This is a system of transporting crude oil, using an oil rig, an oil loading platform, a refinery and oil tankers (ships and rail). The oil rig handles passenger transport using the tugboat James Hart and helicopters. Ships operate on invisible track at ground level, with helicopters at any level to suit. My invisible track shows in Surveyor, but not in the minimap or Driver for TRS2004. It does show in the minimap in TRS2006, for navigation. Water level is 3 metres below the track level.
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Description |
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Oil Rig
This is an oil drilling rig model, industry enabled for passeneger transport to and from the rig. It does not actually deliver oil to ships, this is the function of the oil and LNG loading platform. Large tanker ships are not used close to a drilling rig, the oil is pumped to storage or to an off shore loading platform for transfer to tankers. A platform is shown behind the rig. Passengers can load at the heliport or the ship wharf at the lower level. Download Link |
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Oil Tanker Globil Oil
The oil tanker Globil Oil is 178 metres long, and able to load crude oil and LNG at the loading platform. The model is based on my tanker asset built into TRS2004. The tanker has a slow load process and settles deeper into the water as it is loaded, and floats higher when unloaded. |
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Oil Loading Platform and Tankers
The Tankers are loading oil and LNG at the off shore loading platform in a stopped load process. The loading tubes on the platform are animated. In the picture, crude oil is loaded from the right side of the platform and LNG on the left side. |
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Oil Refinery and Unloading Platform
The oil or LNG is unloaded from the tanker ships at the refinery model. The loading tubes on the facility are animated and the amount of oil in the tanks is indicated by a gauge on the side of the front tank. Oil and LNG are unloaded on the same track at the wharf, but at different points. The refinery process accepts crude oil and LNG, processes crude oil to diesel and delivers oil, diesel and LNG to tank cars. |
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Oil Refinery and Loading
The oil or LNG is loaded into rail tank cars at two separate locations on the left track shown in the picture, signs indicate the loading point for each. Refined diesel is loaded from the right track. The refinery supports the Auran animated pipe load on the tank cars. This is a picture at dusk in the refinery. Download Links |
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Small Oil Tanker Amanda Stewart
The smaller tanker Amanda Stewart is 119 metres long and has more detailed pipework on the deck than the Globil Oil tanker. It handles oil and LNG products. All ships use an invisible interior. When you first go into cab mode, you see a view from the bridge but no ship model or interior. Use the [ and the ] keys to cycle around the different views witihin cab mode. |
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LNG Tanker Artic Princess
The tanker is 160 metres long and 17 metres beam and has the typical spherical LNG gas tankers for transport. It will transport LNG and crude oil, and is seen unloading LNG at the refinery. Tanker Ship Download Links |
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Tank Cars for Oil or LNG
Five 60 foot tanks cars are available to handle the oil or LNG: UP, Consolidated Oil, two CORX and a UTLX tanker. The cars use the Auran animated pipe action to load or unload. UP Tanker |
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66 Ft CELX Tank Cars for LNG
This is the 66 foot LNG tank car, it can also handle the oil. This car has a special three axle bogey and is seen loading at the LNG point in the refinery. CELX Tank Car Download Links |
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Operating Concept
The oil rig is passenger enabled, and will interact with the tugboat james Hart. The crude oil (or LNG) is loaded from the offshore loader platform into the tankers. The platform laods oil on one side and LNG on the other. the tankers unload at the Refinery at separate locations for oil or LNG, on the one ship track. Oil, LNG or Diesel is loaded into train tank cars, on two tracks within the refinery. Each product loads from separate locations on the train tracks. All loading or unloading points are signed in the refinery or loader models. |
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Placement of the Models in Surveyor
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Operations and Stopping Accuracy
The ships will stop reasonably accurately at loading points, the rail tank cars use the animated pipe system which does not depend on accuracy. If the ships or helicopters tend to overshoot due to high approach speeds use the invisible speedboards as required. A 10kph speedsign (invisible in driver) placed at the centre of the loader track will interact as the bow of a ship passes, slowing the ship sufficently. Helicopters will require speed signs placed earlier than the oil rig or heliport landing areas.
