Urland - a (mostly) rural Coastline

[Ennedi]

Helo Bernhard,

So much time passed from my last visit at Urland, but it is still one of my favourite Mayor's Diaries! 
Your last experiments with TPW and new trees are really great, the dam is fantastic!
Beautiful rural landscapes, I hope you will show us even more new railroads here, I wonder what will you make with all this new railroad stuff 

Adam

[Nardo69]

Hello To All!

Last update I couldn't show you the village next to the dam as some details weren't as elaborated as I wanted - had to do so some Texture and LE works. Funny thing though you almost don't see them if you don't know where to look for ... 

As always before we start let's do the Answers & Replies:

bat: Thanks for the compliment! Hope you like the surroundings, too!

sebes: So it was a good idea to separate the village and railway station from the rest - or maybe this update is finally going to kill your keyboard! 
NTW Hydro Power Plants aren't ugly IRL, I know some of them that are rather nice - especially the lakes of large dams - but I always missed these bread-and-butter hydro plants.

rooker1: There is absolutely nothing to apologize as you have one of the best reasons, maybe the best reason for a little abscence at all!
About terraforming, well, it took me appr. two months only for this medium map and it isn't finished yet ... 

Tomas Neto: Thanks for the compliment!

Battlecat: Thanks for the compliment! I hope you still think so after seeing today's update!

danielcote: Thanks for the compliment!

Nexis4Jersey: Thanks for the compliment!

Ennedi Welcome back my friend! Well, I was on a too long hiatus, that's for sure ... 
The TPW and Simfox Trees are gerat toys but they drastically slowed me down (and I never was a fast player!).
About the railway - a little bit more here but my real playground is far from being finished - I may gibe some teasers in the last OSITM update if there's a wish to see them ...

BTW the river's name is now Leubnach (only suggestion made by simcitler here)
And now let' start

Update No. 5: Grafenaubach - Rodhof or Around the Hydro Dam


Overview over Rodhof, the small village next to the dam. It has no own admisnistration as it is a part of Grafenaubach (see Updatre Nr. 4). It's by far most well known landmark is the hydro dam, only a few archeologist know that the small church St. Florian is built upon a Roman Villa Rustica. Its famous mosaic has been brought to the Landesmusaum so but some nice small roman sculptured stones can still be found in its walls.


Well, sebes and Ennedi, of course there's railway here in this update!
Once Rodhof had a bigger railway stations with semaphores but right after the construction of the dam have been finished the tracks haven't been used much and so except for a siding that serves the local freight shed and factory everything had been removed.
BTW that's a bit my problem with BigHead's station - a nice modell but if you see such a railway station with only one track IRL it means that a "real" railway station has been castrated to a flagstop ... 



Behind the railway station you'll find the winery of the family Graf von Aubach. It's rather special as they don't sell wine - but vinegar. However not the cheap one from the supermarket but 5 star quality that is exported to the bext kitchens all over the world due to its fine arome. And - yes, it's way more expensive than most wines ...



Something special about the Leubnach valley are the edible chestnut trees at the edges of the forrests.
This is a secret the villagers never tell a stranger: These edible chestnut trees are way bigger and tastier than elsewhere in the valley. Though Grandpa Eisenmüller (he's 93 years old by now) always tells the children that 40 years ago when the steam trains were still in service in the valley the chestnuts where much better due to the steam of the coal fired steam engines ... 



Thi spot really cost me times and nerves. I wanted to have a nice rural restaurant there - preferably a Gascooker one but all that grew there was something like these - yikes!


Then finally I gave in, installed the extra cheat plugin and found out that the Gascooker pubs couldn't grow there - wrong orientation...! 
Anyway the Bos of the Pandora was opened - finally I got what I wanted!


The pub "Schwarzes Rössle" (Black Horse) is rather famous for its wild boar roast with chestnut purree and red cabbage - and now guess where the chestnuts come from ... 



As a typical street village most houses where built along its main road. Especially for the construction of the dam the road has been widened and modernized in the middle of the 1930es (yes, during Nazi Time. There will be more of this in upcoming updates).



I just love this closeup with Khiyana's bus stop



And as a teaser for the next update an overview of Leubnach valley opening just upstream of the dam.

That's for today!

Enjoy


Bernhard 

[meinhosen]

That's some very nice work!  I'm a big fan of how you laid out Grafenaubach- it's a different look for a small town. 

[Battlecat]

Nice!  I hear your frustration with that street corner, I've had no end of trouble trying to get the appropriate lots to develop in some areas.  Love what you've done with the STR in that area!

[kwakelaar]

A nice looking village, and I can imagine your frustration with getting the right building to grow on the corner lot.

[calibanX]

Your riverbanks and foliage along the river Leubnach are fantastic. I'm definitely taking notes. Also, I have the same frustration in getting the building I want to grow on the spot I want it to. You lay your towns out very naturally as well. Makes for great eye candy.

