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

[Annie]

A couple of snaps I took after working on Foxhollow.  No cheer up pictures today so these will have to do.  The dual processor Xeon computer I was building up to be my new Trainz computer has developed an unfixable motherboard fault so it's back to square one with that project.  Having problems with sleepiness and a return of narcolepsy symptoms I haven't been troubled by for a good while now so that's a PITA.

 

 

[Annie]

I've been adding some extra detailing to the Foden geared locomotive.  It's still a bit WIP with things like handrails still to do, but I'm pleased with progress.

 

 

Edited October 24, 2021 by Annie
added a picture

[Annie]

The two images above are screen captures from the TRS19 preview window.  It's one of the things I really like in TRS19 and in the earlier version of Trainz TANE (Trainz A New Era) as well.  When I'm doing modding work and especially adjusting the position of attached details I can take a quick look at the result in the preview window to see what else needs to be done.  In the preview window I can turn whatever it is I'm looking at every which way and upside down which is really really useful.  When I was still working in TS2012 I'd have to start up the whole simulator itself to be able to take a proper look at anything and then I couldn't always see that well due to not being able to manipulate the model like I can in TRS19.

[Annie]

I'm still working on the Foden locomotive.  I discovered that its weight was seriously wrong due to TS2004 measuring weights in pounds and later versions measuring weights in kilos.  All of which means that the Foden was twice as heavy as it should have been.  Correcting the weight has affected how the engine spec functions so now I'm having to do further work on that.  I have found some of the important weights and measures to suit the Foden as well as documentation on setting up engine specs, but a lot of it comes down to adjusting settings and seeing how they work out rather than it being any kind of exact science.

 

[Annie]

Setting up engine specs is a bit of an esoteric nightmare with balancing boiler efficiency against fuel burn rate and firebox temperature.  And then there's matching steam chest volume to cylinder volume, but the steam passage flow rate mustn't be too free flowing as it can cause surging everytime the boiler pressure rises and falls.  Even if every detail of the prototype is known and fastidiously copied there's still the problem that the simulator scripting will create a digital model locomotive that's way more powerful than it should be.  Some clever Trainz creator folk determined after many trials and experiments that a digital steam locomotive had to be in effect 60% smaller than the prototype according to its engine spec sheet if it was to perform in a realistic manner.

Now that I have the Foden at a plausibly correct weight I've got the problem that it wants to slip and spin its driving wheels if I let the boiler pressure get too high.  The safety valves lift at 130 lbs which is what it should be so I may have knock back the maximum boiler efficiency again and/or reduce the cylinder volume.  With the boiler being so small I'm reluctant to nerf it too much so I might try adjusting the cylinder volume.

It's only because I like driving with the steam controls that I'm willing to subject my poor old brain to such mental exercises. Being so small and quirky the Foden is a lot of fun to drive and shunt with on the tramway and along the way I'm also learning some useful lessons that will help me a lot when it comes to setting up other engine specs should I be daft enough as to try doing this again.

 

[eheaps]

A short video about an interesting loco I hadn't heard of before. It seemed to me it might be of interest to Annie and others on this thread. I would also recommend the other videos on Anthony's channel to anyone with an interest in older steam locos.

 

 

 

[Regularity]

Looks to be a basic BP design, often (wrongly) attributed to Beattie of the LSWR, and a close relative to the famous well tanks.

Lovely!

[Annie]

Very nice.  Thanks very much for posting that Ed.  19th century Beyer Peacock engines are always welcome, especially wonderful survivors like that one.

I have seen some of Anthony's other videos and they are definitely well worth watching.

[Annie]

I think the mid 19th century Beyer Peacock singles are more familiar since drawings for them were published in a number of 19th century treatises on locomotives.  As much as I like the single driver Beyer Peacocks I certainly wouldn't say no to a 2-4-0 Beyer Peacock.

