Eighteen Inch Revisited

[kevmt]

Very nice , Andrew.

(Have to admit that I'm not sure what the loco is, though)

Cheers,
Kevin

[jefran]

Thanks, Kevin. I have finally got all my sines and cosines in the right places and the valve gear animation is now sorted out, though the details need to be added. Here is the current version in the old works yard, with the crew wondering if it will go into a shed made for rather smaller machinery.

Click the image to zoom in


The prototype is somewhat obscure, but it is one of the 4 on this page
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._G._Bagnall

[MuzTrem]

Looks good

[jefran]

Track laying and major stuctures are now complete, an extension to a brickworks has fallen victim to the downturn in the housing market, so it is now a case of tidying up, or untidying by introducing more clutter. Here is Dot in the last major building area, the iron foundry yard, collecting some 48in valve bodies, for machining in the old works.

Click the image to zoom in

[jefran]

By the stately home station the track takes a bend round and dived into the terrain. The idea that this would be a line to take supplies into the cellars, but I just planned to put a tunnel mouth with some doors and a stationary vehicle to discourage people from taking trains to nowhere. I recently travelled on a real 18in gauge railway, with battery electric power, and decided to do the job for real, so here is the estate's battery loco delivering coal to Lord XXX's residence, though there is obviously scope for other forms of traffic.

Click the image to zoom in


Click the image to zoom in


Click the image to zoom in


If I can arrange some flickering torches, it might improve the atmosphere.

[MuzTrem]

Wow! Something really unusual there, looks like great fun to drive

[kevmt]

That looks really good.

You should consider doing a ghost train ride!!

Cheers,
Kevin

[jefran]

Hmm, a ghost train - I'll see what I can do.

Meanwhile, back in the real virtual world, I have reached a point where I would like someone to test it for me. Would anyone be willing to have a go, and how do I get such big files around? (The route zips to 125MB)

[MuzTrem]

I'd certainly be up for testing! Breaking it down into several zip files which can be sent as email attachments might work, unless someone can come up with a better way?

[Nvincer]

http://www.yousendit.com

http://www.megaupload.com

Easy, Free, Quick, No Email!

Sorted!

Ben

[jefran]

Now that looks like the way to go, thanks Ben.

[Nvincer]

No worries

Ben

[jefran]

Murray's testing has thrown up a couple of things I need to deal with, non-summer textures and the behaviour of trains on very sharp curves, but otherwise it seems OK, and I am grateful for his willingness to try it.

The sawmill is now in business

Click the image to zoom in

and we have some vehicles that aren't Sentinels - here is the estate's Foden timber tractor.

I propose to sort out the problems Murray has found, add a few more vehicles, put some signs up, add a few more bushes, put some sounds in and then....... go for release.

[jefran]

This should be one of the last progress reports, Murray has found some more bugs, one of which was really quite exciting, involving the instant moving of a train from one location to another over a hundred yards away, and I have fixed them. Getting big vehicles round the very sharp (24ft radius) curves is not possible in real life, and some trains likewise stick in the sim.

I have been tidying up the stock to be included in the launch and getting permission from those people whose work I have borrowed. Nobody has been able to contact the maker of the pheasant, so I have done an up-market member of the pheasant family, evidence of both should be visible on shot below.

Click the image to zoom in


Subject to no more bugs coming to light, I am now trying to find out how to package the route, 4 locos, 2 coaches and some wagons for release early next month.

[MuzTrem]

Nice one Andrew As for packing, you could try making a .exe file; maybe, to keep file sizes down, you could do what Dave Ward did for the High Leigh route and make two installers, one for the route and one for the stock.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the final release.