SSS Betton Grange

[Auscgu]

Load Testing Betton Grange
The Hackney Teignmouth Junction scenario looked like a good test for Betton Grange
Swapping a EK modified hall for the grange
IN real life the engines where very similar as you would expect and the grange reported to climb slightly better due to the 5' 8" drivers against the halls 6' 0" drivers

Swapped out the loco with RWTools and had a great run and the engine feel very familiar
Using EK cab view with the lights and enjoyable night run when most of the freight was moved
Double heading over the banks is a lot of fun and a good test with a heavy coal train

[adburgess1992]

Does anyone know if it's possible to change the loco identity to another Grange? I only ask as the textures look so much better, and the sounds will be so much better, than the default EK Grange that (when I buy the pack) I'd much rather use this pack as a base than the default.

All the best,

sem34090

I locked it to the Betton by the number file and I changed the A letter texture in the number to bettons name, but you can in scenario mode override them provided you lookup the old number/name combations for the B-Z in the .dscv file of the EK originals just the names will be rather dull in comparison to the numbers and everything else shiny on the loco.

[sem34090]

Thanks! It was mostly for 'period' scenarios where it is most likely I'd want more than one, especially in the liveries not offered in the EK pack.

All the best,

sem34090

[chrisonline]

I just splashed the cash and purchased the Betton Grange and followed the install instructions
I was surprised to see the install instructions show the age old method of extracting .ap Archive files

At the risk of stirring the pot, it does strike me that you are now preaching what several of us spent many days trying to (and struggling to) get you to understand in another thread!

Please don't step in here as "the authority", when you took over a week of back and forth to get it into your head that your original perception of how it works was wrong!

If that doesn't make sense . . . well, I know what I mean! (and I've just had a few JD's, while listening to the latest BS about Trump)

Sorry, just my 2 cents!

[Lumpy]

Well said, Chris!

[Auscgu]

Chrisonline

You are correct and with help from the community we bashed out the myths that you need to unpack all the .ap Archive. If the thread your talking about is the one where I asked for this to be explained than I believe you came to my rescue and helped me understand. This add on is a continuation of the practise that is not necessary so I have politely offered an alternative to the suggested method. The only unpacking on my system is the support files for RWTools which if you read the thread GPTech has been pointing out that very few files need to be unpack as long as you understand the difference between the what is required for Train Simulator to work and what is RWTools reports is necessary to support Train Simulator. Your are seeing my learning process live as I have a limited knowledge of Train Simulator but and enquiring mind and prepared to prove in my mind what is fact and what is fiction and share my current understanding to support others. The support from people with experience is terrific and the Tech approach is great but every one has ther own approach. Some like the tech approach some just want to just have enough knowledge to have Train Simulator work and who cares what the technical term is. So is ether approach wrong.
Cheers Ausc

[gptech]

Could somebody copy and paste the installation instructions into here please?

[marcusboon]

Here you go,from 6880 Betton Grange Installation Instructions.pdf that comes with Steam Sounds Supreme 6880 Beton Grange Expansion pack (without illustrations):

'Step 1.
Once you have extracted 6880 Betton Grange Expansion.zip to a safe location, go to your Railworks folder and launch your Utilities.exe program.

From the top row of tabs, select Package Manager. Click on the Install button on the right of the Utilities window.

A new navigation window will open. Navigate to the extracted 6880 Betton Grange Expansion folder. Click on 6880 Betton Grange Expansion.rwp and select Open.

The package will now install. Now move on to step 2.

Step 2.
The second stage of the install process requires a small amount of file copying. But before we begin, you need to have installed some software for easy extraction of compressed files. We highly recommend 7Zip for it’s ease of use. Our instructions from here will be using 7Zip. If you have another program, you’ll need to adapt the instructions to suit, but the principles will still apply.
Find your Railworks folder which you will find here or similar: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common
From Railworks find Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear.
Right-Click on ExeterKingswearAssets.ap, select 7Zip > Extract Here

Once that is complete, go to Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\Grange\Default\Engine. Copy the file named grange_engine.GeoPcDx. Put the copy of this file in the following locations:

Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\Grange\Betton\Engine
Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\Grange\Betton\Engine1
Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\Grange\Betton\Engine2
Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\Grange\Betton\Engine3
Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\Grange\Betton\Engine4
Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\Grange\Betton\Engine5

Now go to Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\Grange\Default\CabView. Copy the file named grange_cab.GeoPcDx. Put a copy of this in:

Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\Grange\Betton\CabView

Finally, go to Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\King\Default\Tender. Make a copy of the file King_tender.GeoPcDx and put a copy in the following locations:

Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\King\Betton\Tender
Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\King\Betton\Tender1
Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\King\Betton\Tender2
Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\King\Betton\Tender3
Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\King\Betton\Tender4
Assets\DTG\ExeterKingswear\RailVehicles\Steam\King\Betton\Tender5

Please note: The King tender is used intentionally as Betton Grange will run with a Collett 4000g tender, not the 3500g Churchward tender type that the default Grange loco runs with.
Now you have completed the above, you are ready to go! Please refer to the manual for content information.'

Marcus

[gptech]

Ta Marcus, much appreciated.

[gptech]

Yeah, much to moan about in those instructions....

