Ay Valley Route V2 - Fix for Missing Assets

Unfortunately a small number of files were omitted from the main route package; these can be found here:

http://www.4shared.com/archive/Q8bjnD9W/Ay_Valley_Extra_Assets.html?

If you have previously installed version 1 of the route, this file should not be necessary

Ay Valley Route Version 2

The Ay Valley route is a fictional network of lines set in the West of England, focused on a main line that runs roughly parallel to the real-world Great Western Main Line. The focus time period is approximately from 1990 to the present day, although it is possible to run scenarios set in the 1970s and 80s as well with a little artistic license.

This portion of the route focuses on the major city of Westhampton, with the emphasis on urban and suburban passenger and local freight services.

Version 2 of the route extends the total end-to-end driving distance by approximately twenty miles in a south-easterly direction from Denbigh Park to three separate destinations at Barrowmere, Hazelgrove and Hurlesdown.

http://www.4shared.com/archive/uO0J-R0D/Ay_Valley_Route_V2.html?

Scenario Pack 1: Variety Pack

Scenario Pack 1 features ten standard scenarios, each requiring one additional item of DLC:


1. Barrowmere And Back: Class 153 Advanced by Just Trains. 45 minutes; easy.
2. Hazelgrove - Northcut Yard Aggregates: Class 70 by RailSimulator.com. 55 minutes; hard.
3. Hazelgrove - Westhampton Cross Country: Voyager Advanced by Just Trains. 30 minutes; easy.
4. Hobley Grange - Tetherton: Class 150/2 by Thomson Interactive/Oovee. 25 minutes; easy.
5. Leaves  On The Line: Class 20 Collection by Just Trains. 20 minutes; medium
6. Morning Post: Class 67 by RailSimulator.com. 30 minutes; easy.
7. Stonehollow Quarry - Stratton Vale Up Yard: Class 33 by RailSimulator.com. 45 minutes; hard.
8. Sunday Evening Engineer's Train: Class 31 by RailSimulator.com. 60 minutes; medium.
9. Tetherton - Westhampton: Class 142 "Pacer" by Armstrong Powerhouse/Waggonz. 20 minutes; easy.
10. Westhampton - Haverthorpe Early Shift: Class 142 "Pacer" by Armstrong Powerhouse/Waggonz. 25 minutes; medium.

http://www.4shared.com/archive/aStF9Qvn/AyValleyScenarioPack01.html?

Scenario Pack 2: Class 37


Scenario Pack 2 comprises six standard scenarios, each requiring the Class 37 Pack by RailSimulator.com and the UKTS Freeware Pack - UK Carriages #1, available from http://www.uktrainsim.com/filelib-info.php?form_fileid=27132.

Summary

1. Hurlesdown - Haverthorpe Passenger. 40 minutes; easy.
2. Northcut Yard - Longheath Yard Tanks. 45 minutes; very hard.
3. Stratton Vale Up Yard - Stonehollow Quarry. 60 minutes; very hard.
4. Weekend Engineering Preparations. 70 minutes; very hard.
5. Windingways Quarry - Northcut Yard. 50 minutes; medium.
6. WoE Postal Hub - Hazelgrove Parcels. 50 minutes; hard.

http://www.4shared.com/archive/K45uyadK/AyValleyScenarioPack02.html?

Full list of the requirements for the route is included in the enclosed PDF manuals.
The route and scenario packs are also available from RW-Trainsim.co.uk and (currently pending) UKTrainSim.com

S

First Impressions

So, Train Simulator 2013 has officially launched through Steam...

Was how I was going to start an in depth review of the changes the latest update has brought about. But I've been too busy playing the thing (and enjoying playing it) to have time. It has brought improvements across the board, not t he least of which is the vastly improved performance on evening the most demanding of routes. Philadelphia 30th Street Staion on the North East Corridor route was previously a very slow and tedious slideshow, now it looks like the busy commuter hub it is supposed too as trains pass by seamlessly. The same is true of central Glasgow on the WCML route.

Great job all round by RailSimulator.com - have a hobnob on me!

Cheers

S

What's In A Name?

