Introduce Yourself!

For all other chatting you want to do and that does not fit in another forum you can use this one.

Re: Introduce Yourself!

Postby briyeo » Thu Feb 04, 2016 6:38 pm

Hi Matt, just where I was just over 2 years ago, getting that first cube into Railworks is a big deal, It didn't happen as easy as I hoped it would but it certainly kicked things off for me. Hope it does for you too. 8-)
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Re: Introduce Yourself!

Postby matsquatch » Thu Feb 04, 2016 8:00 pm

Thanks guys, I watched a few videos around sketchup last night and started to make a passable building - there's a lot to think about though isn't there, especially when you're working from grainy old photos that have been scanned a hundred times!!

I've got a toolstore tutorial to work through over the next few days, it's for an older version of Crafter (when it was Canvas I think), but it's a something to have a go at.

Cheers, Matt
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Re: Introduce Yourself!

Postby Rockdoc2174 » Thu Feb 04, 2016 10:33 pm

Matt, I can't model for toffee - I produce scenarios and lay scenery using other people's assets - but I can say with certainty that, whatever the puzzle or problem you find yourself with there will be someone on here who's been there, done it and worn the T-shirt. The forum cannot be beaten as a friendly place where the simplest question is answered in a straightforward manner. Don't be afraid to ask what seem like silly questions because the answers may very well be extremely sensible.

Welcome,
Keith
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Re: Introduce Yourself!

Postby cjbarnes5294 » Sun Feb 07, 2016 9:40 pm

matsquatch wrote:Hello everyone - I'm Matt, thanks to Jim for extending an invite to me. I've been using Train sim since it's initial incarnation, and have plodded along recreating the Cross Gates to Wetherby branch. It's really just a personal interest project, as I live in a village on the line, and my in-laws live in Wetherby - I dread to think of the mish mash of assets I've used over the years that I've dipped in and out of working on it. But I've finally run out of ways to "make do" with certain buildings and features, so I hope to learn how to make objects, texture them and get them into the game. I'm under no illusion how tricky it will be - I'm nothing of an artist, I've never done any 3d modelling, but I've always been interested in how people make assets for their (and others) projects.


Interesting! Having lived in the area all my life nearly, I've always been fascinated by the long gone Church Fenton - Harrogate line that connects to the Cross Gates branch at Wetherby, especially as so much of the infrastructure and bridges survive and can be seen if you're willing to walk along some muddy footpaths! Do you have any plans to extend your project North to Spofforth and South towards Tadcaster?

Keep up the great work and enthusiasm, and welcome to the forum!
Chris
The Red Queen Hypothesis, applicable to train sim development?

"Here, you see, it takes all of the running you can do, to keep the same place."
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Re: Introduce Yourself!

Postby matsquatch » Sun Feb 07, 2016 11:55 pm

Hi Chris - I got as far as Wetherby and the triangle to the North, and I had a vague inkling to go to Tadcaster, and maybe Church Fenton, and then maybe back to Cross Gates via Garforth, but it's really an on-off sort of project - I started it years ago and haven't really kept track of assets I've used. To be honest, I a) hate the current mesh sizes as it makes embankments and cuttings such a chore and b) I've had half an eye on whatever the next version of TS is based on UE4 and whether that "improves" the route building.

I'll post some pictures up of the stuff I've done, maybe 2016 will see if get towards Tad (if I can get the rest of it done!!)

Matt
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Re: Introduce Yourself!

Postby SteveP_trains » Thu Feb 18, 2016 1:15 pm

Hi Everyone - been here a while but not contributed anything as yet.
But thought I may as well give you a potted history off my Train Simming days!!
Like most people, started off with MSTS and got to the point where just running things up & down was a little boring and the discovered a model of Talyllyn - one of the original locos of the Talyllyn railway - produced by Kevin Martin (kevmt)
As this has been my favourite NG railway, it started ideas of modelling etc route itself. Kevin & I made contact and sort of agreed to split the work - he builds the rolling stick & I do the route. Kevin's novel idea was to built the locos 2x scale so that he could use the "standard gauge track" that was all that was available in MSTS in those early days. However this meant everything else had to be scaled up 2 fold!! This eventually was finished and released with some success!!
I decided to offer this on CD so that I could donate money back to the Talyllyn, via a website, so if anyone wants a look, you can see it on http://www.sptalyllyn.co.uk (MSTS & Railworks versions)
When Railworks came around, we could build back to normal gauge and create new track to correct scale but is essence, everything was rebuilt!! I had help from the railway itself and allowed me to walk the line taking photos to use on the scenic objects in "photorealistic" mode.
Anyway, two versions later the Talyllyn is now "complete" as far as I am concerned with the release of v2.1 and now onto pastures new.

