Train Simulator 2020 - Cotswold Line

[Peter C]

Hello!

Having asked previously on the forums about the XC Route for Train Simulator and the Cotswold Line which is being developed for the route, and hearing that the route is taking a back seat as the "Missing Link" WCML route is being developed by the same team (and rightly so that it should happen in that way - the team have been working on the WCML route for a long time and it has more priority at the moment), I decided to have a go at making the Cotswold Line for Train Sim 2020.

Before I get a load of people asking random questions about the route, I'd like to set out a few things (these are just to save you asking questions )

• This route is not a 100% accurate recreation of the Cotswold Line. It is a good representation of the route using assets which I have available to me.
• This route is not being developed with the intention of being released as a mainstream product for everyone to use. This route is being developed primarily for those who want the Cotswold Line in TS to have it in a somewhat recognisable form.
• This route does not use the Google Maps API to make route building easier. This tool is not working for me in TS at the moment and therefore I can't use it. I am using images from Google Maps and atlases of the UK rail network to help me produce the route.
• I am not willing to share this route with anyone before I feel it is finished to a suitable standard. Please don't ask for the route.
• If you wish to contribute to this route, please let me know through commenting on this thread or messaging me on the forums.

I'm starting this sort-of "Route Developer Diary" with Kingham station, which is where I am starting the creation of the route. Stay tuned for more posts!

Thanks,

-Peter

 

[Peter C]

Kingham station

As Kingham is my local station on the Cotswold Line, I decided that I should start making this route with building Kingham. The current station content has been put together over the course of about a day, and features both platforms (with accurate widths), the disused platform, the road bridge (with accurate section over track), foliage, and a small warehouse by the car park. All of these are present in the modern-day Kingham station, but some of the assets used are not accurate to the real thing. These are listed below:

• The station building, which needs to be a more modern "box" as I'd call it
• -The station building is currently a Kuju asset
• The warehouse by the car park, which needs to be slightly thinner and in green
• -The warehouse is currently a Just Trains asset IIRC
• The footbridge, which needs to be ever so slightly less wide and then have larger sets of stairs on either side
• -The footbridge is currently a Kuju asset - the 3-track metal footbridge. The 2-track one isn't wide enough to reach both platforms in the places I need it to and the 3-track one is still slightly too large.

Here are some screenshots of Kingham so far:

Above: The GSM-R mast beyond the Oxford end of the station.
Above: The station, and roadbridge, looking in the Moreton-in-Marsh direction.
Above: Looking through the roadbridge and down towards Moreton.
Above: The roadbridge and the fencing alongside the road.
Above: The house opposite the station, the car park, the station itself, and the warehouse.
Above: The Oxford end of the station.
Above: The station footbridge, with picket fencing around the stairs on Platform 1.
Above: The footbridge and GSM-R mast, looking towards Oxford, with the curve in the track. The zoom on the screenshot compresses the length of line here.
Above: The disused platform, complete foliage and a trespasser!

Above: The station as viewed from behind the disused platform.

I hope you like this so far. I will be adding a lot more to the route as time progresses and I hope that you will continue to follow this project.

Thanks,

-Peter

 

[ThomasI]

Hi,

A quick query, if you're not using the Google Maps API, how're you going to keep up the correct distances and track locations?

Thomas

 

[Peter C]

Hi,

A quick query, if you're not using the Google Maps API, how're you going to keep up the correct distances and track locations?

Thomas

That's going to be the main problem. However - I am using RailMiles and my TrackAtlas to help with the distances and I am using Google Earth for satellite images which can show the layout of the track. That's really why I've called this a somewhat alright representation and not a carbon copy - it's mainly just so that the TS community (those who want this route) can have an alright Cotswold Line and use it. This is designed for those who don't care about 100% accuracy, but still want something close to the real thing.

-Peter

 

[Melancholia]

Looks quite good so far! I too am patiently waiting for the XCRoute Cotswold line. Interested to see how yours will turn out to be

 

[Peter C]

Looks quite good so far! I too am patiently waiting for the XCRoute Cotswold line. Interested to see how yours will turn out to be

Thanks very much! The trackwork to Shipton has been set, but I would like to make it clear that it is not perfect. The distance between the two stations in real life is exactly 3miles, but in this route for TS it is around 3.5miles.

The platforms at Kingham have been replaced with the equivalents from London-Brighton, for more realism and better textures. I'll make another bigger post about the changes soon.

-Peter

 

[cactustwirly]

May I suggest, it might be better if you start with the terrain first before laying the trackwork, this can be done by using the DEM tool (more info about this and other stuff on the UKTS forums)

 

[Peter C]

May I suggest, it might be better if you start with the terrain first before laying the trackwork, this can be done by using the DEM tool (more info about this and other stuff on the UKTS forums)

I've used the DEM tool - the terrain has been laid but I've found that it isn't 100% perfect (almost certainly my fault) for the area and therefore the trackwork is being laid and the scenery edited around it.

-Peter

 

[Peter C]

Hello all.
I just thought I'd write this post to say that I will not be continuing with my work on this Cotswold Line route for Train Sim 2020. This is because Bossman Games, a developer of Train Simulator content known for making the recent Class 50 (which has been released through Armstrong Powerhouse), has revealed that they are making the Cotswold Line, Oxford - Hereford. I thought I'd share this with you all just in case you start wondering why there haven't been any updates (please note that the BMG route was only brought to my attention today and therefore any lack of updates before today has been due to a lack of work on my route.
I know this is only a small thing for a little simulator, but I'd like to thank all of you on here who encouraged me to work on this route. I can't make a route better than a proper route developer can and therefore I'm ending this project here.

Thanks,

-Peter