Announcing the Great Northern Railway [Kings Cross]

[karma99]

Just a shame that most payware routes seem to be steam or present day.

From memory we have the following UK payware routes:
IOW - Modern (although you can argue the stock is old, the route is still based in 2009)
GARL - Modern
WCML - 1990's
Doncaster - 1980's
Phorum Peninsula - Modern (as IOW, old stock but still built as now)
Bristol to Exeter - Modern
Newcastle to York Modern (clues in the name )

I would say if you exclude Doncaster as it's not really a route (though still a great addon in itself) and count the recently released Falmouth as the one look back to the past, it's safe to say everything for RW (both current and publicly announced) is modern, or in the past 20 years anyway.
So I also groaned when I saw this announcement, simply because it's yet another modern route.
And no offence intended to the producers at all, just not my thing.
Thank goodness for the freeware producers giving us somewhere decent to run our steam locos other than flipping railtours

It's an odd concept when you consider the majority of payware stock is steam and BR diesel era... how is this happening?!
Maybe a topic for another thread.

[holzroller]

Have to agree that it seems a little odd that we have so many modern routes when the majority of stock is what is now known as "heritage stock". Personally I would be a lot more interested if the route was set in the late 70's early 80's. Not sure if I will go for it or not, will have to wait and see. Regardless it is nice to see another route being develpoed, but it would be nice to see a better balance of eras.

[TheTazman]

Not knowing this route at all but are there any major land mark buildings that will be made for the route?

Simon

[Kariban]

Not knowing this route at all but are there any major land mark buildings that will be made for the route?

Simon

Arsenal football stadium comes to mind. St Pancras station too, it rather looms over Kings Cross. Other than that, I can't really remember anything that particularily sticks out.

[FoggyMorning]

Not knowing this route at all but are there any major land mark buildings that will be made for the route?

Simon

Unlikely at Welwyn!

[DescendingSadly]

Not knowing this route at all but are there any major land mark buildings that will be made for the route?

Simon

Arsenal football stadium comes to mind. St Pancras station too, it rather looms over Kings Cross. Other than that, I can't really remember anything that particularily sticks out.

Not wishing to be pedantic but it's not as close as you think, it's a good kilometer from Kings Cross

[gypbrc]

Not knowing this route at all but are there any major land mark buildings that will be made for the route?

Simon

Arsenal football stadium comes to mind. St Pancras station too, it rather looms over Kings Cross. Other than that, I can't really remember anything that particularily sticks out.

Not wishing to be pedantic but it's not as close as you think, it's a good kilometer from Kings Cross

Uhm. No. It's the other side of the road.

[almark]

What route do you take from KX to Stp Luke?


Its like,on top of it,literally,you can see it on these shots.

As for major buildings....surely KX is one!

http://mark-walker.fotopic.net/p68203906.html

You can just see the roof on the right of tornado...

Cheers,
Mark

[Kariban]

Not knowing this route at all but are there any major land mark buildings that will be made for the route?

Simon

Arsenal football stadium comes to mind. St Pancras station too, it rather looms over Kings Cross. Other than that, I can't really remember anything that particularily sticks out.

Not wishing to be pedantic but it's not as close as you think, it's a good kilometer from Kings Cross

I think you might want to get a new A-Z Marylebone might be a km away. Having used Kings X countless times I can assure you it's absolutely right there in your face. And talking of landmarks, I guess there's some HS1-related building work that will also rather stick out; I've not actually been there since that finally arrived though.

I'd rather early 60s transition than early 80s ( really was there much of a lower time than the early 80s? ), but the area has changed a ton since either of them.

[bigvern]

Well KX was comprehensively remodelled in the 70's, that and the removal of the Widened Lines is the biggest obstacle to running vintage rolling stock. My vote would certainly be to go for 1970(ish) and the original track layout - forget the electrics, let's have Cravens DMU's, 31's, 47's and Deltics on the trains!

[theorganist]

Bigvern Wrote

let's have Cravens DMU's, 31's, 47's and Deltics on the trains!

The advantage of this of course is that apart from the Cravens set all the above are available already.

[almark]

I'm sure a 101 would suffice for the time being

[stuart666]

Just a shame that most payware routes seem to be steam or present day.

From memory we have the following UK payware routes:
IOW - Modern (although you can argue the stock is old, the route is still based in 2009)
GARL - Modern
WCML - 1990's
Doncaster - 1980's
Phorum Peninsula - Modern (as IOW, old stock but still built as now)
Bristol to Exeter - Modern
Newcastle to York Modern (clues in the name )

I would say if you exclude Doncaster as it's not really a route (though still a great addon in itself) and count the recently released Falmouth as the one look back to the past, it's safe to say everything for RW (both current and publicly announced) is modern, or in the past 20 years anyway.
So I also groaned when I saw this announcement, simply because it's yet another modern route.
And no offence intended to the producers at all, just not my thing.
Thank goodness for the freeware producers giving us somewhere decent to run our steam locos other than flipping railtours

It's an odd concept when you consider the majority of payware stock is steam and BR diesel era... how is this happening?!
Maybe a topic for another thread.

Id guess its partly due to modern routes requiring little if any amendment from Google Imagery. That and speed limits, track profiles etc can be purely modern, and less effort has to be made to backdate things. Google maps in particular is a Godsend for the routebuilder. For something dating more than 40 years ago, rather less so.

For Western Rails not only did I have to search out track layouts from half a dozen books showing how they had been before they were rationalized, but I also had to find 1930s Ordnance survey maps in order to be sure what was where in the period in question. Its pretty complicated when going into inner city areas when a lot of the areas around the big stations have changed almost out of all recognition. Well, St Pancras hasnt, but most of the other Terminus certainly have. I cant blame most people going for the modern era simply because in many cases its so much easier. Less sidings, stations, crossovers etc. Even signalling in many respects would be easier. Ive still yet to work out how to do Temple Meads with semaphore.

Rolling stock is older I guess because so much has been written about the Deltic, Class 47 etc. Yes, there are individuals who can create Pendalinos, Voyagers and the like, but often they tend to be people with direct use of the original machinery and know how it works. I would imagine they are rather more rare than Steam or heritiage diesel fanatics. Clearly there are quite a few people who frequent here who get to handle those, many more I would imagine than the number of people who are familiar with the workings of a Class 225.

So I dont denigrate the people producing this route for doing the modern era, I can wholly understand it. I will also probably get it. But perhaps as a future variation on the theme when they get it released they may consider a 'heritage' version. Preferably something people can feel comfortable running 1950s-1970s rolling stock on.

Yes, with Mrs Lopsided's house.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFugHV9I ... 7&index=10

[Esurient]

Very much looking forward to this route and very happy that it's going to be a modern version.

[kevpotts]

In terms of historical routes, wouldn't something like the Settle & Carlisle, set in the '20s as per Pat Daltons MSTS route be good?