You can set the sort order of messages? Just click on the link in the date column. Your preferences will be remembered, so you don't have to do it again when you return.
How about something Welsh for a
change?Somewhere like Cardiff
General or the wider Cardiff area in steam days would probably be a “major” project
(although it would be very nice), but somewhere like Aberystwyth or Machynlleth
wouldn’t be as large.
Aberystwyth – steam era gives traffic
off the Cambrian route from Shrewsbury and Machynlleth, as well as traffic on the Carmarthen line.
Aberystwyth – modern era, depending
on precise date could give a mix of loco hauled and dmu trains.
Machynlleth – steam era gives
traffic for both Aberystwyth and Pwllhelli, with a shed and engine changes,
plus trains being split or joined.
Another suggestion would be something similar
to the ‘Withered Arm’ line control simulation only this time for
the WR lines west of Swansea.If put in the steam
era this would give lines to places like Carmarthen, Pembroke Dock, Fishguard
Harbour, Cardigan, Milford Haven and Neyland.Each one of them being different in its
traffic pattern and requirements, giving a bit of variety.
Just some ideas you might like to ponder.I appreciate the amount of work that
goes into developing each simulation and that these are produced in slightly
more limited numbers than the likes of Microsoft, but is there any way of
keeping the price of some of the bigger ones down at all?
Steve Daly
-----Original
Message----- From: SIAMulations@...
[mailto:SIAMulations@...] On
Behalf Of Tim Bourne Sent: 01 August 2007 20:42 To: SIAMulations@... Subject: [SIAMulations] Possible
non-major projects
It's clear that a project the size of Exeter 1955 is close to, or
perhaps beyond, the limit of what can be done by one person in a
reasonable time. The point of this message, then, is to float some
ideas about what could be done in the reasonably near future.
I do have another major project in mind, NOT set in the West Country,
and have started research, but realistically that's unlikely to see
the light of day before December 1908 at the earliest, and I'd really
rather not keep you all waiting so long before offering something new.
Some of the others are also working on something new, but they all
have jobs that consume a lot of their time.
A lot more information has become available since the original
Penzance 1955 was produced, and a lot more features have been added to
our simulations. It would now be possible to produce a "Silver"
Penzance 1957 with three screens, and this would also be the testbed
for enhanced handling of shunting, with multi-portion arrivals and
departures, and tracking of all the parts of a departure.
Though the track layouts in the West Country changed very little in
the sixties, the traffic changed a great deal, particularly with the
rush to dieselisation. I wonder how much interest there would be in
versions of Exeter and Penzance set somewhere in the 1962-65 period,
and perhaps also in 1970. Some work has already been done on an Oxford
1972, but I'm not sure if there would be a demand for it.
Your comments and suggestions are welcome, but please bear in mind that:
1 With each new version of Windows we have to wait to see whether
Microsoft have killed us. It looked possible that they had done it
with Vista, but in fact all was well.
2 I don't particularly want to retire completely, but it would be nice
to avoid the pressure of having to get something finished by a date.
3 Being realistic, we probably don't have the resources to produce
more than one major simulation every two years or so, plus smaller
ones or variations as discussed above, and anything that Brian, Phill
and others may add.
It's clear that a project the size of Exeter 1955 is close to, or perhaps beyond, the limit of what can be done by one person in a reasonable time. The point...
Personally would like to see something in a different area. Feel the West country has had its fair share of simulations with Exeter, Newton Abbot, Plymouth and...
Personally, I would like to see Nottingham early 1970's. I guess a waterloo or Clapham junction (any era) would be too hard.. A protoype crossrail 2000 might...
... One of the problems is that there is very little published information about ECML track plans, or indeed the LNER area in general. A second snag is that I...
Paul, I'm not too sure what you mean by, "the look and feel changes considerably with various versions of the same stations (eg reading 72/54)." The example...
Tim, How about something Welsh for a change? Somewhere like Cardiff General or the wider Cardiff area in steam days would probably be a "major" project...
... Yes, those are interesting possibilities, and the data shouldn't be too hard to find. ... I'll suggest that to Bob, who's done most of the line control...
... Thanks for this info, Tim I think the main need for any simulation is research. Thus, any project that has not been adequately researched has no real ...
... Thanks for this info, Tim I think the main need for any simulation is research. Thus, any project that has not been adequately researched has no real ...
Tim, Difficult, the major ones are worth waiting for (will be getting Exeter this Christmas), but I do like to get somthing every year for Christmas to get my...
... Yes, the Great Central had a lot of interesting locations. I'll see what information I can find; I don't recall seeing full track plans of any of the main...
... Sales figures suggest that there are more customers interested in the steam era than early diesel days, but I agree something on the Midland is overdue. ...
... Personally I would prefer any available time to be spent on new simulations. I would think it unlikely that any time spent on tarting up existing sims...
As far as I am concerned, it is the steam era simulations that are interesting and in practice I am likely to buy anything that is produced (and none of the...
... Yes, all of those are on my wish list, but they're all fairly major projects. ... I take your point, but in practice there's very little more work in doing...
Simulations can always be made 'more challenging' by adding different and interesting events. Eg. Freight train failure at platform, driver or other crew late...
... challenging simulation, whatever that might be. I agree. ... necessary. Obviously a Monday-Friday service will often be dramatically different from a...
Hi there, I thought my dad might like to take some part in the discussion on non major projects. I sent him the original note from Mr. Bourne and the...
... Thanks, Graham. Yes, your dad has been a good customer for a long time. I agree with most of the places on his lists; often the biggest problem is that...
... Yes, that's an interesting possibility, and shouldn't be too difficult to do. We have occasionally put in this sort of thing, not probably not in any...
I have also encountered engine failures in Carlisle, Llandudno Junction, Reading and Salisbury. When I saw the Castle sitting in 83C Shed in Exeter, I assumed...
Ever since I started playing Carlisle 1957 I became fascinated by the variety of motive power coming off the Waverley Route, and Hawick in particular has...
... I think that must be the only one of that series I don't have! I'll have a look. Somewhere like that might be a reasonable size, and it's nice to have a...
I wonder whether there is any feasibility in doing a Traffic Control program around London Bridge and Borough Market Junction? The twin lines over Borough...
... My feeling is that it would be a nightmare both to program and to operate! I've stood on the through platforms at London Bridge sometimes and watched, and...
Offline 
Send Email
