Annie's Virtual Pre-Grouping, Grouping and BR Layouts & Workbench

[Annie]

44 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

I find that photo of North Star (?) a bit disturbing - it seems to be hanging in mid air rather than on the wall. It must be something to do with the perspective but I haven't quite worked out what.

 

Nice cat.

It should be flat against the wall.  I wonder if it's shifted somehow.  I shall take a look at it.

[Caley Jim]

10 hours ago, Annie said:

My last cat was a much loved old moggy, but he had a bad habit of getting in amongst the Lego city I was building at the time and causing havoc.

Quite right too! You had no business paying attention to that instead of his needs! 

 

Dogs have masters, cats have staff. 

 

Jim 

[Annie]

3 hours ago, Annie said:

It should be flat against the wall.  I wonder if it's shifted somehow.  I shall take a look at it.

That is very strange as the picture frame was flat against the wall with no gap when i had a look at it.  It must've been the camera view angle that made it look like there was a gap.

 

4 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

I find that photo of North Star (?) a bit disturbing

It's an old photo of 'Argus'.

[Annie]

Coal Tank testing on Lickey in Trainz TMR2017.  For a small engine it's being decidedly difficult.  I normally do my reskin and texture work in TS2012, but the lighting effects are different in the later 64 bit versions of Trainz and in this case they are washing out the colour density in my texture work so it looks different to how it is in TS2012.  Most people run my models in the later versions of Trainz so I'm always having to bear in mind how my texture work might be changed by the later lighting effects.

 

[Adam88]

https://chasewaterstuff.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/bashers-gadgets-and-mourners-the-life-and-times-of-the-lnwr-coal-tanks/

 

I ordered a copy of this book in the summer and fully recommend it.  You get 250+ pages of photographs, drawings, restoration info relating to 1054, anecdotes, service and modification details, lists, modern image (LMS and BR), etc, etc.  Very good value for a monograph which represents a real labour of love.  I doubt many copies have filtered through to the s/h market yet.  There are just too many fascinating railway books being published and I succumb too easily to their attractions.

[Annie]

Thanks very much Adam, I certainly should try and track a copy down to add to my library.  BUT not at the moment though as I've just had to pay for a lot of boring household purchases and I'll have to wait until my wallet recovers.

[Annie]

After a fair bit of frowning and doing arcane things with graphics editing software the Coal Tank is looking a lot better.

 

'Lackwit' is the name of a coal merchant whose business is served by my Hopewood Tramway.  With me being thick headed sleepy at the moment a train of 'Lackwit' PO wagons is highly appropriate.

 

 

 

 

[rocor]

On 10/11/2020 at 12:22, Annie said:

That is very strange as the picture frame was flat against the wall with no gap when i had a look at it.  It must've been the camera view angle that made it look like there was a gap.

 

It's an old photo of 'Argus'.

 

I believe it is the lack of shadows that the picture against the wall would throw, that gives the impression that it is floating in the room.

[Annie]

1 hour ago, rocor said:

 

I believe it is the lack of shadows that the picture against the wall would throw, that gives the impression that it is floating in the room.

Shadows in the TS2012 version of the simulator aren't very good so I have them switched off, but I think you are right, - it's the lack of a shadow under the picture frame that makes it look odd.

[Annie]

Yet more Coal Tank testing.  I discovered that TMR2017 is a bit buggy and doesn't interpret the scripts (magic incantations) in the Coal Tank's config file correctly which was making me think there were errors with the Coal Tank that needed fixing when there was nuffing wrong.  So I scooted the Coal Tank over to the Minehead branch in TS2019 and suddenly all was well.  (Yay!)  

 

Being entirely not interested in prototype fidelity I coupled up all the wagons in Minehead's good yard and headed out towards Stogumber.  Some of the wagons were mid-19th century LNWR so I guess that made it alright.

 

 

 

Dunster.

 

 

Approaching Blue Anchor.

 

 

Williton.  Aaaaand guess who forgot to take any snaps at Stogumber.  

 

 

 

 

Edited November 12, 2020 by Annie
fumble brain

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Must start viewing this topic more often.

 

Douglas

[Jol Wilkinson]

Disappointing that whoever drew the Coal Tank didn't get the distinctive H spoke wheels correct. Very obvious in the more "side" on " views.

[Annie]

56 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

Disappointing that whoever drew the Coal Tank didn't get the distinctive H spoke wheels correct. Very obvious in the more "side" on " views.

Believe me Jol if the correct H spoke wheels had been available I would have used them.  The Coal Tank is an older model for the Trainz simulator and my aim was to try and make it a bit better than it was and update it so it would work well in the current version of Trainz.  I don't know how to do 3D modelling work so I was limited to trying to improve the texturing and repairing various configuration errors.  I did change the wheels because the originals were awful things, but had to accept that while better modelled they weren't correct.

[Annie]

More Coal Tank testing with a BR version this time.  Having already figured out the new attachment points and magical incantations in the config file for the LMS version made it a lot quicker to get this one done.

