Husky SW Branch Line

Husky SW Branch Line
Survival 4
The main bulk of the branch line on the official network map.
Project
Type	SRN Branch Line
World(s)	Survival 4
Leader(s)	Montenator

The Husky SW Branch Line was a large branch line in the South-West of the Husky world on Survival 4 of the Dogcraft Server. featuring 10 stations serving various bases and POI’s. The project was spearheaded by  Montenator, seeing how well connected the south west was by means of road with the RHN, the idea was floated to have a large SRN branch line there too, in order to serve as a second method of transportation around the area.

History

Some talks about having branch lines towards places like Vitruvius and Sikukuu had been mentioned in early 2021 but had never come to much. The first plans of the network were made by Montenator in June 2021, with base owners being contacted shortly after and asked if they would be interested in building a branch line station for their bases. The response was very enthusiastic, with all the base owners being interested in making stations.

Shortly after, several stations would start to be built, with  _Shako building Vitruvius Station,  HeavyDork building Spiral Station,  N1cM4tth3w63 building Sikukuu Station and  R0bstar building Butterfly Valley Station. These would be built alongside The Haven Station which had already been completed over a year prior in May 2020 but had never been connected to the SRN.

Alongside these stations, two junction stations were also proposed. This made the Husky SW Branch Lines differ to previous large scale branch lines like Winter and Avalanche on Survival 3, forming a more grid like shape compared to the traditional linear branch lines. The junction stations were meant to cut journey times between other stations and provide players with options as to how to get to a place. Montenator would build the first junction station, Ice Cap Station. While  eybwam would be approached to build the second, that being Oxbow Station.

After the opening of Stump Station as well as the Lotus Branch Line in October 2021, talks started about linking up Lotus to the SW Branch Lines via Pinksville and Blues Beach. _Shako would subsequently lead the construction of the line from Vitruvius down to Blues Beach. Sikukuu Station would be the final station to be fully constructed, and work on the last lines between Sikukuu and The Haven as well as between HQ and Butterfly Valley would be finished by Montenator and R0bstar respectively.

The branch line would officially open on New Years Day 2022. There were several parts to the line which were still uncompleted, these being the Stone Exchange/ Rosaline Branch Line from Alpine, as well as the lines connecting The Haven and Sikukuu to West Station at Gaia.

Stations on the Line

Butterfly Valley Station

The station was designed and built by R0bstar and was situated in his fantasy style base of the same name. The station has a main atrium where both line terminals are located. This room also has a map of the surrounding area as well as some utilities. A large staircase entrance takes the player out into the mushroom forest portion of the base. A nether portal is located underneath the station.

Butterfly Valley Station has two connections, one to the West Line at HQ Station and the other towards Ice Cap Station. The lines around the station were built by R0bstar and were specifically designed to blend into the base around them.

Ice Cap Station

Full Article: Ice Cap Station

Ice Cap Station was designed and built by Montenator in the style of a polar research base. It was initially planned to be used on the Beagle South Line but would be built on Husky instead. The station doesn’t specifically serve a location but is instead one of the aforementioned ‘junction’ stations acting as a crossing point for several lines. As a result, the station has 3 terminals, going to Butterfly Valley, Sikukuu and Vitruvius respectively.

The station is also connected to the RHN via a previously unused dead-end road that was started by _Shako. Montenator found the road running close to the station's location and linked it up to Ice Cap, building a shelter just outside the main building for horses. The station also has a solar panel array and a large aerial on a small islet nearby for purely aesthetic purposes. All the lines around the station were built by Montenator in a similar palette to the station.

Sikukuu Station

This station is built to serve the small winter village of Sikukuu which was built during the Christmas Stream Day on the 19^th December 2020. Talk of a station at the village started in January 2021 but stalled when two of the villages mayors,  ElliotTheRedd and  LazyNine became less active on the server. Later on, the idea was revisited by the remaining mayor Montenator, who approached N1cM4tth3w63 to build the station.

The station itself is circular in shape, with intricate patterns on its walls. A semi–closed dome decorates the roof of the station allowing lots of natural light (and snow) to fall into the central atrium of the station. The station has 3 terminals, one towards Ice Cap Station, another towards The Haven Station and a third, yet unfinished terminal to West Station at Gaia.

The Haven Station

The Haven station marks the northernmost tip of the line, serving the small town of The Haven built by  TyrantrumGOD and various other players. The station would be the first ever branch line station to be built of the server, with player  XPModder, completing the station in May 2020. A line was started with the aim of connecting to West Station at Gaia but this line would never be finished. The station would finally be connected to the SRN in January 2022 via the Village of Sikukuu instead. The Gaia line is still on the cards, however with Survival 4 nearing an end, it is unlikely it will ever be completed.

The station itself is mainly built with various stone types and is one of the few stations in SRN history to be floating. Its base is circular in shape, with walls stretching up towards a centre point, giving the station a slight conical shape. A stairway leads down into the main area of The Haven, which also has connections with the RHN at the far end of the town.