As September is upon us again, it is nearly time for what has become something of an annual event; RailSimulator.com's latest instalment of Railworks. Except this year, it isn't.
From September 20 2012 users will automatically receive a free upgrade to Train Simulator 2013 when they log in to Steam.
As usual, there are a host of new features and improvements coming our way (I'm not going in to detail over these here, they can be found at http://www.railsimulator.com/newsdetail.php?Ref=428), but there is, to me at least, one glaring omission; no mention whatsoever of the word "Railworks".
Now, this isn't me ranting about RailSimulator.com continuing to evolve the program; over the last 2-3 years this has brought us some massive leaps forward in the realism stakes, such as interactive road traffic at level crossings, variable ride quality, superelevated curves and improved ambient lighting to name but a few.
However, one of the things that led me to pick up Railworks over any of the other railway simulators out there was the name. Railworks as a name is just brimming with potential and reflects the vast possibilities within the program itself. You can drive pretty much any type of rail traffic imaginable from many regions of Europe and America; create your own timetables, missions or scenarios or one of the many high quality routes available for the program; you can create your own route or railway within the vast, open world editor; you can build 3D models in other programs such as Blender to place in, decorate and customise your routes.
On the other hand, the alternatives are all rather lacking in the naming department. Trainz sounds rather frivolous with that somewhat juvenile "z" appended to it. BVE offers no indication that it is a rail simulator. And (significantly) Microsoft's Train Simulator sounds rather po-faced and serious (and, dare I say it, just a little dull).
Yet RailSimulator.com have chosen to adopt the Train Simulator moniker for their program, evolving from Railworks to Railworks 2: Train Simulator to Train Simulator 2012: Railworks 3 to this years forthcoming Train Simulator 2013.
I'm sure there are sound commercial reasons for adopting this change of name. As mentioned above, it is important that the name of the program gives a strong indication of the content, especially for newcomers to the genre who have limited foreknowledge of the programs that are available. Train Simulator is undoubtedly a "Ronseal" name; it does exactly what it says on the box and that can only be a good thing in terms of attracting new users to the program and for the commercial success of RailSimulator.com.
But I can't help but feeling that Railworks is a far more evocative and fun name for the program, and one that does convey to the potential buyer the core gist of the game while also hinting at the huge possibilities for more creative use contained in the program.

Steve

Tanks Very Much!

Malcolm Mackay has just released another pack of very fine freeware wagons over at http://www.dpsimulation.org.uk/, this time the two axle TTV tank wagons that were a common sight on Britain's rail network in the 70s and 80s. Download them here: http://www.dpsimulation.org.uk/rollingstock.html. Massive thanks to Malcolm for another impressive addition to his fleet of completely free rolling stock for Railworks. Appalling pun courtesy of me!

Steve

Ten of the best... freeware edition

AKA A Sunday evening list

In no particular order, and with the only criteria for inclusion being that I like 'em! I have tried to highlight some of the routes that are perhaps a little bit less well known or publicised though, so there are a few "obvious" routes that I have omitted as their quality is well known and I often see them talked about around t'interweb (Cresston, Wales & Borders to name but two; there are obviously many, many more).

As usual, non-inclusion is indicative of nothing more than that I have not gotten around to giving a route a good drive. Sorry!

1. Four Counties (AKA Yeovil Back From The Past)
2. The Central Route
3. The Mayflower Line
4. Ribble Island (R.I.) Lines
5. Settle to Carlisle 1960s
6. Blyth & Tyne
7. Kanturk to Newmarket (Eire)
8. Westhouses & Blackwell Branch
9. The Crabenmore Branch
10. Western Rails

Steve

Brighton Belle

Richard Scott has created a fantastic rendition of the Brighton Belle Pullman EMU for use on RailSimulator.com's excellent Brighton Main Line route. This is a completely free addon and is available on UKTrainsim.com here: http://uktrainsim.com//filelib-info.php?form_fileid=29327. Richard also produced the brilliant 4SUB and 2BIL EMUs amongst a host of other free rolling stock for Railworks and Rail Simulator.

Ten of the best

List time... simply my ten favourite commercial routes, in no particular order.

1. Edinburgh to Glasgow (Thomson Interactive)
2. Bristol to Exeter (Just Trains)
3. London to Brighton (RailSimulator.com)
4. Settle to Carlisle (RailSimulator.com)
5. Newark to Peterborough (Creative Rail)
6. Portland Terminal (G-Traxx)
7. Woodhead (RailSimulator.com)
8. Totham (Just Trains)
9. China Clay For Export (Creative Rail)
10. Falmouth Branch Line (RailSimulator.com)

This was actually far harder to compile than I thought it would be. The fact that I have left out excellent routes such as The Isle of Wight, West Coast Main Line and Glasgow Airport Rail Link (to name just three) only goes to show what a fantastic choice of routes there now is for Railworks.

More Free Wagons

Another new item of rolling stock has been made available for Railworks in the form of an unfitted 12 ton coke wagon by Peter Ellis http://members.uktrainsim.com//filelib-info.php?form_fileid=29220. Peter has previously modelled a number of custom buildings in the Kirkby Stephen area that can be seen in John Griffiths' excellent, free Settle & Carlisle route http://members.uktrainsim.com/filelib-info.php?form_fileid=28298.

S

New Free Wagons for Railworks 3

The very talented Malcolm Mackay has just released three new and completely free wagon packs for Train Simulator 2012 over at DPSimulation.org.uk, which is rapidly becoming a must-visit site for Railworks freeware and also hosts exclusive free content from Darren Porter (Darpor) and Peter Gillam (karma99). The wagons featured include:

• BDV Bolster D Pack
• BPV Boplate E Pack
• FEV Conflat E Coke

and are available here: http://www.dpsimulation.org.uk/rollingstock.html. Many thanks to Malcolm for making these available to everyone.

