Managed a run from Exeter to Plymouth in 58 mins 14 seconds (no photos unfortunately). Anyone want to try and beat the record?
Hi, my friends! Long time, no see, I know... I was (and still am) going through a very busy and stressful time at work, hence why I haven't checked in for so long. More on that probably elsewhere at some point in the future. Now that's an interesting thought. I haven't looked myself yet, but I do own the route (the included German 294 was enough to get me to buy the deluxe edition after all...). I did adore the scenery on the route the few times I've played it, so it would be lovely to return to it on one of our girls when I find the time.
After a very long hiatus, for which I apologise, I return with a simple, but nice little run. Eager to get back on the footplate of our Jubilee, I had another go at the Blackpool (South) stopping service. Given that I mostly drive regional, stopping services in real life, I felt right at home. You can find my run here on the spreadsheet. I started at 09:55 right on time and used my established Blackpool South start by having the reverser in 55, opening up the regulator to 20% and increasing it to 40% as traction allows. One thing I did slightly differently was that I kept the reverser at 40 until the boiler pressure fell to about 200psi, then I switched down to 18 on the reverser in one go. I felt this gave me adequate acceleration for the stopping service. I arrived at Squires Gate 53 seconds after schedule, which isn’t brilliant but good enough for a stopping service in my book. I needn’t discuss my starts in detail hereafter as they did not differ from what I described above. I had a relaxing go of it until I got to Lytham, the last stop before Preston. I left St Annes a minute late, Ansdell 2 minutes late, and Lytham also 2 minutes late. The top speed between these stops usually hovered around 35-40mph. One thing that really stuck out to me compared to my (now) real experience is just how long the one-minute stops for a stopping service are. No doubt needed the stops more time in steam days compared to driver only operated EMUs/DMUs of today, but I’m certain that the original schedule will be hard to match like this. Not that it hinders the enjoyment of the drive in any way, it’s more of an observation. On the way to Moss Side, a top speed of around 45mph was reached if memory serves before the 35mph speed limit. The latter speed was held on the climb to Kirkham before slowly dropping to about 31mph as the climb stretched on. After Kirkham, it was a straight shot to Preston where I stopped about a minute early. I did miss recording passing speed and time for Lea Road, unfortunately. Overall, I had a blast coming back even if the results aren’t breathtaking. I’m hoping to run more regularly again, but can’t promise so, unfortunately. On another note, I was happily surprised to see the reworked BPO timetable with tap changers et al. in play. What joy! Spoiler: Some pictures from the tracks I came to an almost perfect stop at Squires Gate. The braking was gentle, too. I was a little proud, I’ll admit. Nova Scotia just pulling away from Squires Gate. I do love steam locos in the landscape. Nova Scotia pulls into Kirkham. I’m almost certain I took this exact shot before, but couldn’t find it. Maybe my mind’s playing tricks on me. In colour: Nova Scotia rests in Preston as passengers are reminded to stay on the platform.
Great run, Lamplight, and some absolutely brilliant pictures, as ever. I particularly enjoyed the black and white ones. They’re like a step back in time. I was going to do a similar run tonight and post the results here, but with the announcement about the closure of the forum, it’s difficult to build up the enthusiasm. I must admit I don’t quite see the benefit of closing and deleting a thread like this, which is just a celebration of the game and encourages people to play it and (in many cases mentioned in the thread) buy routes they would not otherwise have bought. However, no doubt greater minds than mine can see the wisdom. I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has posted in the thread over the years. It’s been great fun (barely a cross word in the whole thread), and I can genuinely say I wouldn’t have bothered trying to make something out of steam in TSW were it not for the shared enthusiasm of many other posters giving me constant motivation. In particular, a huge thank you to Lamplight, for doing so much work building and maintaining the spreadsheet recording all the runs, and posting so many of his own. Hopefully in the future there’ll be another forum (maybe an unofficial one) where we can revive the thread. Until then, thank you all - it’s been a pleasure. James
My sentiments exactly! Despite not doing a run it's been great to read the depth you guys have gone too and the way you've made steam work despite where it's been! Always enjoyed reading your accounts of each run!