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Heliport
A separate model for a heliport that could be placed near any ocean or river based industry, and has night lighting and flashing lights. It accepts passengers at the deck level from helicopters, or at the lower wharf level for ships. As the landing area is small, triggers are placed close together near the center of the helipad. Excessive speed under AI operations can cause the helicopter to miss pickups due to over shoot. Use my invisible speedboards to control approach speeds. |
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Helicopter, Tugboat and Oil Rig Three of the models in the oil loading system. The helicopter has an opening passenger door on the left side, for traveling in the direction shown. Should the helicopter approach from the opposite direction, it will load or unload but the door does not operate. |
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Tugboat James Hart The tugboat James Hart carries passengers and is drivable. The tug is based on American designs. It is shown approaching the Helipad, ready to load at the wharf lower level. |
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Helicopter in Flight The helicopter, passenger enabled with interiors. It is drivable in dcc or cab mode. The model is a Aerospatiale (Eurocopter) AS 332 Super Puma, civilian version. It is difficult to simulate the actual flight attitude of the helicopter due to it operating on train track that is smooth and undulating. For example, you cannot make the helicopter lift vertically, nor can you tilt the nose or blades down to go forward, using normal track You can however use my Helicopter lift turntable described below. |
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Helicopter Interior The helicopter has a working interior in cab mode with operating levers. The joysticks are the throttle and reverser. Brake levers are overhead. At the minute, these all operate as diesel rotary controls, in a circular motion, instead of linear motion The view forward is excellent and the helicopter is fun to drive. Alternate views from the interior are provided. |
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Helicopter Passengers Passengers change as they are picked up or dropped off. The door on the left side opens to load passengers, but only when traveling in one direction, for loading on the left. |
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Helicopter Close Up The view into the cab and passenger compartment. The pilots are passenger attachments and in most cases the same type of model occupies both seats. An original helicopter by Jetstreamsky is available on the Download Station, my model follows his practice and references his sound files as dependencies, they are quite good. The helicopter uses the rotors as an animated mesh attached to the main body, not as a bogey. Consequently the rotors rotate all the time. This is still quite effective as the sound files are quite realistic. |
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Helicopter Lift Transfer Table This is a helipad that can be placed on ground, or on the top of buildings, it is height adjustable. It is a Transfer table (vertical lift turntable model). The helicopter can be lifted or lowered between any of three tracks, and can be rotated 180 degrees at the top. The Table (kind turntable) is not an industry interactive model, it cannot load or unload passengers. A separate unloading Heliport facility is available to be joined. |
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Helicopter Lift Transfer Table 2 The table is normally at ground level, where the green track is connected. Above that is the purple track at 10 metres, and above that again is the red track at 20 metres (where the helicopter is sitting) and at right angles to the other two tracks. The table is operated as for normal turntables using the red and green arrows. The actual moving table is invisible, so to find the track alignment up in the air, there are green and white coronas that move up with the table, just park the helicopter between them. . |
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Helicopter Lift Transfer Table 3 The green and white coronas locate the moving table in the air, the helicopter is sitting on the table. The different colours help identify the table direction as it can be rotated 180 degrees at the top 20 metre level. There are four steps or positions:
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Helicopter Lift Transfer Table 4 The table may be placed on a building roof. The helicopter is entering at the top 20 metre track level (which is now 80 metres or so above ground!). Operations are best observed by being in Roaming View mode in Driver, so you can operate the turntable easily, and watch the helicopter spin down to the landing pad. If you are focused on the helicopter in External View mode, you will spin with the helicopter. |
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Heliport for the Transfer Table As the Lift Transfer table does not accept passengers, this is a separate heliport that will allow the loading and unloading of the helicopters. The Heliport Plus model will combine a Heliport with the Lift Table, see below. It is joined to the transfer table with invisible track at ground level, and butted up so the taxi aprons of the two match. Helicopters from the transfer table may be taxied into the terminal, but one of the movements will need to be in the reverse direction (the helicopter cannot be turned around in the terminal).
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Driver Rule to Operate the Lift Table You will find the red transfer table arrows difficult to operate when a helicopter is on the lowest level. Atilabarut has made two rules that allow turntables to be turned using driver commands:
These only work in TRS2006. Add the Input Table rule to the Driver setup in Surveyor, then Edit to enter the table identification data: turntable, turntable_name, number_of_stops eg, turntable, TR3, 4 with a space after the commas. |
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Driver Rule to Operate the Lift Table 2 Open the Driver Command menu for Edit. Find the MoveTurntable rule that has been included form installing the files, and tick the check box to make it active and available to drivers. Don't forget to save these settings by clicking the green tick marks. |
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Navigating to the Lift Table You cannot give a "Drive To" command for a turntable (it does not have that function), you need to add a trackmark at the center of the table platform, it is at ground level when first loaded. Give it a relevant name, and change the trigger radius to a very small amount, say 1 metre, otherwise the helicopter will stop at the edge of the table (default radius is 20 metres). The image is a composite Driver/Surveyor screens showing the trackmark TM Heliground placed and the commands to Drive to Trackmark TMHeliground. |
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Operating the Lift Table In Driver, select appropriate Drive to Trackmark commands and MoveTurntable that has now been added, then the turntable by name and track position to move to, note the default start position track is stop num: 0. You can enter Wait for commands to pause between movements. The transfer table should move to the track chosen. Note that if the industry is on the opposite side of a transfer table to that of the helicopter, you do not have a "path" for the helicopter to navigate, so manual negotiation of the transfer table is required. |