 

 

[Annie]

The Fairford Flyer.  Taking a break from repairing digital locomotives I decided to take a look at an old TS2009 layout, - the Fairford Branch.  I'm not sure what I'll do with it as yet, but it is scale length and attention has been given to getting the details right within the limits of what was available for Trainz at the time.

 

[Annie]

I wanted a break from upgrading and repairing other people's locomotives so I decided to work on making some reskin textures for various older buildings made by a member of the creator group I belong to.  I have this diabolical plan to modify that old TS2009 Fairford Branch layout into a light railway branchline which means that I needed some suitable station buildings.

The aim is to have buildings with a 'corporate' image if I might be permitted to use that word so you might see more of that grotty faded yellow paintwork with green trim before I'm done.

 

These snaps were taken on an old layout section that I sometimes use for taking test images so it's not my new project just yet.

 

Station building.

 

 

Platform shelter.

 

 

Small platform signal box/lever frame shed.  (And yes I couldn't help myself and I used that place name again)

 

Edited November 15, 2020 by Annie
fumble brain

[Annie]

I found an old TS2009 back up file and it had the TS2004 layout 'Turks Castle' on it which was a Broad Gauge version of the Minehead branch.  This would have been from when I first discovered this layout and it was my introduction to the Broad Gauge.

 

'Sagittarius' with a somewhat implausible passenger train heading toward Dunster, - but I didn't know much about the Broad Gauge back then.  Truth be told 'Sagittarius' shouldn't be on the Minehead branch at all, but for all that I did have a lot of fun with this old layout before eventually deciding to rebuild it.

 

[Annie]

More LNWR Coal Tank testing.  And the last one makes three; - which means that I've updated and fettled all the versions of the Coal Tank now and I can have a little rest.  They were not an easy set of engines to sort out as they had some very strange scripting in their config files as well as texture maps that were a bit of a challenge to say the least.

 

 

 

[Jake The Rat]

What's the opposite of megalomania - microlomania?   I'm afraid I'm suffering from it. My newest project is even smaller than the Hornby trackmat.

I have told myself again & again not to start something new before the old thing is finished, but I don't listen. When I saw this trackplan

Quote

Fascinating O-scale layout that allows fast continuous run of one train on the outer main line as well as slow meandering of another train in the inner figure "8" and the reverse loops.

http://www.scarm.info/layouts/track_plans.php?ltp=156

... I felt the immediate urge to implement it in TS12. It's reminiscent of a Moebius strip

 

... hence the name.

Shouldn't take more than 2 or 3 hours to build something like this:

 

That was a week ago...

First I decided that I want the (faster) passenger train to run on the outside oval & the (slower) goods train on the inside '8', therefor station (green roof) & goods shed (grey roof) had to swap places. Then I wanted a longer passenger train (a Precursor Tank with at least 4 coaches (4 or 6 wheels)), so the station had to move to the southern outside line. & then I wanted a 2nd passenger train... a larger station with 2 platforms... a siding... a loco shed with water & coal facilities... a factory... a small town (with cats on the roofs)... some more scenery... & of course everything should work automated.

& now it finally does.

 

 

 

Pictures of the goods train later; can't wait to see Annie's LNWR Coal Tank.  (The LMS version is on DLS, LNWR & BR not yet.)

Or maybe I'll make an LMS version...

[Annie]

What an amazing piece of work Jake.  A Moebius strip layout, - I'm sleepy at the moment so I can't quite get my head around that.

[Annie]

I'm taking a break from reskinning and upgrading things and I'm going to play trains for a week on my GER Norfolk layout.

 

Back to the Hopewood Tramway.

 

 

 

[Annie]

The branch passenger train from Mulling on the Hill at Great Mulling.  Most of the people on the platform weren't waiting for the branch train, there's a semi fast passenger train hauled by one of the E&GR's Beyer Peacocks due about ten minutes after the small single driver well tank has run around its train and gone back home.

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2020 by Annie
added a picture

[NeilHB]

Tram engines and delightful single wheelers - you do spoil us Annie! 

 

I really do like the blue single wheeler - am I correct in assuming it's from Beyer Peacock? 

[Annie]

2 hours ago, NeilHB said:

Tram engines and delightful single wheelers - you do spoil us Annie! 

 

I really do like the blue single wheeler - am I correct in assuming it's from Beyer Peacock? 

Yes I'm keen on both kinds of engines Neil, - tram engines and single wheelers.  My alternative history GER Norfolk layout has plenty of both.  And the blue single wheeler is by Beyer Peacock.  I have several of these by Paulz Trainz, but the one in the screenshot is one i specially asked him to fit with a cab instead of a weatherboard like the others I have.

[Edwardian]

Not that I need yet another distraction, but I wonder if drawings exist for the Beyer Single?  I have drawings for a Beyer 4-wheel tender.

 

EDIT: I assume yours is akin to the Edinburgh & Glagow 2-2-2 of the mid-'50s?

 

 

There is this drawing available of a 7' footer built in the early-'60s for Portugal ...

 

Edited November 17, 2020 by Edwardian