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

[Annie]

I've been suspicious of the engine spec my pretty little Cramptons were using since it was seriously poor at raising steam.  So I changed the engine spec for one that some of my other 19th century engines use. 'Circe' hasn't been transformed into a firecracker by any means, but at least she now steams and when I was getting her ready to challenge the gradient up to Crowcombe Heathfield her safety valves lifted.  That was the first time that's ever happened so I knew this was going to be a good run.

Past Bishops Lydeard the gradient takes a wicked little upward turn on a curve at the entry to a cutting and that's where 'Circe' had always stalled before, but this time she certainly slowed down, but then began to recover and pull away.  'Circe' got as far as just past the signal that marks the spot where the gradient increases to 1:36 before stalling.  This is about two thirds the way up the hill and I didn't really expect her to make that part of the climb.  If she had I would have known at once that the engine spec was a bit too good for a small Crampton.

 

 

 

[MikeOxon]

Many thanks for the video, Annie ... mesmerising

 

Mike

[Annie]

More Crampton.  They're quite handy engines so long as they don't have to go up hills or do short distance stopping and starting trains.  There's definite time spent winding up their huge driving wheels, but once they've done that they are reasonably brisk runners.

 

 

On a more mundane note I was also testing revised station yard layouts for ease of shunting and hauling short trains of coal about in between them.

 

 

 

 

[Edwardian]

Wonderful shots, Annie

[Annie]

2 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

Wonderful shots, Annie

Thanks James.  My rebuild of the Minehead branch is continuing with a fair bit still to do to take it back to the late 1880s.  It's all good though since I've been able to get rid of some of the strange compromises that the original builder worked into the branch.  Watchet is going to be really hard to do something with though since it's severely truncated with a good many things left out.  I might end up leaving it to last since I'm going to have to bash the landscape about a bit.

[sem34090]

I remember I once had a really nice (payware) version of the WSR (for TRS2006) in then-current form that I thought was the best thing under the sun. Hours of fun with that. Can't remember who made it though. I doubt it's available now but if it is then it might be worth a look for better representations of the stations?

 

I remember it came with two Manors, a 6400 Pannier, two BR Class 35s and a BR Class 117. Also included were some quite nice MK1s and a variety of wagons all modelled relatively closely on the WSR's fleet at the time. I remember being impressed how they'd modelled the cottage at Watchet that we'd stayed in that summer.

Edited September 11, 2020 by sem34090

[Annie]

The problem I'm having Sem is that information on the pre-1900s line is fairly sparse.  Going by the OS maps a lot of changes happened post WW1 and then the preservation era line has even more changes to what the line originally looked like.  I think with what I have though I can make enough of a job of it to capture the spirit of the line as it was in the late 1880s.

You are right though about it being hours of fun as it's quite a challenging line to drive trains over. 

[simonmcp]

So is the lovely looking lady on the footplates a representation of yourself?

[Annie]

Trainz TS2019 has animated drivers that it automatically places on the footplate.  The only problem with is is that they are all modern error figures so the men look like scruffy council bin men wearing hi-vis and the women are all wearing corporate grey trouser suits.  The other problem with this is that if an engine already has a driver figure the TS2019 figure will be placed on the same attachment spot which ends up with the original driver looking like an alien chest burst victim.  Possibly this doesn't matter so much with steam engines with cabs since the horror can't be seen so easily, but on my 19th century engines without cabs there's nowhere to hide.

 

There are two ways to avoid this, - don't attach a driver figure to the footplate so the chest burst victim scenario doesn't happen and put up with having a Trainz TS2019 figure on the footplate, - Or make a new attachment point for the original driver and modify the attachment point for the Trainz TS2019 driver.  If I use this second method I usually modify the attachment point to be 30 metres below ihe engine which very effectively gets rid of the Trainz TS2019 driver.  It's a lot of mucking around to do this though even if it's a good solution to the problem.

 

Faced with the choice between scruffy council bin men in hi-vis on the footplate or the corporate trouser suit ladies I choose having the ladies on the footplate.  Eventually I will modify all my 19th century engines to 'bury' the TS2019 drivers, but if I take the Cramptons as a case in point; - I have 2 Manning Wardle Cramptons, 3 SER Cramptions and 3 LC&DR Cramptons, - so that's a lot of attachment point creating and modifying needing to be done.

 

 

[Hroth]

4 hours ago, Annie said:

Trainz TS2019 has animated drivers that it automatically places on the footplate.  The only problem with is is that they are all modern error figures so the men look like scruffy council bin men wearing hi-vis and the women are all wearing corporate grey trouser suits.

 

IN the above pic of the Crampton footplate, Ms Corporate looks distinctly miffed, as if she had been booked 1st Class, facing the engine and the porter had directed her here, and scruffy oiks in hi-vis are definitely not her thing...

 

Her PA is not going to like it once Ms Corporate gets back to the office!

[Annie]

If you look at them up really close Mr Hroth some of the ladies look crosseyed and a bit confused.  As I supposed they might be to find themselves on an open footplate instead of a nice cosy modern error EMU drivers compartment.

[rocor]

50 minutes ago, Annie said:

If you look at them up really close Mr Hroth some of the ladies look crosseyed and a bit confused.  As I supposed they might be to find themselves on an open footplate instead of a nice cosy modern error EMU drivers compartment.

 

Even more so, when they handed a shovel and told to start stoking coal.

[Annie]

On a different tack I've made textures for Cornwall Railway style stations.  They aren't entirely correct and are only representational, but they certainly are better than a poke in the eye when nothing else is available.

