NEWSFLASH I am pleased to announce that the Tees Valley extra paths mod has now been added to Trainsim Community. If you are interested then you can find it here Tees Valley - EXTRA PATHS Have fun with it and, if you do give it a try, please let me know if you find any glaring errors in it. ---------- Some initial screenshots proving the concept of adding extra paths for Scenario Creation to Tees Valley. (There is lots of potential to expand Scenario gameplay with this route due to all the industries however pathing, with the numerous single slips, is proving to be a challenge and results in some AI services getting 'stuck'). I haven't transferred many 'new' formations to this route so expect to see a right hotch-potch of stock running at the moment. (These first screenshots were really used to test using the avoiding lines at Darlington in a scenario more than anything else. As always no Free Roam here). Note - Don't expect to see many more posts in this thread for a bit as I really need to test and finish my EDN-GLA and GOBLIN mods first.
Tempted to go "around the back" at Boro in a scenario? Like to use the carriage sidings too? Well you will be able to do so soon (Fortunately there is one siding that gives me a start and finish point to be able to use the avoiding lines).
A short train of vans coming off the Boro Docks branch. Three services all on the same path that zig zags through Lackenby Grid 2. A quick way of filling up multiple sidings in the same area. (Similar paths exist for Grids 3 & 4 too). A pair of CL31s exit the Potash complex opposite Lackenby sidings. And passes Grangetown station on the freight lines as it heads for Tees Yard.
It does look good doesn't it It should make BR period scenarios on this route more varied and have more life in them (in theory) as the current spawn points do not do TVL justice in terms of the big yards i.e. Tees/Thornaby or Lackenby.
Thanks very much Actually this one has been a bit easier to do as the route has many less marker points than some other ones. Fortunately, though, we can still do most of the moves that we would like to see done with what we do have available. Yes I have included most of the sidings at Lackenby and Tees Yard for the placement of consists. (You can't drive these but you can fill the yards up). Then I have added a couple of extra drivable paths from each location for variety. I already have lots of new BR Blue formations available from my experiments before so I will group all of these together for this mod. Currently making a range of CL37 formations.
Here are some CL37 formations standing in Lackenby Grid 3 (again all placed on the same single path in my test scenario). Is there anything that can be done to tone down the CL37 headlight glare? I always find it a bit of a distraction. Also did the TVL 37 cease to be a separate model only I can't add that version to my formations (so am using the PNZ one for everything). Some formations haven't shown up in game (Limestone hoppers in particular) so I will have to investigate that. My player consist (just a boring CL101 but then swapped to a CL37 rake) now seems to show up in reverse, could be path related I suppose? Finally topping and tailing formations with the CL37 seems to play havoc with the loco lights.....especially on the rear loco. Not sure how to get around that. Still I'm slowly getting there.
Trouble at Boro. (God knows what the signalman was thinking ). As always these are 'homemade' formations that can be selected directly in Scenario Editor. (No Free Roam Formation Creation or Formation Designer here). As you can see I have been concentrating on the CL37 for the last couple of days.
Had already made many CL31 formations but have now got a couple of CL31 / CL37 formations into the game. 90% of the formations (loaded or empty) seem to work OK but there are some anomalies. Will now move on to the CL40 and then the CL45. Many extra formations can now be created by simply duplicating the ones I have already made and then changing the loco. So it shouldn't take too long to add to the 'family' now. (It is the testing that is a killer). What do people think of bring the Laaers wagon in to play (for a bit of variety)? TBH it might look a bit better running around on GOBLIN, or parked up at Ripple lane, but it does add something a bit different. Any thoughts? The wagon is a bit out of scale but you don't really notice it when you are playing a scenario. Placed in Tees Yard a rake of these could look quite good methinks?
I mean, it depends if car transport trains operated in the area when TVL is set or it could be added in a fictional sense as an easter egg .
I think you could get away with the car transporters. Nissan have been up in Tyneside for a while, so it may have happened on occasion. The variety is superb, David, so good to see and the 31 + 37 combo is excellent. I've been making a list of locos seen during my stay in the Boro in the late 1980s, I'll send you a copy.
The good thing about double heading with different loco types is that it is easy to have 2 different Community liveries applied to the same consist. I'll make some formations with the CL37 leading the CL31 and then look at other 'odd' pairings. (Mind you if anyone has any images of, say, a CL20 & CL31 pairing or any other more unusual formations then now is the time to show them). Like this for example (It was a real formation. Captured at March depot). We could always have a Thornaby equivalent).