 

[MikeOxon]

19 hours ago, Annie said:

Setting up engine specs is a bit of an esoteric nightmare with balancing boiler efficiency against fuel burn rate and firebox temperature.  And then there's matching steam chest volume to cylinder volume, but the steam passage flow rate mustn't be too free flowing as it can cause surging everytime the boiler pressure rises and falls.  Even if every detail of the prototype is known and fastidiously copied there's still the problem that the simulator scripting will create a digital model locomotive that's way more powerful than it should be. .........

It reminds me very much of creating aircraft files in the MS Flight Simulator.  One problem there was that settings in one part of the fie could over-ride settings in another part.  I spent fruitless hours trying to change a parameter only to find it was subordinate to another setting!!!

 

Mike

 

 

[Annie]

Exactly that Mike.  The adjustments I've made to the cylinder size seem to be working fine with the Foden no longer madly wheel slipping, but the boiler is still producing too much steam so now I have to knock back its efficiency at the maximum output end of things.  I am getting somewhere with all this, but it is a bit of a puzzle.

[Annie]

Beyer Peacock cheer up picture:  D Luis built for the 5 ft 6½ inch gauge South Eastern Railway of Portugal by Beyer Peacock 1862.  Apart from the gauge this Portuguese engine is identical to the mid 1850's Edinburgh & Glasgow Beyer Peacock singles I've 'borrowed' for my own imaginary railways. 

 

[Compound2632]

On 27/10/2021 at 11:09, Regularity said:

Looks to be a basic BP design, often (wrongly) attributed to Beattie of the LSWR, and a close relative to the famous well tanks.

Lovely!

 

Yes, the relationship was more the other way round. Ditto Adams when he moved to Nine Elms. Folk are apt to overlook the influence of the locomotive builders' drawing offices. Why, even the famous sweeping reverse-curve Johnson splashers:

 

 

originate with Edward Snowball at Neilsons, who improved on the original design (as I am told):

 

 

[Gratuitous Midland photos for anyone in need of serious cheering-up!]

 

 

[Caley Jim]

2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

originate with Edward Snowball at Neilsons, who improved on the original design (as I am told):

I've heard it said that Edward Snowball was responsible for more locomotive designs than anyone else!

 

Jim

[Compound2632]

8 minutes ago, Caley Jim said:

I've heard it said that Edward Snowball was responsible for more locomotive designs than anyone else!

 

Most famously this:

 

[Caley Jim]

2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Most famously this:

 

But incorporating many Drummond features.

 

Jim

[Compound2632]

16 minutes ago, Caley Jim said:

But incorporating many Drummond features.

 

Yes, Neilsons having recently built ten of Drummond's 66 Class 4-4-0s.

 

But who built Drummond's 476 Class for the North British - the prototype of all his successful 4-4-0s?

 

Neilsons.

 

Just sayin'!

[Annie]

'Sharpie' in the pouring rain with a Foxhollow to Brenton Wood all stations local.  I'm testing out a Regional Weather mod that's just been updated and released as a beta version.  It certainly works, but in this case it was a bit on the sudden side.  Possibly some further experimentation is needed.

 

[Annie]

Further testing of the Foden geared loco in TANE (Trainz A New Era).  After struggling to get the steam blower controls to work in my new handwritten engine spec I've just discovered that TRS19 SP3 had a bug that broke the steam blower in the advanced steam controls.  In TANE I was able to park the Foden with the blower controls on the first notch and go away to make a cup of tea and some supper for myself and come back to an engine that still had useful levels of steam in the boiler.  In TRS19 SP3 the boiler would be full of 'ghost steam' that disappeared to almost zero the moment the regulator was opened and it would be impossible to recover steam pressure again.

I know all this must be utterly dead boring to most of you, but it's been a real piece of puzzle work for me to write a workable engine spec for such a small locomotive.  It was really nice to try out the Foden in TANE and have it run almost near perfectly after spending hours of work getting frustrated due to the unknown bugs in TRS19.