S

Doug Smith, 1977-2012

With great sadness I have heard of the passing of Doug Smith, proprietor of smittyslocomotiveshed.com, AKA HeavyChevy at the age of just 35. Doug was a very active member of the US Railworks community and my thoughts are with his family and friends at this time. S

Class 47 Megapack from Vulcan Productions

VP have released another excellent freeware pack featuring some brilliant new liveries by Nattydred; perfect for fans of the later BR era. 
Featured liveries include:

• GWR 150 Green

• Highland and Eastfield Large Logo

• Stratford white-roofed Large Logo

• Scotrail

• Original and revised Network SouthEast

Get it here: http://www.vulcanproductions.net/br-class-47-collection.html
S

Holyhead Breakwater Railway & Ay Valley V. 1 Uploaded

I have now uploaded both of these routes, now pending approval on UKTS and available on RW-Trainsim.co.uk. 4Shared links below.


Holyhead Breakwater Railway


The Holyhead Breakwater Railway was a stretch of industrial railway or tramway approximately 2 ½ miles in length that served to carry stone blocks from a quarry on Holyhead Mountain (Mynydd Twr) to  the Holyhead Breakwater, at just under 1 ¾ miles in length, the longest breakwater in the United Kingdom. The line was entirely isolated from the national rail network and ceased to be used in 1980, its sole function being usurped by lorry traffic. It is perhaps best known today for being the final home of the British Rail Andrew Barclay Class 01 0-4-0 diesel shunter.

The route as represented here for Railworks 3: Train Simulator 2012 depicts the breakwater railway network at its most extensive, with sidings located at the quarry carved deep in to the side of Holyhead Mountain linked to a small engine shed at Soldier’s Point by a single track that descends a gradient of approximately 1 in 50, a brace of sidings on the wharf at the mainland end of the breakwater and three short loops on the breakwater itself. The approximate period setting for the route is the early 1970s, but like many other industrial backwaters in Great Britain, little of substance seems to have changed since the 1930s.

http://www.4shared.com/archive/ZHImvUcp/Holyhead_Breakwater_Railway.html?

Ay Valley Route


The Ay Valley route is a fictional network of lines set in the West of England, focused on a main line that runs roughly parallel to the real-world Great Western Main Line. The focus time period is approximately from 1990 to the present day, although it is possible to run scenarios set in the 1970s and 80s as well with a little artistic license.

This portion of the route focuses on the major city of Westhampton, with the emphasis on urban and suburban passenger and local freight services.


http://www.4shared.com/archive/Xn-ybmfQ/Ay_Valley_Route.html?

Full list of requirements for each route are included in the enclosed PDF manuals.

S

Holyhead Breakwater Railway

This is something I have been attracted to for a long time. This unique stretch of industrial railway (or to be more accurate; tramway) was at its most extensive no more than two and a half miles in length and is perhaps best known as the final resting place of the BR class 01 diesel shunter.
It is to my mind the ultimate single purpose railway, existing entirely for the purpose of moving stone blocks from the quarry on Holyhead Mountain (Mynydd Twr) to the breakwater in order to maintain the structural integrity of the breakwater. I have modelled the line at it's most extensive when it ran from the quarry on Holyhead Mountain all the way down to the far end of the Holyhead breakwater itself via an engine shed at Soldier's Point and a small siding complex on the wharf at the mainland end of the breakwater. In later years the line was truncated just beyond the engine shed, and stone conveyed by lorry from the quarry to the wharf.
The line itself is steeply graded, and although I have been unable to unearth an actual gradient profile, the ruling gradient of approximately 1 in 50 seems a fair "guesstimate". In an additional break from reality, I have added three passenger platforms along the route at the quarry, Soldier's Point and breakwater lighthouse to increase operational potential. I also intend to add rudimentary signalling (probably using modified ground semaphore discs) to allow more than one-engine-in-steam operation.
I hope to have the route completed withing the next week or so, and uploaded to both UKTrainSim and RW-Trainsim.co.uk as freeware. Please note that I have made extensive use of assets from the Phorum Peninsula charity route and the Falmouth Branch Line by RailSimulator.com, both available on Steam, for this route.
Further information on the history, heritage and present day activities of the Holyhead breakater and its associated railway can be found at the excellent http://www.holyheadbreakwater.com/index.htm.

Things to look forward to #2

The fourth and final incarnation of the wonderful Cresston by Darren Porter will be arriving shortly over at http://www.dpsimulation.org.uk/. Slightly delayed (blame Network Rail - I hear the track gang made a bit of a cock-up!) but sure to be well worth the wait, clocking in at an impressive 200+ miles of track and with a whole heap of quality custom assets included