I mentioned I was going on vacation, just not when, and when I was coming back. Well, I was in Philadelphia for about half a month, and of course getting SEPTA footage and what not with the digital camera I brought along. They really did raise the fares. But anyway, it was great, saw plenty of trains and took some pictures. A few are down below. I've actually been back home awhile now too. Shows what procrastination can do to you. But now I'll try to compensate and present you with a big(er) update :).

I've also been digging in the Route Editor. First, I tried to import the DEM data with that program and method found in the Forums at Train-Sim.com. And boy was it ever a disaster. I had sudden cliffs in some places going what seemed miles high. I spent much time fiddling with that - getting the DEM data, the right programs, making it work. So basically, that method is scratched out. Not a big problem though, Philadelphia is fairly flat.

So next, I started editing the NEC route Microsoft provided. This method seems more realistic and feasible. I'm still disappointed Microsoft/Kuju left out *major* physical features. Check out the news archive for more info. I start laying roads and bridges. That in itself is extremely tedious. You can never get the bridges where you want them. Height and angle - when you fix one the other messes up. It's an endless loop. One thing that I did find simple was laying water. The Schuylkill River is turning out quite nicely. It is just so time consuming and will require patience.

If you guys have ANY tips, e-mail them to me! Also, if you e-mailed me you should be getting a reply shortly. Thanks for you patience!

And now some SEPTA pictures. Hope you enjoy them, and the new little layout here. Still have to update the other pages with the changes. In addition the Archived News section has been updated. Note that the images have been reduced somewhat in quality since the original sizes were a little too big.

Picture 1 - Wayne Junction service station area from car
Picture 2 - Train to Center City at Elkins Park station
Picture 3 - Outbound train at Elkins Park
Picture 4 - Another train going outbound from Elkins Park
Picture 5 - Northeast Corridor from the plane! South of Philly
Picture 6 - Train waiting to leave at Fox Chase station

So what did you think of the pictures? Like them? Hate them? Tell me what you think...I may just post more!

Until the next update....