Annie's Virtual Pre-Grouping, Grouping and BR Layouts & Workbench

[RedGemAlchemist]

Indeed. Perfectly captures the feel of the Broads.

[Annie]

There has just been a brief segment on Radio Three concerning ghost trains to ghost stations, apparently services run as 'place holders' to keep stations open and avoid the cost of closing them!

 

The stations and services are 'ghost' because they do not appear on public timetables.  The example given is Berney Arms in the misty Norfolk coastal marshes, naturally I thought of your latest layout ...

Thanks for that James.  There certainly are some amazing landscape pictures to be seen by goggling 'Berney Arms'.  I'm going to be moving on towards the marsh area on the layout soon so any source of inspiration is very welcome.

Windweather is an undefined spot on the map that's somewhere north of Yarmouth and little by little I'm gradually getting there with painting a 3D landscape of a little piece of Norfolk.  The image of the tiny halt in the middle of nowhere has certainly been filed away for later.

 

Edited January 16, 2019 by Annie

[Edwardian]

Thanks for that James.  There certainly are some amazing landscape pictures to be seen by goggling 'Berney Arms'.  I'm going to be moving on towards the marsh area on the layout soon so any source of inspiration is very welcome.

Windweather is an undefined spot on the map that's somewhere north of Yarmouth and little by little I'm gradually getting there with painting a 3D landscape of a little piece of Norfolk.  The image of the tiny halt in the middle of nowhere has certainly been filed away for later.

 

 

Very evocative (and a good use of the Airfix/Dapol water tower!)

[Annie]

Haha.  Yes James, - well known model railway classics have found their way into Trainz.  There are some buildings available for Trainz that are closely based on Biltezzi paper kits that were done with the permission of the copyright holders and there certainly more examples about.

[RedGemAlchemist]

Haha. Yes James, - well known model railway classics have found their way into Trainz. There are some buildings available for Trainz that are closely based on Biltezzi paper kits that were done with the permission of the copyright holders and there certainly more examples about.

Indeed. I'm actually surprised that to my knowledge there isn't a digital Nellie yet.

[sem34090]

Well, there's a C14 (so you told me once!) So that'll do!

[Annie]

A C14? - I haven't seen that one before.

[RedGemAlchemist]

It's for MSTS and I think it's on UKTrainSim. And it took some digging. Sem and I found it after searching due to a conversation we had.

Edited January 16, 2019 by RedGemAlchemist

[Annie]

It must seem like I was a bit daft to try and make something of such an awful tram engine model, but I have to say it was a challenge that I enjoyed even though I found it a bit difficult at times.  With my silly Woolworths brain due to the effects of narcolepsy doing things like figuring out messed up script incantations and then afterwards setting attachment points in place so I could add extra details along with necessary adjustments was a slow and awkward business.  But we got there and Team Mega Sleepy Girl won the day.  

                                                                         

 

 

 

 

This tram engine is Mk III and next job is to bring the Mk II version up to the same state of completion.  I'll delete the Mk I version since it's still bulked out full of rubbish and I don't really need three of these C53B (B for Behemoth) tram engines on the tramway.

I certainly leaned lots of useful things along the way even if sometimes it seemed like two steps forward and one back on the way to getting these tram engines sorted out how I want.

 

One of the forum members on NGRMO has just completed a model of a Belgian Tramway Garratt and now I have tram engine envy.

 

[Martin S-C]

Its a huge improvement over what was. Your crew don't seem over-impressed however!

[Annie]

Thanks Martin    

The taciturn crew figures are by a lovely gentleman named Bob Sanders who has just finished making a large number of workman figures for Trainz.  Before he started on his project there were only four steam era  UK workman figures available and while they were nice enough it wasn't easy to create an interesting scene with them.  There's a third cloth cap workman figure at the other end of the 'shed' who is supposed to be a shunter catching a ride and judging by his expression he isn't too happy with his lot in life at all.  Perhaps it's because he doesn't have a mustache like the other two 

 

One of the last jobs I'm doing is finally sorting out the smoke from the chimney properly.  At the moment smoke is blasting sideways from the chimney which may have been one of the reasons why the tram engine's original maker had uploaded it to the DLS without any smoke scripting.  I shouldn't have been surprised at this really daft mistake at setting an attachment point for the smoke because it's typical of this maker's work.  Normally I wouldn't be able to fix an error with a digital model's base mesh since I can't do 3D modelling but N3V/Auran have just made a tool available that can fix a range of faults in a mesh without having to use 3D software to do it.

