St. Pancras to Bedford for BVE4

[The Snap]

Hi guys,
I was surfing 'another forum' this morning, and saw some great screenshots that were posted last night. I'm not sure if they have already been posted on RailUK at an earlier date, but ah well!

Posted August 24th

I have for some time been working on a route from St Pancras to Bedford. This will be set initially in summer 2002, and will feature MML HSTs and Turbostars and Thameslink 317s and 319s, aswell as Freight. Currently track laying is about 80% done, but much work needs to be done on scenary. I have made a start though, and therefore I can show these 2 screenshots.

http://forums.flightsim.com/ts/user_files/79604.jpg
The first is taken from 170105 (ok, I just made that up) just north of Elstree and Borehamwood, about to pass signal WH57, and cruising at 100mph on the falling gradient.

http://forums.flightsim.com/ts/user_files/79605.jpg
As you can see, I have been working on bridges (and tunnels). This second shot is taken from the same Turbostar which is now approaching St Albans, and is about to pass under the A414 "North Orbital Road". Heading towards London is 47488 with the 9:32 ex Nottingham. Just before the bridge is the start of the 100mph restriction around the sharp left and right hand bends before St Albans, dropping to 95 through the station itself.
Some work still needs to be done on both areas, in particular signalling (WH57s SPT is floating in mid-air), but it gives a good idea of what I'm up to.

The Tree Texture and Background are both Copyright Anthony Bowden, as is the OHLE. The grass isn't mine either, but I don't know where I got it from. All of tis should be replaced by my own stuff by the final release. Track is made using Switch15 from Rüdiger Hülsmann but uses my own textures.

I have a lot of work still to do, and a lot of other commitments, so please don't ask when the route will be done. Current plan is for compleation though is sometime during the 21st Century.

Posted December 30th

I have a few more screenshots of the route. Both are very much work in progress and I'm sure will change considerably before the final release.

http://forums.flightsim.com/ts/user_files/93738.jpg
The first shot is from the new Voyager, posing as a Meridien, climbing the 1 in 176 gradient north of St Albans. The bridge ahead carries the B651 at a crossroads with some minor residential roads in the nortern suburbs of St Albans.

http://forums.flightsim.com/ts/user_files/93739.jpg
The second shot is looking out of Camden Road Tunnel towards Kentish Town. Underneath is a shot of almost the exact point taken from the Video 125 Driver's Eye view, as a comparison shot. As you can see from both shots, the 70mph speed limit sign is of the correct size for an area of limited clearance, so is not very clear. This is definitly going to be a route to learn .
I'll hopefully get some more shots posted pretty soon. I'm also working on a website for the route, and perhaps a few other things.

http://forums.flightsim.com/ts/user_files/93740.jpg

Looks very good!

 

[class 313]

yer it does cant wait for this route... does anyone know if he has a website? also this has been on railuk but not with the new pictures. this would be a great time for someone to devop a bve4 319 , also does anyone know if slick has a new site!?

 

[Coxster]

As said above, this has already been posted. As for Chris' website, I can't remember the URL. It was a free NTL webspace one called 'Midland Rail Sim'.

The 'official' post can be found on the Train-Sim.com forum.

 

[Julian G]

hmm, good route
i can't wait when that HST is out, it will give me a chance to run the 16:08 to Bedford :P

 

[class 313]

thanks for the link to the forum but if you can get a link to slick's site that will be great!

 

[Coxster]

thanks for the link to the forum but if you can get a link to slick's site that will be great!

Why do you want a link to Slick's site? It is (but doesn't work) http://www.freewebs.com/slickbve although the old content can be found on my site.

 

[class 313]

i thort slick had a new site but anyway he was going to update the 321 quite a bit... any news on this?

 

[Nick]

Yes Chris's excellent route shots have been up for a few months now. Just seen the new shots...thoroughly looking forward to it.
*note for Chris, can you get back to me re: me pm*

 

[Coxster]

i thort slick had a new site but anyway he was going to update the 321 quite a bit... any news on this?

Wait and see As for his site - I posted it above. He doesn't have a new site that I know of.

 

[class 313]

you know somthing about the 321 dont you! reveal your secrets

 

[Julian G]

i thort slick had a new site but anyway he was going to update the 321 quite a bit... any news on this?

but the 321 works in BVE4

 

[HSTfan!!!]

thats going to be a nice route, can't wait! time to upgrade my bve4 machine to cope with all these graphical routes!

 

[Coxster]

you know somthing about the 321 dont you! reveal your secrets

I will not tell you anything as it is not my production :roll:

 

[ChrisCooper]

Yes Chris's excellent route shots have been up for a few months now. Just seen the new shots...thoroughly looking forward to it.
*note for Chris, can you get back to me re: me pm*

Ah, just noticed the PM thing at the top, not very ovious. I've just replied on trainsim.com anyway (that has a nice ovious PM warning, but it never seems to work) .

Anyway, glad people like the route. I'm working on having a few detail levels like with X-City, in particular in relation to the OHLE (the screenshots are all very basic OHLE, but I'm hoping to have something better in the igh quality final version), and also a choice of 24bit or 256 colour textures. Currently, the route is still BVE 2 compatable (the shot from the tunnel was taken with BVE 2's track viewer), aswell as having BVE 4 features, but this is subject to change between now and the route coming out, depending on how much BVE 2 is still used. I'm hoping a BVE 4 319 will be produced before the route comes out, but at least there is the 170, "Meridien" (Voyager) and the HST should be out soon, as well as the 66 and 37 for freight work. Since one of the era's I'm doing is Summer 2002, a BVE 4 47 would be great.
Regarding the website, I have one but havn't updated it for a while (it was never really finished), and at the moment have lost the password to access it :roll: . Hopefully deal with it and get it working soon.