 

 

I assembled a 44 ton test train of empty 5 plank wagons which is close to the limit for this small locomotive.

 

 

Edited October 30, 2021 by Annie
added a video clip

[Annie]

Broad Gauge cheer up picture:  'Hurricane', - described by some as less a locomotive and more a procession.  I have an older digital model of 'Hurricane' that was made for Trainz TS2004.  It's been a while since I last had it out of my digital trainset box and if I can figure out how to put it together I'll post a picture of it as well.  I also have a digital model of 'Thunderer' and the trouble with having both of them as multipart kits that need to be assembled is that I sometimes end up with 'Hurricerer' and 'Thundicane' instead.

(Picture of Hurricane model borrowed from Didcot)

Edited October 31, 2021 by Annie
can't spell for toffee

[Annie]

 

My copy of 'The Light Railways of Britain & Ireland' arrived from Pen & Sword this morning after wending its way to get to me for the past two months.  A very nice book it is too with plenty of clearly reproduced photos and the major thing for me with my dodgy eyesight* is that the text is easy to read without me having to use my big magnifying glass.  This is all very timely since the latest issue of the GER Society Journal has a very good article about the tram coach conversions such as used on the Tollesbury Branch and various other GER light railway branches.  I've been building up a small library of books on light and minor railways including an excellent book on the Tollesbury Branch itself all with a view of doing something light railway like.  I'm not sure what form that will take as yet as I would prefer not to create yet another layout so my thoughts are drifting towards an addition to my present Norfolk layout or else converting and enhancing one of the already existing branchlines on the layout.

 

* One of the delightful things about narcolepsy is that it does a brilliant job of messing up my eyesight.  This is not uncommon for folk who have narcolepsy and for me it makes books with glossy pages and certain styles of font very difficult to read.  For general novel reading my Kindle with its matt grey background is wonderful, but for reference books with large photos and drawings/plans/maps it's hopeless.

[Annie]

Broad Gauge cheer up picture:  And here's 'Thunderer'.  If I had to choose I like 'Thunderer' just a little bit more than I do 'Hurricane'.

I haven't forgotten about finding my Trainz models of 'Thunderer' and 'Hurricane', - it's just that I've been sleeping a lot more lately.

 

(Picture of Thunderer model borrowed from Didcot)

[Northroader]

Both those two look as if they need a big block of concrete placed on top to help the adhesion.

[Compound2632]

4 minutes ago, Northroader said:

Both those two look as if they need a big block of concrete placed on top to help the adhesion.

 

A nice big boiler-full of water would really, really help!

[Annie]

So I found 'Thunderer' and put it together.  For some reason Steve Flanders didn't make the tenders for 'Thunderer' and 'Hurricane',  though he might have been working with such drawings and information was available at the time which didn't include the tenders.  Almost all of the Broad Gauge models he made were done during 2004-2005 and basically if there was a published drawing available at the time that wasn't too difficult to get hold off it got turned into a 3D digital model for Trainz TS2004.  This has lead to the odd circumstance of four Broad Gauge tender models being made because their drawing were available, but sometimes they don't fit the Broad Gauge locomotives that ended up being modelled at the same time all that well. 

I did some adjusting and fettling on the 6 wheel tender that was the best fit so its coupling distance was reasonably Ok.  The texturing is all tiny low resolution patches so I left those well alone.  I haven't had a look at the incredible 4 wheeled steampunk power plant yet or the boiler on wheels so I don't really know if any improvements can be made.

 

My Cornwall 1880s layout is still somewhat of a trashed scenic disaster after having been moved from TS2012 to TANE and then to TRS19 and I haven't properly adjusted the environmental lighting yet, but the trackwork is all fine so I could give 'Thunderer' a run.  I have to say though that it certainly running better than the prototype ever did to make the climb up to Perranwell from Truro.

 

 

The coaches that made up the train, these are all old TS2004 models.

 

 

 

 

And we're off.