Fictitious Working Timetables...?

[89001]

Evening,

I know that some people like scenario creation as they can go to their hearts content and create completely fictitious services etc. I'm the opposite, when I create scenarios they are either real life services that follow times as they do in the real world, made easier by sites such as Realtime Trains, or, if they are fictitious services, they fit in around the real life services.

This is great for realistic routes, such as London-Faversham, Newcastle-York Modern etc, but on fictitious routes like Totham, Cresston, Granfield Branch, GARL (to a degree), I struggle to create scenarios that would be realistic. I'm getting to the point of actually creating WTT's using Excel to create scenarios from.

Does anyone else have this problem, or is it just me...?

[chriscooper]

I'm the same. I actually enjoy making fictional services fit around the real timetables, especially things like railtours with fairly slack timings. Problem is, Railworks doesn't always make it easy. Working on a few for London to Brighton and one for WCML North at the moment, and both are having issues trying to juggle timings and priorities to get the player service to fit into tight slots, and in a few cases require very precise timekeeping.

[trainsmit]

Somehow, that is familiar situation also on the German routes.

http://www.bahn.de/fahrplandownload
In the box mark Download on the right side of screen press the text: Hier herunterladen!
Covers passenger trains in most EU countries.

It usually work a charm in timetabled screnarios. Havoc easily breaks loose, when trains are added in random order to a TTS.
Add the high priotiry services first. Begin with just 2 of 3 types: Special, express, stopping. To make the driver train wait for AI, let the latter be express and former stopping or adjust performance Percentage ever so gently - to fine-tune train order for same type/priority.
This is a timetable planners challenge. With the right formulas and good estimates of the rolling stock paramters, the proper worksheet is the way to go. Then to have the WTT visualized as graphic working timetables is even better for the stragic overview. Opposit direction traffic should run as short a distance as possible to reduce load on the sim by minimizing the number of concurrently active AI-trains. Making trains run in tight sequence is kind of difficult - even in the real world.

[tubemad]

I can also vote for that, and slotting in paths for a fictious special through real traffic.

I am also doing the same for the Wales & Borders route. Real services between Cardiff and Hereton, and real like routes on the fictious parts, like Birmingham - Hereton using LM 170's (Birmingham - Hereton) and also I have the Aber-Ystrad/Llanbadr as a short version of the NWC (Holyhead/Llandudno) and the Birmingham - Castleford as the section to Wolverhampton.

Of course they all have a service pattern and most based around real frequencies, booked traction, headcodes, start times etc.

[donny]

I love using the WTT for scenarios and feel it makes for a much more realisitc experience rather than having random trains and, yes, RTT has made this much easier and more accessible for all.

One of my favourite routes however, is WLoS, and with 80's - present traffic too. This presents a challenge and creating a timetable for it (albeit in my head for now) has been the best option. It's an interesting challenge timetabling and shows the constraints that planners really have to face in reality but well worth the effort if you know what stock and services you want to run. Have fun with it, and do consider sharing any timetable you do make, it could be very rewarding

Actually as I've written this, I'm thinking it could open up a completely new side to the sim. It would be nice to have some WTTs to work too for the fictional routes.

[749006]

Some of my timetable creations have not worked as planned

I normally take a Scenario that someone has made and then modify it - change loco/train/route - to make it run better.

I've done one at the moment to explore the lines around Munchen. A top and tail train with two diesels and 5 passenger coaches - a track bashing railtour.
I'm just adding AI trains to the scenario - trying so they don't cause conflicts - but it does not always work.

Peter

[Oldpufferspotter]

To me this is what train simming is all about - being creative! Letting your imagination be your inspiration!
Why tie yourself down to simply recreating the prototype? So long as you run your railway according to prototype rules - anything goes...

[89001]

To me this is what train simming is all about - being creative! Letting your imagination be your inspiration!
Why tie yourself down to simply recreating the prototype? So long as you run your railway according to prototype rules - anything goes...

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, it's just personal preference.

I see some scenarios being created and I almost cringe at the unrealism. Again, it's your personal preference at the end of the day.

It's nice to hear that others share this view. The problem is, as said above, the difficulty in creating a realistic fictitious working timetable. I've just downloaded Laneshaw Bridge Modern. A great route, especially local to me as a Skipton resident, but I think that the timetable provided is unrealistic. But writing a realistic fictitious timetable is just as difficult. Everyone's view of realistic is probably different.

Once I've created my view on a more realistic WTT for the route, I can post it here if anyone's interested...?

[Natvander]

I'm making a timetable spreadsheet at this very moment for my 'modernised' version of WLoS. If it works, I can just add a start time, mark the class of train and stations stopped and it should add a reasonable timetable. Handy to see where services should cross etc.

[markjudith]

I'm not a very good scenario writer, so any improvement on my work would be most welcome

Mark