 

I had mentioned that he'd plainly used his brake van model's mesh as a base for the tram engine.  Well on opening up the attachment points for the tram engine I discovered that he'd left all the attachment points for the brake van in place as well and simply added yet more for the tram engine.  What a mess it was too.  I hadn't used any of his attachment points with the work I've done, but instead used a very clever tool by PEVSoft that creates an identical invisible mesh to which attachment points can be fixed. Perfect for someone like me who can't do 3D modelling and in this case with the advantage that I didn't have to try and work with the original maker's mess ups.  Unfortunately I couldn't use it for smoke attachment points as that seems to be a special case so it's really great that this new tool has just been made available.

 

I was a bit limited with finding a bell I could use for the tram engine as there's not much available so the one i used is a bit impressive in size since it was intended for an American loco.  But at least it is of the same basic type as what should be there and if anyone says they couldn't hear the tram engine coming then they must be deaf.  And after finding the right sound file it can be used, but not for too long as I find it a bit annoying.

 

I did the lamps fixed in the stopping pickup/branchline goods train code position since that's what the two tram engines will be used for.  There wasn't much point really in going for a fully interactive lamp code arrangement which would have thrown me into yet another major scripting exercise.  Possibly I'll have a go at something like that later when I'm feeling brave, but not at the moment thank you very much.

 

The distinctive condenser cross pipe on the roof from the silencing arrangement for the safety valves is actually a part from a water crane that was just the right size.  I was very proud about fitting this since I had to place the attachment point at the correct height then rotate it to get the correct angle across the roof.

 

I'm not very sure about the whistle and I may need to move it.  It's a fairly impressive item intended for yet another American loco since again the supply of plug in mesh type models was very limited.  Plainly the Windweather Tramway has a thing about making sure folk know their engines are approaching.

 

The screw couplings and vacuum pipes are more plug in models, but as these are a much more common standard fitting there was a lot more to choose from.  The buffers aren't right and once I find some better ones I'll change them since they are plug in models as well.

 

So there you go, - a silk(ish) purse from a sow's ear.  I'm finding myself to be very fond of tram engines so it looks like the mobile wooden sheds are going to be gradually edging out the conventional locomotives on the two tramways.

Edited January 17, 2019 by Annie

[Annie]

Before and after snaps of the behemoth C53B.

 

 

 

Underneath snap of the 'before' version.

 

 

Underneath my rebuilt version.

 

[Annie]

Further testing.  The industrial tank engine engine spec I tried proved to be a coal eater so the C53B's now have a GER B74 0-4-0 shunter engine spec which is definitely much better.  My 'what-if' C53B's are still 2-4-0's rather than 0-6-0's which is why I need to use a 0-4-0 engine spec from a fairly nuggety 0-4-0 rather than a 0-6-0 one.

 

Only 97 tons of general mixed goods on the drawbar as No.025 crosses over the harbour, but she's built to take more than that.  Timber and logs from foreign parts is a major traffic away from Windweather Harbour and that's my excuse for the GER building two 'super' C53's for the Windweather Tramway.  After building a few layouts where coal was a major traffic away from a wharf I want to do something completely different with my two GER affiliated tramways.

 

 

Traversing the triangular junction and heading for the Hopewood Tramway.  The three lines meet at this point, - GER, Windweather Tramway and Hopewood Tramway.  The GER and the harbour swing bridge are to the left and the Windweather Tramway line is heading away into the right background.  I resisted putting in a triangular junction at first, but the amount of extra shunting required without one was getting beyond a joke.

 

 

 

Now into Hopewood Tramway territory and its much more hill bound landscape.  Don't ask me to explain how this is possible on a map of Norfolk because I was the despair of my geography teacher when I was in school.

 

 

 

And a mile or two or three further on the goods train is on the roadside section past Bluebell Woods and heading for Mollywood.  Now that the GER has a controlling interest in both tramways they tend to be operated as a single line of railway, but of course local pride amongst the staff of the two tramways is still very high which leads to a certain amount of friendly rivalry between them.

 

[Northroader]

Are you allowed bells on top of the tram locos for working the docks area?

[Edwardian]

Great job on the Behemoth, though personally I fail to see why hexagonal boilers didn't catch on, and running through some lovely countryside.

 

Is that a NE open with wore mesh extensions I see?

[Annie]

As is usual nobody wanted to take snaps of C53 and G15 roofs back in the day Northroader, but pictures of C53's at work at Ipswich docks seem to show hints of bells fitted to their roofs.

 

 

Great job on the Behemoth, though personally I fail to see why hexagonal boilers didn't catch on, and running through some lovely countryside.

 

Is that a NE open with wore mesh extensions I see?

James, the NER wagon has nicely modelled wire mesh extensions mounted on removeable steel frames for carrying loads of small casks.  The load which is removable has been very nicely modelled as well.  It's one of Paulz Trainz  recent NER wagon models which are really very good.  A NER historical modeller with fairly exacting standards commissioned a lot of NER rolling stock from Paul with the added benefit of course that Paul now has these for sale.  It's a slightly unusual wagon so I like to include it in my goods trains from time to time.

