Somerset & Dorset Scenic Update Testers Needed

[casperdog]

Hi, I need a bit of help please.

I have just finished a scenic update to the S & D which includes working coal stages (though non animated), improved smoke blocking under bridges and footbridges, terrain and scenery errors corrected and a few new scenic items added. The update size when zipped is about 10mb.

I made the update with Route Riter which i haven't done before so it would be safest if a few people could put the update into their existing route and run a few activities to see if any problems come up before i upload it. The only one i think will come up is the 'this activity was built on track build xxxx blah, blah'.

Anyone with a stable version of the route installed are welcome to pm me with their email address and i'll send them the file.

Thanks
Clive

[Iluka]

Hi Clive

You have a PM

Regards

Mike

[casperdog]

Thanks to those who offered to help out. The files have been sent.
Thanks
Clive

[CrisGer]

I will be happy to help if you need a hand still. I really enjoy the route and look forward to the update.

[ianmacmillan]

While you are tweeking the scenery can I ask, on behalf of the local fire brigade, that you remove the piles of coal at the collieries?

Coal is subject to spontanious combustion and was never stored in large heaps. It was usually loaded direct into wagons which explains the large number of loaded wagons in sidings seen in most colliery pictures.

Modern power stations do stack coal but constantly move the coal to prevent heat build up.

Here's a small part of the store at Lady Victoria pit near Edinburgh......

[Tonysmedley]

Ian,

A scene I remember well!

Tony

[CrisGer]

Tho this may be a bit off the topic, I keep wondering why freight wagons were made so small..when a larger shape might have caused many economies of scale... i am sure there are reasons...i was thinking maybe it was partly a matter of historic origin of rail wagons being the next step from horse coaches..but i have no real idea. and just wondered.

[slipperman12]

Hi Chris,

I keep wondering why freight wagons were made so small

In the 'old days', most railway traffic was by wagon-load. Thinking about coal in particular, most stations, even those serving small villages, had a 'resident' coal merchant; he had his own siding, or shared one with other local merchants, and had a wagon of coal delivered regularly for subsequent distribution, by his lorry, to his customers. Similar happenings occurred for corn, seed, etc.

The main bulk deliveries of coal, in the 1950s/60s, were to power stations, gas works and steel works, using larger capacity 4-wheeled hopper wagons, and to British Railways themselves

Cheers,
Ged

[jimmyladd]

The Great Central railway had some 40 tonne bogie coal wagons, but they were unpopular because everywhere was set up to use 10 and 12t short wheel based wagons.

[CrisGer]

ah that explains it..thanks very much. Over here in the US i guess they started using 50 and 100 ton cars pretty early tho there were certainly smaller ones on the narrow guage and local lines. the smaller loads would certainly match the local delivery system much better and cause less waste. Bigger is not always better...

..thanks a lot, i had wondered about that but was shy about asking