Vitruvius Station

Built to serve _Shako’s City of Vitruvius, the station has a Victorian-American style to it. Mainly built with brick with a red nether brick roof. Line connections can be found in a small courtyard around the back of the station, of which there are three. One northwards to Ice Cap Station, one southward to Blues Beach and a final terminal eastwards towards Oxbow Station.

The station was built in early 2021 when Vitruvius was still a relatively small settlement, and the city has since expanded around the station, making its lines snake through the city to reach the station. It was designed and built by _Shako.

Blues Beach Station

One of the newest stations on the network, the station at Blues Beach was never part of the initial plan for the network but was later added after talks of linking up the City of Lotus with Vitruvius, and subsequently the rest of the SW Branch Line. The station is currently a terminal destination from Vitruvius, but plans were in place to continue the line on to Pinksville, eventually connecting with Lotus.

Blues Beach Station serves the village of the same name, a small settlement on a peninsula overlooking a large inland sea. The station was designed and built by _Shako who also built the rest of the settlement as well as the line between it and Vitruvius Station. The station is built in a rustic style, mainly using stripped dark oak, smooth sandstone and deepslate.

Oxbow Station

Full Article: Oxbow Station

Oxbow Station is the second of two specifically built ‘junction stations’ on the SW line. Oxbow was built in July 2021 by eybwam after being approached by Montenator for the job. Oxbow is situated on the side of a meandering river and integrates into its surrounding very well, with a small boat dock being present on the large promenade at the front of the station.

It is one of the few stations to completely integrate an RHN shelter into its design, with stables for horses being located at the front of the station, and beds being in a smaller room at the back. The station has 3 terminals, one going southwards to Spiral Station, another going westwards towards Vitruvius while the final one continues eastwards towards South Station. These lines were predominantly built by  Ari_Is_Lonely.

Oxbow is modern in design, with a large central atrium with shops on the left-hand side. Water columns take the player up to the roof where a trident take off point is located. The station also has a small annex on the far side of the river, connecting to the main station complex via a small bridge.

Spiral Station

Spiral Station serves the base of HeavyDork and gets its namesake from being situated in a large spiral at the centre of HeavyDork's base which is made up of various pixel arts of iconic Mario characters. The station would be added in the centre of the spiral long after its construction, after Montenator approached HeavyDork asking if he was interested in having a branch line station at his base.

The station has two terminals, connecting it with Alpine Station nearby as well as Oxbow Station northwards. All the lines around Spiral Station were built by HeavyDork, and run through a large part of his base, making it a great way to view the area. The station itself is mainly built with quartz with orange and yellow accents. It has two floors, the top featuring the line terminals as well as maps while the lower floor features standard station amenities.

Stone Exchange Station

This station is built to serve the popular POI of the Stone Exchange, built by  Aiyn84. The stone exchange is a place where players can trade stone types they don’t need in exchange for more useful ones, and mainly works on an honours system. Talks of having a branch line were started shortly after Alpine Station opened in June 2020. The station itself would be built by Aiyn84 after the server updated to 1.17, with it being in a large deepslate mountain, adjacent to the original Stone Exchange complex.

Stone Exchange Station is illuminated by floating black candles, and while there, players can also enjoy viewing axolotls swimming a in a large tank in the far side of the station. The station will feature two terminals, one towards Alpine Station with the other continuing eastwards towards Rosaline. Although the station has yet to be connected to the main SRN network yet, the hope is for that to happen before Survival 4 draws to a close.

Rosaline Station

This station was built by  Snuginthesun to serve her main base and town of Rosaline. The station is built in a rural fantasy style mainly out of oak and birch blocks, with a large SRN logo made from shroomlights illuminating the roof of the station. The station has been built for a long time and is currently connected to Stone Exchange Station via a branch line. From the station the player can take many of the surrounding paths and roads to explore the rest of the town.

If it is connected to the rest of the network, Rosaline Station will be the 10^th and furthest east station out of the lot, with it serving as a terminal destination. As a result, the station only has one connection westwards towards Stone Exchange Station, however there is a second terminal in the building for a potential future expansion eastward.

Players Involved

 Montenator – Co-Ordinator, Station Builder, Track Builder

 R0bstar – Station Builder, Track Builder

 N1cM4tth3w63 – Station Builder

 XPModder – Station Builder

 _Shako – Station Builder, Track Builder

 Slomo_1994 – Track Builder

 Ari_Is_Lonely – Track Builder

 eybwam – Station Builder

 HeavyDork– Station Builder, Track Builder

 kfr291 – Track Builder

 Aiyn84 – Station Builder

 Snuginthesun – Station Builder, Track Builder

Permissions:  Star_Strider1,  Magicov,  ChargedBluey,  Coaleb, Gaia Team,  Skelleton123,  expedtadam,  TyrantrumGOD,  ThEquinox2,  ElliotTheRedd,  LazyNine.

Gallery

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  Spiral as seen from Alpine Station.

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  Players at Oxbow Station during the opening.

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  Players at Alpine Station during the opening.

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  Players get ready to pose for a group screenshot at the opening.

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  The fireworks at Oxbow Station that eybwam made for the opening.

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  A view of Sikukuu station and its lines.

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  The Sikukuu - Haven tunnel at night.

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  The Haven line navigates steep terrain as it approaches the station.