14th October 2011

Just a quick note to report that the previously mentioned Raquette Railroad route for Trainz has been uploaded to the N3V DLS and can be found as <KUID2:30024:20060:1> , alternatively the route is also hosted at UKTS file library, File ID: 27390. If you download from UKTS you will still need to log on to the N3V DLS to acquire the required third party assets.

Now although I'm quite pleased with how the route turned out, together with the speed and ease with which Surveyor lets you put it together, unfortunately on completion the biggest ongoing handicap is revealed - what do you give people to do with it? I created a couple of sessions where players can follow the train but even after all these years it is still pretty much impossible to set up goal orientated activities or scenarios for the actual player. You can't run to a preset timetable, you can't give a manifest list - it's all free play (plus of course having to manually switch points as you go along, diesel locos don't consume fuel). It may look nice and realistic, but sadly it's still really just the model railway - albeit to a prototypical size - that Trainz always was.

So that has created a bit of a dilemna for my next projects. I know the results will be much quicker to achieve in Trainz, but it frustrates me as a route builder to offer end users little more than a free roam experience.

Which of course leads back to Railworks or rather Train Simulator 2012 as it seems to want to be known. After much tweaking, I have managed to get the Editors running satisfactorily on the laptop in so called legacy mode albeit this is somewhat slower and draggy than in RW2. I have started work on a short test route but have already abandoned any attempt to put superelevation on the track as it is a painstaking process laying track with easements in order to achieve this. In legacy mode the background hills look exactly like they did in RW2, fade to white so you can't see what is needed to achieve the required effect in TS2012 with the enhanced draw distance. And reading between the lines on the forums I do begin to get the impression that Train Simulator 2012 is slowly trying to move away from the freeware level of content creation. There have already been reports that items created in 3D Canvas/Crafter for existing routes fail to display properly, glow in the dark or have washed out colours. As this is the budget 3D modelling package used by most creators at this level, certainly represents a bit of a blow.

However, Railworks does have the ability to create meaningful player scenarios and timetable runs which make a route worthwhile to build in the first place. So I guess like it or not, Railworks it has to be. MSTS is old and dusty and none of the utilities work readily on modern 64 bit PC's, if at all. Zusi 3 is still floating in "sometime" land and is an unknown quantity as to whether the editors will be more comprehensible than Zusi 2 and available in English.

3rd October 2011

Have been keeping a low profile for a while, partly while waiting to see what happened with the Railworks update and partly because I was suffering from route builders angst.

Anyhow, good news. I have been working away the last few weeks on a Trainz route (TS2009) based on the Raquette River Railroad in upstate New York. This is a long closed branch line off the itself mothballed New York Central line from Remsen to Montreal. A short stretch of the NYC, from Thendara to Big Moose, is included with the Raquette line which branches off at Carter Junction. The route now has all primary 3D placement done and just needs signalling etc., plus clutter placing and a bit of testing. I am very encouraged by how the route is looking and how quick it has been to build compared to what the equivalent will be in Railworks.

Now, sad to say but I think it will be a very, very long time (if ever) before you see another Railworks route from me, as a result of RSC's last update to "TS2012" (aka RW3). Most of you have probably read the wide ranging discussions on the forums about the bugs and graphics performance issues which I won't repeat here. However, the bottom line is my new laptop purchased this year, which ran RW2 quite satisfactorily now presents a stuttering slideshow even with the settings dialled down and running in the so called legacy mode (supposedly emulating RW2). That includes the editors. So by a combination of not being able to use RW3 on the laptop and my waning interest in the programme, my interest in producing content for it has evaporated. The RSC update IMHO goes to show where train simming is concerned, looks are not everything and efforts should have been diverted into improving other aspects, such as AI and signalling.

5th August 2011

Just a quick note to say I have switched development of the Achill branch from TS12 to Railworks. After a few days working on it, certain aspects of Trainz were just niggling me particularly after attempting a short drive across the small section I'd applied scenery to. So yes, a few days production lost and it will take longer to do the route in Railworks but I have to say I think RW will do more justice to the vision of the route I would eventually like to share with the community.

2nd August 2011

Wow. Cobwebs and tumbleweeds. Been a while since I visited this part of my site but as I just announced on the front page I'm pleased to report another Railworks route has spawned from my imagination. This one is based on the famous Blackpool Tramway and I'm quite proud to report has already racked up 500 downloads at UKTS in just over a week. If you're interested, the UKTS file library id is: 26957.

The release of two routes has spurred things along a bit and increased my motivation levels. I was originally planning to build the next route in Railworks based on the Calgary (Canada) C-Train urban transit and someone has kindly already made me a copy of Calgary Tower. However that along with a couple of other fledging RW projects have been put on the backburner for a bit - partly because there's little point starting any new route project for Railworks until the big autumn update has arrived and bedded in and also as I'm just getting a bit jaded with the Railworks scene and the forums (again!). So instead I've fired up the latest Trainz version TS12 and started work on a delightful little branch line from the west of Ireland - Westport to Achill. Although I've been mildly critical of TS12, it is refreshing to step back into Surveyor after the clunky and buggy RW editor to have a go at doing something a bit different. The route is only around 26 miles so I'm hoping it will be the "usual" two month or thereabouts project.

