class. Kaiser saw action at Jutland, receiving two heavy shell hits, and was later scuttled in Scapa Flow on 21 June, 1919. Compared to British decks, these are clutter free. The superstructure has been reduced to an absolute minimum with a small bridge house tacked onto the front of the armored conning tower as an afterthought. This concept, obviously, reduced the "target area" of the ship, making it more difficult to hit. It also simply reduced the amount of damage that could be done to the "upper works" -- (the part of the ship ABOVE the armor belt). Later battles proved that heavy caliber shells could wreak havoc with the unprotected "upper works", often leaving a ship a smoking, twisted, shambles ablaze from stem to stern. The ship might not sink -- but it was no longer an effective "gun platform". This virtual mountain of coal takes up fully one third of the storage and processing portion of the coaling station. The size of the thing sticks out like a sore thumb. But it is a necessity for a naval base of this size. It is the “Fleet Reserve”. The sheer number of battleships and other coal-burning vessels based in the harbor would require no less than 200,000 tons of coal for immediate needs. Any increase in routine activity would, of course, require more. During peaceful periods, a warship might load only 2,000 tons of coal. During periods of “political tension” between the Great Powers, warships could be put on “stand by” status and would take aboard a full “wartime load’ of 4,000 tons or more. Simple prudence would dictate that, at all times, the Fleet Reserve would store several million tons of coal. Hence the “mountain”. I do not remember who created the original lot, but looking at the style – my guess would be “BLAM”. I originally ruled it out because it has “drawbacks”. Coal piles from the “Polish Power Plant” were used for the individual docks and other areas because they were very realistic in granular appearance. But I was unable to “stack” the prop piles high enough, or realistically enough, to make an acceptable “mountain”. The “BLAM” pile has a 1x1 size “plopping” footprint, and rendered in such a manner, it tends to “float” high above the ground surface (well above 60 meters). This looks a bit surreal around the edges, and makes any sort of close-in MMP work impossible. The other problem with the “floating” coal mountain is that it changes position every time you rotate the view. This is a direct result of the elevation. Faced with an unsolvable problem – I compromised. I dug a hole as deep as possible and plopped the 1x1 lot at the bottom – thus lowering the height. Then I went around the outside of the lot and raised the ground level by 48 meters. That’s why the coal pile is sitting atop a concrete “plateau”. (My “game” excuse is that the “plateau” would allow rainwater to drain, while the concrete surfaces were necessary to support several million tons of coal. Not bad – huh?) It's not perfect – but I managed to get my “mountain” of coal. Again –I cannot THANK @Barroco Hispano enough for providing accurately detailed and masterfully textured warship models. They are a true joy to behold. If you enjoyed anything you saw – please punch the “like” button so I will know. A comment would be even more informative. Comments and critiques requested and gratefully accepted. All questions answered promptly to the best of my ability. THANK YOU for your visit ! NEXT TIME…...the Coal Handling Plant.- 8 Comments
-
- 10
-
-
I'm going a little crazy trying to lay railroad tracks on hilly ground after I upgraded to the latest NAM. The tracks seem very unforgiving about terrain. I'd like it to behave like the old Maxis railroad did. Anyone else have this problem? What can I do?
-
Is there a maximum length across a river any highway or railroad bridge can be? Also can a bridge be built across something like a deep canyon or valley?
-
Version 1.0.0
234 Downloads
DESCRIPTION This is a Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway) EMU from the UK, a current operator that ran services in the South East of England. Running into and out of London, and had the most dissatisfied passengers in Britain three years in a row, according to the national rail passenger surveys 2016, 2017 and 2018. Hopefully your sims will find more satisfaction! There are two different liveries - a 'Dark Roof' and a 'Light Roof', consisting of one locomotive, and three carriages. All models have night-lighting and HD textures. INSTALLATION Drag either the 'Dark Roof Version' or 'Light Roof Version' into your plugins folder. COMPATIBILITY Both versions will replace the Maxis vanilla passenger trains individually. Using both sets at the same time is possible with some conditions. 'DSC_Southern_Engine_DE' and 'DSC_Southern_Engine_LE' are the locomotives for each version. These will replace the default Maxis locomotive. Choose one. 'DSC_Southern_DRep' and 'DSC_Southern_LRep' will replace the default Maxis passenger carriage. Choose one. The other carriage files can be used individually or all together, they have unique IIDs so they will not overwrite each other. Please use Hardware rendering mode when using these automata. DEPENDENCIES This mod has no dependencies. The original carriage model is kindly provided by Girafe and used with his permission. -
Hello. This is where I will be posting updates, releases and general support for the various automata packs I have been releasing. A lot of my packs will be UK-orientated, as there was a lack of that niche of content for SimCity 4 which led me to making some of my own, but will never be exclusive to just that. I am open to requests for specific automata, however there is not a defined timetable for when things get made. This is a hobby first and foremost, and keeping it interesting means sometimes switching to another request or a personal project to keep things from getting stale. REQUESTS To request an automata, please make a post with the following information: The name - The most important part, to help me search for more information/references without needing to hunt around. A photo/link to references - If you wish to see a specific livery, or just to give a general idea of what type of automata will be made. The preferred network - Networks are defined as Rail (Passenger or Freight), El-Rail, GLR, Subway, Monorail or HSR. If it's not specified then it will usually just be released as a Rail automata. REQUESTED - Class 387 Electrostar - Tyberius06 - Class 43/Intercity 125 - Morgan R - '4-4-0'/'0-6-0T'/"2-8-0" English steam locomotives - Morgan R - Bombardier TRAXX BR 145 (DB Cargo version) - Bobelboy - Aeroliner 3000 - Terring - Coradia iLint - Terring - Streamlined locomotive - Terring - Class 158 - Tyberius06 and RSC204 - GVB Metro M5 and RET Metro Combi Type SG3 - Ssaidd - 100/200/300 and E3/E5 Series Shinkansen - art128 and Ke|is - SJ Rc - Oidaas - Seibu 001 Series "Laview" - Odainsaker PERSONAL IDEAS - Class 15x single-car track-checkers - Hybrid versions of Class 91, A4 Pacifics, HSTs, Aeroliner 3000 - UK Freight Pack 2: Car transporters, steel carriers, short tankers and hoppers - UK Freight Pack 3: Intermodal transport/container freight wagons WORKS IN PROGRESS - Class 91 refresh + Mk3 Coach - Class 156 refresh - Class 37/40 - Class 08/09 (animated) RELEASED AUTOMATA RELEASED LOTs MISC Space left blank for stuff.
- 178 Replies
-
- 7
-
-
-
- dsc
- dragonsteincole
- (and 7 more)
