INSTALLING MERSEYSIDE

[l2003ynx]

Hi,
When installing the Merseyside route is there a set order in which you should install and also in which you should press the install bat files...ie install 3.0 bat then install modern then steam or doesn't it matter which way?
Thanks

[jbilton]

Hi
Matt lists the procedure in a current news item...(on the front page).

http://members.uktrainsim.com/index2.ph ... report=608

Basically if you've not had it before...install V1(run bat)...then V2(run bat)....thenV3(run bat).
You can go from modern to steam as many times as you wish by running the appropriate bat file.

[l2003ynx]

Thanks mate,
Im having all sorts of problems even though Im sure I installed exaclty as it said. Im sure I'll get there eventually

[jbilton]

Hi
If you have all the paths there are 429 in total.....(too many).
Remove 300 odd
They are named logically...so leave the ones named Euston to XXX etc
then you'll be able to start at that station.

[BrianB]

AH HA !! I think I now know one of the problems that people may be having when installing Thames-Mersey. The clue being jbilton stating that there are 429 paths.

When creating all the paths for Thames-Mersey, I have only created a total of 290 paths so far. If you have more than that, they may be left-overs from V1 and V2 - PLEASE NOTE - the paths from V1 and V2 WILL NOT WORK with V3 as there have been extensive track revisions to some of the V1 and V2 areas.

So for a correction to the install process -

Install V1 and V2 as per normal - then BEFORE you install V3, DELETE ALL the existing paths left over from V1/2, then and only then, can you install V3 as per the normal procedure.

When installed, you will find a sub-folder called Third-Party Contributions, in this folder you will find an Excel spreadsheet called Thames-Mersey Information, which consolidates a lot of development information that Dave and I worked on. In here you will find a Sheet labelled 'Paths'.

An examination of this sheet will show that for V3 there is a total of 290 paths done so far, there will eventually be a total of 354, but the remainder will not be finalised until much later when V4, including the Wirral Area, has been completed. The X in the left hand column indicates paths built so far.

Also just for interest's sake, you will find a list of recommended locomotives and rolling stock to use if you are running LMS era. This is modelled on my own personal setup for this route - only passenger trainsets have been shown here at present, I still have the goods trainsets to do.

Over a period of time, between Dave and myself, and other contributors, there will be much more information becoming available about this route, both from a prototype point of view, and from a simulation point of view.

Regards, Brian Bere-Streeter

[jbilton]

Hi Brian
Could be a mix up here somewhere...as there are 330 paths in Merseyside38.zip.
(There were originally 126 in V1 and V2....of which it only offers to overight 17.....making 109)
which is where I got my 429 from.
But I wondered about some as they did appear to be very similar....(I've been editing the Northernlines traffic file most of the day).....and leaving southport promptly ran straight into the buffers.
Cheers
Jon

[BrianB]

Hmm ! There is obviously more to this than we thought. It could be that when Dave parcelled up the final files for uploading to the file library, that they may contain some of the 'temporary' paths that were created for the Wirral Area, which was originally going to be V3 before Dave changed horses to the WCML south of Crewe.

I have not downloaded the 'public' version, as it should be identical to what I finished up with at the end of beta testing for V3. But in doing so, in my personal installation, I only have the 290 paths I created for the public version - I still have the temporary beta paths for what will later become V4, but they are in an archived sub-folder, not in the main route.

So, as Dave has released the route with some of the V4 unfinished areas still in place, maybe the difference between my 290 and the 330 in the public download, must be made up of some of the unfinished V4 paths as well.

Regards, Brian Bere-Streeter

[1crick14a]

I did it like this if your interested, mind you I had version 2 on disk......

version 2 cleared out all actys and paths and services and traffic......

ran the installme thing again and then the version 2 install me again.......

unzipped the zip files into d drive that's where my lot runs from.......
all in their correct order 31 to 38.........

then run the installme again then the version 3 install me then the
steam install me............

open up the paths and saved the ones not wanted at this time
then created an activity using one of the paths I kept...........

then fired it up it.............

works perfect touches wood that was me head..........

done it all again but for the modern I now how 2 perfect WCML

one steam one Uuugh electric

Thanks again to the builders it amazing lads to start at Euston and have to pick up water on the way to Crew/Liverpool is something else


Regards, Rick

[welshdragon]

Hi All,

I have just finished installing the Merseyside Route and I have followed the advice given but I have 5 Activities that have UNKNOWN in the Start, End etc when selecting the Activity. I have installed the 508 Class and when I have checked it in Route-Riter it shows a number of service files and associated consists in red. The activities just crash MSTS.

