Dan Crowley has detailed a very easy (and cheap) way of making asphalt roads. The end result is a beautifull cracked roadway. Also, on his site, he demonstrates easy and quick ways to make pine trees. There are no one way to make scenery and its always inspirational to see how other modellers are making common items like roads and trees.

With the increases in fuel costs and the hassles of traveling by planes, it's no surprise that people are looking towards train travel. Travelling from city-center to city-center by train is a fast and environmentally friendly method of getting around. This scenario works best in places like Europe where cities are well connected by rails. However, in the US, we are also seeing a surge in rail travel. Amtrak set records last month, both for the number of passengers it carried and for ticket revenues. Government is also providing additional funds to help Amtrak. More traffic might lead to newer and faster trains. And that is a good thing for us and yeah...the environment too.

Flash based simulators with real-world scenery. If you prefer, you can also play their downloadable versions.
Their cab-views movies are also mesmerising.

Railriding consists of using a two, three, or four wheeled light weight vehicle that's powered by pedal or motor, and riding it on abandoned railroad tracks. This is as close as we can get to driving our own train and the pictures prove to be a fun ride. This group has done railriding in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. Even if you dont like trains, this will be a great way to see nature and wildlife. Just remember to stay off the live tracks and contact the local authorities for permission to use the abandoned tracks.

However, if railriding is not for you then maybe you should try out railbiking instead. This site has a lot of links to get you started on railbiking.

Trainz Classics Volume 3 is now ready for pre-order and the scheduled release date is 23rd July.

Some of the features that caught my eye are:
New steam physics and characteristics including better smoke, sound and locomotive controls, Exciting new Semaphore Signalling system and Realistic Passengers. This will also have an impressive collection of British Locos.

But the only thing, holding me back is the lack of backwards compatibility. Trainz 3 is a stand alone and there are some tweaks to bring all your old (TRS 2006) content into it but its not perfect. I like the Settle-Carlisle line and might just got for it.

So, i have been playing with the new features of the latest Modelbuilder release and like it so far. There are lots of new doors, windows and sidings. (click on them for a larger picture)

They have added shutter and broken window panes that you can add to your windows.


You can now use the keyboard arrow keys to move the materials precisely. This will be big help to some, though i prefer using the TOP and LEFT parameters to align.

I saved the best feature for last. Sloping roofs are here. This make the job much easier. Click on the picture below for Flash movie demo of this greatest feature.

If you have ModelBuilder, upgrade to get these new features. If you do a scratchbuild a lot of card structures, invest in ModelBuilder. At $45, it might be pricey but it saves a lot of time doing plan conversions and structure planing. Also by printing it on a color printer, you save the hassle of painting. Check out their tutorial and try a hand at a free building.

ModelBuilder has released their free update. This will bring your version to 1.5.7. I am downloading this right now and will write about the new features soon.

Hank Green experiences the benefits of travelling on a train. Something that we have known all along! I would like to add a few more things. No silly rules to deal with,like the 3-1-1. Commuter trains have now started to provide free Wifi. With the high gas prices, it good that people are now looking at trains as an alternative mode of travel.

Trackside Motels shows Motels, Hotels, Bed & Breakfast's, and Campgrounds located directly on rail lines with a view of the tracks from the rooms. Railfans who have stayed there have posted their comments and some even tell us the specific room numbers to ask for. This site currently tracks the US and Canadian motels.

Obo's Trainz Locomotive catalog has a list of over 1000 locomotives that you can get for Trainz. It is well organized by countries and each locomotive has a 500x800 and a 750x1200 preview image. For the other simulators, there is the Microsoft Train catalog as well as Kuju's Rail Simulator catalog.