Scottish Highland

Optrex · Post by **Optrex** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 6:33 pm

What a fantastic route - excellent, excellent job, John. I've just had a little potter around Pitlochry and it looks Just Like The Real Thing. Fan-tastic!

This is going to take a while to explore fully. Such a chore!

jpantera · Post by **jpantera** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 6:45 pm

jbilton wrote:Hi
The coaches are the original BATS reskins done by Mark Miller.
The steam is from an invis eng file...which is not my idea,and easy enough to do....but I could upload if people want it.
Cheers
Jon

Oh forgot to ask regarding the steam heat file yes please! could use it for some activities I have in the pipeline.........

Christopher125 · Post by **Christopher125** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 7:58 pm

Hi

Currently driving it with the 8F 48466, its a superb drive, especially with manual firing

The only negative for a route of this length is the absence of vertical curves - the changes in gradient are vicious; hopefully something that can be sorted for future versions.

Chris

alisterbetts · Post by **alisterbetts** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 8:21 pm

Christopher125 wrote:Hi

Currently driving it with the 8F 48466, its a superb drive, especially with manual firing The only negative for a route of this length is the absence of vertical curves - the changes in gradient are vicious; hopefully something that can be sorted for future versions.

Chris

I thought the Highland mainline was like that? Shouldn't be using a silly kettle....

chrisiveson · Post by **chrisiveson** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 8:23 pm

Excellent stuff John
Still remember my weeks hols in the camping coach at Kingussie 1962 and the Royal Highlander calling in the middle of the night with much activity on the platform.
Seem to remember a Sulzer shunting the yard most weekdays.
Just as a matter of coincidence, about fifteen years later, went on a B&B tour around the Highlands and stayed one night at Kingussie. The landlady just happened to be
the widow of the station master who had died some years previous.

Click the image to zoom in

Regards

Chris..........':D'

ianmacmillan · Post by **ianmacmillan** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 8:51 pm

Christopher125 wrote:Hi

Currently driving it with the 8F 48466, its a superb drive, especially with manual firing The only negative for a route of this length is the absence of vertical curves - the changes in gradient are vicious; hopefully something that can be sorted for future versions.

Chris

Very unlikely to see an 8F up there in BR days.

The grades are the best thing about it.....Just like the real thing.

Website · Post by **Easilyconfused** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 9:12 pm

Fantastic route. Got so involved in driving the gradients I neglected to take any screenshots

but great work.

Thanks for taking the time and effort to do this.

Cheers

John

Ianno · Post by **Ianno** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 10:46 pm

I agree. Just had a drive from Inverness to Druimachder (sorry, may be spelt wrong). Definitely a challenging drive! Great job.

Brings back memories of travelling the route in a 158 about 8 years ago!

rufiky4 · Post by **rufiky4** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 9:31 am

Great route, once it finally finished downloading! Took a couple of 37s out for a spin on a short sleeper consist - I still didn't manage to get the train up to 90 mph even with only 5 coaches on, and some of the gradients were a bit tricky with speeds dropping to 30mph in places. A good drive though!

<IMG width="906" height="584" SRC="http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php ... hland1.jpg">
37510 /37426 make a thunderous departure from Aviemore

<IMG width="686" height="762" SRC="http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php ... hland2.jpg">
Most of the line north of Dalmeny is single track.

<IMG width="900" height="440" SRC="http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php ... hland3.jpg">
Bombing along in one of the 90mph sections.

jbilton · Post by **jbilton** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 2:53 pm

ebensoussan wrote:Hi Jon,

very nice shots and very nice route. I am just going to install it and select some stocks to put in my train directory (to tell the truth, my UK stock is now too bulky - about 9 GO - to remain permanently in my TS folder) I noticed your pictures take place in the 60/70s era (does it match to the period designed by John Melia or can we have more recent stock ?)

Cheers

Emmanuel

Hi Emmanuel
I think the route is really based in the mid 1990s........its just me that likes the 70s.

Bit more up todate 47701 on a dawn run.......(I love racing with the traffic on the A9).

Click the image to zoom in

Click the image to zoom in

Cheers
Jon

Christopher125 · Post by **Christopher125** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 3:11 pm

Hi

Can I just state, when I refer to 'vertical curves' I mean gradient changes - in real life gradient changes are not all at once -the track gently ascends or descends. It spoils the affect when your loco is pointing upwards with the tender pointing down... I am well aware of the gradients in real life- thats what makes this route so good. Oh, and the 8F? Probably the best reskin and loco available and the updated BATS sounds are just gorgeous

Chris

jpantera · Post by **jpantera** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 4:11 pm

As far as a time setting goes its set around the time when Scotrail were painting their engines in IC with a Blue or red stripe so 80s to 90s is roughly when I put it at after Inveness lost its semaphores.

As far as vertical curves go they were worse before I went through the route tweaking them I may be able to even them out even more for a future version but I didnt feel they were too bad to release with.

salopiangrowler · Post by **salopiangrowler** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 4:48 pm

Hey guys dont worry about dropping below 30mph, i had 37401 and 409 over the real route, with 14 Mk1 coaches on a monarch of the Glen tour from Wolverhampton, i think 15 mph is acceptable on the most severe gradients, oh and there are bashers stories about 47's topping gradients at a mere 9 mph on overnight expresses.

mountainmanUK · Post by **mountainmanUK** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 5:23 pm

.......(I love racing with the traffic on the A9).

Hehe! I was doing exactly the same thing last night, when I saw a Kingsmill bread lorry undertake a long line of traffic, on the final stretch up to Drumochter. Hope the Highland Constabulary were waiting for him over the brow of the hill!

Dave H.

117305 · Post by **117305** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:21 pm

brillent route

just been takeing gordon(600) out of inverness with 8 bats mk1s and have ended up on low pressure just after cullendon viaduct

looking forward to the nice acts comeing for this route