The WelcomeHub Bridge

 

 

When the WelcomeHub area opened in June, the area was connected to Bellisseria by sims, but traversable only by water or flying. Not long after, someone messaged me there was a bridge connecting them. So I recently went back to take a look. 

The bridge, put in place by a few different Moles, isn't a traffic one for cars, but a railroad bridge. It connects to WelcomeHub in the Rubber Ducky sim, passes over All Tuna, and connects to Bellisseria in the Three Sheets sim, where the tracks connect to the rail system. 

No new updates on the Ranch sims, yet. But there should be more news about them or somewhere else on Bellisseria. Stay tune for more updates.

Bixyl Shuftan

Abnor Mole's Trolley Ride

Some of the more interesting events aren't planned, but happen spontaneously. One last week started off with a simple question in Bellisseria group chat by Abnor Mole. The end result was over twenty people going on a trip across part of the Linden Home continent. The Newser was there to tell the story.

 

Read the story in Events. 

 

Sunweaver Rail Stop

With the Relay season over, Team Sunbeamer builders Shockwave Yareach and Cynthia Farshore are free to work on other projects. One was this rail station at Sunweaver Eclipse, on the south end of the large island in the sim. It's part of the community estates rail network.

I had a few words with Cynthia, who stopped by. She told me this wasn't the only stop in the rail system they were working on. 

Shockwave and Cynthia are staying busy.

 

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Montecito Bay Transit

 

The Montecito Bay sim has seen a number of changes in recent months, notably the addition of three neighbors: Monstra Aquavia, Crux Dark Citadel, and Novae Dilucula. For the Bay itself, one notable change is the addition of a mass transit monorail system in the city.

There are a few stations in town where one can wait for the rail car. Once the doors open, just walk in and have a seat. If it closes before you get on, you can still click on it and select sit, but you won't be able to choose which seat. Then just enjoy the ride. The track has some twist and turns, going slightly up and down at a few points. There's also a short tunnel the car goes through. The track takes you past some noteworthy sights, including the video arcade, a pool of green slime, and the Azucar Tower, the name that started appearing over a year ago on the sim before it changed.

Once the car approaches the station you want to get off at, don't hop off too early as you'll end up falling through the floor. Wait until it comes to a complete stop. Once that happens, the doors open and you're ready to exit.

Stay tuned for more later.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Bellisseria Update: Working on The Railroad

In real life, railroads have only been around for a couple hundred years. But they've had quite an impact on our transportation and culture. In Second Life, while one doesn't really need a rail line to get around, there's just something about riding the rails, as well as the sight of the tracks. So in the Bellisseria regions, the Linden moles have been laying down track. Yours truly took a look at some of the work being done in the newer eastern Bellisseria continent.

Read more in Design.

Railroad Stop at the Newser Office

The work on the land of the Sunweaver community never seems to stop these days. Those going about the Sunweaver Estates have noticed railroad tracks in the Sunweaver Space sim for some time. In October, Cynthia Farshore told the Newser the railroad would soon be extended into Sunlight Bay. Earlier this week, the rail system was extended into HV Community. As the "Brandi's Intimates" store and the SL Newser office were the largest public locations at ground level, the railroad was laid between them on a bridge with a station there.

Laying the track and building the station required the taking down of one fountain as it couldn't be reduced in size. But no doubt the rail system will be an interesting touch to the sim.

The railroad tracks have been extended to the edge of the Sunny Beach sim. Getting the system through there and into Sunweaver Bay will require talks with the owner.

Correction: Earlier the Newser wrote that Cynthia Farshore's friend Shockwave Yareach was helping her build the railroad. He has since contacted us saying the work was all hers.

Bixyl Shuftan

Riding the Rails - the Second Life RailRoad

Gemma Cleanslate has been a busy reporter. She's been spending a lot of time "working on the railroad" at the Heterocera Atoll continent exploring the Second Life Railroad. Originally created before teleporting as a way to quickly move residents from one place to another, it continues to run for the railroad enthusiasts here on the Grid.

Read more in Places.

Addition - more pictures posted after the article went up.

SL Speed Limit 450 MPH!

Drag Racing Rocks Second Life With Blinding Speeds! Only the rules limit speeds to 450 MPH, Second Life (SL) drag racers are burning rubber and making tracks! Yes they CAN get out of Denver baby! Woooooooosh!

SL hockey legend, Antonia Foggarty, does SL wrestling and SL drag racing. She invited me to her motorsports factory to view her newest creations, a pair of steps-on trucks with Hemi-modified engines (Picture 1). Sweet!

In Picture 2, Antonia models her pro-sports driver outfit in front of a cherry Plymouth dragster titled Sox and Martin. She explained that it's quite unusual to put Ford parts in a GM car! Oh really!

At Antonia's invitation, I headed out to the drag strip to catch some car thrills. Everyone was just wonderful, excited that I was writing this story! Dragstrip announcer MB Robonaught even made an official proclamation to the audience, announcing my iReporter presence! Hurray!

Racer Rocky Belavidorico explains, "SL Drag racing is a great stay at home hobby .. modifying the cars... the competition is excellent and there are many great racers."

Picture 3 is a burn out, sending up plumes of smoke as drivers heat up their tires to stick to the road. At the pre-start countdown, we saw a very convincing deterrent to jumping the gun! Then it's GO TIME! Pedal to the metal baby! In a heartbeat POOF, the cars are gone! But they come back right quick, because each race is best 2 out of 3 heats.

How they reach 450 MPH in under 250 meters boggles the mind! Real world dragsters reach up to 350 MPH in 1000 meter races. That means SL dragsters accelerate at least 4X as fast!

Just before driving out on the track SeVeN VanDouser told me, "To me it's one of the most interactive drag racing simulations... having done it in real life and now only in the SL world, it keeps the dream alive." Awesome!

One thing's for sure... Second Life AIN'T no DRAG! ;-)

The amazing Antonia Foggarty appears in my hockey report: Click Here to read.

Visit the Amber Drag Strip in SL at Amber (81, 224, 1360)

Originally posted on CNN

Any1 Gynoid