Running Black Country

[Morra]

Has anybody had problems trying to run Black Country.I've installed 3 times now and I still can't run it. I've clicked on the icon my desktop and the miniloader window comes up, I click on the ok button and I get a message saying I haven't chosen a route. Whatever I do I can't get it to run, I'm obviously missing something but I can't see what. Any help would be appreciated
Harold

[emrhd01]

Hi Harold,

Try this

1. Double click on the mini-route icon.

2. The Mini Route Loader will load. Ignore the error message about having no route selected (if you get one).

3. In the window in the left hand corner, navigate to where the CD installer installed the mini route. It's found in the root c drive. (it's something like C:\bc1_MiniRoute)

4. Open up the Train Simulator folder WITHIN this c:\bc1_MiniRoute folder and navigate to the ROUTES folder, then BC1.

5. Click on the red button CONFIRM ROUTE.

6. Open up the ACTIVITIES folder within the BC1 folder and chose an activity. It'll be in the format bc1_xxxxx.off

7. Click ACTIVATE SELECTED ACTIVITY, then RUN ROUTE, and the route will load with the activity that you've chosen.

Thanks go to photons66, taken from this Thread:
http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic. ... 38&t=99761

[Morra]

Hi Rob, thanks for the info. It does seem awfully complicated, compared to the usual way of doing things. I must admit I would have never got it in million years,
Thanks again
Harold

[emrhd01]

No problem Harold, as long as you are sorted out now and can enjoy BC1, then that's the main thing.

There are new Activities on the way for BC1 from Mick and Don, so you'd better get cracking on completing the ones included with BC1.

[gwladok5]

Can someone explain whether I am able to run an HST say, from Dudley to Snow Hill with this route?

Thanks

[ashgray]

Can someone explain whether I am able to run an HST say, from Dudley to Snow Hill with this route?

Thanks

It may look a little odd as the route is modelled in an era way before HSTs existed, but yes, you can run them on the route without a problem (providing you have some HST stock installed on your system of course )

Ash

[gwladok5]

Ash

can you talk me through it

The route appears "stand alone" with default activities only?

Thanks

[ashgray]

Assuming you already have an HST set to run (and you have a consist for it), you can run BC1 in Explore mode using Trainstore. If you don't use Trainstore, you would have to either change one of the BC1 activities by replacing the locosand coaches used with your HST cars and coaches - you can do this with the MSTS Activity Editor, Route Riter or Activity Analyser. Alternatively, you could try creating your own activity using an HST to run on the route - that way, you would keep alll of your existing BC1 activities as they are.

Hope this makes sense.

Ash

[douglee]

Hi gwladok5,
Sorry I missed your name.

As an aside. To Ash's post.
If you do use Train Store remember to have the Route, or act from a route, that includes an HST, unstored aswell or it will not show in Explore Mode.

Good luck
Doug

[ianmacmillan]

There is an easier way to run an activity with the HST

First choose an activity with an express passenger train as the player consist.

Find the consist in the consist folder and drag it to your desktop.

Make sure the HST consist is installed and run Route Riter Check all activities.
Delete the error report.

You will see the missing consist in red.
Right click on it and the replace Consist window will appear.
Choose the HST and OK.

Click your way out of Route Riter.

Drag the original consist back into the consist folder

You can now run the activity with the HST.

[gwladok5]

the

[ashgray]

Hi

As supplied on the disk, Black Country 1 is a "stand alone" mini route which by default installs into C:\bc1_MiniRoute (i.e. outside the main MSTS folder system) - therre' nothing horrible in whta you see as what you describe is what you should expect to see and quite normal for mini-route installations. You can either run activities or run it in Explore mode. As BC1 and all its stock and consists are separate from the main MSTS installation, you don't need to run it through Trainstore.

Others (me included) prefer to have the Black Country 1 route installed in the usual MSTS folder system, in which case you'd run it in the usual way through Trainstore, giving you the options of activities or Explore mode.

If you're still unsure, youmay want to read the installation instructions on the disk again - it's all explained there.

Hope this helps.

Ash

[gwladok5]

Thanks for bearing with me Ash

I would prefer bc1 in with the rest of my routes

Can I just change the destination folder at the start of setup?

[ashgray]

Can I just change the destination folder at the start of setup?

No, this won't work properly. I posted instructions in another thread about how to get BC1 in your main installation, which I'll copy here:

OK, here's how to move BC1 to your main MSTS installation - you'll need to follow all of the following instructions exactly:

Before proceeding, make sure that you have the latest versions of XTracks, UKFinescale, Tsection, New Roads and version 1.8.0521 of the bin patch installed. Also, assuming you use Trainstore, make sure everything in your main installation is un-stored before proceeding, and that all BC1 activities are un-stored in the mini-loader.

First, open up your Windows Explorer and go to your BC1 folder. Go to the Trainset folder and copy the contents of the trains and consists folders to the trains & consists folders in your main MSTS installation (which you'll find in the TrainSet folder).

Second, copy the BC1 route folder (including all sub-folders) to the routes folder in your main installation.

Third, copy everything in the BC1\Global folder to the Global folder in your main installation.

That's it. Go back into Trainstore and you should see BC1 there, available for use.

As a safeguard, you may wish to keep the min-route BC1 installation until you've confirmed that BC1 works in your main installation.

On a cautionary note, you should only attempt this if you understand and are comfortable with all of the above steps.

Ash

[meekins]

Thanks for that Ash, I've already moved the files over as you outlined.

One slight problem, my XP machine is currently throwing a big wobbly! so I'm using a vista laptop and although I've read & reread about permissions ect. I can't get Mikes Mini route program to clear all the .off extensions in the activities, paths ect folders.

I'm doing it by hand but is there a, preferably free , batch file renamer that will change the extensions you could recommend.

Thanks