Hi David, The 31 + 08s is an interesting combo. I have a pic of just such a thing in Hull I also have a pic of a Class 124 TransPennine unit hauling a Parcels van. This was in 1984 and it was becoming rare by then.
Thanks Dave. They are useful unusual formations......especially the CL124 unit hauling a van I have now created a large number of different formations for the CL08 (LMC and PBO versions), the CL20, the CL31 and the CL37. The trouble is that I now need to test them all to see if they all work. As you can probably guess, put a full-stop in the wrong place and, either, nothing appears or the game crashes. (CL20/31 pairings seem an issue at the moment). Most of my CL08 formations seem to be OK though as you can see from the screenshots below There are currently 324 different formations in my game that would fit the BR Blue period. So, by the time I'm finished I expect that there will be well over 500 in play. I think it will be worth the effort though.
You'd be surprised as to how quickly you use up 300 formations. (Picked that number to make the maths easy). Starting point 300 formations that reference 5 different locos = 60 formations per loco. Empty and Loaded wagons / coaches = 30 formations per load status per loco. 10 different wagons = only 3 formations per load status per wagon per loco These are just averages of course but you can see how things can quickly scale up. TBH I think I've now got more formations than poor old Rishi is going to get votes in the election (More seriously this makes me wonder what will happen when the 'real' Formation Designer gets released. There will literally be tens of thousands of formations created......many of which will be duplicates of each other but just named differently. Talk about software bloat).
Oh, I can smell that picture, in fact can hear it as well. Just to cover my bases I can confirm I can see it too!
That is surreal, it will eventually turn out that 300 formations will not be enough as more DLCs are released over time. Saying that, I wonder how many formations will be featured in this mod by release to be honest, I think it will be a massive amount. Overall, I do feel that projects like this do need more recognition (as much as in the PC Editor subforum i.e. put in the Community Corner in the monthly Roadmaps) in the community instead of a slight minority whom use the Creator's Club subforum as we know how much effort and time you have put into not just this, but the EDN mod which has been showcased prior to this one being created .
Thanks for the kind words and the support. It is appreciated For the moment I would prefer to work "under the radar" as it stops people from constantly asking when things will be ready. Also, technically, I haven't actually finished anything yet so have no idea whether sharing will work. (It should do as I end up making pak files which I can see are complete so there is no reason why they shouldn't work on someone else's game). Anyway we are nearly reaching the moment of truth as I have, now, allowed my TVL mod to overtake everything else so a beta for this should be the first to come out. I'm now up to 417 formations and still have to do the CL40s / 45s and 47s (although these will be easier to cut & paste from other formations and should now work first time). Most things seem to work although I cannot seem to work out how to get loads to show in the HEAs, MFAs and Conflats. (The HEAs being particularly puzzling as they actually have separate empty and loaded wagons so I don't know why these don't work). Am now having a look around Thornaby depot when I am testing my formations to see what lines can be used for scenarios. It is tricky as the actual buildings cover many of the sidings and, from a scenario point of view, the formations are plonked down by the editor in the bit of a siding that is hidden from view Anyway here are a couple of screenshots from me testing the 3 iffy wagon loads in the Thornaby area. So these are the 3 that don't seem to work (all 3 wagon types should have loads in them). Here are a few more shots from depot and CL20 formation testing. (You can see the issue with the depot building if you look at the CL31s at the top of the first image. It's a shame we can't make invisible wagons like we used to be able to do in good old MSTS. That way I could've created formations that appeared to show light engines standing in front of the depot doors).
First dabblings with the 40s / 45s / 47s. At least they couple to each other (Note that in all of these formations you will be able to apply community liveries. I have just chosen not to do this for testing). Initially I completely forgot that there are 2 different CL40s in the Heavy Freight pack (Discs and Central Headcode) but I have got them both separately identified now for formations. (Which, of course, doubles the formation count for this class). A few unique light engine formations lurking about in there. Will add some more in due course together with passenger and more freight rakes. (Which reminds me. I can't seem to get passengers in to my coaching rakes either ). Right that's it for the moment. Got my chores to do now and then there is the footy later on
That makes sense, finishing it is the most important thing, and having people constantly hassling you about release timelines wouldn't do really well as only you can decide when to release it, regardless of timeframe. Having it in beta would be a good idea for fellow PC users to test it as you are still working on it for it to become the best it could .