 

The landscape is gradually getting better.  I find that when I'm running my trains I notice what needs doing far more than when I'm hovering over it using the surveyor/editing software.  After every operating session I end up with additions to my 'to-do' list, but that's all good.

 

Yes I wonder why hexagonal section boilers didn't catch on.......  

Certainly the one that was fitted inside the tram engine originally looked very odd with the chimney sort of stuck out on it's own and not joined to anything. To my mind the maker would have had a better result if he'd left the boiler out entirely.  The only 3D modelling software I did any good with was TinkerCad which is primarily made for children and I'm sure I could have made a better boiler using using TinkerCad than what he did.

Edited January 17, 2019 by Annie

[Annie]

Darn it! - now look what you made me do.  I dug out my old login for TinkerCad and now I'm not going to get anything done.

[Annie]

The NER cask wagon with a friend.

 

[Annie]

And the smoke situation is finally fixed.  But what a puzzle solving business that was!  I couldn't have done it without the new Auran mesh editing tool though.  The behemoths have four body mesh files, - one is just a reference file and I soon discovered that it doesn't actually do anything.  The other three are scripted together to make a line of distance (lod) unholy alliance arrangement and anything done to one mesh file has to be done to the other two or any mods won't work.  I had a hunch that the smoke point was 90 degrees off vertical alignment so the first thing I did was make a new smoke point to avoid any magical scripting nasties; - and then it was just the business of setting the angle correctly.  The old smoke point was down inside the chimney so I raised my new one to be just at chimney top level which I feel gives a much more realistic appearance to the hopefully correctly generated smoke.

So another triumph for Team Mega Sleepy Girl.  I was going to say I'm dead chuffed, but that's an awful pun isn't it  

 

[Annie]

No.022 doing the dread 180 ton gravel train test.  I edited the smoke files a little so it doesn't look like the C53B's are climbing Beattock while they are only idling about the harbour sidings.  It looks like I need to drop the smoke point down just a little, but that's easy to do.

 

 

 

And I haven't only been playing with the behemoths, - the G15's have been out and about too.  These G15 digital models are actually a bit too short; - more like a G13¾  I suppose, - but I do like them and they are very good for running the passenger service.  I need to do something about their brakes though because they bite a bit hard and make it difficult to stop smoothly at station platforms.

 

 

[Martin S-C]

I like the little group of what I assume are cyclists camping in the field and frying breakfast on an open fire. A very nice touch.

[Annie]

Thanks Martin.  The cyclists' campsite was one of the very first cameos I put together when I was building the Hopewood Tramway and it still remains a favourite.

[Annie]

Look Mum, - 8 wheels!  Thanks to a set of bogies from a Heisler geared locomotive I've been able to make my 'what-if' C53B tram engines ride on eight wheels like i wanted.  I thought I'd need to adjust the attachment point height, but they fitted in place like they were meant to go there.  Immediate benefits is that the C53B's track better than ever through the tramway's tight curves and because the wheels are the correct size for a GER tram engine they sit perfectly under the body without cutting through the floor.  The other plus is that the sound file is now working much better and sounds very nice indeed (Driving wheels have a trigger point on the axles that acts to time the sound files so they play correctly).  Braking is much improved too and is much smoother.  I didn't setup the C53B's to have uber brakes, - just good ones, - so it does correctly appear like a heavy train is being brought to rest when the brakes go on.

 

 

The fireman looks very proud to be crewing an engine with eight driving wheels.

 

 

The turntable at Windweather (just to change the subject).  It does work well and I like that it is a covered turntable, - but you don't half need the dexterity and reactions of a concert pianist to get it to stop in the right place.  A few times it's been, 'And once more round the park' when I've been trying to get it to stop at the track I want.

 

Edited January 19, 2019 by Annie

[Annie]

Another small triumph.  I was able to find a bridge number plate for Trainz that had just the right sized mesh to make a GER number plate for my tram engines.  Nearly all of the tram engines I have use the kinds of textures for their body sides that can't have a number plate applied to them without one side being either a mirror image or the tram engine becoming covered in number plates.  A separate plate mesh that could be applied to an attachment point was what was needed, - only until this afternoon I hadn't been able to find anything suitable.

 

An early morning snap of No.022 showing off its new number plate.  Only five more tram engines left to do........

 

[Annie]

Out and about driving No.4.  I know I sometimes complain about Paulz Trainz and how much fixing I have to do to Paul's models before I can use them, but the NSR 'B' class that I used as the basis for No.4 is completely 'out of the box' and all I did to it was re-texture it.  Nothing else need to be done and it's a lovely engine to drive.  I'm trying to think of a semi-justifiable reason why I can have another engine like No.4 on the line because afterall the world really does need more elegant Edwardian locomotives.

And I also really like Paul's 4 position cab interior system that lets me hang out the cab door and take a snap like this one.