Hello everyone, I have noticed there has been the odd mention of Dorset Coast here in the past and I thought it would be a good idea to have an 'official' thread to keep everybody up to date with the latest developments. The route is set in the mid 1950s with a bit of artistic licence thrown in for good measure. I chose this period as it was just before the rot set in during BR's run down of steam in the 1960s where many yards were closed and the condition of the stations deteriorated rapidly. However the route is quite suitable for users wishing to create scenarios from the immediate post war period until about 1965 when the centre roads at Bournemouth Central were removed and the Terminus at Bournemouth West was closed. Currently Phase 1 is available for download and an approximate 25 mile journey from Bournemouth to Swanage can be made. Phase 2 which is now in development will add an additional 21 miles from Worgret Junction to Weymouth. Given it's close proximity to Dorchester South, Dorchester West will also be included which will add operational interest as freight was often transferred between the two stations. We'd also like to include the Weymouth Tramway but this will be done as time and resources allow. I primarily use other platforms to post my progress on this project but i'll do my best to keep this thread up to date and answer questions anyone may have.
I'm liking the current trend of established route creators coming here onto the official DTG forums to share progress on their wonderful creations, I don't expect this to be the only resource of information by any means but it is a good (and stable) platform that at the very least can be used as a launchpad to creators content and own media outlets, the community is growing here and a lot of new users are landing here first and it's great to show them that there's more to TSC than an antiquated problem riddled predecessor of TSW that in fact new and exciting projects are always continually underway. There's life in this ol' girl yet and it's the extremely talented community creators that are its life blood. Back on topic, the route looks lovely I'll definitely be downloading it and following its progress.
I find that even though the group I am a member of has a large presence on other social media platforms it definitely doesn't hurt to reach out to the community on other mediums. Though I have found the current trend for routes and content on the official forums tends to be a bit more modern than I like to recreate. Despite it's shortcomings and limitations TSC is a powerful tool and really allows the community to be as creative as they want. DTG have said as much when they set out a road map for the game late last year. I am cautiously optimistic about what the future holds for the game. I attach a few screenshots of my progress on Phase 2, all pictures are West of Worgret Jn which is where the mainline currently ends on Phase 1. This section of the route is lightly graded and has sweeping curves and fast running will be regularly achievable. Unfortunately Wool and Moreton Station areas look a bit bare at the moment as the assets for these stations have not been made yet. Our 3D artist prides himself on the accuracy of his work and where practical he will only use drawings and period photographs to recreate the stations and other buildings in the highest possible detail.
Such lovely pictures, well done! Take my like(s) I think a lot of people have an attachment to things they experienced during their early years. Steam and old diesel is not romantic for me, all I see is smoke and clag, pollution and subpar engineering. I do appreciate clean, sleek, silent, agile, smart machinery. But there are still many who just love to see a steam blowoff or a massive smoke plume. That said I absolutely love to watch movies from the noir era, or listen to their music. Very much including the railways scenes in Babylon Berlin. So I love to occasionally visit these but mostly like holidays.
Though born long enough ago (1951) to have seen steam in action during my early youth, due to where I lived in the U.S.A., the railroad which owned the track that ran through my hometown had mothballed its entire steam roster prior to then (or too soon afterward for me to have in conscious memory of live steam). I didn't see my first working steam loco in-the-flesh until the early 1970s, in Thailand. Despite that, I've had a fascination with steam railroading as far back as I can remember. Then again, I tend to have a fascination with "early" technology in general, sailing ships, propeller aircraft, etc.
I am in a somewhat similar position being a child of the 80s steam had been gone for nearly 20 years, however I have always been drawn mechanical engineering and shown a preference to steam rather than diesel.
Been a while since my last update, i've been taking a bit of a break while waiting for more track to be laid. However I have done some little bits around Dorchester South, mainly terrain painting, laying roads and editing the terrain itself. This bit just before the station was particularly frustrating.