30th May 2011

Very pleased to report that after 4 to 5 weeks of perseverance I have finally broken my route building "duck" and got a route out in the public domain for Railworks. It's called "Bell to Lithgow and the Zigzag Railway" which, as the name suggests, is based on an Australian prototype. You can download it from the file library at UK Trainsim, navigate to the file library and look for File ID: 26601. It's not a route that will take hours to drive but hopefully provide a little interest and more especially has been a boost to my confidence in actually getting something released.

On the back of that success I've started a new project based on a UK prototype, actually doing one of my old MSTS routes (more later). This will still be done in Railworks and hopefully involve other members of the community as a joint venture. I had considered doing a Trainz route next but, meargh, the Trainz scene seems to be in a bit of flux. TS12 has turned out to be a glorified content pack in the style of Trainz Classics (but full price) and seems to have a fair share of problems. It doesn't include all of the legacy content from earlier versions, this has to be downloaded off the Auran DLS, nor is there compatability mode for older content unless this has been brought up to date. So I refuse to labour away in TS2010 on something that probably won't work correctly in TS12 and there seems little point in buying TS12 with so little built in content. Bear in mind despite all the hype this is a sim which still draws points and crossings with no visible checkrails or frogs, has no real means of controlling curve radius and still relies on the player/driver to act as their own navigator/signaller finding your way through a route. I also doubt TS2012 would even run on the new laptop as mentioned below. Pass... at least until it hits the £9.99 bargain bin.

23rd April 2011

Still been having trouble rebooting my route building activity. Part of the problem is the ultra high quality of many of the commercial and other freeware routes being released puts a dent in the confidence as to whether what I'm capable of producing is up to scratch anymore!

However far from wallowing in self pity I am continuing to try and get something going. My latest caper is to try and reproduce some of the long closed mountain lines in the Balkans, starting with the spectacular route across the mountains to Dubrovnik. This is only at an early stage and with something like 130km of route to build and scenify is a huge undertaking that may take several months. On the other hand parts of the route pass through such desolate terrain they make the West Highland line look like Kent, so hopefully that will speed up progress a little bit. Another fantastic route is the Gostivar to Ohrid line, where trains took 17 hours to travel 220km! However I think that one will be waiting for the core improvements RSC are talking about and while I've compromised and built the Dubrovnik line in standard gauge, the Ohrid really needs to be built to 2ft narrow gauge. Unfortunately we don't as yet have any ng motive power in Railworks with the power and range to handle that type of operation.

Another lesson learned and one which I actually made a resolution about is to pretty much withdraw from discussion about Railworks on the forums. It's probably me and my big mouth, but recently these all seem to end up in an almighty bunfight and the negative feelings that produces are not conducive to productive route building. So, unless I absolutely decide there is something I must speak on or to support content I have released, you will see alot less of me on public forums in the forseeable future.

26th February 2011

Been a while since I last posted and there have been quite a few changes since then.

The most exciting event is that I finally pensioned off the 3+ year old Dell laptop and replaced it with something a good deal more up to date. No connection other than a satisfied customer but if you are looking for a good laptop deal try these guys - PC Specialist - they allow you to customise your build and the total price comes in considerably less than you would pay for a similar machine at Comet or Currys. Also has the advantage of coming with a "proper" Windows 7 disc and drivers, none of this restore partition nonsense the big names now go for. The only downside is that the production time can be quite lengthy - mine took just under two weeks from order to delivery but that is to be expected when it is not being supplied off the shelf.

So armed with upgraded hardware I've been largely dabbling at the moment with a few projects that took my fancy. The real hope was that the new laptop would cope with Trainz TS2009 and TS2010 without the crashes and lockups the old one was experiencing. However even though the new machine has all the bells and whistles to run TS2010, including a 64 bit O/S, it is still struggling and crashing. I in no way attribute this to the hardware but to TS2010 which just seems to have been put together and overstuffed in such a way that very few computers can actually run it. Guess that's what happens when you keep bolting bits on and hacking about 10 year old code, rather than going back to scratch. (I hasten to add TS2010 seems to function okay when driving, it's the editor functions which kill the hardware).

I'm going to keep trying sporadically with TS2010, the backup being to develop in TS2006 and swap the work across later to finish it. However the upshot at the moment is I've plunged back into Railworks. However rather than a UK or European prototype I've been casting my eyes "down under" with a look at some of the quite interesting lines found in Australia. I can thoroughly recommend the NSWRail site which has a comprehensive database of open and closed routes throughout New South Wales. Coming back to Trainz, many of these have actually been built for the sim - my particular favourite being the branch to Tumbarumba! Of course there's numerous other interesting rail routes in Australia ranging from the famous Puffing Billy narrow gauge near Adelaide, the Pichi Richi which runs out of Port Augusta on the route taken by the old Ghan to the remote industrial lines in the desert and outback area.