Any help appreciated,

Regards

Alan

[Iluka]

Hi Alan

I think the five Activities are for V2.0 and will not work on V3.0(Thames-Mersey)

I deleted the five Activities from V2.0 before installing V3.0 and had no problems at all - I suggest you use RR to delete the five Activities and wait until the new ones are uploaded

Kindest Regards

Mike

[Fodda]

Those activities, paths and services were installed when you put v1 or the v2 update on. I emtied those folders between the v2 and v3 upgrades.

The reason they're all red in RR is that the paths have changed a lot since v1 and v2.

[welshdragon]

Thanks Mike and Fodda,

I will do a fresh install and keep my fingers crossed.

That's the main thing about this Forum. It doesn't take long to get an answer to a problem.

Regards

Alan

[welshdragon]

Well!!!! What can I say, absolutely fantastic route. Borrowed the Black Five and 7 MK1's from SVR, last milepost was 108 and was she rock'n rolling.

Congratulations to the creator and a big thanks for your help in getting me installed.

All I can say is I can't wait for some good activities to start appearing.

Coming from an old BR Western footplate man that's gotta be a thumbs up.

[BrianB]

There is a lot of discussion about the number of paths in Thames-Mersey. So, I will take a little time to explain the philosophy behind them:

When I was creating the paths, I took the approach of analysing where trains would go to and from, from a railway operators point of view.

Taking goods for example; following a wagon despatched from say Northampton to Chester, the wagon would run in a local pickup goods to the nearest marshalling yard, probably Rugby in this instance, the wagon would then be put in a long distance non-stop goods train from say Rugby Sidings to say Basford Hall Sidings, then the wagon would be put in another local pickup goods to it's final destination, Chester.

For passenger trains, I also took the logical analysis for how far local, semi-fast and express trains would radiate out from a specific location, such as Nuneaton for example.

So, I created a comprehensive set of paths that covered the main parts of the route. I did not take into account, for, example, that over some parts of the line there are separate Slow lines and Fast lines, with the attendant duplication of paths. However, I was careful enough that many of the paths from point A to Point B and from Point C to Point D would alternately use the Fast or the Slow lines where they run in parallel, so it would help the creation of AI traffic.

Some of you may have already discovered the 'hidden' new lines in the uncompleted Wirral Areas - when these are finished off in V4, there will be at least another 60-70 paths added to the total.

The other consideration, that should be addressed, is that many users simply want to use Explore mode, but having a great variety of paths like this, you can drive from almost any point on the route to almost any other point on the route.

Many of the shorter paths, have been included (such as the many small branch lines that join the WCML, like Newport Pagnall, Dunstable, etc. and also other lines that cross over the WCML, but don't necessarily connect to it) simply for completeness.

The main advantage of doing this, is that when you are bored from barrelling down the WCML at supersonic speeds, you can come and have a drive on some of the nice little short tracks and Cameo routes, just for variety. For example the small cross-country runs from say Madeley Town to Silverdale and from Blisworth towards Bedford are delightful little runs in their own right.

The other advantage of including the connecting branches, is for AI traffic; if you create your traffic timings right, you can have local trains arriving from or departing to the branch lines as you drive by on the main line.

Discussion in the forums has already solved the problem of too many paths by creating a Stored Paths folder and moving most of them into it to improve the startup times. I normally work with Windows Explorer as one of my main screens, so, dragging and dropping the required paths, consists and trainsets is only a matter of a few seconds work before you fire up MSTS.

Have Fun !! Brian Bere-Streeter

[ccsdc]

I request that no more posts to do with problems on Thames-Mersey be posted on this thread. I have started a new thread called “Thames-Mersey Reported Problems & Solutionsâ€