 

[simonmcp]

15 hours ago, Annie said:

Trainz TS2019 has animated drivers that it automatically places on the footplate.  The only problem with is is that they are all modern error figures so the men look like scruffy council bin men wearing hi-vis and the women are all wearing corporate grey trouser suits.  The other problem with this is that if an engine already has a driver figure the TS2019 figure will be placed on the same attachment spot which ends up with the original driver looking like an alien chest burst victim.  Possibly this doesn't matter so much with steam engines with cabs since the horror can't be seen so easily, but on my 19th century engines without cabs there's nowhere to hide.

 

There are two ways to avoid this, - don't attach a driver figure to the footplate so the chest burst victim scenario doesn't happen and put up with having a Trainz TS2019 figure on the footplate, - Or make a new attachment point for the original driver and modify the attachment point for the Trainz TS2019 driver.  If I use this second method I usually modify the attachment point to be 30 metres below ihe engine which very effectively gets rid of the Trainz TS2019 driver.  It's a lot of mucking around to do this though even if it's a good solution to the problem.

 

Faced with the choice between scruffy council bin men in hi-vis on the footplate or the corporate trouser suit ladies I choose having the ladies on the footplate.  Eventually I will modify all my 19th century engines to 'bury' the TS2019 drivers, but if I take the Cramptons as a case in point; - I have 2 Manning Wardle Cramptons, 3 SER Cramptions and 3 LC&DR Cramptons, - so that's a lot of attachment point creating and modifying needing to be done.

 

 

I should have known it couldn't be you, far too modern a style of dressing. I like to imagine you dressed like your Avatar in the very latest fashion of the 80s or 90s, 1880s of course.

 

On another note I have just come back from a visit to Dawlish and it's new sea wall, a concrete monstrosity, and apparently they are going to destroy the Grade II listed plate girder bridge (having already replaced the footbridge with a fiberglass one with metal fake rivets which are very realistically rusting!) and seaward platforms.

 

I can hear IKB spinning in his grave.

 

Simon

[Annie]

1 hour ago, simonmcp said:

I should have known it couldn't be you, far too modern a style of dressing. I like to imagine you dressed like your Avatar in the very latest fashion of the 80s or 90s, 1880s of course

I wouldn't wear a corporate trouser suit like that one if I was paid to so you were right on that score.

 

1 hour ago, simonmcp said:

On another note I have just come back from a visit to Dawlish and it's new sea wall, a concrete monstrosity, and apparently they are going to destroy the Grade II listed plate girder bridge (having already replaced the footbridge with a fiberglass one with metal fake rivets which are very realistically rusting!) and seaward platforms.

You'd think I'd be used to idiots destroying historic railway architecture by now, but no I'm not.  

 

https://spellerweb.net/rhindex/UKRH/GreatWestern/Broadgauge/SDR/Dawlish1.html

Edited September 12, 2020 by Annie
fumble brain

[Annie]

One of the 'Cornwall' stations being tested out at Perranwell.  I think it's too big, but it will do as a placeholder until I can find another 3D mesh to hang my artwork on.

 

 

 

[Hroth]

3 hours ago, Annie said:

You'd think I'd be used to idiots destroying historic railway architecture by now, but no I'm not.  

 

Its just a spot of payback, Stephenson took the Chester and Holyhead Railway through the North-West corner of the Chester City walls.

 

 

There should be a big Roman wall where the girders and sandstone walling above the train are...

 

And where the photographer is standing, is a similar bit of archaeological destruction.

[Annie]

3 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

Its just a spot of payback, Stephenson took the Chester and Holyhead Railway through the North-West corner of the Chester City walls.

 

 

There should be a big Roman wall where the girders and sandstone walling above the train are...

 

And where the photographer is standing, is a similar bit of archaeological destruction.

Yes that was a very naughty thing to do Mr Horth.  Mr Stephenson should be dug up, resurrected and be made to put it all back.

[Northroader]

Then there’s the castles at Berwick and Northampton.

[Annie]

I'm all stupid brain at the moment and even basic texture work is a trial, but I had another go at the station at Perranwell and I'm happier with it.  The station building is too wide and the roof pitch too steep for a Cornwall Railway station, but I think it's a reasonable compromise.

 

 

 

I'd carefully modelled the signal box that straddled one of the sidings in the goods yard only to realise that it was late for my time period, - so reluctantly I had to demolish it.  I couldn't find anything out about the earlier signal box or where it was sited so for the meantime a wooden signal box based on the one at Helston is doing the honours.

 

[Regularity]

12 hours ago, Northroader said:

Then there’s the castles at Berwick and Northampton.

I think the point is that there aren’t castles at Berwick and Northampton...

[Hroth]

36 minutes ago, Regularity said:

I think the point is that there aren’t castles at Berwick and Northampton...

 

Didn't the line to the first terminus at York punch though the city walls too?

 

[Regularity]

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

 

Didn't the line to the first terminus at York punch though the city walls too?

 

It did.

Unlike the LNWR at Northampton, when it simply obliterated what was once one of biggest castles in England when building the loop from Roade to Rugby.

[Edwardian]

On 12/09/2020 at 03:51, Annie said:

Trainz TS2019 has animated drivers that it automatically places on the footplate.  The only problem with is ... the women are all wearing corporate grey trouser suits. 

 

 

 

Can't really see that as a problem ...

 

 

[Annie]

Oh no!  I have female FBI X-Files investigators visiting my railway.  

 

The question is what are they doing in Somerset in 1889?