OSITM is definitely deserved here. Nice work.

Geoff

[Nardo69]

Hello to All!

Today I'll show not a regular update, just a "construction site report" of my latest layout. Remember the power plant update? Well, I had  another idea how to use that Powerplant in another environment ...

But before we start:

@meinhosen: Thanks my friend!

@battlecat: Most of the time I'll get something suitable but sometimes  Yes, the railway just fits inside the valley, doesn't it? Unlike in th 19th railways had become part of the scenery ...

kwakelaar: Thanls my friend!

@CalibanX: Thanks for the compliment!
Well, I hope it shows the hours of work on my lame machine I spent there to get it at least somehow close to what I wanted ... 

Now today we don't have a regular update but something thatI call a "Construction site report". It's like a topping out ceremony: All the finishing works haven't began but you see clearly the shape of the building ...

Remember that hydro power plant? Well, it didn't get out of my mind so I used it again in another map in another surrounding:



A barrage with a (double lock). The river upstream is kanalised for river traffic, downstream layout hasn't began.



The power plant. Behind the powerplant is the channel for the locks.



Upstream the powerplant. To the left are the locks, to the right the power plant.

Do you like that layout? I'll need some time for this to change from construction site to update state ... 

Bernhard 

[TheTeaCat]

Hey Bernhard

Sorry its been a while since I popped in to see what your up to and
what a veritable feast for my eyes

Truly stunning, as always.
Enjoy whats left of your OSITM - you deserve it


regards
Derry

ps don't forget to make backups
sorry couldn't resist

[threestooges]

That's pretty neat. Great combination. We don't have too many canals out here (except the California Aqueduct, but that's not exactly meant for freight traffic) so I can't really compare it to much from RL, but it does look good, functionally and aesthetically. Also, I like the rails from the last update, especially those around the stations (nice choice for a freight yard, heh heh).
-Matt

[bat]

Some fantastic views of your great city there! Nice work!!!

[Battlecat]

Nice job with those canals there!  The hydro electric dam fits in there quite nicely. 

[Swesim]

Nice work on the canals, it´s just a pity that one has to elevate the land on the sides of the hydrodam so much, in Your case it looks as if it is hanging in the air.
The locks to the left of the powerplant however is very realistic and reminds me of a cruise I went on from Trier to Bernkastel in Germany a few years ago.
Keep up Your good work however!

[tooheys]

Hi Bernhard, really liked the June 13 update  This highlighted your diverse skills. Rail of course, TPW, great use of flora, classic Nardo farms and the planning you put into the game (or time you waste waiting for the right lot to grow  ) The sunken canals look great as well, will be waiting to see how this area develops.

Always a pleasure to visit Urland

Cheers

Dave

[jmyers2043]

I enjoyed looking at the picture 5.05 and your caption gave me a good chuckle. I think that I would have clicked the SimGoober Feed and Seed and made that historical. I mean - every town needs a feed and seed store, Right?!
      

[Tomas Neto]

Sensational images of your channel and barrage! Phenomenal!

[Nardo69]

Hello to All!

Sorry for the delay but last week my wife and my short came to visit me - some of you may know that we are living in different places due to my job problems. Anyway I had a great time with my family but almost no time for internet. Because of this the last OSITM has to be on the last day of the month ... 

But as allways before we start:

TheTeaCat: Hi Derry! No problem with that as I read in your Tales what had happened. And a reminder for making backups is always useful!  

threestooges: Thanks! You can see this combination of lock and power plant rather often in Germany so I really couldn't resist to do such a layout in SC4. However a lot of work still needs to be done there ...

bat: Thanks for the compliment my friend!

Battlecat: Thanks for the compliment my friend!
Yes, but I have to reduce the opacity of the water, see my answer to Swesim ...

Swesim: Thanks for the compliment my friend!
Actually the main problem here is not the elevation but the opacity of the water. I used Gizmo's waterplants here which reduced the opacity of the Maxis water to almost 0. I guess I have to mod them as I don't want to do without them but at the same time don't like their effect on the water.

tooheys Thanks Dave! 
Hehe, well, isn't Sc4 itself one of the best and most beautiful waste of time at all? 

jmyers2043 Glad you liked my "ominous village center"!  It cost me quite some time and nerves but with a little bit of humour ...
The Seed and Feed, well, yes, could have fitted, possibly a bit on the "outskirts"  but not on that special location.
You know in old times - still in a lot of places today - there was the tradition of the "Frühschoppen" (früh = early, Schoppen = glass, glass of wine or beer): On sundays after the service the churchgoers met in the closest pub for a beer or wine (depending on if there was/is local winery) which lasted untill lunch. And of course the priest was invited by the churchgoers so it was absolutely necessary that the pub was in a VERY close distance to the church ...  

Tomas Neto: Thanks for the compliment my friend!

