LNWR Route

[crompton6566]

Hi all, I hear that a route dedicated to LNWR is in preparation, Does anyone have details of progress of this ?
Cheers,
Len

[rufuskins]

The route in question is described HERE. I understand that it may be released towards the end of the month or possibly April, but this is not a given. As usual we must all exercise a degree of patience, but there should be a fair amount of dedicated stock available that's for sure!

[eholly]

Hi Chaps

BLACK COUNTRY - LNWR 1920 route - by Brian Bere-Streeter has been released and is now available - UKTS_36696_Black_Country_LNWR.

I am currently working on my first activity for the route, but it is slow going, as I'm having to create #AI versions of the LNWR stock available as I go.

Cheers

Eric

[BrianB]

G'day Eric,

I was hoping that you would 'discover' Black Country - LNWR 1920.

I'm rubbish at making activities - but with the extensive new range of LNWR stock, we now have more than enough scope to create a really good range of interesting activities for this route.

I've offered a number of suggestions in the documentation. There is also the possibility of someone modifying some of Don's original 50s/60s activities back-dated to LNWR era.

So, thank you for 'taking on' this route and look forward to seeing some of your excellent activity work.

Best Regards, Brian Bere-Streeter


PS - Eric, if you need to make AI versions of any of my LNWR locos or stock, please feel free to do so - maybe with the activity you could add a separate folder with any AI eng/wag files that you may create.

[eholly]

Hi Brian

Nice to hear from you. I've started on a simple activity, an all stations Coventry to Wolverhampton. Thanks for the comprehensive documentation and yes, I will be adding an #AI folder to the upload.

This morning, I am downloading all the engines you have referred to from the UKTS library, then this afternoon will go through all the engineering files and create an #AI version of each.

I've already laid down a basic timetable and have created a few consists just to see how the route performed. Congrats on your depiction of the extensive canal system beyond New Street. As a kid living in Coventry after the war, I remember looking out of the grimy window of a third-class carriage at the canals as they passed by.

Hopefully, I have something for you to run quite soon - Mrs H permitting!

Cheers

Eric

[stephenrwells]

Hi Brian,

I, too, am creating one or two activities for your Black Country - LNWR 1920. I am, however, having trouble finding some of the stock referred to in your consists, I don't have the original Black Country Cd so I'm wondering if the missing items are there? I only found 2 activity suggestions in the Documentation - should there have been more? Also a list of the UKTS Download numbers would have been very helpful to speed up the search process. What I've seen so far is very impressive so using yours and Alec's LNWR stock will make for some very enjoyable activities. At one time I used to travel from Bicester to Lichfield City to see my mother when she lived there so my first activity is the Birmingham New Street to Lichfield City section.

Regards,

Stephen

[eholly]

Hi Stephen

I set up my BLACK COUNTRY LNWR as a stand alone mini-route. I am therefore experiencing no Stock problems as I started with both an empty Trains Folder and an empty Consists folder.

I have downloaded the engines, coaches and wagons from the list supplied by Brian, which gives me just the minimal amount of stock I need to create activities. Obviously I'm having to create #AI stock as well, but as my consists folder is empty at the start of proceedings, it will only fill with mine it it - thus avoiding MSTS looking for stock that I haven't got.

Hope this helps

Eric

[stephenrwells]

Hi Eric,

Thanks for your help - I've found more of the wagons, the coaches aren't a problem as Brian and Alec have produced plenty.

Regards,

Stephen

[stephenrwells]

Hi Brian & Eric,

Apologies - for once I've been guilty of not reading all the supplied documents - hence my inability to find some of the necessary stock.

Stephen

[eholly]

Hi Chaps

I'm having a few problems myself now! I can't place lamps on the front of some of these engines - despite carrying out the instructions provided by Brian in his documentation.

I have a stopping passenger to place front lamp(s) on and others, including express passenger and various goods.

Damn

Eric

[slipperman12]

Hi Eric,
The headlamp shape files are expecting the texture files to be in the loco's folder instead of in common.headcodes//DS_18ingoods. The goods locos' folder contains those texture files, but the others don't. However, even after putting the texture files into the Passenger locos' folder (I tested with Diadem), the lamps still don't show. because they are in completely the wrong place - just above the front bogie, under the footplate!

I believe the position of the lamps for individual locos can be adjusted using the first two numeric values after the shape file name in the FreightAnim entry.

Cheers,
Ged

[BrianB]

........................I don't have the original Black Country Cd so I'm wondering if the missing items are there? I only found 2 activity suggestions in the Documentation - should there have been more? Also a list of the UKTS Download numbers would have been very helpful to speed up the search process. .............................Stephen

Hi Stephen,

I have NOT used any stock from the original Black Country CD as it the period is too late for the 1920 era.

Apart from the 2 detailed activity suggestions, the included paths and consists hint at potential activities - i.e. the empty and loaded coalies from Bescot to Hednesford, Norton Junction and to the North and the South. All the passenger paths into/out of New Street, etc. Note also that my main intention was to run LNWR stock, but there is also scope to run a few trains over the MR lines and the NSR lines to Stoke.

UKTS numbers are included in the suggested stock list, however a few numbers were still unknown at the time of publishing.

Regards, Brian

[BrianB]

..................... I can't place lamps on the front of some of these engines - despite carrying out the instructions provided by Brian in his documentation.....................

Hi Eric,

There are NO lamps on any of my locos - making 'switchable' lamps is beyond my skills. The only switchable lamps are by others who included them, like Darwin's locos, etc.

Sorry, whilst it may be a nice feature, but personally I don't go to the extent of setting up correct headlamp codes.

Regards, Brian

[slipperman12]

Hi,
Apologies to Brian - the loco with the head lamps is Darwin Smith's "Cauliflower".
It's not possible to use its headlamps for Brian's locos because they're not aligned correctly, although, no doubt, someone will be able to do it!

Cheers,
Ged

[eholly]

Hi Chaps

Thanks for the info ref the lamp positioning Ged. I'll give it another go by fiddling with the variables again. Problem is, that if I'm successful in this endeavor, I'll have to ship the eng.files as part of the activity upload - otherwise my users will have to fiddle around as well before the activity will run. I am already committed to uploading the #AI files where necessary.

Brian, I couldn't consider uploading an activity where none of the engines had headcodes, (even incorrect codes), - that's not my style.

Cheers

Eric