 

[richa2002]

Excellent!

 

[Harold]

hmm, good route
i can't wait when that HST is out, it will give me a chance to run the 16:08 to Bedford :P

Thought u'd say that, as you did the 16:08 out of St. Pancras, with me, steven, Yorkie and Metrocammel. Shots are great though!

 

[class 313]

i thort slick had a new site but anyway he was going to update the 321 quite a bit... any news on this?

but the 321 works in BVE4

yer but the bve4 321 is being updaded with... What the 321 Update has at the moment:

*TPWS (now under the main desk out of view should only look at it during your startup, if you have to overide or if you know you've done something wron ) AWS, DRA
*Working Wiper
*Working Light Controls (Headlights and Tail Lights)
*Animated horn lever
*Animated Brake and Power Handles
*New Better quality cab
*Accurate speedo (as old version wasnt calibrated properly)
*New Train.dat file in line with BVE4 modified by Chris Cooper & Steve Green, decreased braking (as the old 321 braked way to hard thanks a bunch you two I couldnt find what was wrong )

What the 321 Update will have by the release day:

All of the above plus-

*Startup test
*Panto up/down with sounds and line light
*Power gap with sound effect
*New Set of Sounds

What i hope the 321 Update will by the release day:

Fully Working Switches including, WINDSCREEN HEATER, INDICATOR LIGHT DIMMER, and DESTINATION INDICATOR. These are the switches seen at the bottom left of the panel and would be made possible by custom indicators similar to the PA and End Door Cut Out on the 1995 stock. Fingers crossed!

It runs 200% better now (if thats possible) already before those aditions have been added! this should be a good one

 

[Coxster]

There will also be a FGE/one '/3', aswell as the current Silverlink '/4' and yes - the cabs are different IIRC.

 

[class 313]

cant wait to bash the bve4 319 on the route 319's should be run on!!

 

[Julian G]

There will also be a FGE/one '/3', aswell as the current Silverlink '/4' and yes - the cabs are different IIRC.

are the cab of the Northern Dusty (cl321/9) are also different to the other variants?

 

[Coxster]

There will also be a FGE/one '/3', aswell as the current Silverlink '/4' and yes - the cabs are different IIRC.

are the cab of the Northern Dusty (cl321/9) are also different to the other variants?

Not sure about that one Julian.

 

[Jordy]

are the cab of the Northern Dusty (cl321/9) are also different to the other variants?

I think they probably are, as when Northern hired one from 'One' their drivers couldn't drive it because it had a different cab or something. However, Northern did hire a Silverlink 321 which doesnt seem to have caused any problems.

Jordy

 

[class 313]

is there a actuall release date for this route?

 

[Tom B]

What about, when it's finished?

 

[Guinness]

is there a actuall release date for this route?

*Polite Hint*

Never ask "Is there a release date?", "Whens it ready????", "WHY ARE YOU TAKING SO GOD DAM LONG?!?!?" etc. The developer does have a life outside of BVE and isn't working for money or a company. Setting release dates means your putting pressure on yourself in most cases and then you have to say "Sorry, its delayed" which disapoints people. As Cockfosters has said, its ready when its ready.

 

[class 313]

thanks, its just that i have long awaited a route for thameslink and that has st albans in! and now here it is, i just hope he dont cancel the project :cry:

 

[ChrisCooper]

Just bumping to say I've put another new screenshot up at the other forum.

 

[Coxster]

http://forums.flightsim.com/ts/user_files/96222.jpg (You may need to copy and paste the URL into a new window)

Thought I would show the route from a different perspective. It's actually a slight cheat, since it's just a short test route set up using objects from the main route, to make the motorway drivable, but it's totally accurate. It's taken from the M1 motorway, and on the left can be seen the MML, just north of Mill Hill Broadway. The two run alongside for some distance with only a small distance between them. The HST is on it's way out of London, and should be cruising at 110mph by this point, but no doubt the car in the middle lane is managing to keep up with it. As you can see, the bus has no chance. Again, this is WIP, so I've got smoe more detail to add, but I'll also probably modify it so some things arn't visable from the Motorway to help frame rates. The bus is an MCW Metrobus by Joshim Nur, AKA "Routemaster J", and is downloadable from his site at http://joshimsbveroutes.gamehorizons.net/ . Thought it would be fun to use it instead of the other option of using viewer mode. The vehicles are from various authors, mostly from freeware collections (and the bus infront is my own, both in terms of BVE and real life) but special thanks has to go to Martin Finken who's tram route I got a lot of the excellent cars, and the coach on the southbound carriageway from (at least most european vehicles are so similar that you can't tell the difference, I could even have used some of his Citaros, although the livery would have been wrong, and I didn't want to risk them catching fire).
Still working on the website. I'm struggling to give time to that and the route, especially as I have to devote a little time to other things like sleeping and eating and if I have time, working. It's just good that the railways are so boring at the moment, and their arn't particular diesel galas or bus events on, so weekends are pretty free.

 

[Gareth Hale]

Where abouts on RMJ's site can you actually download that bus :?

 

[Tom B]

As far as I know you can't, but I think Chris is showing the beta version.