Having moved to live in North Wales a year ago, the Ffestiniog is now only 1/2 hour away so the next long term project is to re-create this other NG line. I say long term because I think retirement will be needed to make significant progress on this :D
This will be all custom built objects and locos and to correct scale 1' 11" gauge and first task has been to build one of the Double Fairlie locos to run on it. A challenge as they say!!
Taken ages to do with a problem over finding a way to use bogie couplings and the physics are very different. But hopefully Richard Maxted will sort the physics bit for me :)

Will post a few images shortly when things are looking close to finishing.

Regards
Steve
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Re: Introduce Yourself!

Postby TrabantDeLuxe » Tue Mar 22, 2016 12:14 am

Hello.

Not knowing anyone in the TS community I decided to fire of a 'hi-can-I-join-plz-kthnx' mail to Nobkins and he let me in. Thnx!

So I go by the name of my biggest financial and automotive disaster. I've been dabbling about with content creation for TS for a while now and this seemed like an awesome creator-oriented community, so I figured I'd join. I'll have to say that I've never released anything, but who knows.

Train and TS-related interests include old stuff. Like really old. I'm working on a set of 6-wheeled Staatsspoorwegen (state railways) set of stock ranging from 1875 to about 1910. I'll open a topic sometime soon as I'm keen on hearing some input from those who know what they're doing. The unfortunate thing about modeling this particular time, country, and company is that no locomotives exist to haul them, so eventually I'll have to build myself a steam engine I'm afraid. The TS2016 editors aren't my strong point, although I'd really love to be able to make a route for all this. Some day...

Other interests, when Uni doesn't eat away my time, include Kerbal Space Program and Silent Hunter. I'm a bit of a sucker for games that require met to solve equations. I guess I'm a bit of a nerd then. Oh, and I think Bach wrote some pretty nifty tunes.

Cheers,

-deLuxe.
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Re: Introduce Yourself!

Postby VictoryWorks » Tue Mar 22, 2016 12:02 pm

Welcome new chaps :)
Look forward to seeing what you come up with and hoping we can all inspire each other.
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Re: Introduce Yourself!

Postby thephantomphish » Sat Mar 26, 2016 1:20 am

Hi everybody! Intro time...

I'm Steve, aka ThePhantomPhish, and really happy to have been invited to this forum and see so many familiar names contributing! I mostly read (lots and lots) of forums for advice and think this will be a great source of help and inspiration with improving my project.
My immediate background is running the real railway, my CV includes 11 years on the platforms at Shenfield, and 5 on the platforms at Clapham Junction (my current station) with an 8-month spell in East Croydon station Control Point somewhere along the way. You would think that my primary contributions to the sim would be scenarios for those routes - from just even today I could write a few unusual ones! - but my railway background goes further than that...

In the 1990's I was a Volunteer on the Ffestiniog Railway, and knew the place inside out as a Guard and Controller. Getting into this sim, I was amazed to see the Britomart loco but no Ffestiniog route, and so embarked on a little private project to see if I could build Porthmadog, the Cob, and Boston Lodge to look vaguely realistic. A year and a half later, with inspiration, some advice, and help with testing from some of you on this forum through UKTS, it now includes the entire FfR from Port to Blaenau Ffestiniog set in the 1990's, and with a leap through time across the Britannia Bridge, the Welsh Highland route as far as Rhyd Ddu set sometime around 2010. Anyone noticing the earlier post from Steve about the Double Fairlie locos - my WIP route is one of their current testing playgrounds (and very nice that loco is looking too).
I'm still working on a release method (I'm keeping it workshop compatible for now in case nothing else is possible), but also starting to look at improvements and enhancements, specifically custom objects, and so forth. Anyone interested in screenshots can have a look at https://steamcommunity.com/id/thephanto ... ppid=24010 or check the UKTS general discussion forum for the 'Jolly Good Fun' thread.