Hmmm I appear to be having [problems with the mod that enables us to extra and pak projects from the game. This means that, at the moment, I can't upgrade any of my mods with newer formations or paths. This is a bit annoying but, hopefully, I will get to the bottom of this soon (or someone from the forums will help). The good news is that this doesn't stop me from testing things on my own system just that I can't then share them with anyone else Anyway here are a few screenshots from a test scenario at the Saltburn / Boulby line end of the route.
I have had a quick look at Thornaby depot but the biggest challenge is going to be the fact that Scenario Editor drops formations inside the depot building on the through roads so (a) you can't see them or (b) they appear to be bursting through closed shutter doors. Not a great look. Here are 3 short formations on the sidings in front of the depot building. (A strange mixture with all 3 being placed on the same path). PinzaDave will probably like this
Well you know what thought did Anyhow whilst attempting to clone some Mk1s (to see if I could get more liveries on to the same passenger rake) I thought I would create something more parcelly to go with my TVL mod so, quickly, made this. (Doncaster Enterprise). Which then made me think I could do with something more TVL appropriate so thought that I would go down the "What If?" route. So have a first look at "Teeside Endeavour" (Not sure about the windows and, maybe, the cab door window should also be white?). Having said that then the livery did only take me 5 minutes to make so I can probably afford to invest a bit more time on it. Finally a quick screen shot of me testing the sidings at Eaglescliffe station now that I realise I need to make my pathing names more helpful to the average user (splitting AI only ones out from the drivable ones) amongst other things.
Donny Enterprise. One of my first reprints. Somewhere in the depths... Don't think I ever saw anything in the Eaglescliffe sidings except for a JCB on rails!
In getting my mod ready to go out for testing I thought I'd get a couple of scenarios ready just to give the testers something to do rather than just plonk things down in Free Roam. So here are some screenshots from a CL20/31 combo going around the back of Boro en-route to Tees Yard and then Darlo Civil Engineers sidings. CL08 shunting at Stockton Haulage siding (which isn't in Stockton by the way). Pacer passes our Player service as it waits its departure time. Passing Boro Carriage sidings with a CL101 (4-car) in view. Going "around the back" of Boro station. A pair of 20s hauling some PCAs pass us on the freight avoiding lines. (I'll try and get a passenger service to either pass or overtake us at the same time). Enjoy
Not many updates to show for the last week or so's work as I managed to accidentally delete everything !!! Then I found out that my last few back-ups didn't work properly either so I thought I was well and truly stuffed. However, fortunately, I did have some bits & pieces scattered about on my PC, and in the recycle bin that I could use to recreate many of the files. (Mind you that still left me with 100s of formation and path files to redo and then double check which took forever). The good news is that I think I am now back to normal (whatever 'normal' is) and have got most of what I had originally created back in play. I have also now gone on to make extra formations for the CL45 and CL47 loco some of which can be seen in the screenshots below. (Don't worry about the liveries on some of the locos, that was just me messing about). I am now up to 760 formations and will stop when I get to 1000 Still got some wagons that won't seem to load which is a shame and, also, need to create a technique for creating & placing loose consists in scenarios. Hopefully we'll get that cracked shortly
A few more screenshots from a test Scenario starting at Allens West Chrome Works sidings. I think I will end up separating the formations for the Tees Valley paths and issue them as 2 separate mods. It seems that the mod still works even if you don't have all the stock so that's good. The next loco I will add will now be the Western and then I will go back and add in the Blackpool CL47 to compliment the NTP one. (Might add a few formations for the WSR version too).
That must've been a scare for you then... but glad you have managed to solve the issue as best as you can . Fair enough, it might work better that way as people will be able to use your formations despite not having the additional paths mod hence making it optional for people to download.
Hmmm I'm not sure that PinzaDave will be happy with this Westerns on Tees Valley.....hauling freight??? (Now up to 812 Formations)
A few more steps forward in that I now have loaded conflat wagons and loaded 5 plank wagons in my formations. The 5-planks are interesting as they seem to have 3 different loads (covered, barrels and planks) so I will have to see how the game selects each type of load when it 'builds' a formation. This has meant that I can now start to build really mixed consists to give a bit more variety. (This might be useful to make green diesel formations/scenarios on Peak Forest for instance?). Now I need to tackle the MFAs and HEAs that, so far, stubbornly seem to refuse to display loaded versions Then its on to the Mk1s to see if I can get around some of the mixing & matching issues so I can end up using CC liveries on full rakes. (Now at 824 formations. Not sure if 1000 is going to be enough )
This could easily have been taken on the Cornish main line in the final years that the Westerns ran having been relegated to freight and parcels services.