Now let's go in medias res and open

Update 6: Two river junction

We are right now a bit further on the map and have a look at the rivers Leubnach and Breitenbach. If you look back at update 5 for orientation, we will go to the area below the power lines.



The road on the upper left leads to Rodhof where we have been on Update 5. In the lower left corner you'll see the outskirts of Grafenaubach, to the right the main roads leads to the country (edge of the map, I might change that sometime).



To the left is the river Leubnach. The Breitenbach opens to the Leubnach from the right. It took me quite some times to arrange these rocks in the river so that their location can be regarded logical according to the water flows ... 



Both rivers flow from the right to the left. At the corner where the flows they partially egalize themselves which leeds to such a conglomerate of rocks and stones. Please note that I don't regard my maps of being part of areas with high erosion like alpine areas; as such there aren't too much stones in the river beds!



A little bit below the river junction. Goldiva's props aren't only useful for tropical coasts; as you can see for at least some time of the year boats can use the Leubnach.



The Castle Leubenstein.
Originally it has been a roman castellum protecting the road through the Leubnach valley it became a small castle in the 8th and 9th century. As it has been a wooden construction almost nothing of that time has survived. Later in the 13th century the Leubnach became a border between two Grafschaften (shires) so a custom tower with some stables has been errected to collect customs from the merchants that still were using the old roman road.
The tower was destroyed by maroding troops during the Thirty Years' War in 1644 and stayed ruined untill 1934 when the local Gauleiter fell in love with the place and decided to build a "Kraft durch Freude" - Castle for the young Nazis here. The works continued untill late 1938 so little HJ boys stayed here during their school holidays. Right after the campaign against France in 1940 the castle was turned into a hospital for injured soldiers that were badly injured in their face. After the D-Day it was turned into a normal hospital.
In March 1945 American troups where approaching thus the evacuation of the injured soldiers began. Unfortunately a company of young Waffen SS wanted to play hero and blew up the old wooden bridges and began a fight against the American tanks. As a result of this more than 200 injured (mostly German but also some allied) soldiers died when the castle caught fire. In addition to this appr. 30% of Grafenaubach was destroyed by American Artillery as they wereb't able to proceed immediately over the Leubnach.
The battle was completely senseless as it didn't delay the American campaign at all. The price was more than 300 persons killed...

After the war a new concrete bridge was build next to the castle. The castle stayed ruined untill 1953 when it was reconstructed and turned into a youth hostel and internation meeting center for young people.



The green area at the Leubnach and the castle.



I like that closeup. Even though it doesn't show at all the time and effort that was necessary to make it look that naturally ...



Back to the junction of the two main roads. The FAR in combination with the fields made made me some headache but I guess eventually it turned out halfway acceptable ...



The four farms grew like this as I was developing the map step by step. And as you may see I am not aware of a Pedriana unless it is not too often... 



Lover's corner - Liebesecke is the name of the small green area just below the river junction. Easy to reach by car by the road (grass becomes wet and cold due to dew which isn't very romantic even for young persons's hot love ... ) but sight protected by lots of bushes and old trees it is the perfect place to watch either sunset or sunrise with the one you love!



It took a long time untill I found a solution for that power line (which I wanted to have there!) as I didn't wanted to place a (SAM-) street there and lots woulf have disturbed the wires. So i planted lots of RRP grass there.



A closeup. Under power line you usually don't find trees but bushes and grass, a great for the small maple tree of Simfox.



In such village industry is usually situated at the edge of the village, and sometimes they have one or two additional flagstops.

Now with this 13th piucture my update is finished ...

- wait - did you say 13?
- yes, why? Are you superstitious?
- Who? Me? Never! But 13 is such an ... ugly number, you know ...
- so what?
- why don't you just add another screenie? 14 is so much nicer as a number as 13 ...
Okaaaaay ...




As a last picture an update of the flagstop.

Hope you like what you saw in this special month even though I couldn't do as much as I intend.

Enjoy



Bernhard 

[TheTeaCat]

Superb update Bernhard

Fantastic pics full of details, a short history lesson,what more could one want.
I can understand just how much time an artist like yourself would have taken to create the scene in
pic6.07 a closeup no2. I'd hazard a guess a good couple of hours at least. Or a few cuppa's anyway

Till the next time
regards
Derry


ps Don't forget to make backups

[tooheys]

Now that is a splendid way to the end the month Bernhard, very nice work indeed. 

Love the work around the river, and the great use of flora. Didn't know there were that many willow trees out there.

Congrats on a great month Bernhard.

Cheers

Dave

[threestooges]

For anyone who has attempted to work with the RRP and other flora bits, it is clearly evident how much work went into your areas here, and those closeups are great. I like the way the old path seems to disappear into the bushes in the 7th pic. Also, I'm glad to see the updated ended with a rail pic. Where'd you happen to find that flagstop? Great update, and great time in OSITM.
-Matt

[Battlecat]

Nice update!  The trails look great, particularly that gravel track.  I like what you've done with the river as well!