No reference to extracting the contents of the .rwp manually, only a brief acknowledgement that there are alternatives to 7-Zip for working with .ap archives, just what's basically a 'you'll get there if you experiment enough' note.....however....

some just want to just have enough knowledge to have Train Simulator work

so in that respect the instructions are just perfect, thank you very much.

Ausc, the instructions are designed to enable folk to install the package, not as a tutorial about managing .ap archives---how many ways or programs to use do you know of, with regard to extracting the contents of the archives?

If SSS went down the road of covering every possible permutation 99% of folk would delete the manual before getting to the bits actually dealing with the stock.

Yes, folk should know how to do it *properly* but that isn't the job of SS or any other provider...

The support from people with experience is terrific

is the key.

I think what's caused the wee bit of *agitation* is how you posted, as if you'd known all about .ap archives for 5 years--you still have a lot to learn! (as we all do, nobody knows all the ins and outs of the damn things)

as long as you understand the difference between the what is required for Train Simulator to work and what is RWTools reports is necessary to support Train Simulator.

RW Tools doesn't say what's needed, it merely reports what it can't find. Don't forget that RW Tools isn't the only option available for resolving issues, the game's own editing tools allow us to do many things and they don't need any files unpacking from anywhere.

Bottom line:...shake your head and mutter at the manual, and other manuals that don't cover all the options (remember if it's in the manual it implies support will be given for that procedure); roll your eyes when you read the low tech (ie: things everybody can do without any specialised knowledge or tools) instructions and ignore 'em if you know a *better* way. Post that better way by all means, but as something complimentary to the *official* instructions, not a rebuttal of them.

The instructions and path is the same process and no more complicated

was followed by 17 lines of instructions and 3 (once again, ridiculously small---need tuition in image manipulation?) screen shots. They involve extracting files, one at a time (every archive manager I know of supports the selection of multiple files) and then having to create new folders and move those files (consider creating the folders and just dragging and dropping out of the archive into the folders)

The instructions from SSS take up 19 lines, and that's it---no need to then copy/cut paste files and create new folders. Still think your instructions are no more complicated?

[august1929]

What bothers me is the hammer to crack a walnut instruction...

"Right-Click on ExeterKingswearAssets.ap, select 7Zip > Extract Here"

Excellent, there is now a totally unecessary duplication of the files inside the .ap - we have been here before haven't we..?

No subsequent instructions, having garnered the relevant .GeoPcDx files, on how to get rid of the (now) totally pointless duplicated files or how you might separate these out from any mods, audio, stock etc. you may already have installed.

No warnings about what you may be about to do!

I agree there is a limit to the instructions that can be provided, but I do think there should be some caution over encouraging total extraction of an .ap for the sake of a few files that can be easily dragged and dropped...a total of 3 .GeoPcDx files to be dragged to 1 (Cabview), 6 (Grange Engine) and 6 (King Tender) locations.

Rod

[black8]

I never extract to 'here' no matter what the instructions say. I always use the [name of .ap file\] in parentheses option, example: Extract to "BR185pack01Assets.ap\". This creates a new folder with the .ap file name and puts the extracted files in it. You can now copy-paste the file(s) you need from this folder, s.a. a .GeoPcDx file, and when finished delete the folder again. No addtional/duplicated files that you don't need.

Jos

[chrisonline]

I never extract to 'here' no matter what the instructions say. I always use the [name of .ap file\] in parentheses option, example: Extract to "BR185pack01Assets.ap\". This creates a new folder with the .ap file name and puts the extracted files in it. You can now copy-paste the file(s) you need from this folder, s.a. a .GeoPcDx file, and when finished delete the folder again. No addtional/duplicated files that you don't need.

Even that isn't necessary. Just open (i.e. view) the .ap contents, and you can drag the required files (e.g. usually the Geo files) out, either onto the desktop or directly into the required location. It doesn't delete them from the .ap file, so no damage done to the master files, and no extra level of folder creation and deletion

[august1929]

I never extract to 'here' no matter what the instructions say. I always use the [name of .ap file\] in parentheses option, example: Extract to "BR185pack01Assets.ap\". This creates a new folder with the .ap file name and puts the extracted files in it. You can now copy-paste the file(s) you need from this folder, s.a. a .GeoPcDx file, and when finished delete the folder again. No addtional/duplicated files that you don't need.

Jos

Good way and means you are able to get rid of the extracted files.

A possible problem, if you were either a route or a scenario creator, would be if the files were inadvertently not deleted and were accidentally later referenced and used from that new extracted location. Easily done , but good housekeeping would avoid this.

Rod

[chrisonline]

I never extract to 'here' no matter what the instructions say. I always use the [name of .ap file\] in parentheses option, example: Extract to "BR185pack01Assets.ap\". This creates a new folder with the .ap file name and puts the extracted files in it. You can now copy-paste the file(s) you need from this folder, s.a. a .GeoPcDx file, and when finished delete the folder again. No addtional/duplicated files that you don't need.

Jos

A possible problem, if you were either a route or a scenario creator, would be if the files were inadvertently not deleted and were accidentally later referenced and used from that new extracted location. Easily done , but good housekeeping would avoid this.

Rod

Good point . . said everyone here who has been sharing thoughts on this for a couple of years, not a couple of weeks. Including Gary who regularly picks up on the point. And I think Jos made the point that he deletes the folder after he is finished.

OK. I'm done now. I'll just bite my lip, grit my teeth, and look away.