Hmmm I see Formation Designer has now been upgraded and formations are starting to be uploaded on to the hub. Whilst this is a step forward, especially regarding wagon rakes etc, I notice that the max number of subscriptions hasn't changed. Also I should imagine that pretty soon there will be 100s of versions of the same (or similar) things which will make finding whatever you want quite tricky. Anyway onwards and upwards with my own Formation Manager. I now have 1658 formations spread across 3 pak files which are, more or less, ready to upload now. Just testing them out in Scenarios which was, of course, the main reason why I started this whole project. 09:30 Class 101 DMU from Middlesborough Carriage Sidings to Darlington PL2. Yes you start in the carriage sidings and pass through Boro as an AI service heads off down the Whitby branch whilst freight services pass around the back of the station. Then you head off for Tees Yard and Thornaby.
Tees Yard and Thornaby depot are rather busier than usual with a variety of consists visible. (There is a bit of stuttering here so I may need to tone it down a bit).
Then its off to Eaglescliffe and Darlington where our service connects with a London bound HST. (Note the DMU in the background of the first shot has now been replaced by the Peak in the second). Quite pleased with the scenario. It has taken quite a bit of work to get it ready, and it still isn't quite right, but I think it is now time to release my mods and see what happens.
Can I just say... mega work David, I am speechless how you have managed to do a feat of this size, also whilst doing other mods too so props to you on that front, be proud of yourself . I spy liveries by dave55007...
I also cannot wait to try these out. Thank you so much for all your hard work. And now I have a PC to match, I finally got a gaming PC courtesy of the granddaughter's boyfriend! Good lad he is.
Now that IS good news I could probably send out pak files now for testing but (a) I just want to tweak the two TVL scenarios I already have, (b) Add a third one travelling in the other direction, (c) see if I can create a moveable invisible blocker (my current ones are all statics) and (d) if (c) works then see if I can do something so that you can have two separate pacers on the same bit of track but have one pull away without the other. (There will need to be a fair bit of trickery to achieve that). Thanks very much for your encouragement. It has become far more involved than I thought it would be but it has been worth it. Well spotted When I have called it "quits" on my base mods I can then ask for a few special liveries to be created (or republicised). For instance, several of my formations will benefit by having the double sided type liveries (ie pairs of 20s) and I know Dave has made some of these already. It will just be easier, once a mod is out, to work out what works?, what doesn't work? and what needs explaining a bit more? I will definitely need to write some form of instruction / logic sheet as there are lots of paths and formations involved many of which will need to be used in a specific way. Once TVL is out I'll create a separate thread for it for people to report how well, or how badly, they get on with it
12:48 Empty BBAs to Tees Yard. Just the beginning of the scenario at the moment. (Again with a hotch-potch of liveries which I must tidy up a bit). The scenario begins with a bit of trainspotting at Darlington whilst we await our departure time. Firstly a 3-car CL101 plus Newspaper van departs PL2 and heads off in the Middlesborough direction. (Note the player service is the CL31 at the top of the screenshot). A CL47 passes us as it hauls a long train of JNAs on the UP avoiding line. Another CL47 arrives heading a northbound service to Newcastle (passing a CL08 shunter and DMUs en-route). A southbound HST arrives at PL1 heading for Kings Cross. The above HST departs as a northbound one pulls in to PL4. Who needs an ECML Diesel pack !!!
A CL31 coal train trundles by on the DOWN avoiding line. (It's probably overloaded as it doesn't go very fast). A Peak is held by the signals on the UP avoiding line to allow an incoming passenger service access to Platform 2. The 6-car DMU arrives and the Peak heads off down south. A CL31 hauled short civil engineers rake pulls in to the sidings in front of our service. Finally we are given the road and set off for Dinsdale and Tees Yard.
Great pictures. I especially love the one with the IC HSTs snaking their way amongst the BR blue - very evocative of a certain era.
Thanks James. Here's a few more on the way to Eaglescliffe (where I ran through a red signal). On the way to Dinsdale we pass a CL08 shunter waiting to come off the works branch. Then we pass a pair of 20s hauling a coal train. Then a CL40 hauling some Turbots. Before passing a pair of orange Pacers at Allens West.
And now the final run in to Tees Yard First we pass a single CL20 hauling a short mixed freight between Eaglescliffe and Thornaby. A blue CL101 arrives at Thornaby as we pass by the station and enter the yard. We pass close to the DMU stabling sidings at the West of the depot. Before pulling up to let a crew member off at the east side of the depot.
