Atomic Systems

What A great weekend trying out this sim
Started at Evercreech Junction, added some Mk1 coaches in siding, attached a black 5 and off we went...the sound of the 5 climbing up to Masbury was something to hear! she struggled speed down to 12.5 mph over the top woohooo going great guns now got to Bath berthed her up on the LMS road, went into world editor, placed some Mk1s and a 5 on the S&D platform....off to Templecombe all stations, had a great struggle up to Midford awe inspiring sound onto Templecombe
finished the run, went into world editor set up some freight ready for a return trip to Evercreech

Oh also had a trip doubleheading a passenger no problems at all......easy peasy
Oh also you know if your points are set right cos the signal is off

God I love this Sim...........well done Kuju.

Peter Doré

I had a great time on the Bath route as well! It is my favourite route.

It's my favourite too, but that's probably because it's the only steam route.

Need a fair few more different locos though

Im having probs with night time textures at the moment but setting the time to around 2.30 am I get a fantastic early morning mist effect, the route is loaded with atmosphere!

That sounds like fun - but how do you deal with setting the reverser when it doesn't seem to have any readout of what it's set to?

Do you find the boiler safety valve constantly letting off steam, even when not close to max pressure?

Do you think the 'chuffing' effect sounds a little too fast for the wheel revolutions?

I;m just curious, beacuse these things spoiled my attempt at that route?

Also - how difficult is it to make up a consist? You mention using the world editor. I've never used that, but you make it sound quite easy and straight forward? DO you have any tips?
Cheers

Yes Peter, I agree this route is great! Slogging up the gradients, speed, pressure, boiler water falling, and what a relief to get to Masbury summit!
For a challenge, try a Black5 with 9 coaches, as a free roam scenario Bath - Templecombe. Expert controls, manual firing
1 hour 20min out from Bath, I coasted into Templecombe with an empty tender and water in the bottom of the glass.....
Has anyone found that tender water level falls steadily even with both injectors off? About 1 gal/sec. I did a search and can`t see any mention of this. A bug, or am I doing something silly?
regards Rick

clanker88 wrote:That sounds like fun - but how do you deal with setting the reverser when it doesn't seem to have any readout of what it's set to?

Do you find the boiler safety valve constantly letting off steam, even when not close to max pressure?

Do you think the 'chuffing' effect sounds a little too fast for the wheel revolutions?

I;m just curious, beacuse these things spoiled my attempt at that route?

Also - how difficult is it to make up a consist? You mention using the world editor. I've never used that, but you make it sound quite easy and straight forward? DO you have any tips?
Cheers

Oh - never mind. I just re-installed it briefly for yet another try. I will never adapt to this game. It's not the bugs, just the whole concept. the sound is so silly. at regulator 50% or more the chuffing sound is fine, but as you bring it below 50% the sound diminishes as if for some reason the engine is vanishing into the distance. Urg!

I have a friend who refuses to watch any black/film on principle. Some people think b/w films are cool and even find the scratches and jumpy sound add to the experience. Other people dont care if its b/w or colour so long as the story is good and the quality is high enough not to distract from the immersion of the experience. As fas as this game goes I fall into the latter group. I WIll never like it, and that's that I suppose.

Oh also you know if your points are set right cos the signal is off

Strange that - I approached a station somewhere along that route and the signal feathers clearly indicated a left turn off the main line but the train went straight on and I got the off path warning. Had to reverse up and change the point manually to get the road indicated by the signal.

My view of this hasnt changed

clanker88 wrote:but how do you deal with setting the reverser when it doesn't seem to have any readout of what it's set to?

Well, it does, in 2 ways. For the more realistic approach you can see the little indicator (probably has a real name) sliding backwards and forwards; and for the less realistic use F5. For the super-realistic do it by "number of turns" or "feel" like you really would.

clanker88 wrote:Do you find the boiler safety valve constantly letting off steam, even when not close to max pressure?

No - the range seems about right

clanker88 wrote:Do you think the 'chuffing' effect sounds a little too fast for the wheel revolutions?

No they seem about right - 4 "chuffs" for each turn of the wheels.

clanker88 wrote:I WIll never like it, and that's that I suppose.

Come on! Be an optimist! We're only a few weeks in,yet. As keeps being said, the quality of MSTS was rubbish until the community revolutionised it. Give us a chance!

rickloader wrote:Has anyone found that tender water level falls steadily even with both injectors off? About 1 gal/sec.

You've not left the water "taps" on have you? You need to close them when you close the injectors.

clanker88 wrote:at regulator 50% or more the chuffing sound is fine, but as you bring it below 50% the sound diminishes.