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Operating the Lift Table 2 Even if the trigger radius for the trackmark is very small (1 metre) and it is placed in the centre of the lifting platform, the helicopter will only approach until its nose is touching the table centre. Nevertheless, the invisible table is long enough to accommodate the helicopter, offset from the coronas as shown in the image. For a more realistic centering, use manual driving to the table centre, or use triggers. |
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Heliport Plus I have called it Heliport Plus, because it is designed to have the Heicopter Lift table attached to it to make it fully functional for passenger operations. It has no buildings, just a base platform for passengers and single attached track, with passenger operations for helicoptors. It has a shallow recess into which the Helicopter Lift Table model may be lowered. Raise the base model out of the ground a little to expose the slab in the base of the recess as shown. The lift table is not an industry interactive asset to accept passengers, so it must be combined with the Heliport Plus model. |
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Heliport Plus Placement The Lift Tables (two models are available), can be placed over the Helicopter Plus base, to allow the helicopter to descend or rise vertically on the Heliport Plus. Place the Helicopter Lift Table (it will snap to the grid) and it can be raised from the ground for ease of adjustment. Place the Helicopter Plus base asset, and slide it centrally under the lift table. To make the models work together, the track attachments of the two models are joined together at each end, with invisible track. Don't worry if the track bends back upon itself, it is not used for driving. The attachments must be connected so the base industry model will react to the helicopter via the Heliport Plus triggers. Lower the lift table so the green helipad slots exactly into the base recess. |
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Heliport Plus Placement 2 (details) 1. Place the Helicopter Plus centered on the grid, because the Lift table when placed will snap to the grid. 2. Place the Helicopter Lift anywhere along the grid line and lift it off the ground so you can see the tracks to be attached together more easily (green track shown in the picture). 3. Move the Lift model directly move the Plus model, so we can lower it down later. |
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Heliport Plus Placement 3 (details) 1. Select an invisible track spline from the Surveyor menu (the red one has been used here), and the yellow attachment circles will show for the models. 2. Click on the circles on the ground (not the yellow line up in the air) and connect the track the left end of both models - note the track colour on the models has updated to red. 3. Connect tracks at the other end similarly. |
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Heliport Plus Placement 4 (details) 1. Lower the Lift model down into the recess of the Plus model, you may need to adjust the Plus model position slightly, and attach track to all of the other track attachment points of the Lift model. 2. This is the final combination of the two models and the heliport now acts as a combined lift table and passenger terminal, in one placed asset. 3. When the helicopter is lowered to the helipad, it will now react with the triggers on the Heliport Plus model to load and unload passengers. In this way we have combined mocrossing and industry models in Surveyor to do two jobs.
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Operating the Combination in AI: |
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Heliport Night Views The models have night lighting. The white and the green coronas are attached to the invisible lift table so you can locate the table orientation in the air. |
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Puma Helicopter Tilting Version This model tilts into turns and has retractable undercarriage, based on the pantograph key. As you see it tilts nicely in exterior or cabin view. The undercarriage does not automatically retract, this would be unrealistic. The undercarriage is a second pantograph attachment, and can be controlled in DCC by the Pantz command, kuid 66277:80004, to raise or lower it. Using the command to raise it in AI has problems, it stops the helicopter, the AI lowers it again immediately, and then resumes flying. |
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Bell 412 EP Helicopter This is the next model helicopter, a smaller one than the Puma, carries 13 passengers. It drives in DCC or Cab mode and loads and unloads passengers, with operating doors. |
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Bell 412 EP Helicopter Cockpit The view from the cockpit of the bell helicopter. The joysticks act together as the throttle, and the brake and reverser lever or overhead. |
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CareFlight Bell 412 EP Helicopter This is the medical evacuation version of the helicopter. It carries a crew of four and two patients, which load or unload at the Heliports. |
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Operating the Doors The doors on the helicopters open and shut automatically when loading passengers. If you wish to have the doors remain open while flying, there is an excellent Passenger Door Control command available on the Download Station, by Marinus, kuid 57344:1015 . It allows you to select which doors remain open. As you see the CareFlight helicopter has bed accommodation for patients. |
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Invisible Track Speed Signs Because the helicopter is capable of high speed and has to stop on a small area on the Helipads, you may need to place speed signs to slow the helicopters down when approaching Helipads. The signs cover a wide range of speed in kph, are visible in Surveyor for placing (screenshot), but are invisible in Driver. This makes them very useful for all vehicles using invisible track, or where the use of a visible speed sign at the side of the track is not prototypical, as in the use of Trams or Tramcar operations. |
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Super Puma Static Models Two static models of the Super Puma helicopter in Swiss Air force colours, as suggested by Patricia Breitenstein (Patricia_B on the Trainz forum). The first, numbered T341 is animated for rotor startup, run and stop. The animation cycle is 12 seconds and repeats automatically every 50 seconds. The second helicopter, T342 has no animation. |
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Eurocopter EC145 Rega Helicopters, Static Models Two static models of helicoipters used in the REGA Emergency Ambulance Service, Switzerland, as suggested by Patricia Breitenstein (Patricia_B on the Trainz forum). The first, numbered HBZRB is animated for continuous rotor running. The second helicopter, HBZRD has no animation. Both are height adjustable and panels light up at night - non drivable models only. A separate pilot (foreground) is also available as a scenery model. |
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Rega Heliport Erstfeld, Switzerland The heliport for the Rega Emergency Ambulance\Air Rescue Service at Erstfeld, Switzerland. This is a non functional scenery item with night lights. |
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Rega Helicopter Downloads and Links Eurocopter EC145 Helicopter 1 |