Now while the temptation to do the Mount Newman railway down to Port Hedland with its two mile long ore trains was hard to resist, for my first effort I've gone with something more modest. Near Perth in Western Australia there used to be a route that zig-zagged up thrpugh the hills to Karamunda to Karragullen, part of the Upper Darling Range Railway. With a quadruple zig-zag and gradients up to 1 in 30 this is my kind of route. Work has started and will hopefully progress towards a release in a couple of months time.

15th January 2011

Following on from my Op-Ed on the main page a few days ago, I'm still mulling over where I want to go with any further route development for Railworks. My initial reaction was to scrap everything and say sod it all, as this latest little incident is just one of many factors which serves to put me off the RW scene. I mean for God's sake, a developer threatening to sue over a negative review or a bit of criticism beggars belief. While I support and understand why UKTS have literally plastered "caveat emptors" and disclaimers around their forum it creates an uncomfortable atmosphere. It also cannot be denied by discouraging critical discussion of Railworks (or any other sim) it suddenly makes the moderators' task much easier. What's surprised me is how quietly some of the usually more vociferous members have taken the new policy with hardly a peep of discussion or dissent. Still, how they run their site is how they run their site I guess...

So far as the Dornoch line is concerned, I've done some half hearted 3D placement over the last few days but can't muster the enthusiasm to really push on and get it finished. In line with my New Year resolution I haven't deleted it (or Railworks) just yet but it was a close run thing. My finger hovered over the Uninstall button in Control Panel and only just reprieved by TS2009 deciding to go on a bit of a go slow, which was hopefully a glitch due to the laptop doing something in the background, probably fetching 2Gb worth of Windows updates or something.

All in all, in a bit of a state of flux at the moment - hopefully next time I post in the diary it will be with some more positive information.

4th January 2011

Just a quick update on what's happening. With the announcement by RSC that they are releasing their own third rail electrified route (Woking to Pompey) later in the year I decided to put the Oxted project on ice for a little while and turn my attention to something a little off beat using resources from the Falmouth pack. That project is the Dornoch branch line in Northern Scotland, together with a few miles of the Far North line either side. Construction is progressing well, with most 3D placement done on the branch itself, now turning to The Mound junction and the main line section (which at present runs from Rogart to Golspie). So far as release is concerned I'm probably looking at late January/early February if all goes well.

The intention is to keep this route ticking over as a long term project, the intention being to add the other two branches south of Helmsdale (to Strathpeffer and Muir of Ord to Fortrose) at some point backfilling the Far North "main line" too.

However for the sake of variety this will be interspersed with other projects, the two top contenders at present being part of the former Yugoslavia narrow gauge system and the Blaenau Ffestiniog to Bala line in North Wales. There's also the possibility of building the Yugo route in Trainz but I'm on the fence with that idea at the moment. Trainz seems to be a sim in flux at present, lots of issues being reported on the N3V forum about DLS problems, plus an initial attempt to match the maps to DEM data in Transdem failed to work properly. However given the dense forests surrounding part of the route, so far as doing it in Railworks is concerned it may be worth waiting until the promised new "multiple object" items are added later in the year, also there's still a lack of suitable narrow gauge locos with the power and range to undertake heavy haul and relatively long distance runs. An element of chicken and egg. Anyhow guess the situation has three of four weeks to resolve itself while I finish up with Dornoch and a decision can be taken then whether to chance the bearpit of Trainz or build a compromised standard gauge version in RW.

12th December 2010

Return Of The Route Building Diary!

After taking the page down a few weeks ago, I've had a change of heart and decided to restore it - but along much tighter criteria than before. Not so much whinging, not so much soapbox - but a more structured approach to my adventures in building train sim routes.

So what are the current "live" projects...?

Well first of all I started a short Scandinavian route in Railworks based on the mothballed Tinnosbanen in Southern Norway - Telemark (As in Heroes Of). This is an electrified 34km single track branch line which traverses some quite stunning gorge and mountain scenery and the project is still very much live, however... In the meantime the release of a freeware 4EPB Southern Region EMU for Railworks has persuaded me to look at doing a small UK third rail route on which to run this (and the 4SUB unit which is also due for release). I have chosen to do part of the Oxted lines in Sussex, with the electrified portion between East Grinstead and Woldingham plus a short 4 mile spur of the diesel Uckfield line as far as Edenbridge. Not a massive route, about 17 miles in total but the idea is to have something up and running reasonably quickly - it can always be extended at a later stage. Biggest problem with a Southern Region route is that, while you might not need to worry too much about freight terminals, you can't go too far without running into massively complex multiple track configurations or large depot/siding complexes. It's also an area where it can be hard to define the "cut off" point at which you stop laying track or spurs to other routes. So I'm quite happy with my initial choice, it's certainly going to be towards the end of January before the route sees a release.

One other piece of upbeat news, I've finally managed to get Trainz TS2009 optimised to run on the laptop - actually it was a case of amending the Nvidia settings for trainz.exe which were totally wrong. I have been dabbling with a route or two in that, the biggest stumbling block being that, despite the swift progress possible in Surveyor, those funky points with no frogs/checkrails, no autonomous routing and no built in structured timetable leave me cold so far as operations are concerned. However, at least I have the programme running satisfactorily so can cross a new laptop off Santa's list (fat chance of me getting one though!!).