That may well be correct too. I think, depending on the design of regulator, absolute points of opening (in our case percentages) will provide different sounds just either side of them, if you see what I mean. e.g. If an extra port opens at 50% then the sound at 49% and 51% should be very different.

Someone with more technical knowledge can correct me, but my overall message is: give it a chance!

Lad491 wrote:

Oh also you know if your points are set right cos the signal is off

Strange that - I approached a station somewhere along that route and the signal feathers clearly indicated a left turn off the main line but the train went straight on and I got the off path warning. Had to reverse up and change the point manually to get the road indicated by the signal.

My view of this hasnt changed

Bath to Templecombe doesn't have feathers.

Bath to Templecombe doesn't have feathers.

Oh well, must have been one of the others then.

At Templecombe (I think - dont quote me) the signal in the platform was giving me the road ahead but unfortunately the signalman hadn't routed me onto that road, unfortunately he sent me a different way sending me off path

Tywyll wrote:

clanker88 wrote:Do you think the 'chuffing' effect sounds a little too fast for the wheel revolutions?

No they seem about right - 4 "chuffs" for each turn of the wheels.

I thought the 'chuffs' came from the pistons changing direction? So what makes that sound then?

Tywyll wrote:

clanker88 wrote:at regulator 50% or more the chuffing sound is fine, but as you bring it below 50% the sound diminishes.

That may well be correct too. I think, depending on the design of regulator, absolute points of opening (in our case percentages) will provide different sounds just either side of them, if you see what I mean. e.g. If an extra port opens at 50% then the sound at 49% and 51% should be very different.

Not sure if that answers ir not. It doesn't seem too bad on the 7f, but on the Black from 49% and below the chuffing sounds fade rapidly, so that at 1% it is narely audible, and 0% non existant. I can't come to terms with this being real at all. I did a cab experience a few years back on the Bury railway in a 9f. I never got the regulator open more than about 10%, and it certainly wasn't what I'd call 'quiet'.

clanker88 wrote:I thought the 'chuffs' came from the pistons changing direction? So what makes that sound then?

The 'chuff' is produced at the end of each stroke, when the used steam is let out of the cylinders. Steam locomotives have power strokes in both directions (unlike internal combustion engines), so a cylinder will produce two 'chuffs' for every rotation of the wheel. On a two cylinder locomotive, like the Black 5, the cylinders are arranged so that they are 45 degrees offset. That way, when one cylinder is at maximum travel, and providing no power, the other one is part way through a stroke, and able to provide power. Otherwise, if you happened to park the loco with both cylinders at the end of their strokes, you would not be able to restart it again.

So, two cylinders will produce 4 'chuffs' per revolution, but they are not evenly spaced because of the 45 degree offset.

A possible factor of thinking the chuffs are too rapid is that these days we are used to hearing trains on preserved railways, where train speeds are only 15-25 mph.

This is what they sound like at proper speeds:
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?doc ... 0929867420

Lad491 wrote:

Bath to Templecombe doesn't have feathers.

Oh well, must have been one of the others then.

At Templecombe (I think - dont quote me) the signal in the platform was giving me the road ahead but unfortunately the signalman hadn't routed me onto that road, unfortunately he sent me a different way sending me off path

Unfortunately there isn't a starter at the platform (down line) at Templecombe, the signal that is off (in the scenario 'Swift and Delightful') is for the up line, its companion distant is on as the next stop is also on because of the route setting, a classic example of one of the things wrong with the signalling, stop signals defaulting to off, ugh. The crossover from down to up should be trailing and not facing as at present, and the up home signalling should be stop/distant not two full size arms.

I do not recall pigeons being transported in cattle trucks, either, I seem to remember seeing the wicker baskets sitting on a porter's four wheel luggage trolley awaiting a passenger train, and then being loaded into the luggage/guard compartment of such a train. I suppose that particular scenario ought to be entitled 'Cattle Special'.

John

clanker88 wrote:at 1% it is narely audible, and 0% non existant

A major complaint about the sound in the original MSTS was that the "chuffs" continued even after the reg. was shut.

As has been said, it's exhausted steam going up the blastpipe and drawing the fire that makes the "chuff". When the reg. is shut there is only air being exhausted from the cylinder and not under that much pressure. It should have plenty of time to escape too - if I'm right, when coasting you should set the cut-off to 75%. Might be wrong there, but that would minimise the compression of air.

I absolutely agree that on the footplate the noises are louder, but then again everything's louder! If you'd've opened the reg. fully you would know about it!!

johny wrote:I suppose that particular scenario ought to be entitled 'Cattle Special'.

I thought that too! Wonder if animated people on platforms can be adapted to make animated cows or sheep on loading docks?? Just thought of that. Actually a good idea...