I'd like to say thanks to you all for having me here, and look forward to further good discussion, help, advice, and above all inspiration from all you contributors! Cheers everyone!

ThePhantomPhish
*** builder of a large chunk of digital North Wales with some narrow gauge railways added for good measure ***
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Re: Introduce Yourself!

Postby Jack » Thu May 12, 2016 11:34 pm

Hello everyone and big thanks also to Jim.
II want to repeat what I said earlier today, about this site/forum being fantastic - IT IS. And also again, I wish I found it earlier.

I always wanted a train set when I was a boy, but I ended up as a Signalman for a massive set called British Railways. But it did break down occasionally - just like a real model. :roll:
But seriously - I have always been mad on Railways; and I still say however bad it got here and there, I still say British Rail did the best job. It was a SERVICE - and not a Business. "Once a Railwayman; always a Railwayman", as a nice old guy I trained with once said.

I have been messing with Train Simulators for a long time; and I expect to be doing so for a lot longer yet. I also spent countless hours on Flight Sims too, especially after my back flared up, and could no longer afford to finish my PPL training. It seems that Train Sims have filled a similar gap in my life as Flight Sims did. But The Railway side of things have overtaken in priority. And then last night, I Posted a short letter on the Train Simulator 2016 forum on Steam, asking if there were plans to publish a new route based on my own area covered as a Signalman between 1978 and 1988 - The Blackpool line, with its two branches to Blackpool Sth and Wyre Dock with Fleetwood. It appears that a project IS being worked on. and for that I would like to thank Tomhas2

I ask you all to indulge me a little while I just add my original Post here to explain things more.
My appologies if I missed any relevent discussion or news on this topic, but can anyone tell me if there are plans to create the line between Blackpool North (& South), and Preston. (Possibly even including the old Wyre Dock branch to Fleetwood. Given the importance of this line for various historical and other reasons, I feel it would be a great project to undertake and would be popular, again for various reasons, to a range of player's interests.
Many may know of the historical use of Fleetwood, as part of the original London to Glasgow route. And the old connection between London Euston and the Nth Euston Hotel in Fleetwood; and the use of a steamer to Ardrossen to complete the original route.

I was a Relief Signalman on that area between 1978-1988, and I worked all of the Signalboxes and crossings, from Blackpool No 1, to Weeton. (There was more mice there than Signalmen and water had to come from the nearby churchyard, or dropped off by passing Locos). LOL.
My Rosters included the Wyre an Blackpool Sth branches.

I would be more than willing to share my knowledge and experience in producing such a Route Product. Finally- I kept a personal record of Locomotives that passed whichever Signalbox that I worked each day, especially between 1980 to 82. I can well remember recording the dear old 40-145 which I handled many times. I have many unusual yet true stories about those years and have often thought of writing a book.
Some Saturday nights, I never knew what time I would get away, because of the large number of Illuminations Specials, and related light engines.
PLEASE- can someone help with this subject?
Jack D. Harrison.

PS_ Whilst working Poulton No 3 Box, I was visited by various train crew and others, to watch the weekday Target Shunt 6L79. They told me they came to watch, as it was "...an interesting shunt"; usually made up of Caustic Soda tanks and coal for Blackpool Nth. As well as the regular Oil, paraffin Wax, and Chlorine trains.
Jack.


Sorry to do it this way Tomhas2, but I would be more than happy to offer any help or information I that I have, to make your Blackpool-Preston Project succeed. It certainly deserves to do. I still live in Fleetwood, and hope we can meet to discuss it soon.

Sorry to be a pain in the tail light.. I look forward to chatting with all or most of you.
Jack.
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BLACKPOOL No 1 SIGNAL BOX (Off devonshire rd)..jpg
POULTON No 3 SIGNALBOX.jpg
My old pics
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