British Trainz

Hi everyone.
I am quite new to the world of Trainz and as yet have not come to terms with all this talk about CM, Kuids, etc. I have just loaded up my copy of TANE and had a play on the ECML which I really enjoyed. My love is with the early diesel locomotives of British Railways as I was on the footplate for 18 years. I started work at Holbeck TMD in 1979 and had the pleasure of driving the following types of loco:
class 08
class 25
class 31
class 40
class 45
class 46
class 47
class 55
many DMU's
I then transferred to Healey Mills in 1981 where I added
class 37
I then transferred to Stonebridge Park TMD in 1983 and added
class 81
class 82
class 83
class 85
class 86
class 87
I then transferred to Huddersfield Depot in 1986 and added
class 141
class 142
class 144
class 150
and finally I transferred to Knottingley TMD in 1989 and added
class 56
class 58
class 60
I left the service in 1995 when a change of career beckoned me.
But I still have a love of those times and have found that Trainz almost puts me back in the hot seat. I thought the class 47s on the ECML were very close to the real thing. I have just passed Newcastle so should be getting on familiar ground very soon. (The nearest I got to Newcastle was picking up a merry go round in Tyne Yard and taking it to the Aire Vally power stations)
I have seen a Settle to Carlisle package which sounds interesting, as I drove that route when I was at Holbeck. Usually with a class 45 or 46 but occasionally with a class 40 and I remember once taking a Deltic over the route.

Sorry I have gone on a bit. I will be looking for all these locos to add to my collection so any advice would be welcomed. I would love to get my hands on some of the routes I used to sign,
Leeds to Doncaster
Leeds to Skipton
Huddersfield to Sheffield via Penistone
London Euston to Watford
Selby coal field to Drax etc etc

If I can help anyone with information I may have that would help you, please don't hesitate to ask.

As you can tell, I enjoy talking about my happy times driving the big locos and I am hoping I am going to enjoy driving the digital locos as well.

Snowy

Welcome to the forum Snowy sounds like you and the the two Dave's will get along well that being nexusdj and cyberdonblue.

Most of those routes are not available for trainz but I am working on A fictive version of the wcml from London to Watford.

Thank you, I would love to have a look at that route once it is available. It holds mixed memories for me. Part of the exam to pass as a driver is to drive a train with an examiner in the cab. Mine was the 08.05 from Euston to Birmingham in 1984. It was a class 86. I remember I completely forgot about one isolated section and didn't step down for it. Caused a bit of a bang in the cab. anyway I passed.

Most of the locos you listed are available in trainz in various liveries and most work in tane to.

Hear is A link to my thread about the fictive wcml.

http://forum.british-trainz.co.uk/viewt ... =16&t=2518

Hi Snowy,

Welcome to the forum, your amongst a great bunch of trainzers. Nice to see another Ex BR man here, there's quite a few of us now.

Just a few issues though, we might need to get aslef involved as there is now at least three ex drivers on this site so there could be a problem with seniority rules. We might even need to get Marky and the moderators to set up an ex-BR pension scheme for us.

Chris A

Well I am now 52 so I want to be in the top link, with all the mileage jobs. Or as it was commonly known, "The London Link"

Where did you play with the real ones?

Hi Snowy,

Wanted to be a driver but failed the eye colour sight test. Worked at Coventry, Leamington and Birmingham New St (train crew rostering) and finished my days at Stanier House, Birmingham. Victim of Thatchers privatisation scheme.

Just hit the big 60.

Chris A.

Hi Snowy and welcome, nothing to do with BR here, my interest comes from being a member of the Ffestiniog Railway society since the 60's so primarily a Narrow Gauge nut.

Hi Snowy, welcome to the Forum and to Trainz.

We may well have crossed paths back in the 80's there as I spent 2 years at Watford on the DC about that time (501's initially then 313's.) I did a bit up and down the roaring main between Euston and Milton Keynes with 310's and 313's and also worked on the "Abbey" with DMU's, as well as the stuff we did on the "High Level" and on the Gospel Oak - Barking road.

I moved back to the Midlands mid 80's and helped to turn New Street depot into the lunatic asylum that it became for a while . Unfortunately, in 2007, after years of burning the candle at both ends (between work and "socialising") my health took a turn for the worst forcing me to retire on health grounds. I'm still alive and kicking though - just - and enjoying T:ANE. I don't think driving digital trains comes close to the real thing, but I love the "Surveyor" side of things.

If you're looking for leccy loco's have a look at the stuff by "nexusdj" on the DLS. Dave (nexusdj) is an ex-Bescot mon but you can't hold that against him once you've seen how good an asset creator he is

This is a nice friendly place to seek help and advice so don't be shy. I knew virtually nothing when I first joined (and many would say I still don't )

Dave

Thanks for the welcome boys. I just need to get my head around all this DLC and CM and Kuids or something and I will be fine. Then work out which build to go for, and once that is sorted see if I remember how to drive a brush 4 as they were called. I did have a go on the ecml session with the pair of 47,s. I found it really good. The sound of the engine is so lifelike. I nipped in the cab of the trailing loco and noticed the Westinghouse brake was not locked out but in the running position. This of course would be incorrect, but that's just nit picking. Overall I think the tane package seems great.

Welcome to the forums Snowy , Getting quite the gathering of former BR staff on here . Rusty buffer man myself , Did 11 months on the BR yobo training scheme 88-89 and that put me off working with passengers for life The management where daft enough to give me a Trainman D job at Bescot 89-92 , then a drivers job 92-2010 until my health situation meant I could no longer do the job . I miss the laughs and the driving ( especially 37's ,56's & 58's) but I certainly don't miss the 12 hour Saturday night ballasts or the 00.01+ booking on times .

yes, I miss the class 56's they were good work horses and quite comfortable. a lot better than a draughty class 40 on a tunnel ballast job.
I just hope I can get my head around all this talk of assets and surveyor etc. I think I will start by just having a go on the ecml, although I am tempted by the settle and Carlisle package, though I think that was for TS12. I have downloaded the TANE manual so first job is to sit down and enjoy, with pencil and paper in hand.

Is that the best place to start?

I like to be an expert yesterday, so manuals and me are not great mates . Dive straight in, Snowy, and when something happens that you can't fathom for yourself maybe reach for the manual then. You'll mostly only need it for the Surveyor side of things when you're learning to build routes.

Dave

will do. One question, I am interested with the settle to Carlisle package. As I understand this is for an earlier version of trainz. will it still run ok on tane or will the look of it be of a lesser quality than the likes of the ecml that comes with tane?

There's a patch on the settleandcarlisle.co.uk website that updates the assets which show errors in T:ANE.

I think the problem you will have with it is that if you only have T:ANE I don't believe there is a way for a new purchaser to get the package downloaded into T:ANE directly (yet). Those who are using it in T:ANE have it in a previous versions of Trainz (ie, prior to TS12 SP1) and are able to copy it across from there and then apply the updates.

It is an older route (some of the assets were actually built around 2004 for use on the Hawes Junction route included in TRS2006) and as such was built with consideration for the PC specs of the time. As for subjective assesments of the quality, I'll leave that for others to comment on as I built a lot of the assets and I may be biased

Mike.