Thank you those Phase 2 pics looks amazing. I have to say I love your phase 1 route already. The 1950s-1960s period happens to be my favorite when it comes to BR. When I satrted playing TS, I felt a sore need for more SR region routes. So in more ways than one, your route hits the bullseye in terms of my preferences. Looking forward to phase 2 and thanks again for making this route.
Thanks for your kind words, Phase 1 was truly a labour of love. But I hope to surpass that with Phase 2, as in addition to the extension to Weymouth I have started making improvements to the quality of the scenery on the existing route. Speaking of Phase 2 our 3d artist has completed Wool and after a few details it looks right at home.
Moreton station has been completed and is now in situ on the route, a few finishing touches and it looks the part. Route is being handed over to another member of our development team who will lay the rest of track to Weymouth. In the meantime I have signalling duties on the current dev build of the West of England line.
As a Dorset born guy since 1951 I am very pleased to see your efforts Monty. This route must be one of the most picturesque in the country. Back in 1963 with a platform ticket (remember those?) I used to spend hours at Bournemouth Central. A few times I got the chance to ride the footplate from Central to Bournemouth West. Now build on (Wessex Way) but a train wash still there. Back then two days of paperboy money would get me from Central to Weymouth and back and bag of chips. For those not local the private heritage Swanage railway may soon be reconnected to the mainline at Wareham. Will follow your efforts with interest. On a side note there have been rumours someone is working on the Weymouth line going North to Somerset
Thanks! Work has slowed down somewhat, I had to do some Signalling work for the next release of West of England. I did however spend the best part of the morning lowering the terrain around Dorchester by around 11 meters (yes the DEM was that wrong!) Also working on a little side project to prevent burn out. But I will keep you all posted as and when it happens.
A small update for you all, no real progress on Dorchester but I've spent the last week on/off rebuilding the cutting out of Bournemouth Central. In the Phase one release I attempted recreate this cutting by using embankment lofts, it was something I was never truely happy with and after redoing a number of cuttings on the Swanage branch I decided to completely redo it. Hopefully anyone familiar with the route will notice the improvement.
Progress continues! I have just made it to the southern portal of Bincombe North tunnel. Scenery around the Dorchester area is now basically complete minus the custom assets which our 3D artist will hopefully start work on soon, though it will be sometime before this is completed as there is much to do, especially when you factor in Dorchester West station too. Still, I hope you can not notice the change when compared the screenshots I posted of Dorchester a couple of months ago.
Another cheeky post to upload some more screenshots. One thing I have found interesting is that by the mid 50s the signalling between Dorchester and Weymouth was a colourful mix of GWR and SR practice. Weymouth had been an early boundary change to the Southern Region, and when they built the excursion platforms a partial resignalling took place.
Our 3D artist has been hard at work and has created some truly fantastic models for Dorchester South, which has in turn allowed me to do some final last minute touches and details. Scenery has now reached Upwey and Broadwey, so I am now waiting for our asset maker to catch up before tackling Weymouth Proper.
Thank you all for your kind words, it does mean an awful lot to me and the rest of the team. Not a huge amount to report on at the moment as I'm still waiting on our 3D artist to clear the backlog of assets. In the mean time I've been sprucing up some of the older parts of the route in an effort to bring it up to code with the newer sections. I've also been assisting Harry on his West of England mainline project with some signalling work.
I don't usually show of the route in this kind of unfinished state but I just wanted to show off the maze of signalling nodes when using AndiS wonderful signalling scripts. It can get quite complicated and confusing quite quickly and it isn't even finished, still about a days worth of work alone left to go just to finish the signals.
It's been a while since my last update, process had slowed as the team has been focusing on the latest West of England release, but rest assured i've been continuing on Dorset Coast and we are getting closer. We are still waiting on the on our 3D artist to complete the main station for Weymouth town but the locomotive shed (including the wheel drop and nearby footbridge) and goods shed are now complete.
Joe has completed Weymouth Town and Upwey and Broadway stations, this only leaves Dorchester West and Weymouth Quay station and a few other small objects such as running in boards etc. We are almost there.
The route has now been completed and has been handed over to our testing team prior to release. While I cannot give an exact date I am aiming to have an Open Beta out within the month so watch this space.
